World Sheep Dog Trials Set to Break Records

More countries and competitors will take part than ever before and the overall champion will receive a unique golden whistle worth thousands of pounds.

“This will be the third World Championship and will be the biggest yet,” said Organiser, Meirion Owen, after the trials were officially launched at the National Trust’s Dinefwr Park near Llandeilo.

The once-every-three-years event will take place there in September 2008 – it was announced that at least 23 countries will take part, with a total of 240 competitors. Visiting countries range from Australia to Brazil and New Zealand to the Czech Republic.

The golden whistle is being donated by dog-feed company Gilbertson and Page – this is the first time for such a valuable prize to be awarded. The championships will be called the Land Rover World Sheepdog Trials after the event’s main sponsors.

Amongst the other sponsors are the Welsh Assembly Government, Welcome to Wales, dog-feed company CSJ, supermarket company Tesco along with many local businesses and organisations.

“The sponsors were delighted with the beauty of Parc Dinefwr,” said Meirion Owen. “The Trials will be the culmination of a massive investment in improving the mansion and the grounds.

“The trials will be run on a number of nearby fields, with the final taking place directly in front of the mansion. It will be a wonderful sight.”

Preparations are going well to meet the fund-raising target of £160,000 with a fine team of volunteers from Carmarthenshire, under the chairmanship of the famous Welsh broadcaster Sulwyn Thomas.

The championships are expected to attract thousands of visitors to the area for up to a fortnight – it has been estimated that an international sheepdog competition last year contributed £1.4 million to the economy of a rural area in Scotland.