Estate Host Embracing the Future

NSA Welsh Sheep Host Estate Embracing the Future

NSA Welsh Sheep 2025 will be based at the 5,000 acre Tregoyd Estate, near Hay on Wye. Estate owner, Huw Evans-Bevan, is delighted that his tenants have opted to host the event and that it will showcase High Country Romneys.

Huw’s family have owned the estate since the 1960s, when it was purchased by his grandfather, brewery and mining magnate Sir David Evans-Bevan. Huw’s mission is to ensure every aspect is ready to meet the demands of the 21st century.

This involves a progressive approach to the natural resources including over 3000 acres of moorland and woodlands, to his tourism enterprises, the exceptional driven peasant and partridge shoot along with the 1,000 acres of mixed farmland. Huw’s progressive approach means that his working relationship with Will and Sam Sawday and their mother, Penny Chantler, is enabling their innovative breeding programme to flourish. High Country Romneys is internationally renowned.

It is, as Huw puts it, a very special place. The estate lies at the foot of the Black Mountains, taking in Twmpa or Lord Hereford’s Knob and Hay Bluff, both managed by the estate. The estate is just a five minute drive from Hay on Wye.

He says: “The estate had been neglected. It’s going to take time and money to rejuvenate the woodland and upper moorland.

“I’m not a farmer, but I relish working with those tenants who demonstrate professionalism and a willingness to adapt their farming practices to benefit Tregoyd as a whole.

“The Sawday brothers and their mother, Penny along with their wider family all work incredibly hard and support each other. Holding the NSA event here at Tregoyd is in direct recognition of their achievements to date and vision for the future.

“All our agricultural practices are vital for Tregoyd, but if there is one then it is sheep farming that is the backbone of the estate.”

Regenerative farming is embraced, but at a pace that protects the viability of the estate.  And with tourism it is a ‘natural fit’ in such a special part of the world, holiday cottages, glamping pods and a shoot are all part of the overall mix. Huw is working with Natural Resources Wales to improve the environmental offering.

He is particularly keen to reflect and take forward the work of his late mother, Lady Evans-Bevan, who was passionately interested in farming.  She is better known for breeding Welsh Mountain Ponies however it was Lady Jennifer who introduced Black Welsh Mountain sheep to the family farm. Her enthusiasm and hard work was legendary.

And Huw added: “She would say that the industry should be appreciated more. The meat that is produced from those Black  Welsh Mountain sheep  is the finest you’ll find anywhere, and the wool produced is also shamefully undervalued.

“It is an uphill struggle, but society is changing and maybe we are now beginning to appreciate the superiority of natural over manmade fibers.”

Huw draws a comparison with his wife’s native Norway, where small farms are very well supported with a thriving wool industry. The population values wool as the only material that offers durability and the thermal qualities that are required to combat the harsh Norwegian weather. There is no sustainable or affordable equivalent.

It is a theme Huw will be drawing on as he opens NSA Welsh Sheep 2025 on 21st May. He will be reflecting on his mother’s legacy, his wife’s heritage, and working with Penny Chantler to improve demand for and returns from wool, as well as supporting her sons’ work to create a sustainable and resilient sheep farming business.

The backdrop to the Hay Festival on the eve of this year’s event is in the spotlight.

www.tregoyd.com

Note: Huw Evans-Bevan will open NSA Welsh Sheep 2025, taking place on Wednesday 21st May 2025. Admission on the day is £20, with free entry for those under 16 years old. NSA members also gain free entry. Advance tickets are available on the website.

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