A Mid Wales farming community is the subject of new ITV Wales documentary series, The Mart. The six-part series, which begins on Sunday evening, follows some of the families who run and rely on the Devil’s Bridge livestock mart near Aberystwyth over the farming season from February to September.
Over the course of the series cameras roll on the farmers’ mart, which is perched on a hill above the village and is deemed the community’s ‘best kept secret’ and ‘a special place where time has almost stood still'. The series has been produced by S4C presenter and producer Ifan Jones Evans.
Several locals talk about their memories of the farmers' mart during the first episode of the series. One of those people, mart manager Milwyn Davies says: "We've become used to it. It's become part of our routine every Wednesday."
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These sentiments were echoed by mart book-keeper Lal Evans, who comments: "I think I could easily say that it's the heart of the community now because over the years, our places of worship and our schools have closed. It's a real community hub."
Elsewhere, auctioneer Daniel Rees is the third generation of his family to run the sales. He explains: “It’s been great-grandfathers selling to great-grandfathers and grandfathers to grandfathers, fathers to fathers and now I’m selling to the sons of families that we’ve done business with for generations.”
The mart itself operates without computers and Daniel adds: “Most markets are computerised now. Well, we haven’t got electric here so we can’t be computerised but there is a lot to be said for doing it the old fashioned way.” Despite the small community around it, the mart attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Young farmer and mart secretary Mari Davies tells the programme: “I have grown up coming to the mart with dad every Wednesday. It’s a big part of our lives and a lot of young people are coming. It’s stronger than it has ever been, I think.”
The Mart begins on ITV Wales on Sunday, August 4 at 7.30pm. For more showbiz and television stories, get our newsletter here.
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