News

WELSH LEARNERS EISTEDDFOD- NORTH EAST WALES

Friday 21 May sees the Learner's Eisteddfod come to Hendre Hall (Tal y Bont, Bangor) starting at 7pm.

IMPORTANT!
Everyone is welcome to use copies when signing, reciting, or whatever youre competing in. Don’t be shy! Tutors and Welsh speakers can also take parti n group competitions.

Interested? Contact Siwan Hywel: E-Mail | 01248 388248 | 07795 427171 if you are competing by 14/5/2010

Click here to see the list of competitions.

Click here to see photos and results of the North East Wales Learners Eisteddfod.

Clecs

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Cymraeg o'r Crud - Welsh from the cradle

A group of new parents learning Welsh with Coleg Menai in Noddfa, Caernarfon, January 2010

Cymraeg o'r Crud (Welsh from the cradle) is a special taster course for parents of babies 0-11 months old (– but it is popular with older siblings as well!)

Welsh from the Cradle is a course of 10 sessions, of one and a half hours each. It includes phrases that are essential for parents – "ty’d i newid dy glwt" (come and have your nappy changed), "ti’n werth y byd" (you are worth the [whole] world); useful vocabulary, - clothes, parts of the body, toys; and also introduces simple language patterns, Welsh story telling practice as well as singing both language and traditional songs. There is even a free CD of songs to accompany the course.

The course is arranged in partnership with the North Wales Welsh for Adults Centre, the local further education colleges (Coleg Menai, Coleg Meirion Dwyfor) and the TWF organization.

"It’s ideal! I can use real everyday Welsh with my baby now."

"The CD is on in the car every time we go out, she loves the songs, and I can join in."

A weekend at Glan Llyn for Welsh learners

If you’d like to come to know more Welsh learners from other areas in Wales, come to Glan Llyn, near Bala for a weekend of fun-packed activities for all the family on April 9-11th. Click here for more information.

Financial support for aspiring Welsh learners

Aspiring Welsh learners in North and Mid Wales can now benefit from financial support. Money is available to help cover the costs of course materials, travelling, childcare and other expenses. The aim is to remove all barriers for people wanting to access Welsh learning opportunities.

The scheme is a collaborative project between the North and Mid Wales Welsh for Adults Centres, using contingency funding provided by the Welsh Assembly Government. Grants are available to anyone with an annual household income of less than £17,700.

Ifor Gruffydd, Director of the North Wales Welsh for Adults Centre, which is responsible for co-ordinating the provision of Welsh learning courses across North Wales, said: “Feedback from learners and those wanting to learn Welsh has shown that the cost is often a prohibitive factor and prevents them from enrolling on a course. The Welsh language should be accessible for everyone and we want to ensure that everyone has the chance to learn. That is why we’ve made these funds available. We’d encourage all new and existing learners to take advantage of the scheme.”

To find out if you’re eligible and for further information about the financial support for Welsh learners, please contact us.

Click here to see the information leaflet.

Royle Welsh

Even though he made a quick come back on the ‘Royle Family’ Christmas Special this Christmas, you can follow Jim Royle’s antics on a long term basis!

Will Williams (who is also known as the Jim Royle look-a-like) decided he wanted to give something back to the community of Caernarfon that was so obliging and kind towards him following the death of his wife recently- by learning Welsh!

To help himself, and so that everyone can follow his journey learning the language, Will is blogging constantly on www.roylewelsh.com, and is very keen to get potential learners, existing learners and any other interest groups to follow his progress on the blog. He said “I am very keen to share my thought and feelings and my progress on my journey of learning Welsh, and I’m hoping to get potential learners interested, so they know how easy and painless the process is!”

Welsh For Adults Centre are keen to see more learners using medias that are available on the web, and Ifor Gruffydd, Director of the Centre, said, “so much use is made of the social media these days, and it’s important that we make the most of them. Learners can follow Will’s effort, and hopefully this will create more awareness about the process of learning and practising the Welsh language.”

Will was raised outside of Wales, but has been living in Caernarfon for over 25 years, keeping a Bed and Breakfast business at the ‘Ty Hapus’ (Happy House) Guest House in the town. Will is also known as the tireless work he does for many charities in the area.

Follow Will’s blog at http://www.roylewelsh.com

Gwynedd Tutors networking

North Wales Welsh For Adults Centre has established a club for Welsh Tutors in west Gwyned to enable them to network and share thoughts and ideas. The club was held for the first time on Friday, November 20th with a good representation of tutors who live and teach in the area.

Ifor Gruffydd, Director of North Wales Welsh For Adults Centre said. ‘the main focus of this club is to ensure that tutors who works in every corner of the area get a chance to socialise, shre experiences and express their thoughts and opinion with the Centre’ staff.’

According to Sian Davies, a tutor in Gwynedd. ‘it was a very good night, and gave me the opportunity to meet tutors and share new ideas and tips, which are always handy! We will be definately getting together agian soon.’

Plans are under way to establish clubs for tutors in every county, with the intention of seeing more collaboration and sharing resources between the 160 tutors that teach Welsh in North Wales.

Meggan Lloyd Prys wins Welsh Learner of the Year

The shortlisted Learner of the Year 2009 (from left); Zoe Morag Pettinger from Fareham originally but now living in Trisant, Aberystwyth; Meggan Lloyd Prys (winner) from Ohio, USA but now living in Rhiwlas, Bangor; John Burton, originally from Crewe, living in Penmachno by now, and Dominic Gilbert from Manchester and now living in Beaumaris.

The winner of this year’s Welsh Learner of the Year comes originally from Ohio in the USA. Meggan Lloyd Prys was brought up in Chillicothe, and was studying at the University of Ohio when she met her husband, Cynog, and developed an interest in Wales and the Welsh language.

She moved to Wales two and a half years ago, and started learning Welsh the day after she arrived. A month later she married through the medium of Welsh.

Meggan decided to follow the ‘Super Wlpan’ (a very intensive Wlpan course, five days a week for ten weeks. You can get to GCSE standard in a matter of months) course, and after a year and a half of studying, she was speaking to her family in law through the medium of Welsh. She is now employed as a Welsh Medium Special Educational Needs Classroom Assistant in Ysgol Llanfairpwll, Anglesey as well as being a Welsh For Adults Tutor.

Meggan received the Welsh Learner of the Year prize at a special ceremony in the Cywain Centre, Bala, on Wednesday 5 August, and was awarded the Prize in memory of Marged Jones, which was presented by the Learners of Bala, and £300, donated by the Eagles Tavern, Llanuwchllyn.

The judges were Elin Williams, Haydn Hughes and Clive Wolfendale, and the three agreed that the decision was an extremely difficult one due to the standard of finalists this year.

The others on the shortlist were John Burton, originally from Crewe, but now living in Penmachno; Zoe Morag Pettinger from Fareham, but now living in Trisant, Aberystwyth and Dominic Gilbert, originally from Manchester but living in Biwmares. The three received the Finalists Prize, presented by the Learners of Bala, and £100 each, donated by the Eagles Tavern, Llanuwchllyn.