Latest news with #NationalEisteddfod2025
Rhyl Journal
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Sam Rowlands MS 'proud' to be Welsh after Eisteddfod
MS for North Wales It was great to see Wrexham in the national spotlight last week as it played host to one of the biggest festivals in Europe. I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the National Eisteddfod 2025, held at Isycoed just five miles from the city centre and experience the wonderful celebration of our Welsh language and culture. I met with so many people who were singing the praises of the way the event was organised and how it offered a wonderful variety of things to do and see. As a Welsh learner it was great to have the chance to try out my skills and engage with others thanks to support and friendly advice on the Maes. There was also live translation for some events so that everyone was able to enjoy the spectacle, including non-speakers. The Welsh Language is an important part of our national identity and culture and the Eisteddfod is a great event to celebrate all that Wales has to offer. It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase this part of Wales and organisers will have been delighted with the number of visitors it attracted from far and wide. The event simply had everything you need to promote our beautiful country and of course the fact that it was being held in North Wales was also a great boost for my region. There was something for all the family at the Eisteddfod from music, entertainment and exhibitions to the ultimate Crowning ceremony with the Gorsedd of the Bards keeping alive our rich heritage. I was also very pleased to see all the different organisations working together to make this event such a huge success. I am proud to be Welsh and delighted to have been able to support this great cultural event and I am sure visitors will have been very impressed to see what Wrexham and surrounding areas have to offer. As ever, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can contact me by emailing or calling on 0300 200 7267.
Leader Live
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Sam Rowlands MS 'proud' to be Welsh after Eisteddfod
MS for North Wales It was great to see Wrexham in the national spotlight last week as it played host to one of the biggest festivals in Europe. I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the National Eisteddfod 2025, held at Isycoed just five miles from the city centre and experience the wonderful celebration of our Welsh language and culture. I met with so many people who were singing the praises of the way the event was organised and how it offered a wonderful variety of things to do and see. As a Welsh learner it was great to have the chance to try out my skills and engage with others thanks to support and friendly advice on the Maes. There was also live translation for some events so that everyone was able to enjoy the spectacle, including non-speakers. The Welsh Language is an important part of our national identity and culture and the Eisteddfod is a great event to celebrate all that Wales has to offer. It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase this part of Wales and organisers will have been delighted with the number of visitors it attracted from far and wide. The event simply had everything you need to promote our beautiful country and of course the fact that it was being held in North Wales was also a great boost for my region. There was something for all the family at the Eisteddfod from music, entertainment and exhibitions to the ultimate Crowning ceremony with the Gorsedd of the Bards keeping alive our rich heritage. I was also very pleased to see all the different organisations working together to make this event such a huge success. I am proud to be Welsh and delighted to have been able to support this great cultural event and I am sure visitors will have been very impressed to see what Wrexham and surrounding areas have to offer. As ever, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can contact me by emailing or calling on 0300 200 7267.
North Wales Live
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
National Eisteddfod 2025: Dramatist and Science and Technology Medal winners announced
The winners of the Dramatist and Science and Technology have been announced at the National Eisteddfod 2025, which is being held in Wrexham. Greta Siôn from Gwaelod-y-garth, Cardiff, is the winner of the main drama prize at this year's Wrecsam National Eisteddfod. Her name was announced during a special ceremony on the Pavilion stage today (7 August). The Dramatists' Medal supports playwrights writing in Welsh by offering a unique opportunity to develop their work, along with broader experiences provided by a consortium of some of the leading theatre and production companies working in Welsh here in Wales. This year, the 2025 Dramatists' Medal is awarded for composing a new stage play, or a proposal for a new stage play on any theme for a cast of no more than five performers. Playwrights were invited to submit either a sketch including a story outline, setting and time, character profiles etc., along with three dialogued scenes… or a full draft of a play lasting 30–45 minutes. The Medal is donated in memory of Eiryth and Urien Wiliam, by their children Hywel, Sioned and Steffan Wiliam. This year's financial prize of £3,000is awarded by the Eisteddfod. Members of the consortium include Frân Wen, Theatr Clwyd, Theatr Cymru, Sherman Theatre, Torch Theatre, Arad Goch Theatre Company, and Theatr Bara Caws. Representatives from these companies were among the judging panel, and two freelance artists, Mel Owen and Mared Jarman, also sat on the panel to ensure diverse and representative voices were an integral part of the process. Delivering the adjudication, Steffan Donnelly said, 'As a panel, we thoroughly enjoyed scrutinising, discussing and debating the 20 submissions received – seeking out playwrights who created striking, exciting work that challenged the panel's imagination and thinking. "Everyone on stage today felt that new writing is alive and well in Wales," Daniel Lloyd added: "Presennol by Caer Enlli is a conventional monologue confident in its form, feels complete as a drama, and succeeds in captivating... "It's a very readable play, with every beat clear, the characterisation precise, and the story flowing. The playwright understands the importance of balancing light and shade. The structure is solid, with a clear focus and crisis points. "It's great to see the main character go on such a complete journey – Ieuan at the start of the play is different from the Ieuan at the end. "Through empathy, he discovers who he can be, acts differently, and a new life path begins to blossom before him. Indeed, the paths of the two main characters cross and intertwine in powerful and emotional ways. "This is a drama rooted in a complex and understandable context. And so, for these reasons, it is a pleasure to award the 2025 Dramatists' Medal to Presennol by Caer Enlli." Greta Siôn was a pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr before going on to study English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Liverpool. While there, she was president of the drama society and took part in several productions, including a sketch comedy troupe that performed annually at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. After graduating, Greta worked as a runner on the drama series Rownd a Rownd for two years, where she had the opportunity to write the digital series Copsan as part of a mentoring scheme. In 2024, Greta received a Master's degree in Creative Writing from Oxford University, and she now writes for the soap operas Pobol y Cwm and Rownd a Rownd as a freelance writer. She greatly values both productions for their ongoing support and the privilege of collaborating with experienced writers and editorial teams who have taught her so much. Greta is also grateful to her entire family for their unwavering support – even when she says silly things like wanting to write for a living! They have nurtured her passion and enthusiasm for the world of drama unfailingly – including her grandparents, who often took her to see plays at Theatr Clwyd when she stayed with them in Ruthin. Presennol is the first full-length stage play she has written. The newly restructured competition reflects the processes of the professional theatre sector and offers a prize that develops drama in the usual way while supporting a playwright's career in the industry. The financial prize has increased to £3,000 and in addition to the monetary award, a sum has been set aside by the consortium and the Eisteddfod to develop the winning work, including a full script reading at next year's Eisteddfod. The Science and Technology Medal at the National Eisteddfod in Wrecsam has been presented to Dewi Bryn Jones, a leading pioneer in Welsh language and speech technologies Over recent years, Dewi has done more than anyone else to develop Welsh computational language tools and resources, enabling the public to use Welsh on their computers and in digital communication. His technologies also support disabled individuals and those with additional needs to communicate in Welsh. Dewi leads a team of software developers at the Language Technologies Unit at Canolfan Bedwyr, Bangor University. His vision and contributions have driven innovation in Welsh writing technology, Welsh speech technology, and Welsh machine translation in the digital world. The medal, first awarded in 2004, recognises and celebrates an individual's contribution to science and technology through the medium of Welsh. Fittingly, the first recipient was Professor Glyn O Phillips, a prominent scientist from Wrecsam and the founding head of the North East Wales Institute – now Wrexham University. The aim of the medal is to honour and celebrate outstanding contributions to the science and technology industry through Welsh. Professor Delyth Prys, former head of the technology unit at Canolfan Bedwyr, said: "The award is thoroughly deserved by Dewi. I would go so far as to say that without his contribution, we wouldn't have any Welsh software today." Professor Deri Tomos, a previous recipient of the Science and Technology Medal, added: 'This unit is absolutely vital to the future of the language. Dewi lives and breathes the world of computing – it's a core part of his life, and I'm sure he's delighted to receive this honour." Dewi Bryn Jones, was raised in Pwllheli and graduated in Computer Science from the University of York. He worked in Cambridge, Zurich, and later joined Nokia in Finland. While in Helsinki, he began translating and localising Netscape Navigator, an early web browser before the days of Google and others. He returned to Wales to work with Draig Technology Ltd, contributing to the development of To Bach, a program that helps add accents to Welsh words while typing, which has now been downloaded over 100,000 times. In 2002, Dewi joined the Language Technologies Unit at Canolfan Bedwyr, where he continues to lead a team of software developers and collaborate with terminologists and linguists. He is now researching new developments in Artificial Intelligence technologies, which are revolutionising the field but pose challenges for minority languages like Welsh. Dewi said: 'It's a great pleasure and honour to do this work and to be part of a team of others who are just as enthusiastic and talented – more talented than me. It's a unit of software developers and language experts with a mix of skills to create all this work. We're creating apps that work in Welsh and showing that it's possible to build resources that expand the use of Welsh and normalise the language in the tech world." Since joining Canolfan Bedwyr, Dewi has completely rewritten the code for Cysill, the Welsh spelling and grammar checker, to make it compatible with modern computers and networks. He led the development of Cysgliad, which includes Cysill and the electronic dictionary suite Cysgeir, first published in 2004 and still maintained and developed today. He has also developed many of the databases and computing platforms that support general and terminological Welsh dictionaries, including the digital version of Geiriadur yr Academi, and is responsible for developing and maintaining Y Porth Termau Cenedlaethol. Over twenty years ago, Dewi began researching speech technology for Welsh, collaborating with researchers in Ireland working on similar technology for Irish Gaelic. He has developed synthetic Welsh voices that give speech to people who cannot speak due to medical reasons, as well as voices for games and other digital products. In 2017, he developed Lleisiwr, which enables NHS Wales patients to create synthetic Welsh versions of their own voice before losing the ability to speak, with an innovative bilingual version following in 2020. He is currently working with the NHS and a Scottish company to create a variety of bilingual synthetic voices with different accents for children and young people in Wales. Many of these technologies have been combined in Macsen, the first Welsh-language personal assistant, which can be controlled using Welsh voice commands and includes a range of Welsh-language skills such as weather updates, news, music, Wikipedia searches, translation, and more. Dewi has also played a key role in including Welsh in Mozilla's international Common Voice project, which allows volunteers to contribute their voices to an open database of recordings that supports the development of speech technology in many languages. He was central to the successful efforts to establish a Master's degree in Language Technologies at Bangor University, where he now lectures. He also supervised the first PhD in Speech Technology through the medium of Welsh and was the main author of the Language Technologies Handbook – the first of its kind written in Welsh on language and speech technologies. In other news, the National Eisteddfod yesterday announced that Niclas Parry is the new President of the Court and Chair of the Management Board. This was confirmed at today's Court meeting (7 August) following an open recruitment process. He succeeds Ashok Ahir, who was appointed in 2019. Mr Parry was a solicitor in Mold before being appointed as a judge in the Crown Courts in North Wales. He is also well known as a football commentator and recently accompanied the Wales women's team to the European Championship in Switzerland. Upon taking up the role, he stated that he would fight against any suggestion of relaxing the Welsh language rule and is committed to working in a practical way that includes Eisteddfod participants. Mr Parry also promised to ensure transparency in the decisions of the Court and the Management Board. 'I have no doubt at all that we must remain faithful to the Welsh language rule. It is entirely possible to live for a week using Welsh without missing out at all, as the provision for non- Welsh speakers is better than ever,' he said. And when the curtain falls on the National Eisteddfod on Saturday, the work of three key volunteers will come to an end. For 18 years, Cledwyn Ashford from Cefn-y-Bedd near Wrexham has led the Chief Steward Team, but last year he announced his intention to hang up the blue tabard for good. His friends Iolo Povey from Dyffryn Nantlle and Dylan Jones from Mold will also be stepping down from volunteering at the Eisteddfod. Between them, they have given 56 years of service to the National Eisteddfod. Volunteers are the backbone of the National Eisteddfod every year, and without them, it would be difficult to run the festival. From the dozens of Wrexham area residents who have tirelessly raised funds to the hundreds who are willing to share their time during the Eisteddfod, their contribution is essential.
North Wales Live
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
National Eisteddfod 2025: Prose Medal and Welsh Album of the Year winners
The winners of the Prose Medal and Welsh Album of the Year at the National Eisteddfod 2025 have been announced. It is being held in Wrexham, with thousands flocking to the festival. Bryn Jones is this year's winner of the Prose Medal, in a competition that attracted 16 entrants. The theme for this year's competition was a volume of creative prose of no more than 40,000 words on the subject 'Border | Borders.' The judges were Aled Lewis Evans, Bethan Mair, and Elin Llwyd Morgan. The medal was presented in memory of the Honourable Dafydd Hughes, who spent many happy years in Wrexham with his family—Ann Tegwen, Catrin, Mari, Gerallt, and Ann Lloyd—and the monetary prize of £750 was sponsored by Bangor University. Aled Lewis Evans said in his adjudication: 'A volume of wide-ranging micro-literature, crafted with subtlety. There is heart, frustration, and true talent in this work. "The author is immersed in everyday situations and has a broad-minded perspective. The work is divided into four sections, and the spoken language is evident and appropriate to the context. "It's clear the author understands the nuances of the medium, which speaks volumes. A skilful writer—entertaining, lively, and full of unfiltered expression. "There is an ability here to get under the skin of a range of contemporary situations, as well as pieces that prompt us to question. 'There are pieces of all of us in this volume—with the subtlety of pieces like Ffotosynthesis. "Place names and Welsh identity are prominent themes, and many of the pieces end with striking closing lines that anchor them. Everyday life in our contemporary society is elevated in this volume, along with the emotions and visions of ordinary people. "I believe it will appeal to a wide range of readers. The irony of modern situations is presented plainly. The author is very versatile—one moment offering a very real view of chapels in Tŷ fy Nhad, but always with an awareness of both sides of every story. "We, the judges, have had a rewarding and memorable journey with a distinguished writer in a satirical and at times biting volume, but one that is also entirely artistic and original.' Elin Llwyd Morgan added: 'According to the author's own definition, what we have here is 'a collection of prose that cannot be labelled according to conventional forms.' This is not self- praise. "On the contrary, in the very first piece—Beirniadaeth—he tears apart his own work as if doing so from our perspective as judges, concluding: 'To end on a positive note, it's a blessing that Trilliw Bach is significantly under the word count allowed for the competition.' '… the work as a whole is a delightful pick-and-mix that can be read in full or dipped into. "Alongside humour and boldness, there is tenderness and genuinely poetic touches. I hope this will be a volume that makes a strong impression, as well as sparking much discussion. "For that reason, and because my fellow judges and I kept returning to it again and again, Trilliw Bach takes the Medal this year.' Bethan Mair noted in her adjudication: 'Trilliw Bach wants us to see and hear it, and doesn't care one bit if it offends or upsets while drawing attention to itself. "This volume is irreverent, timely, throwing explosive material in all directions without concern for where the grenades land or who might be hurt, and it's brimming with humour, writing talent, and excitement. "The author has even written his own adjudication—perhaps to save us the trouble, or to ensure it gets one, in light of last year's Eisteddfod events. It's bold, occasionally abrasive, a sweet balm of tenderness at other times, but through it all, a writer from head to toe. 'Not every piece in the volume will appeal to everyone—in fact, I hope some will make readers feel very uncomfortable—but Trilliw Bach offers a vision of today's Wales that must be shared. "My fellow judges and I agree that this is the volume everyone will read, discuss, and weigh up in the weeks and months to come. Let Trilliw Bach be awarded the Medal.' Bryn Jones was raised in a supportive household in Llanberis, and he regularly visits his close family who still live there. He has now settled in Bangor, living just a stone's throw from the former site of Ysbyty Dewi Sant, where he was born. He was educated at Ysgol Dolbadarn, Llanberis, where his interest in Welsh and English literature was sparked by a number of enthusiastic teachers. He received his secondary education at Ysgol Brynrefail, Llanrug, where he came under the influence of his Welsh teacher, the late Alwyn Pleming, who introduced him to the foundations of the Welsh language and the richness of its literature. In 1982, he graduated in Welsh from Bangor University, and benefited from attending creative writing lectures led by the late Professor Gwyn Thomas. Bryn has spent his career in education. He began as a teacher at Ysgol Gynradd Llanfawr, Holyhead, in 1983, and enjoyed a happy period living in the town before being appointed Deputy Headteacher at Ysgol y Gelli, Caernarfon, in 1989. In 1995, he began his role as a Lecturer in Education at the Normal College (later the School of Education at Bangor University). He considered it a privilege to work alongside kind and talented lecturers and was fortunate to earn a doctorate based on his research into bilingual education in Wales. He is grateful for his early literary experiences in local eisteddfodau such as Eisteddfod Gadeiriol Llanrug (1983) and Eisteddfod Gadeiriol y Groeslon (1992, 1995), and he benefited from attending literary courses at Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre during the 1990s. He is also grateful to Professor Gerwyn Wiliams for publishing some of his early creative writing in the literary magazine Taliesin. Among his other interests are genealogy and outdoor activities, including mountain walking, cycling, and skiing. He also enjoyed skydiving. Recently, he has returned to writing and is looking forward to the publication of his first volume of prose, Cuddliwio. His success follows that of another former Ysgol Brynrefail pupil, Eurgain Haf, originally from Penisarwaun, who won the Prose Medal in Rhondda Cynon Taf last year. The full adjudication will be available in the Cyfansoddiadau a Beirniadaethau, published at the end of the Chairing Ceremony on Friday afternoon. Bryn's winning volume will be available to buy at the end of this ceremony. The winners of the 2025 Gwobr Albwm Cymraeg y Flwyddyn/Welsh Language Album of the Year are Ynys for their album 'Dosbarth Nos'. Ynys, the brainchild of Race Horses / Radio Luxembourg's Dylan Hughes, released 'Dosbarth Nos' via Libertino Records in July 2024. It followed the release of their 2023 Welsh Music Prize shortlisted debut. Recorded live over a period of four days at the picturesque Mwnci Studios in West Wales, the album showcases Ynys'; musical evolution - embracing a more energetic and adventurous sound palette with its extraordinary dynamic arrangements, and capturing the essence of the band's live performances. 'Dosbarth Nos' embodies the culmination of Ynys' creative journey, marking a significant milestone in the project's evolution. Hughes' meticulous approach to songwriting, coupled with the band' collaborative energy, has resulted in an album brimming with intention and newfound confidence. The winners received a specially commissioned trophy. Organised by the National Eisteddfod and BBC Radio Cymru the award celebrates the eclectic mix of Welsh language music recorded and released during the year. Ten artists and bands reached this year's shortlist including Adwaith, Bwncath, Gwenno Morgan, Pys Melyn and Ynys. The judges were Martha Owen, Nico Dafydd, Elain Roberts, Gruffydd Davies, Branwen Williams a Heulyn Rees.
North Wales Live
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
National Eisteddfod 2025: The latest news on Sunday
The National Eisteddfod 2025 is well underway in Wrexham, where the annual festival is being held this year. Thousands are flocking to the event after staff and contractors transformed farmland at Is-y-Coed on the eastern outskirts of Wrexham, into a small town with a 1,500 seat pavilion. It also has a range of performance spaces and stalls as well as a temporary Gorsedd circle. Here is a round-up of the latest news from the National Eisteddfod today (Sunday August 3), to enjoy: The National Eisteddfod got underway on Saturday without any major difficulties the festival's chief executive said. Betsan Moses said the week-long event is being staged on farmland at Is-y-Coed on the eastern outskirts of Wrexham and is the culmination of two years of hard work organising and fund-raising. Speaking to journalists on Sunday Ms Moses said everyone was pleased with the arrangements that had been made. "The police were happy that traffic moved freely thoughout the day and the car parks were full. Stall holders and traders are happy with the expansive layout of the Maes and the footfall was good. "There are more stalls here this year because the Maes is larger than the one at Parc Ynys Angharad in Pontypridd in 2024. They are also not grouped in any particular way so people walking along the rows of stalls see them all." The weather was also favourable with warm sunshine and blue skies. She said the only complaints they had received were from people having difficulty what to go and see and do. "There was widespread praise for Y Stand, the concert in the pavilion which told the story of a family's connection with football. "The stage had been transformed into a football stadium and the Eisteddfod choir formed the crowd. We invited the audience to wear the red and white of Wrexham FC and we were extremely pleased to see many of them had done so. "All in all a very good start to the Eisteddfod," she said. Yesterday evening there was a varied evening of music enjoyed by large crowds on the Eisteddfod Maes. Anglesey singer and songwriter Elin Fflur and Diffiniad, which has close links with the Wrexham area, featured on the huge Llwyfan y Maes while Bob Delyn a'r Ebilliad played to a capacity audience in the smaller, intimate setting of Tŷ Gwerin. Meanwhile the audience in the Pavilion enjoyed a musical commissioned by the Eisteddfod. Y Stand was written by Manon Steffan Ros and the music composed by Osian Huw Williams. Diffiniad was founded by a group of friends, mostly from the Mold area, to perform dance music in Welsh. Bethan Richards, from Ammanford, joined as a singer, and her rich, deep voice lifts some of their most memorable anthems to the heights. Songs like Hapus, Hwyr Tan y Bore and their version of the Caryl Parry Jones classic, Calon had the large, appreciative crowd singing along. The audience had earlier been delighted by a set by Elin Fflur and her band. She sang songs old and new including "Harbwr Diogel" ("Safe Bay"). Written by Arfon Wyn she won the Cân i Gymru competition in 2002. Bob Delyn a'r Ebillion are a folk-rock group fronted by chaired bard Twm Morys. Their music combines an eclectic array of influences and instruments with more traditional Welsh folk sounds. Tŷ Gwerin is located in a large yurt and the group played a variety of folk songs from around Wales and further afield. Their set culminated with Twm Morys' song Trên Bach y Sgwarnogod (Little Hare's Train) which sparked dozens of the audience to join a conga around the audience led by saxophonists Edwin Humphreys and Einion Gruffudd. Y Stand is a brand-new show about football, about winning and losing, and about the special connection that comes from supporting a team. The Pavilion was transformed into a football stadium, alive with the sound, colour and the energy of the crowd. The story is told through the eyes of the 200-strong Eisteddfod choir and five main characters. Clem (Dyfed Thomas) is an actor who is a former Wrexham player, returning to the stage with his personal history and deep love for the Club, and Grace (Cadi Glwys), a young 14-year-old girl who dreams of playing football. The Eisteddfod gives an opportunity to a large number of groups and solo artists during the week-long festival. Others due to take part are veteran folk singer Dafydd Iwan, Blaenau Ffestiniog-based rock band Anweledig and Fleur de Lys and top folk band Bwncath. In other news it is going to be an emotional week for the leader of the Wales and the World contingent at the National Eisteddfod. Maxine Hughes, originally from Conwy, is well known for being the official Welsh interpreter of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney the two Hollywood actors who purchased Wrexham FC four years ago. The well-respected journalist would tease the pair as they struggled to come to terms with some Welsh phrases. But this year has been one of significant challenges for Maxine who recently revealed she has just finished an intensive course of chemotherapy and faces further surgery immediately after the Eisteddfod. She said the diagnosis came shortly following the death of her father, John, late last year. Speaking on the Maes she said she was incredibly proud to accept the invitation to be the leader of the Wales and the World at the Eisteddfod. "And I was in hospital when the email came that I was to be inducted into the Gorsedd. I nearly fainted I was so happy. "It is such a great honour to be recognised by the Gorsedd, and as Leader of Wales and the World this year, and even more significant because the Eisteddfod is in Wrexham. I am so proud my father's family is from Wrexham and he would have been even prouder that this is happening here, his home town," she said. Maxine added she is heading back to the USA immediately after the Eisteddfod and undergoing surgery early next week. "The surgery was due to take place this week but I was able to explain to the surgeon that I needed to be here and he agreed to put it back a week," she said. She said she looks forward to the Eisteddfod every year. "I aim to come back to Wales in August with the boys to see the family members and go over to the Eisteddfod wherever it is being held. As well as being the Leader of Wales and the World I will be holding other sessions with the Welsh Government and students," he said. When she was young Maxine competed regularly and successfully in the National Eisteddfod. "The Urdd Eisteddfod and the National Eisteddfod were a big part of my childhood. I recited individually as a pupil at Ysgol Bodnant and at Ysgol Bryn Elian there was a lot of singing. I also danced and competed in gymnastics and I was happy to take part and enjoy," he said. Her work has included some of the world's biggest news stories, from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan to the war in Syria, and of course the American elections. She had the opportunity to meet and interview Donald Trump for the first of S4C's three-part documentary series, Extreme World. Maxine negotiated for more than a year to gain access to Trump before securing 30 minutes of his time at his home in Florida for a face-to-face interview, where he talked about his plans to stand and be re-elected. Rumours are rife on the Maes that we will see Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at the Eisteddfod but Maxine explained that that is unlikely. "They are busy preparing for the new season in a new league and their focus is all on the club. "What they have done with the club has been fantastic and I appreciate what they have done for the city," he said. The Gorsedd will also gather today for the Crown ceremony in the Eisteddfod Pavilion. Poets were invited to present a poem or a collection of poems, without being in strict metre of up to 250 lines, on the subject of 'Ruins'. The Crown was designed and produced by Neil Rayment and Elan Rowlands. These are the two who created the impressive Crown for the 2024 Rhondda Cynon Taf Eisteddfod. Elan, who is originally from Caernarfon, said that the Crown was inspired by the ancient fossils found in Brymbo Forest - which date back over 300 million years. During this period, layers of plant debris – along with flooding – formed the rich coal seams that shaped Wrexham's industrial legacy. These fossils are the symbolic foundation of the Crown, representing the deep foundations of the region's identity. Surrounding the Crown are images of important milestones in Wrexham's history. "It was a privilege and a joy to be the youngest craftswoman to co-design and create the Eisteddfod Crown last year, and now, to be one of the first craftsman-designers to create it for the second year in a row. "Designing the Crown for the second time is not only a professional milestone, but also an extremely satisfying creative experience. There is something very special about taking a concept that rooted in place, history, and memory, and turned into symbolic wearable artwork. "This project holds deep personal significance for me. My great-great-grandfather worked in the Hafod collieries in Rhos, and my father grew up in the area. In addition, as I researched the industrial past of the area, I was particularly touched by the story of the Gresford Disaster in 1934, where 266 men lost their lives. The Crown honours their memory, and the enduring strength and resilience of the community that helped to be built." Neil added: "This Crown is more than a ceremonial object – it is a piece of heritage art, designed and created by hand, and rooted in tradition and innovation. It places us firmly within the cultural history of Wales, a legacy I am extremely proud to contribute to." The Coronation ceremony will be held on Monday 4 August at 4pm. Maxine gave a speech as the leader of Wales and the World at the Gymanfa Ganu in the Pavilion on Sunday night.
