12 months ago, presenter Meinir Howells along with her husband Gary purchased a heifer on behalf of the flagship farming programme. The idea was to breed with her and then sell her with a calf at foot with any profit donated to charity.

Presila Preseli was named by the programme’s viewers who have avidly followed her life at Meinir and Gary’s farm in Pentrecwrt near Llandysul. From TB testing to her first scan and the birth of her heifer calf ‘Siocled’, (named by the couple’s daughter Sioned) it’s been compelling viewing!

Now the time has come for Presila and her calf to be sold, and the pair will go under the hammer on Friday the 14^th of May. She will be sold at Llandovery Livestock Market in their ‘breeding cattle’ sale which gets underway at 12pm.

Speaking ahead of the auction Meinir said: “It’s been a privilege to take on the responsibility of caring for Presila and getting to the stage where she has a healthy calf, but also quite a task! As anyone involved in farming knows there are always mountains to climb. The day we scanned Presila to find out if she was in calf, I was as nervous as I think I’ve ever been!”

She continued: “We’ve now reached the point where Presila and Siocled are ready to be sold and whilst Gary and I will be very sorry to see them go, we’re hoping that our care and hard work will pay off and that the pair will raise a significant amount for the Wales Air Ambulance charity.”

‘Ffermio’ has chosen to donate the proceeds of this unusual challenge to Wales Air Ambulance because of its lifesaving role within our rural communities. Series producer Gwawr Lewis said: “Wales Air Ambulance relies entirely on charitable donations and has to find somewhere in the region of £8 million every year. We’re proud to be helping in some small way and I’m hoping that farmers will dig deep to buy Presila and her calf. It would be great to be able to hand over a significant cheque to the charity after the sale at Llandovery.”

The team at Wales Air Ambulance will be keeping a keen eye on the sale ring at Llandovery. Fundraising co-ordinator Elin Wyn Murphy said: “We’re very grateful to ‘Ffermio’ for choosing to support Wales Air Ambulance. Our aim is to maintain a 24/7 life saving service for the whole of Wales, including remote rural farming communities. It’s only through fundraising initiatives and donations that we’re able to do this.”

‘Ffermio’ is one of S4C’s longest running series having been broadcast since 1997. The programmes particular focus on farming and rural affairs consistently draws some of the channel’s biggest audiences. Tune into ‘Ffermio’ at 9.00pm on S4C on the 17^th of May to find out how much Presila and her calf raised for charity.

‘Ffermio’ is a Telesgop production for S4C.