DESPITE the damp start there is a buzz at the RWAS Spring Festival in Builth Wells today, the number one event for smallholding, gardening and sustainable living, as this year's weekend event gets underway.

Breathing in the anticipation in the atmosphere, what to do first? The milking competitions for dairy goats and the prestigious horse shoeing competition are already well under way and the pig, cattle and poultry judging are progressing.

The poultry Club of Wales have put on a good show with some excellent examples of pure breed poultry.

Brightly coloured dancers keep catching my eye – they are part of the Dance Festival and display and they add a spash of unexpected colour to a very green landscape.

Green Horizons continues to grow and with their displays of making clothes out of recycled materials and introduction to sewing for kids, are at the fore front of the new make do and mend movement.

Tim Tyne’s sheep handling workshop, morning and afternoon, is a great opportunity for would-be sheep keepers to gain new skills and see if sheep keeping is for them while the bee keeping talks and the live handling displays are essential for new and more experienced bee keepers.

The vintage memorabilia auction contains some fascinating items which are both useful but also unique.

The Smallholder team have been kept busy with enquiries and subscriptions while Liz Wright the Editor has been on the stand talking to readers.

The Gardeners’ question time area in the Floral Hall have some interesting topics later on in the day with Garden Design for attracting wild life later on in the afternoon.

The Wot’s Cooking in the Green Horizon area has mouth watering displays all day long. The Vintage Machinery Parade also later on in the afternoon promises to be one of the biggest and most diverse.

It’s a time to meet old friends and make new ones and get a chance to investigate things that you are thinking about doing in your garden or on your smallholding by talking to experts – practical people who have real experience of their subject.

Looking forward to tomorrow – The Permaculture talk is described as “Moving to low energy ways of living" – something that most people need to consider!

For a souvenir picture special of this year's RWAS Spring Festival pick up a copy of the July issue of Smallholder magazine in shops on June 8.