On Monday August 5th, a reception on the Mentrau Iaith stall at the Conwy County National Eisteddfod will celebrate the work of the Mentrau Iaith across Wales and the volunteers who make their work possible.
During the event ‘O Bydded i’r Heniaith Barhau’ pamphlet will be launched, which includes information and statistics about the Mentrau and their work, and offers ways in which Welsh speakers can help to increase and strengthen the use of Welsh in their communities.
The first Menter Iaith was established in 1991 by a group of individuals in the Gwendraeth Valley who saw the use of Welsh in their area de-crease. They were answering a need to strengthen Welsh language community activities and so they acted voluntarily.
Huw Prys Jones, Menter Iaith Conwy Chair explains;
“The Mentrau Iaith are voluntary organisations, with members of all our committees doing so voluntarily as they feel strongly about the Welsh language in their communities.”
Over 1,100 volunteers are now helping the Mentrau in their communities. But the network is keen to attract more individuals to play their part to reach the goal of a million Welsh speakers by 2050 by increasing the use of the language outside the classroom.
Lowri Jones, Chair of Mentrau Iaith Cymru said;
“Thanks to our committed and enthusiastic volunteers we answer to the needs of the community and work with people in their local areas, giving everyone ownership of the Welsh language. But we could do more. So we ask whoever’s at the Eisteddfod who’s interested in volunteering with us, be it occasional or often, to pop in for a chat. ”
Everyone is welcome to join the celebration on Monday, 5th August at 10.30am to learn about the different ways of contributing to the Welsh language in communities across Wales.
