Crimestoppers follows the summer crowds in Wales

Our Wales regional manager Ella Rabaiotti visits the Royal Welsh Show and National Eisteddfod

Hello! For my first blog post, I wanted to share a little about two significant national events that take place each summer in Wales. The events are the Royal Welsh Show and National Eisteddfod, which attract large visitor numbers and are both valuable opportunities to network and raise the profile of Crimestoppers across Wales and wider.

The Royal Welsh Show

The Royal Welsh Show takes place annually in Builth Wells, Mid Wales. It’s one of the largest agricultural events in Europe and sees over 200,000 visitors from across the UK, especially the farming communities of Wales. From sheep shearing to horse riding, food tasting to craft displays, there is something for everyone. It’s also a good opportunity for organisations and businesses to engage with a wide audience.

This year, at the end of July, we were fortunate to be welcomed again to the Dyfed Powys Police stand and joined partner agencies highlighting modern day slavery - exploitation and trafficking - in rural areas. The start of the show coincided with the launch of our County Lines campaign and we were delighted that Dafydd Llewelyn, Dyfed Powys PCC, helped to promote our campaign, to tackle exploitation by drug gangs, whilst chairing a rural crime forum at the show.

Launch of County Lines campaign with Dafydd Llewelyn, Dyfed Powys PCC, at Royal Welsh Show

National Eisteddfod

This week, everyone headed to Cardiff Bay for the National Eisteddfod, a week-long event that celebrates Welsh culture - singing, poetry and especially, the Welsh language. At least 150,000 visitors are expected as, uniquely this year, the Eisteddfod is open to the public and the stands and stalls cascaded from the Millenium Centre and the Senedd (Welsh Assembly).

South Wales Police have been keen to promote Fearless as part of a recent campaign against knife crime, so I joined the Schools Officer giving out Fearless promotional information. The new Chief Constable stopped by for a selfie too!