Gower Show

Have you ever been to the Gower Show? I hadn’t until this year. If I’m honest, when I was invited to attend, I didn’t even know what the Gower Show involved. All I knew was that I’d recently been to the Royal Welsh Show, and that my experience there was eye-opening. Given that the Gower Show is on such a comparatively small scale, I wasn’t sure what to expect. 

Hello there. My name is Seren, and I’m a trainee at Swansea Community Farm (SCF) under Codi’s Green Careers Pathway. I’ve had some awesome experiences since I started in July; one of my most memorable days so far was attending the Gower Show with Tegan, my fellow trainee, and some other colleagues. It was a more educational and interesting experience than I could have ever imagined, and I’m so glad I went. 

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Walking across the site on the morning of the Gower Show, the first thing I noticed was the sheer number of organisations involved. The rows of stalls were manned by small businesses and larger companies alike; the further my team and I walked, the more I realised that I had underestimated the scale of our local agricultural community. It was inspiring to see that there are so many pathways to getting involved, many of which intrigue me. 

I was also surprised by the animals we passed on our way in. We were waylaid by stalls featuring Shetland ponies and alpacas before we’d even made it to our tent, both of which were difficult to walk away from. 

The biggest stars of the morning, however, weren’t on display. They may have gone unnoticed to the untrained eye, but neither Tegan nor I could have missed their trailer after catching a glimpse of them at the Royal Welsh. It was the Quack Pack! Given my utter lack of experience with livestock herding, I’d regretted not watching their display when I’d last had the chance. I knew immediately that seeing today’s performance was one of my top priorities. 

With some effort, my colleagues and I eventually made it to our tent to set up. It was my first time attending a large event as the person behind the desk, and, if I’m honest, I was a bit nervous. I’d anticipated feeling like this and overcoming my nerves about public speaking was one of the main reasons I wanted to man the stall, but that didn’t make doing it any easier. 

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As it turned out, however, facing my fears wasn’t on the morning’s agenda. Kate told me and Tegan that we could instead take some time to explore the site. The first places this freedom took us were the handicraft and horticulture marquees, both of which were filled with their respective competitions’ highlights. I was surprised by the variety of categories. It was lovely to see the creativity and care that had gone into each project, and I've since realised that I would love to contribute to these competitions in the future. 

Once we’d finished exploring the handicraft and horticulture tents, Tegan and I made a beeline for the aptly named Honey Tent. Stewarded by the Swansea and District Beekeepers Society (SDBKS), this marquee housed entries for the Honey Show and a collection of products for sale. There was also a glass display case featuring real honeycomb frames from different sections of a beehive, all of which we took our time examining. 

The excitement only grew from here, however, when we spotted a group of people surrounding a hive. Upon learning from a steward that the SDBKS were running beekeeping taster sessions, we immediately booked ourselves onto the next slot. I love honeybees but had never seen an actual hive up close, so this was a fantastic learning opportunity. 

In the end, we were the only two people to have booked onto our slot. We spent 45 minutes looking through the hive as a group of professionals explained each layer and type of bee to us, even got to see frames with queen cells. It was genuinely fascinating, especially since I was getting to witness first-hand aspects of honeybee hives that I only knew of from my own research. I came away from the session more motivated than ever to get experience working with bees, and I hope to get involved with the SDBKS again in the future. 

When we returned to the SCF tent, Tegan and I were given the opportunity to man the table while the others explored. This was it, the moment of truth. Time to face my fears. 

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... I might have overestimated how scary it’d be. When we first took charge, I was nervous to hold conversations with people who visited our table, but everyone was so lovely! I chatted to the public and managed to work through my nerves quicker than I thought I could. This process, admittedly, may have been aided by the pictures of insects and other fabulous critters covering the stall next to us. It was awesome to talk to the organisation’s representatives about their work in conservation and biodiversity. 

However, what ultimately helped most was my realisation that I genuinely had overestimated how scary it’d be, and the confidence boost that thought gave me. My apprehension towards public speaking is nothing new. Working at SCF and with Codi has already provided me with invaluable opportunities to improve my confidence, and my role at the Gower Show was undoubtedly one of them. 

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Once the others had returned, Tegan and I were able to spend the rest of the day alternating between manning the stall and checking out more of the site. Our exploration inevitably led us to the livestock section, where we joined a gaggle of onlookers watching the competitions unfold. Admiring all the lovely animals was honestly a highlight of the afternoon. 

The other highlight was, of course, the Quack Pack. Tegan and I gravitated toward the show ring as soon as they entered, and the size of the audience when we arrived made it clear that we were far from the only ones caught up in the excitement. 

The show didn’t disappoint. Not only was it entertaining to watch the Indian Runner ducks traverse the ring as a group, but it was also amazing to see the way Meirion Owen and his sheepdogs herded them. The border collies’ speed and intelligence were on full display throughout, and they responded to cues from Owen faster than I would’ve thought possible. 

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Looking back on the Gower Show, I can confidently say that I gained more there than I ever expected. It was lovely to learn about all corners of Swansea’s agriculture and find that I have a place in such a welcoming community. Without Codi and SCF I’d never have discovered how much variety there is in the local agriculture or how much I enjoy it, let alone have had the opportunity to see some of my favourite aspects first-hand. I feel so lucky that I had the chance to be involved, and I look forward to attending in the future.