A well-known vet who accepted the advice of his daughter is now thanking his lucky stars after winning one of our magnificent trailers.

Dr Robert Ellis - known as Bertie - will be happy to allow his daughter Jessica to use the trailer as it was she who persuaded him to enter the competition on Ffermio, the popular S4C farming and countryside series.

The top prize in the competition was a 12’ Ifor Williams TA510 trailer worth £4,956 and Dr Ellis, from Abergwesyn, near Llanwrtyd Wells, was presented with it at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society’s Winter Fair in Llanelwedd.

Second prize went to Carmarthenshire farmer, Aelwyn Evans, who farms 300 acres at Caegwyn, Harford, Llanwrda. He is now the proud owner of a new £4,656 Ifor Williams Horsebox.

Smallholder Haydn Young, from Llannefydd, near Denbigh, was presented with an Ifor Williams P6E trailer worth £804 for coming third.

Dr Ellis has been in private practice in Llanwrtyd for 37 years but also farms 470 hectares on the Black Mountains. Having let the land for many years, he is now spending more time farming and plans to build up his flock of sheep. As a vet he specializes in treating horses and he himself has 30, while a friend and neighbour also keeps Shetland ponies on his land.

"The trailer is going to be extremely useful" he said. Dr Ellis said he rarely entered competitions and when he did it was never in expectation of winning anything. "I think the most I’ve won is a bottle of wine" he joked.

But his daughter Jessica, herself a vet in the Llandeilo area who sometimes helps on the family farm, persuaded him to have a go at the Ffermio competition which attracted thousands of entries from all over the UK. "I am delighted now that she did," said Dr Ellis, who has been a member of the council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for 24 years.

The Ffermio competition began in September and each week competitors were asked to answer a question, the first letters of the answers making up a secret word. Elin Rhys, Managing Director of Telesgop, the production company responsible for the popular Ffermio series, was extremely very grateful to Ifor Williams Trailers for supporting the series.

She said: "Ffermio is unique. We keep farming and rural life at the heart of our storytelling but appeal to viewers in towns and cities too. The Ffermio competition is very valuable to us, with viewers far and wide tuning in, in the hope of getting their hands on the trailers!"

"The trailers are part and parcel of country life, visible everywhere you go. Ifor Williams Trailers’ longstanding reputation for high quality manufacturing is the reason why we seek their support every year. The winners appreciate the quality of the trailers, be they farmers, small holders, or horse owners. It is a very special time for Telesgop’s Ffermio team, to see the excellent prizes going once more to very worthy winners." she added.

Llion Roberts, from Ifor Williams Trailers, outlined how proud we are to be associated with Ffermio and that the faith in our product was clearly demonstrated in the response to the competition. "It is an indication that our trailers are in great demand" he added.

---

News » Top vet wins coveted trailer prize