Broadcaster and author Sara Cox will be judging a competition at this year's Royal Welsh Show.

The BBC Radio 2 Drivetime presenter will be judging the Beef Young Handler competition on the Wednesday of the Show.

In the judging rings, thousands of animals and exhibitors will compete to go home with a much-coveted Royal Welsh rosette, and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society is thrilled to welcome the celebrity broadcaster to the judging panel this year.

Sara Cox hosts the BBC Radio 2 Drivetime show every weekday and has presented a number of television and radio shows during her career. Her recent television credits include Love in the Countryside, and The Great Pottery Throw Down and she is currently the presenter of the book review programme Between the Covers which returns for a seventh series this autumn.

Her memoir Till the Cows Come Home: A Lancashire Childhood, talks with great fondness about her life as a farmer’s daughter, including attending agricultural shows with her dad, Leonard. Her debut novel Thrown is out now. Both books were Sunday Times bestsellers.

Sara will be joined on the Royal Welsh judging panel by her father Leonard Cox. Leonard has bred pedigree Polled Herefords for over four decades on his farm in Bolton, showing his Masefield Herefords with great success at local shows including Bury, Garstang, Cheshire, The Royal Lancashire, and The Great Yorkshire. Len has more than 20 years of judging experience, so competitors will be in very safe hands.

The Interbreed Beef Young Handler competition judges the ability of the handler to control and show the cattle in the ring. Competing young handlers can be from 14-26 years of age. Sara and her father will be looking for the best handler of the cattle, and not the quality of the cattle.  However, the animals on display must be shown in their best condition. Awards, cash prizes, and rosettes are all up for grabs for the Champion and Reserve Champion.

Sara can’t wait for her visit to Wales: “I’m so excited to be returning to the show ring alongside my darling Dad. Some of my happiest childhood memories are of loading up his cattle and heading off to the summer shows.

"To be asked to help judge at such a huge and prestigious show as the Royal Welsh is a real honour. I’m nervous and thrilled in equal measure, and looking forward to enjoying all that the show has to offer whilst taking in the glorious Welsh countryside."

A great animal lover, Sara now lives in North London with her family, along with three dogs, two cats, two tortoises and an Irish sports horse.

For more information about the 2023 Royal Welsh Show visit its website.