An Aberystwyth brother and sister will officially open the Welsh Winter Fair in Llanelwedd next week.

With only a week remaining until the Llanelwedd showground fills once more with visitors, exhibitors, and outstanding livestock, the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society is excited to welcome returning Winter Fair enthusiasts back to the Royal Welsh Showground.

This year’s Winter Fair will be officially opened by Steffan and Elin Rattray on the first day of the event (25 November).

Steffan and Elin are a 23 and 22 year old brother and sister who were brought up on a small farm, Ffosyfuwch, in the Ystwyth Valley.

The family run a butchery business, Rattray’s Butchers, in the middle of the town in Aberystwyth, and both have shown a keen interest in the farm work and in the family’s butchers’ business.

They attended Llanfihangel y Creuddyn Primary School and Ysgol Gyfun Penweddig, before going on to study “Agri-Food Marketing & Business” at Harper Adams University. As part of their degree courses, both spent a year working in industry. Steffan worked at Dunbia in Llanybydder and Elin worked for Whoodhead Bros (Morrisons) in Leicestershire. Steffan graduated in the summer of 2023 and Elin is in her final year. Through the University, both won the 2022 ‘Butchers & Drovers Charitable Institute Scholarship from the ‘Worshipful Guild of Butchers.

Since graduating, Steffan has returned to Aberystwyth to take care of the butchery business, Ratrray’s Butchers. Steffan is responsible for the day to day running of the business, which employs 5 full-time members of staff, selling meat to the public from the shop in the centre of Aberystwyth and to catering customers from the meat unit, which is situated on the farm at New Cross.

Steffan buys cattle, lambs and pigs from local farms, which are processed at a local abattoir in Tregaron, before preparing it at the meat unit at New Cross, and then sending it to the shop in Aberystwyth. The main aim of the business and what Steffan takes most pride in, is the ability to produce and provide local meat of the highest standard to his customers.

Elin is currently in her final year at Harper Adams University. She grew up helping with the business and still looks forward to returning during the holidays and at weekends to help. After graduating, Elin intends to do some travelling before returning to work in the meat and livestock industry.

Together, they keep a small flock of Blue Texels and over the years, have enjoyed showing them at local shows and at the Royal Welsh Show. They are both members of Trisant YFC and have taken part in various activities within the organisation. They have competed at County, Wales and National level in a variety of competitions, mainly stock judging and have won at the Royal Welsh Show and at the Winter Fair.

In 2020, Elin won the YFC Junior Member of the Year award for Ceredigion and Wales. She also won the county’s ‘Most Active Junior Member of the Year’. Steffan’s main interest is playing rugby and he plays weekly for Aberystwyth’s 1st team. Both are also members of Bro Ystwyth’s Agricultural Group and over the past two years, they have supported the RWAS Feature County’s activities in Ceredigion.

Having grown up attending and exhibiting at the Royal Welsh Show and the Winter Fair, Steffan and Elin have spent time competing with YFC there and have also eagerly followed the event auctions buying for Christmas for the butchers’ shop. The Winter Fair has been an integral part of their upbringing. Both feel that it’s an immense honour to have the privilege of representing the members of the Featured County, Ceredigon by opening the 2024 Royal Welsh Winter Fair and to represent the young people who look forward to creating a future for themselves within the agricultural industry.

Steffan and Elin will officially open the Royal Welsh Winter Fair at 10am on Monday 25 November in Exhibition Hall 1, Main Ring. Following the official opening, there will be presentations of the 2024 John Gittins Memorial Award, the 2025 Nuffield Scholarship and the Oxford Farming Conference Bursary 2025.

For more information about the Winter Fair or to buy tickets visit the RWAS website.