LOOK: Chair of Llangollen Eisteddfod praises volunteer army
From youngsters to pensioners, volunteers rolled up their sleeves to support every aspect of the event – with volunteer stage crews working alongside floral, tickets, finance, communications, marketing, field hosts, stewards, grounds staff, accommodations teams, those looking after competitors and many more teams.
'This is an incredible achievement for a festival that employs just one full-time member of staff,' said Mr. Gambles.
'The heart and soul of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod is our volunteers. Their passion, dedication, and tireless hard work transform this festival from a dream into a truly magical celebration of music and culture.
"Without them, none of this would be possible – they are the unsung heroes who make Llangollen shine on the world stage.'
This year's Eisteddfod – the 78th since its founding – attracted praise from leading figures including Ken Skates MS, Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens MP, and local MP Becky Gittins.
They each applauded the commitment and energy of the volunteer team, led by John Gambles, the Board of Directors and Chairs of various teams.
Most volunteers hail from Llangollen and North Wales, while others travelled thousands of miles to lend their support. Llangollen has enjoyed a busy summer, with volunteers co-promoting all seven TK Maxx presents Live at Llangollen Pavilion concerts.
This year's event welcomed more than 4,000 competitors from across the globe, including the world-renowned New Zealand Youth Choir, who won the prestigious Choir of the World title.
Tens of thousands of visitors descended on Northeast Wales, providing a major boost to the local economy.
Music industry insiders hailed the volunteers as the 'Pride of Wales', with Nicoletta Mantovani, widow of opera legend Luciano Pavarotti, praising their exceptional contribution.
Read more
The volunteer team also partnered with local schools to inspire the next generation of Eisteddfod supporters.
Forty students from Ysgol Dinas Brân and Ysgol Morgan Llwyd joined the Welcome Host team, assisting with field events, the festival shop, and liaison duties, while a further 20 students helped with programme sales.
Volunteers work tirelessly year-round to keep the Eisteddfod thriving. This year, they also assumed full-time operations of the iconic Llangollen Pavilion, with plans to transform it into a vibrant all-year-round arts venue.
Anyone who wants to volunteer at the Llangollen Pavilion - please email volunteers@llangollen.net
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Eisteddfod volunteers recognised for decades of service
Keris Jones, Dylan Wyn Jones, and Richard 'Dic' Jones have all been inaugurated as members of the Gorsedd Cymru. Ms Jones from Llantysilio has been a dedicated volunteer and steward at the Eisteddfod for 50 years. She is a familiar face at the festival, offering support to competitors as they prepare for their preliminary tests. Her commitment to the festival has now been recognised by Gorsedd Cymru. Ms Jones, however, was quick to point out that her service was not motivated by the prospect of reward. She said: "That's not why I volunteer. I volunteer because I want to. "I have seen a large number of people come in, take part in a preliminary test, go on to the stage and enjoy success." Ms Jones's connection with the Eisteddfod stretches back to her competitive days when she met her husband, Arfon. Dylan Wyn Jones from Yr Wyddgrug was another volunteer honoured at the ceremony. Known affectionately as Dylan Carafáns by many Eisteddfod attendees, he was instrumental in organising the Eisteddfod's caravan site for many years. READ MORE: Finalists announced for Food Awards Wales 2025 Newsquest to publish souvenir supplements for Teenage Cancer Trust anniversary He was also responsible for the festival stewards for almost 20 years, building a special relationship with the volunteers. Dylan is described as a keen volunteer who supports and promotes a large number of local Welsh organisations. Also honoured was Richard "Dic" Jones, from Yr Wyddgrug, who was the third volunteer recognised. Originally a police officer with North Wales Police, Dic has been involved with the National Eisteddfod since 2007 as part of the Chief Steward's team with responsibility for the transport side. His voluntary work after retiring from the police service has made him a familiar face to thousands of Eisteddfod-goers over the years.
North Wales Chronicle
2 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Dafydd Iwan marks end of 60 years of performing at Eisteddfod
Dafydd and his talented band took to the stage in Wrexham on Sunday afternoon (July 3) with several thousand people expecting him to sing some of his favourite songs. And they were not disappointed. He said: "The line has to be drawn somewhere, and I'm looking forward to enjoying several more 'Steddfods' from the back seats!" But Dafydd emphasised that he will not stop singing completely. He added: "I know it's a bit of a joke that I want to stop singing. I've been trying to retire for years. But I want to stop singing with the band. "Don't get me wrong, I enjoy singing with the band. I'm having amazing fun singing with them behind me but I felt it was appropriate now to stop the big nights but it's starting to get boring, the late nights and all the arrangements to get everyone together so after August singing by myself to the accompaniment of the guitar, some kind of conversation and song, would do." (Image: Aled Llywelyn) Dafydd was determined to make sure that the last performance on the main stage was a memorable one. He said: "I have enjoyed performing on Llwyfan y Maes and I have very happy memories when a huge crowd came to the Maes in Tregaron. It was the first Eisteddfod was after the coronavirus pandemic and the first after Wales fought through to the World Cup finals. There were a large number of young people in the audience and they knew the words to my songs. "It was a very special occasion that remains alive in the memory." When reminiscing about past Eisteddfods, Dafydd said the first one he performed was the Newtown National Eisteddfod in 1965. He said: "That was a memorable Eisteddfod. For some reason I was staying at a school in Machynlleth. Canvas beds had been placed in classrooms and people were sleeping in the rooms. Among those there were Waldo Williams and Eirwyn Pontshân. "The ones in Newtown were informal and unofficial performances. Singing by myself to the accompaniment of a guitar only around the Maes yr Eisteddfod. It was something quite similar for a few years. "The pattern in the Pavilion at that time was a classical concert after the competition was over for the day. I saw an opportunity, with others, to organise something more experimental and use the Pavilion to host joyful evenings and folk singing gatherings after the concert. "At the Ammanford Eisteddfod in 1970, something a little different was organised. Painting the World Green was the title of a show of songs with a sort of story in them and that late in the Pavilion. "There were certainly no problems with the Pavilion being cold but as it was new the place was full and we had a lot of fun." At the beginning of the 1970s Cymdeithas yr Iaith organized musical evenings for young people and Dafydd took part in a number of these. One of the most famous of these nights was Tabodau Tan in the Corwen Pavilion during the Ruthin National Eisteddfod in 1973.
Rhyl Journal
2 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Cor Godre'r Aran to perform in St Asaph Cathedral
Cor Godre'r Aran, based in Llanuwchllyn, has a world-wide reputation, having toured several times in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Patagonia, Hong Kong, the United States and Canada. Among the UK venues it has performed in are the Royal Albert Hall, Globe Theatre, the Sage and Birmingham Symphony Hall. However, the 40-strong choir has never performed in St Asaph Cathedral, which, because of its superb acoustics, is regarded as one of the top concert venues in North Wales. That is about to be put right, as on August 30 a concert is being held in aid of St Kentigern Hospice which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The choir's members are all Welsh-speaking. It was formed in 1949 to compete in the Dolgellau National Eisteddfod. It has enjoyed enormous success, having won four times at Llangollen International Eisteddfod and, in 2005, winning BBC Radio Cymru's Male Voice Choir competition. Among its members are several prizewinning soloists, five of whom have won the Blue Ribbon at the National Eisteddfod. Among the soloists in St Asaph will be baritone Sion Eilir Roberts, tenor Ellis Jones and Stephanie Jonas, principal cornetist with the Welsh Youth Orchestra and National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. This year is also special for the choir because it marks the 50th anniversary of Eirian Owen as its conductor. A native of Llanuwchllyn, she began her musical career at Ysgol y Gader, Dolgellau, before going on to spend 20 years at the world-famous Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, where she was staff accompanist and piano tutor. Tickets for the concert are available from Cathedral Frames in St Asaph, Siop Clwyd in Denbigh and Siop Elfair in Ruthin.
