THREE days of topical debates surrounding the countryside will be held at the first Welsh Game Fair to be held at Vaynol Estate at Y Felinheli, near Bangor, from Friday to Sunday, September 9-11.
Held in the GWCT Nick Williams Theatre at the event, the organisers promise a “fresh forum for countryside conversations with panellist and audience interaction” with key speakers involved in conservation, shooting, farming, landscape management and food.
Debates moderator is Rob Yorke, an environmental dialogue broker who “creates space for conversations on countryside and environmental issues”.
Saturday’s speakers include Welsh celebrity farmer Gareth Wyn Jones who will lead a debate entitled “#LivingtheDream (with friends and foes)” at 2pm, while prominent Welsh chef Bryn Williams will speak on the topic “Food focus – from farm, river, wood, sea, field” at 3pm.
Friday morning’s debates will include a welcome by Mr Yorke and Teresa Dent, GWCT’s chief executive, “21st century shooting landscape – a different way” with author Ian Coghill and guests.
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The afternoon focuses on “Multifunctional forestry and small scale woodlands” with Anthony Geddes from Confor and guests.
Saturday morning debate includes “Managing fire issues – a role for land managers” with Craig Hope, UK tactical wildfire advisor.
The afternoon session includes “Novel nature – learning to live with reintroduced wildlife” with David Bavin, Alicia Leow-Dyke, Welsh Beaver Project and Craig Shuttleworth.
Sunday will open with a church service followed by “Keeping an eye out during uncertain times” with DPJ Foundation, a mental health charity and guests.
The afternoon session focuses on “Curlew conundrums across the UK” with Rachel Taylor, British Trust for Ornithology and Patrick Laurie, author and farmer.
Sue Evans, GWCT director Wales, will lead an end of show outtake and debrief with guests to close the debates.
For full details on the times of the debates, visit www.welshgamefair.org/gwct-nick-williams-theatre.
Fishing, clay shooting, gundogs, game cookery, falconry, horses and hounds, archery, rural crafts, food and drink will all feature at the event.
Chef Bryn Williams, originally from Denbigh, will be creating a bespoke menu for guests in a VIP Enclosure Restaurant, sponsored by Welsh jewellery brand Clogau.
He will also be taking part in live, open-air cooking demonstrations throughout the weekend.
Meanwhile, hosting the first Welsh Game Fair is the perfect match for the Vaynol Estate, which has been associated with game shooting since the 1800s.
Lords, MP, generals, colonels and landed gentry have been frequent visitors to shoots at the estate in the last 172 years.
The estate’s current owners, Myfyr Jones and his family, will see their dream come true when the game fair attracts thousands to celebrate the countryside, country pursuits and conservation.
The Jones family owns a collection of game books recording shooting on the Vaynol Estate dating back more than 100 years.
According to research by Sheila Roberts, of the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust, the land was originally part of the Maenol holding of the Bishops of Bangor and was purchased in 1533 by the Williams family of Cochwillan, a Caernarfonshire gentry family.
The estate was developed and extended during the 17th century by William Williams, High Sheriff of Caernarfonshire who was created Baronet in 1622.
When, in 1696, the then William Williams died childless, his estate passed to the Crown and William III later gifted it to John Smith of Cheshire, speaker of the House of Commons, who described it as “a tract of bogs and stones”.
The succession of Assheton Smiths and Duff Assheton Smiths in the 19th century saw the transformation of the neglected estate to parklands and gardens, funded by slate industry wealth after Thomas Assheton Smith took over the Dinorwic Quarry at Llanberis in 1809.
George Duff Assheton Smith, who inherited the estate in 1869, was keen on shooting and stocked the park with deer and the semi-wild breed of Vaynol White Cattle which still survive as a rare breed today.
He kept a menagerie of exotic animals which accounts for the bison hut, bear pit, lion house and seal pond which are still in existence. In 1904, he was succeeded by his brother Charles who owned three Grand National winners and built an impressive stable block for them.
The gardens were developed by him for grand entertaining and it was not until 1984 that the estate was sold by private treaty into multi-ownership.
Visitors can see Vaynol Hall, fronted by a picturesque lake, and some parts of the estate close up during the GWCT Welsh Game Fair, which is being organised by Stable Events Ltd in partnership with The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.
Money raised at the event will go to support the GWCT’s charitable work.
The event aims to foster greater communication and co-operation between sectors and promote the benefits of country pursuits and conservation to a wider audience.
For more information, go to: www.welshgamefair.org.
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