More than 40,000 viewed virtual Big Cheese event

A virtual Big Cheese event was held over the weekend after the festival was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The event, which saw activities such as cooking demonstrations, music performances and the Cheese race, was streamed online.

Traders, who would normally set up stalls at the festival, showcased their produce virutally, with animal displays, children’s activities, fireworks and re-enactments also taking place online.

More than 40,000 unique visitors viewed the content, which was posted on Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Facebook page.

During the weekend, the page gained 114,836 impressions – which is the number of times the content appeared on a device such as a computer, mobile phone or tablet.

Video content was viewed more than 15,000 times, and replayed nearly 6,000 times.

There were more than 4,000 comments, likes and shares on posts related to the event.

The Big Cheese is held annually on the last weekend of July in Caerphilly town centre. In 2019, the festival attracted more than 70,000 visitors.

Councillor Lisa Phipps, cabinet member for tourism, said: “We decided to take the event digital and the response we received from residents was phenomenal.

“I’d like to thank all of our members for their generosity in donating prizes for the events and for their continuous support and help in boosting public morale.”