Royal Welsh Show staff furloughed

The organiser of the Royal Welsh Show announced earlier this month that it had put in place plans to cope with a “challenging period” .

Steve Hughson, chief executive, said the society needed to start looking to the future.

He said: “We’re working hard to make sure that we keep the society ticking over. We’re making sure that there is a showground here for you all to enjoy.

“There will be a future, and we need to make sure our show, your show, is a very important part of the future post this pandemic”.

Mr Hughson thanked the members, traders and exhibitors’ support, adding that it had been “very sad” to cancel “pretty much all the events so far this year”.

He said: “Half the estate team is still working whilst we furloughed the other half and most of the office staff are now on furlough, just myself and a few to make sure we can be responsive to your needs and any requests but also to plan for the future which is really important.

“We’ve been working hard behind the scenes, working with government and others to make sure that we protect this fantastic organisation and ensure that it’s there for you all to enjoy it”.

RWAS announced on May 1 that “many of the staff will be ‘furloughed’”, while other staff would be working virtually and remotely in line with government guidelines.

In a statement, RWAS said: “We understand our events are an important part of rural life and we are doing everything to ensure business continuity as part of our long term desire to ensure that the impact of this current situation on the business in minimised, in the best interests of our members, customers, supporters, staff and visitors.

“We thank you for your continued support to the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society at this challenging time”.

The Llanelwedd-based society added that urgent emails will be monitored throughout the pandemic, however non-urgent correspondence will be dealt with “when we all return to the new normality.”