Welsh learner of the year announced at Wrexham National Eisteddfod
Although Lucy lives and works in north Wales, she did not feel that she fitted in speaking Welsh. She said: "Winning this means the world to me. I speak with an English accent and I didn't speak Welsh. "People didn't understand why I was learning Welsh but I'm so glad I did."She enrolled on courses and incorporated more Welsh in the school where she works. She also established a Welsh discussion group in Llangollen, Denbighshire, where she now lives.The group attracts new learners and others who want to reconnect with the Celtic language. For Lucy, the learning will continue, and as a jewellery designer in her spare time, she hopes to give lessons on this subject in Welsh.More than 150,000 people are expected to attend the National Eisteddfod this week, with 6,000 competitors showcasing the best Welsh language art, music, drama and literature.It is held in north and south Wales on alternate years and it's the first time since 2011 that the eisteddfod has been held in the area.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
11 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Everything's on the table'
For Swansea City's new-look hierarchy, the sky is the limit."At this point, everything's on the table," said the club's chief executive officer Tom legend Luka Modric and rap icon Snoop Dogg both became investors in the Championship side in the months that followed the takeover led by American businessmen Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen last Gorringe says the high-profile duo are already making their mark."The attention is the first part, but what we've seen already, particularly with Snoop in the last two weeks, he's opened a lot of doors, he's provided us with opportunities we wouldn't have had access to before," the CEO explained."I think there's a lot of exciting things in the pipeline." Former Bristol Rovers CEO Gorringe was promoted to the role of chief executive officer just a month after Swansea announced his arrival as chief operating officer in represented another significant change to the club's structure in what has been a period of major overhaul for the side that ended the 2024-25 Championship season in 11th place."We've made a lot of changes in six months," said Gorringe."Luka and Snoop joining the ownership group has been a lot of fun, brought a lot of attention to the club and ultimately opened a lot of doors for us."We've been quite active in the transfer market so far, we've got some more work to do there."We've also made a number of changes internally to try and operate more efficiently and to drive the culture and get everyone pulling in the same direction. So it's been a really busy period."Gorringe confirmed that Snoop Dogg and Modric will both visit Swansea at some stage while his response of "never say never" when asked if more high-profile names will purchase a stake in the Swans in future typifies the club's current vision. Increasing revenue has been among the priorities of the current ownership group - and the arrivals of Birmingham City and Wrexham into the Championship from League One typify why this is the Blues posted a turnover of £29.6m for the year ending June 2024 - with Wrexham announcing a club record turnover of £26.7m for same figures are higher than the £21.5m figure posted by the Championship Swans for the same time is why Gorringe says the club remain open to all possibilities, including potentially emulating the highly-successful Welcome to Wrexham documentary made by the north Wales side's Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney."When I was coming into the club and speaking to the owners about their vision and strategy, this [bringing in high-profile investors] was always a part of it," he said."We wanted to build something here that was special and that the city can be proud of."Those names [Modric and Snoop Dogg] were discussed all along so it's been in the pipeline for a while. Luka's really passionate about the project, he's humble and he's been a great asset for us in terms of the football side."Snoop is incredibly passionate and really competitive. He's a huge global star with a huge audience and a massive personality."It's a great opportunity for Swansea as a whole to get behind the club and what we're trying to do here."And on those now spearheading the club, Gorringe commented: "The ownership are extremely ambitious. "They've delivered on every part of that so far. They want us to progress and ultimately want us to improve in every area as quickly as possible."I speak to them every day, they want to help us try and find solutions and they're exactly what you would want from an ownership group." In the build-up to their Championship opener against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday (15:00 BST), the Swans have recruited six players for the first Ham United defender Kaelan Casey joined on a season-long loan to follow Zeidane Inoussa, Bobby Wales, Cameron Burgess, Ricardo Santos and Ethan Galbraith in linking up with Alan Sheehan's Gorringe is under no illusions that the Swans must continue to be active over the final stages of the summer window to ensure the squad is capable of coping with the rigours of a 46-game second tier campaign."We got off to a really good start. I think the window generally moves in phases," he said."In that first phase, you have a pool of players that are keen to get in for pre-season and I think we operated really well in that part of the window."The second part is more difficult, there's still four weeks left of the window. The calibre of players we're going after will have options."Nobody has an unlimited budget; we have to operate in a financially sensible way to make sure we can get the right deals that enable us to maximise our playing budget and compete at the best possible level with what we've got."The transfer market this year in the Championship is more competitive than it's ever been."The Swans enjoyed a strong end to what was a turbulent 2024-25 season that saw Luke Williams lose his job in gained 23 points from a possible 36 under then interim boss Sheehan before appointing the Irishman as head coach on a permanent basis prior to the final-day draw with Oxford what is the aim for 2025-26?"I think the main thing is that we need to get better," concluded Gorringe."We've built a really good team on and off the pitch and we have to keep developing and looking to improve in every area."
Wales Online
an hour ago
- Wales Online
American travels to Wales for first time and her reaction is priceless
American travels to Wales for first time and her reaction is priceless Sierra Noelle recently visited Wales and her reaction was absolutely priceless. She decided to document her travels, and she had a few things to say about our country She was left totally amazed (stock image) (Image: Getty) An American recently visited Wales for the first time and it's fair to say her reaction left people totally floored as it was so priceless. Sierra Noelle documented her journey online, and she had a few things to say about our country following her big adventure on Welsh soil. She shared her review with her followers on TikTok, and it's left people pretty stunned, as she didn't hold back. It turns out Wales really does have something for everyone, and she couldn't wait to tell people her thoughts, leaving Welsh people in total awe of her and her words about our country. In the clip, Sierra admitted she hadn't been able to stop thinking about Wales since she returned home. It turns out, it's easy to fall in love with our beloved nation. Sierra said: "I have one more thing to say. I keep looking back at my photos from my trip to Wales, and it physically pains me that I am so far away it, and I don't know when I'm going to go back. "But, guys, Wales is so cool. Everyone is so nice there and it's so pretty. Castles are really cool. Everyone needs to go, but be respectful and don't mess it up and be nice to the sheep." Content cannot be displayed without consent In a previous video, Sierra admitted she fell in love with Wales after visiting for the first time this summer. She's so obsessed with it now that she fears it's become her "entire personality." Sierra said she adored seeing the castles, as this is something you don't get to see or experience in the US. She thinks they're "amazing" to explore. All in all, she visited around eight because she loved them so much. Even though she had a great time, she advised people to get their travel advice from Welsh people if they're planning a visit, as she thinks this will benefit tourists a lot more. She absolutely loved her time exploring, and clearly can't wait to return, even though she may not be able to for a while. Thousands of people have watched her clips since she shared them, and they were quick to comment too. One person replied, saying: "As a Welsh person, this is so lush to see someone talking about Wales, which people don't speak about enough. We have the most castles in any country on earth and also have some of the best beaches. "Also, Welsh people have been voted the friendliest in the UK. I'm so happy you visited and enjoyed." Article continues below Another wrote: "As a Welsh person, I love this. I feel like Wales is so unknown/underrated both in and outside of the UK. Wales is awesome. Glad you enjoyed." A third replied: "As an Aussie who lived in Wales for seven years, I can't recommend Wales enough. The landscape is so amazing and beautiful." Meanwhile, a fourth also commented: "I love hearing people be excited about the so many castles. Taken for granted when you live here. My local castle is Conwy."
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The most terrifying and shameful thing that's ever happened to me... and it was my own stupidity that caused it: LIZ JONES
I've just streamed The Salt Path. As a rare 'top journalist', as Bridget would say, who has experienced the horror of losing my home, the rural idyll I'd worked 40 years to buy*, I can tell you the film (I couldn't finish the book: too boring) is an insult to anyone who has struggled with poverty or ill health. Even without the obfuscation, it doesn't come close to the terror, the shame you feel when your whole world is falling apart. I'd sooner have flown to the moon than gone for a hike with a rucksack (did the couple not have pets in their Welsh smallholding?) I was too scared to go outside. When my house was being sold from under me, I'd reluctantly, hurriedly walk my dogs along the bridle path, not even noticing the beauty of the purple Pennines, convinced that when we returned there would be tape across the gate, as though my home was a crime scene. The doors would be locked, and the dogs and I would indeed have to live in a hole, as my debt solutions expert was always telling me.
