LOCAL women who have been involved in the farming world since the 1940s will be among those sharing memories ranging from the days of milking by hand and rearing pit ponies at an event to Celebrate Monmouthshire Women in Agriculture at Abergavenny Community Centre on Saturday.

Evocative photographic displays, an illustrated talk on farming during World War I and panels discussing contemporary issues in agriculture and the changes over the last century will be complemented by a Grown in Monmouthshire lunch and cakes supplied by Ab Fab WI. The National Farmers’ Union has kindly agreed to sponsor video filming of the event.

The role of Land Girls and farming support groups such as Usk Agricultural College, RABI and the NFU will be touched upon and members of the audience will be able to ask questions or give short observations on their experiences of being women in agriculture.

For a last chance to book a place at the event which takes place in the former Park Street School, Merthyr Road, please contact organiser Katrina Gass on 01873 855760 or by emailing [email protected] A charge of £8 for the day includes lunch and tea.

Pat Griffiths, chairman of The Village Alive Trust, which has helped farmers conserve listed farm buildings, will be chairing a panel of local women which includes two nonagenarian farmers.

She said, “The day is aptly organised in 2018 which is the 100th anniversary of a sector of women first getting the vote in Britain. We are losing the memories of so many women whose hard work, often behind the scenes, has helped our population to be one of the best nourished in the world, even through the years of rationing.

“Changes in agriculture and the wider rural community which is supported by the industry have been vast since 1900 when manual labour was key to food production and social life revolved around gatherings such as bringing in the harvest. Today’s mechanisation in agriculture has also led to greater isolation for farmers on a day to day basis as many farming wives need to seek work off the farm to help support farming families”.