First winner of the Dai Jones Llanilar Memorial Prize announced

The first winner of the Dai Jones Llanilar Memorial Prize, which was launched at this year’s Royal Welsh Show, is Elen Gwen Williams.

Elen, 29, who is originally from the family farm Fron Felen in the Clwyd Valley, now lives on Anglesey with her partner, Owain, and their two young daughters. 

As someone who was raised on a farm, the connection with the world of agriculture continues and Elen now works for Anglesey Agricultural Society. 

During his time presenting the series Cefn Gwlad on S4C, Dai visited Elen’s family farm, and they had a lot of fun during filming.

“He was a character,” she said. “He would always give his time to people. We were having a tug of war practice with the young farmers and we had the idea of putting Dai on the tractor and pulling against him.

“We were pulling, knowing we were on camera ,when we realised that we weren’t moving and couldn’t understand why, but Dai had his foot on the brake the whole time!” 

The task for prize applicants was to develop an idea which could work as an item to be broadcast on S4C’s platforms.

Elen’s winning idea was a project called “Calon Cefn Gwlad” (Heart of the Countryside), an item that would follow a popular event in her community, Hiraethog Speed Shear.

Elen said she had thought of the idea as a tribute, not only to Dai, who died in 2022, but also to her brother, Elgan, who died in 2004. “He loved agriculture, the countryside, shearing and people enjoying themselves,” she said.

“I wanted to show how important community and people coming together is and the inspiration it creates. With local schools and pubs are closing, it’s important to keep something going within the community.” 

She believes opportunities such as the Dai Jones Llanilar Memorial Prize are crucial for young people in Wales’s rural communities.

“I hope the Dai Jones Memorial Prize will continue in the years ahead,” she added. “I’m very proud and very lucky to be the first person to win this award and look forward to seeing those who enter in future, too.” 

Geraint Evans, S4C’s chief executive, said: “Community was very important to Dai and he loved portraying rural communities and the characters at their core.

“Congratulations to Elen on being the first winner of the Dai Jones Llanilar Memorial Prize and for creating an idea which has community at its heart and is a worthy tribute to a giant of Welsh language broadcasting.”

Aled Rhys Jones, Royal Welsh Agricultural Society chief executive, said: “Dai Llanilar was one of the most gifted communicators of our time. He had an extraordinary ability to bring out the best in people, build genuine rapport with his audience and showcase the very best of our farming community.

“This award will help nurture the next generation of talented communicators and broadcasters, ensuring that his legacy lives on. We are absolutely delighted that Elen is the inaugural winner and look forward to seeing her idea come to life.”

Elen will receive the award during the opening ceremony of the Winter Fair in Builth Wells on Monday.