10-08-2025
Eisteddfod volunteers to step down after Wrexham event
Cledwyn Ashford, from Cefn-y-Bedd, along with Iolo Povey from Dyffryn Nantlle and Dylan Jones from Mold, have collectively given 56 years of service to the National Eisteddfod.
Mr Ashford, affectionately known as Cled, has led the Chief Steward Team for 18 years and is stepping down following his final Eisteddfod.
Morys Gruffydd, Eisteddfod volunteer coordinator, said: "The success of the National Eisteddfod depends on the support and help of a multitude of volunteers, not only during the week but throughout the year in preparation for the festival, and we are grateful to everyone who is part of the team.
"The fact that many new Welsh speakers use volunteering at the Eisteddfod as an opportunity to gain confidence in using our language in a community setting is very powerful, and the work the Eisteddfod does in this area, locally and nationally, is commendable.
"But the aim of this scheme is to build on the enthusiasm and ensure continuity from year to year."
Mr Ashford first took on the role of chief steward in 2007.
He said: "The work is hard and the days are long, but I've had a lot, a lot of fun.
"Every year I say 'this is my last year', but as Dafydd Iwan sings, Yma o Hyd (I'm Still Here).
"But this is my last National Eisteddfod as chief steward."
He described the daily routine of the chief steward team.
He said: "The work of the chief steward team starts at seven in the morning when we arrive on the Maes (festival site), and we make sure everything runs smoothly, oversee the main ceremonies, and ensure everyone is safe.
"Our experience means we know where the hotspots are, like the caravan site, Ty Gwerin, and of course the Pavilion.
"Many of the stewards are older than me, so we need new blood to carry on.
"If young people came forward, they'd have years of enjoyment."
Mr Ashford also shared some of his standout memories from his years of volunteering, adding: "People lose things sometimes.
"At the Wrexham Eisteddfod (2011), there were big, tall pyramids, and when a woman said she'd lost her glasses in one, I got help from Iolo and others to fetch a ladder to go in and retrieve them.
"I found the glasses, but of course, without me knowing, the ladder had been taken away and I was stuck in there for half an hour shouting 'help, help!"
He also recalled being briefed by MI5 before the 2012 Eisteddfod.
He said: "I was shocked but didn't believe such a thing would happen at the Eisteddfod.
"But honestly, I got a call on the radio that a bag had been found near one of the poles in the Pink Pavilion.
"It looked fine, but while waiting for an expert to come, one of the stewards picked it up.
"He had placed it and had his sandwiches in it."
Mr Ashford was invested into Gorsedd Cymru three years ago.
He said: "But I was inducted not for my Eisteddfod work but for the work I've done with football over the years."
READ MORE:
Banking branch closure to go ahead despite local petition in Flintshire
A former schoolteacher, Mr Ashford supported the early careers of footballers including Ian Rush, Kevin Ratcliffe, and Gary Speed.
He spent 21 years as headteacher of Ysgol Bryn Coch in Mold before becoming a regional welfare officer with the Football Association of Wales.
With decades of stories and experiences behind them, Mr Ashford, Mr Povey, and Mr Jones say they look forward to enjoying future Eisteddfodau as attendees rather than organisers.
