FARMING charity RABI received a cash boost of more than £3,000 from this year’s Pembrokeshire Show.

The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution was established back in 1860 to provide financial help to farmers in need. More than £15k has been given out in Pembrokeshire this year.

Proceeds from a ladies’ reception morning raffle was donated to RABI and show president Dennis Reed was represented at the function by his daughters Georgina and Lois who organised the well-attended event. Dennis named RABI as his preferred charity.

There were some fabulous raffle prizes on offer, including a £250 holiday voucher kindly donated by Bluestone National Park Resort and a wonderful blanket given by Melin Tregwynt.

The ladies of Pembrokeshire wore some eye-catching outfits and hats for the special reception and Jayne James, former BBC Wales presenter and ex-High Sheriff of Mid Glamorgan, helped with proceedings. Another BBC Wales presenter, Abigail Neal, gave an inspiring talk about her experiences on TV and spoke about the importance of having female role models in agriculture.

The NFU Cymru marquee was the venue for a follow-up cheese and wine fundraiser arranged by the Pembrokeshire Ladies RABI county committee. Around 150 people attended, including NFU presidents Meurig Raymond and Stephen James.

Joyce James, wife of Stephen James, presented a cheque for £350 to Helen Williams, chair of the ladies committee. Joyce recently celebrated a landmark birthday and asked family and friends to make donations to RABI in lieu of gifts. A raffle and further donations boosted the total to more than £2,000.

Linda Jones, RABI regional manager for Wales, said: “We would like to thank Sarah Alderman and the NFU in Pembrokeshire for their unstinting and continued support throughout the week. Also a special thanks to county chairman Walter Simon for donating the wine, First Milk in Haverfordwest for donating the cheese and Wisebuys for donating the celery and grapes.”

Helen Williams, chair of the Pembrokeshire Ladies Committee, added: “Dennis Reed and his daughters hosted a fantastic reception for us that raised £1,000. We would also like to thank Joyce James for her kindness. To raise more than £3,000 over three days is absolutely amazing and our thanks extend to all who helped during the week. The money raised will help us to support more farming families in need in Pembrokeshire.”