Aberystwyth brother and sister to officially open Royal Welsh Winter Fair

Brother and sister, Steffan and Elin Rattray, will officially open this year’s Royal Welsh Winter Fair at Llanelwedd on Monday, November 25.

Steffan, 23 and Elin, 22, were brought up on a small farm, Ffosyfuwch, in the Ystwyth Valley, five miles from Aberystwyth. The family run a butchery business, Rattray’s Butchers, in the middle of Aberystwyth and both have shown a keen interest in both family businesses.

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, 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. He is responsible for the day to day running of the business, which employs five full-time staff, selling meat to the public from the shop and to catering customers from a meat unit 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 grew up helping with the business and still looks forward to returning during the holidays and at weekends to help. After graduating, she plans to travel before returning to work in the meat and livestock industry.

Together Steffan and Elin 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 UK level in a variety of competitions, mainly stockjudging and have won at the Royal Welsh Show and at the Winter Fair.

Both are also members of Bro Ystwyth’s Agricultural Group and, over the past two years, have supported the RWAS feature county’s activities in Ceredigion.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 plays rugby for Aberystwyth first team.

Both said they felt honoured to be invited to open the 2024 Royal Welsh Winter Fair, held on November 25 and 26, and to represent Ceredigion and other young people who look forward to creating a future for themselves within the agricultural industry.

Following the official opening at 10am in Exhibition Hall 1, Main Ring, 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 Royal Welsh Agricultural Society website https://rwas.wales/ .