National Eisteddfod 2025: Wrexham event 'boosted Welsh language and local economy'

North Wales Live

2 days ago

The National Eisteddfod in Wrexham gave the Welsh language a massive platform in the area and a significant boost to the local economy, it's been claimed. The event, at Is-y-Coed on the eastern outskirts of Wrexham, came to an end on Saturday evening after a busy week of competition in the Pavilion and countless concerts and talks on the Eisteddfod Maes.
Llinos Roberts, chairman of the local executive committee, said thousands of people flocked to the Maes throughout the week. Many of them were visiting the Eisteddfod for the first time and some returned for further visits.
'That is such a positive helping to hopefully reach the Welsh Government's target of one million Welsh speakers by 2050,' she said.
Officials said the dry weather this past week had helped attract the large crowds. 'Of course, many say it wouldn't be an Eisteddfod without rain,' said Betsan Moses, National Eisteddfod chief executive. 'We had some during the week but the Maes drains very quickly and it was not a factor.'
She added the 2025 Eisteddfod had been very successful with all major prizes awarded. 'The Chairing ceremony was very emotional given Tudur Hallam's illness but everyone was pleased at the high standard of entries across all competitions and that is very pleasing,' she said.
'The programme at Ty Gwerin, Encore and Y Babell Len was excellent and Eisteddfodwyr obviously agreed because there were large queues to get in on many occasions. This gave people an opportunity to meet others who were interested in the same group, play or subject,' she said.
Although the Maes was located a few miles outside the city centre, local businesses say they enjoyed a dividend. According to one business owner, the impact was so positive that they are keen to see the Eisteddfod return as soon as possible. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
Next year the National Eisteddfod will be held at Llantood, a village between Cardigan and Newport in Pembrokeshire.
Congratulating the Wrexham Eisteddfod crew for a 'great week', John Davies, chairman of the National Eisteddfod 2026 executive committee, said the city would 'be a hard act to follow'. He added next year's National Eisteddfod will be called Eisteddfod y Garreg Las (Bluestone Eisteddfod) and will be 'unique'.
'Led by Pembrokeshire Council, the Eisteddfod 'patch' encompases part of Carmarthenshire and a small part of Ceredigion,' said Mr Davies. 'Staging the Eisteddfod in this year commemorates the fact it was 850 years ago in 1176 that the Lord Rhys staged the very first Eisteddfod.
'We have quite a bit of work to do to maintain the artistic, cultural, and social success similar to Wrexham.
Mr Davies also suggested there is a need to 'look differently at how funding is created and harvested' in the areas that host the festival. 'In a climate where money is hard to come by for every family, we must be careful and prudent,' he added.
Nansi's double success
A young woman achieved an extraordinary feat at the Eisteddfod by winning two of the main prizes on Saturday afternoon.
Nansi Rhys Adams from Cardiff won both the Richard Burton Award and the Musical Theatre Solo for those over 19 years old.
The Richard Burton Award was established in 1990 in memory of the man from Pontrhydyfen who starred on stage and screen and is recognised as a strong influence on a significant group of Welsh actors. This year is a notable one as it marks the centenary of his birth.
It is a competition for individuals aged between 16 and under 25, and applicants are required to give a short dramatic presentation on a set theme along with a self-chosen piece.
Nansi was thrilled with the results, especially winning the Burton Award after reaching the final three in the same competition in Pontypridd last year.
She has professional experience in acting, singing, and dancing both in theatre and for television. Most recently, she played one of the main roles, Eli, in the youth TV series Itopia, which was broadcast on S4C last December. At the National Eisteddfod in 2023, she played the lead role of Nel in the family stage show Na, Nel!, which was performed in the main pavilion to a packed audience.
At the Urdd National Eisteddfod in 2023, she won the Musical Theatre Solo competition and, as a result, was invited to sing solos and perform at the Welsh Festival of North America in Nebraska.
Nansi is currently in her second year studying BA Acting at Mountview Academy, London. Before that, she spent a year on the Musical Theatre Foundation course at Mountview.
'There's one year left of the course, and after that I'd like to go on to perform professionally,' she said.
The judges for the Richard Burton Award were Ffion Dafis and Mark Lewis Jones. The latter described the standard of the competition as 'superb'.
Ifan Coyle, also from Cardiff, came second in the Burton competition and received the Wilbert Lloyd Roberts Scholarship. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Composer's Medal
Winning the Composer's Medal at the 2025 National Eisteddfod was Sarah Lianne Lewis. She received her award and a £750 cash prize during a special ceremony at the Eisteddfod Pavilion on Saturday evening.
The Composer's Medal is awarded to the most promising composer for a chamber ensemble composition, using imagery from Rhondda Cynon Taf as inspiration.
To mark the centenary of the birth of Islwyn Ffowc Elis, one of Wrexham's most prominent sons, this year's theme for was Cymru Fydd ('The Wales to Come').
Eisteddfod organisers invited composers to present ideas on how they could respond musically to his epic science fiction novel Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd ('A Week in the Wales to Come').
The judges were Richard Baker, Lleuwen Steffan, and Graeme Park. Mr Baker said the decision was not easy and that all three composers had produced exceptional work.
He said: 'It was very difficult to reach a decision. To be honest, we didn't entirely agree. In the end, it came down to personal taste. But we have a winner. Complex ideas require top-tier technical resources to realise, and the winning piece meets the competition's requirements perfectly.'
Speaking about the winning piece, Mr Baker said: 'Cysgodion Bywiog ('Vivid Shadows') by Sarah Lianne Lewis focuses on the most famous scene in Elis's novel, when the main character meets the Old Woman of Bala, the last speaker of the Welsh language.
'The piece is highly theatrical with a strong narrative, and the dialogue is very clear between the material representing grief and the material representing hope.'
Sarah Lianne Lewis was one of three composers who worked with professional musicians for the premiere of her winning piece. The other two were Jonathan Guy and Owain Gruffydd Roberts.
She studied at Cardiff University, earning a BA (Hons) in Music and History and an MA in Composition. Since then, her music has been performed in Europe, Canada, and Australia, broadcast on several radio stations in the UK and Europe, and featured in numerous international festivals.
As a composer and soloist, she also runs workshops in schools, focusing on nurturing creativity and composition in the classroom, as well as leading vocal masterclasses for amateur musicians.
The Cymru Fydd Composer's Medal project offers a paid opportunity for three music creators to compose for a Sinfonia Cymru chamber ensemble.
Over recent months, the three selected composers worked with three versatile string players – Simmy Singh (violin), David Shaw (violin/viola) and Garwyn Linnell (cello) – leading up to a live performance of their works on the Eisteddfod's final day.
The project was a partnership between the Eisteddfod, Tŷ Cerdd, Sinfonia Cymru, and the Welsh Music Society, with this year's mentor-composer being Prof Pwyll ap Siôn.