Wynford and his family farmed Lords Park farm Llansteffan for over 50 years. He remembers his early life in Cilycwm, attending services at Soar y Mynydd and the building of Llyn Brianne. He moved to Lords Park Farm as a teenager and farmed there with his brother until retiring in 2023. He shares farming memories. They shared a milk stand with Laques Fawr Farm.

Summary of the conversation

This interview with Wynford Williams, recorded at the Carmarthenshire Young Farmers Rally in May 2024, reflects on his life growing up and farming in rural Carmarthenshire.

Wynford was raised near Llandovery and later moved with his family in 1969 to Parc yr Arglwydd Farm in Llansteffan, where they lived and farmed for fifty years. Although he spent much of his life in Llansteffan, he feels his roots are truly in Cilycwm, where many of his earliest memories were formed — including walking to see the construction of Llyn Brianne Dam and attending chapel.

He describes how farming in the area has changed dramatically. In 1969 there were around fifteen dairy farms in the parish; by the time he and his brother stopped milking three years ago, they were the last dairy farm remaining. The farm was a traditional family-run dairy operation, with around 50 cows and 240 sheep at its peak. Farming demanded total commitment — Wynford notes he had not slept away from home for 38 years.

He shares memories of his mother making and selling butter, and of taking butter and eggs to school to sell to teachers to earn dinner money. Life was modest, and the family had to be careful with money, but he remembers it as a happy and resourceful childhood.

The interview also includes a family story about a dramatic childhood accident involving a pony and a steam train near Llandovery, illustrating the strong oral storytelling tradition in rural communities.

Wynford recalls the importance of Carmarthen Mart to farming life and community, as well as the old milk churn system and the social gatherings at the milk stand. He reflects warmly on the sense of community that existed around farming and local markets, noting how much has changed over the decades.

The interview ends with Wynford expressing his pleasure at having his story recorded for the National Sound Archive in Aberystwyth.