Eyes down for cowpat bingo!

The six Welsh Wildlife Trusts have a serious role at the Royal Welsh, raising awareness of the conservation work they carry out across Wales, and encouraging more people to do their bit for wildlife.

That said, however, they also know how to have fun! One of the highlights at the stand this year will be cowpat bingo – a game with a difference. Joining the trusts alongside their stand will be some extremely rare Welsh white cattle. Welsh whites are one of the ancient breeds of Wales, very rarely seen these days, and are used to graze Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust’s Glaslyn reserve, near Machynlleth.

Each day during Royal Welsh week (July 21-24) the pen holding the cow and calf will be marked with a grid and visitors to the stand will be able to pick a "lucky number" corresponding to one of the squares. The square which attracts the first cowpat will win a prize.

"The cattle are at the show to draw attention to the work we are doing on our reserves, and to highlight the importance of using these traditional breeds for grazing areas to which they are best-suited," said cattle owner and grazing ecologist Liz Lewis-Reddy.

"But there’s no reason why we have to be serious all the time! The Royal Welsh should be an enjoyable event, and we want everyone to have fun."

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For more information, photographs, or to arrange interviews please contact Liz Shankland on 07970 780558.

Iestyn Thomas will be at the showground on Monday and Tuesday for interviews in Welsh. Contact him on 07792 938910

Notes for newsdesks

• The Wildlife Trusts can be found in the Countryside Care Area of the showground, stand number 818.
• Meat from the Mapledraig Herd is available for sale through the Wildlife Trust. Please ring 01938 555654 or email info@montwt.co.uk to order.
• Fencing for the Welsh white cattle has been provided by CP Fencing from Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion. Tel. 01974 282400 or see the website www.cpfencing.co.uk

There are six Wildlife Trusts in Wales, working together to protect wildlife for the future. The Trusts - Brecknock, Gwent, Montgomeryshire, North Wales, Radnorshire, and South and West Wales – are all registered charities. The Trusts have more than 30,000 members and manage 230 nature reserves, covering more than 6,000 hectares of prime wildlife habitat, from rugged coastline to urban wildlife havens. They also campaign at local, regional, national, and international level for better protection of wildlife, the environment, our landscapes, and our heritage.