It’s not every Eisteddfodwr who drives away a new car from the National Eisteddfod Maes.
But for Eurfron Bowen from Cilgeran near Cardigan it’s what happened to her at the weekend.
Earlier during the Eisteddfod week she bought a raffle ticket from the B V Rees, St Dogmaels stand on the Maes at Llantwd and thought little more about it.
On Saturday afternoon television presenter and broadcaster Mari Grug drew out the ticket from a huge pile of tickets placed in the boot of a brand-new Fiat Grande Panda.
She read out her name and a telephone number but the call by Eisteddfod officials went unanswered because she was on the Maes. She was, however, on a nearby stand and was asked to come along to the stand to receive the keys to the vehicle from Mari Grug.
“I’m in a bit of a shock,” she said, “I only bought the one £2 ticket on Tuesday. I’ve already got a Fiat bought from BV Rees and this will be my third Panda car.”
Before the draw was made John Davies, the Eisteddfod’s executive committee chairman, said the raffle was launched last year and sales were brisk at last year’s festival in Wrexham.
Mr Davies said the raffle raised more than £35,000 towards the Eisteddfod’s costs and tickets were still being placed in the vehicle’s boot just moments before the draw was made.
BV Rees is the longest serving Fiat dealer in the UK and, surprisingly, the second longest serving in the whole of Europe.
The relationship between the Eisteddfod and the BV Rees company is a long and important one. The company presented a car as a raffle prize at National Eisteddfod held at St David’s in 2002.
BV Rees was established in Llandudoch in 1948 by Victor (BV) and Esther and today the company offers a comprehensive range of vehicles through Fiat, Fiat Professional, KGM and, most recently, Leapmotor, enabling them to provide almost every type of car, light van and commercial vehicle.
Iwan Rees, now head of sales, as the business continues to expand, building on his reputation for personal customer service and deep technical expertise.
He said: “Over the years, we have served several generations of families, many of whom are now our friends, and who continue to trust us with the purchase and maintenance of their vehicles. We are extremely proud of our dedicated and caring staff, whose commitment ensures that this tradition will continue for many years to come.
“We serve customers from all over the country, but to the people of the Garreg Las area – our home and our heritage – we owe our success. Having this special festival on our doorstep is a real privilege, and we are extremely grateful and proud to be one of the main sponsors of the event.”
