"Four generations of my family have been involved in the show since the very beginning - my grandfather, my father, myself, my two sisters and my son - so it's quite a family thing!

My grandfather, Mathew Williams was one of the main stewards; my father, Tom Williams was a Council Member and one of the main stewards; my sister Rosemary Heigl-Williams has lived in Germany since 1975 but still travels to Llanelwedd every year to be a steward; my other sister Elizabeth Chant has also been a steward for years and my son - who started as a junior steward when he was 8 - is now a Senior Steward. We're all supported by my mother who has been attending the Royal Welsh since she got married in 1948.

I'm now a Council Member and the Assistant Chief Steward in the Horse Section. It's my job to look after all the other stewards (there are over 100 in the Horse Section). I have to make sure there are enough stewards for every class, I organise the rotas, hand out the meal tickets and deal with any problems.

It's voluntary work - we all give our time and effort free of charge. It's a lot of work but I take it as it comes and it is worth it. Once the Royal Welsh becomes part of your lifestyle, you gear everything towards the show.

Over the years, I've seen a lot of changes. I can remember when the show used to travel from place to place. I was a child then. The show was a three day event, not four days as it is today and we didn't have the huge crowds you see today. Everything used to be so much smaller, quieter and more relaxed.

There wasn't the same pressure as there is today, for example, to finish a class right on time. If you were five minutes over, it didn't matter. Today if a class finishes five minutes late, it can cause chaos in the main ring! Despite the changes, what's important is that it still retains the same atmosphere as it did when I was a child.

We used to have a whale of a time. I can remember that there was one prize awarded called the Tom and Sprightly Prize for the best in the Welsh Section and it used to be done by applause - the horse who got the greatest claps would win.

As children, we used to sit in the old-fashioned Grand Stand which had a canvas roof, rows of canvas chairs all joined together and wooden floors. We would go to the back of the stand and make the most tremendous noise when the horse we wanted to win was in the ring. We would jump up and down, stamp and yell - it was the only time we ever misbehaved.

We used to think there was a clapometer in a little hut and were always horrified that our horse never won even though we made the most noise. My father would say the clapometer didn't pick it up and I used to believe him. I could never understand why our favourite never won!

We used to stay in a caravan on the stewards' site which is where the cattle section is now held. At night, as we lay in our bunks, we would hear the singing from the Stockman's Tent - they were all Welsh songs and there was never any trouble. It was a very safe place.

Every other year, the Royal Welsh would clash with the White City Show Jumping event but when that wasn't being held, riders like David Broom and Harvey Smith would come to Llanelwedd. Every year, when the competing was over, they would play rounders with us in the evening. The show used to finish a lot earlier then - around 6pm, not 9pm like now.

I remember too the floods in Aberystwyth. We were staying in our caravan and I had to be carried out across a plank. The water was up to the wheels and rising. We spent the whole time in wellies and shorts in the mud - we thought it was great fun." By Diane John