Gordon Green MBE TD**
Jan 1935 – 22nd August 2025
Thinking of the Green family and a whole extended community of friends and acquaintances whose lives were impacted by knowing Gordon Green. His life has rippled into so many, far beyond the confines of close family and friends.
I have only known Gordon since moving to Llanwrtyd in 2005. He had a knack of sniffing out “new blood” and roping them onto committees to help organise some of the many Green Events! We were glad to muck in.
Having come to Llanwrtyd Wells in the 70’s for its Pony Trekking, love saw Gordon settle here and become landlord of Neuadd Arms Hotel with his wife, Di.
Reinventing our Tourism
Llanwrtyd was built on tourism, first the healing waters and natural springs, making it a destination for wealthy Victorians , then as a centre for pony trekking. As each declined something new filled the void.
Gordon Green was an ideas man, he’d have them, he’d run with them, he’d bat away any objections or concerns and he’d make them happen.
Most his ideas came about at the bar of his pub.
I imagine many of the conversations and the banter, following several pints, alongside the late Ron Skilton, and the regulars in the Bell Bar of the hotel. Conversations that resulted in the creation of the Man verses Horse verses Bike Marathon, The World Bog Snorkelling Championship, the Real Ale Wobble, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling and the World Alternative Games – to name a few of the more ‘out there’ ideas.
Man v Horse
Man V Horse, began as Man v Horse v Bike but in the early years dropped the bikes after a lesser known byways law was found to prohibit push bikes competing on bridal ways. The Man V Horse, became and continues to be, the largest horse race in Europe, capped ay 65 riders. It attracts worldwide competitors and consists of c1000 runners competing in a marathon length fell race across mixed terrain. In it’s 45 years the fastest runner has beaten the fastest rider on 5 occasions.
Bog Snorkelling
This weekend is World Bog Snorkelling. Basically, its two trenches (initially just one), 60 yards in length , cut out of peat bog land, in a farmers field (John Davies) on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd. Competitors, snorkel (wearing flippers and masks), and without using swimming strokes, there and back in the fastest time. The water is murky and muddy, teaming with wildlife, including leeches and water scorpions, and is, I quote, “bloody cold”. It is probably the event that attracts the most media coverage. If you suffer from insomnia and switch on Trans Euro Sports or similar, you’ll often find yourself watching bog snorkelling!. We’ve had film crews and competitors from everywhere, probably every European city and American State, Australia, New Zealand, Asia; we’ve even had crews from Iran and South Korea.
Real Ale Wobble
The Real Ale Wobble , is basically a cycle event linked to a beer festival (another of Gordon’s creations to boost tourism to LW). The 9 day festival kicks off with the Real Ale Wobble. At it’s peak, c750 mountain bikers and kegs of beer at beer stations along the route, live music in the evening. The nine days conclude with the Real Ale Ramble, the same but on foot. One of many long distance walking events created by Gordon to entice people into the town. (others include the Four Day Walks, The Drovers Walk and the Lord Crawshaw Walk)
Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling
The Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling and the Bog Triathlon were added to the calendar of events by Gordon to encourage visitors to stay for the whole August Bank Holiday. The bog bike is a standard push bike with water filled tyres and lead filled frame. Riders (snorkellers) wear diving weight belts along with their snorkel and ride along the bottom of a pool dug our of the peat next to the other bog water trenches. Being so weighty, safety requires divers to be on hand to rescue both the bike and the rider should they (inevitably) fall off.
Gordon Green was not one for being put off by health and safety or regulations of any kind. He was keen to make the things happen and leave others to work out how. And he had the gift of a twinkle in his eye and a winning laugh that found many, if not most of the community, saying “yes, Gordon” and helping him bring his ideas to life.
I remember every year, hand making flaming torches using an old deep fat frier to melt wax; (a throw over to an idea and solution to it by Gordon!), wrapping old sticks in hessian, fixed with wire and staples then soaking them in wax and handing them out to the general public on New Years Eve for the Mari Llwyd and New Year Walk in.
World Alternative Games
Retirement didn’t sit well for long for Gordon Green. In 2011 having realised Wales had lost much of its funding streams due to it being redirected to England for the Olympics, He came out of retirement and pulled together a team of locals to create the World Alternative Games . Alternative events, taken from around the world and brought together to create two solid weeks of alternative activities to sit between the Olympics and Para Olympics. He drove this community to help him secure £250K of Welsh Assembly funding. And somehow had me agree to dress up as a frog and walk around at the Royal Welsh Show as part of their promotional activities for the 2012 event.
Two years later the full 2 week Alternative Games ran again. Even now the impact of those events has offered added value to the Bog Fest weekend, which now has Alternative Games running alongside – Belly Flopping, Plank Racing, Ditch Running, Wife Carrying, Husband Dragging…
A final word of gratitude
Gordon was awarded the MBE -well deserved .
In September 2014 Gordon became the 115th winner of the new Points of Light award, which recognises the UK’s outstanding volunteers.
To a few he was family, husband, dad, grandad. To many he was friend
He changed lives. He saved lives (just ask Julia Galvin). He changed the fortunes of an entire community. He was, and will remain, a legend. And his legacy to us all will live on.
He will, above all, be greatly missed and remain greatly loved.
R.I.P
**The Territorial Decoration (TD) was a military medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army.
