Eisteddfod meets funding goal on return to town

Visitors begin to arrive on the eisteddfod field, or maes, at Ynysangharad Park on Saturday

Pontypridd is hosting its first National Eisteddfod since 1893 after raising £450,000 to stage the annual Welsh-language cultural festival.

The town and the county of Rhondda Cynon Taf have been preparing over the past 18 months with a local fundraising group raising almost £332,000 towards the total.

About 160,000 people are expected at the event between 3 and 10 August, with 15,000 tickets given out for free to local families.

Visitors are being urged to use public transport wherever possible because of the festival's town centre location.

The maes - where stages, pavilions and stalls are set up - has been erected in Ynysangharad Park, with events and competitions also taking place in nearby venues.

It is hoped the sights and sounds will help the event to catch the imagination of non-Welsh speakers, and those who would not usually attend the festival.

The National Eisteddfod, which includes competitions in music, literature and dancing, is held in a different part of Wales each year.

Eisteddfod executive committee chair Helen Prosser paid tribute to volunteers who helped raise almost £332,000, with Rhondda Cynon Taf council and others helping to take the total to more than £450,000.

"Volunteers from every corner of Rhondda, Cynon and Taf have organised activities in the name of the eisteddfod, and we're particularly grateful to friends in other parts of Wales, including Caernarfon and Cardiff, for organising events to help us reach our goal," she said.

"There's only one thing left for us to do now, which is to encourage everyone to come over to see us at this lovely park during the week and enjoy the festival."

Events will 'blow your mind'

Artistic director Elen Elis says it is an eisteddfod for all the valleys communities and towns that make up Rhondda Cynon Taf

There will be more than a thousand events across the week, with artistic director Elen Elis saying the range of competitions and events will "blow your mind away".

She is also keen for people from across the local authority area, from Aberdare to Llantrisant, Tonypandy, Treorchy and Mountain Ash to feel part of it.

"This is an eisteddfod for Rhondda, Cynon and Taf," Ms Elis added.

"We want people to come from across the county. We have been working with people from across the county."

Aled Humphreys from heritage centre Canolfan Calon Taf said: "It's been wonderful to hear people's reactions and people who wouldn't necessarily know about the eisteddfod before now.

"The fact that the eisteddfod is a hot topic and something that people know about in my area now is an absolute pleasure."

Pontypridd's Welsh language links

What links the market town of Pontypridd, in one of the poorest parts of Wales, most closely to the language?

For a start, the national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, was written in Pontypridd, something that will be celebrated throughout the event.

South Wales' first Welsh medium school was also built in the area, in nearby Rhydyfelin in the 1960s.

The planning and build-up has not been plain sailing though - for a start, the town was badly hit by the floods following Storm Dennis in 2020.

Then the Covid pandemic meant the eisteddfod's visit was delayed by two years.

Now though, for a week, the park in the centre of the town will be the home of the pinnacle of Welsh-language performance and culture.

Businesses in Pontypridd have been welcoming the eisteddfod

Businesses in Pontypridd are hoping to benefit from an increase in trade.

Clwb y Bont is a bilingual venue in the town, and has had a difficult time after being badly affected by the 2020 floods.

It has a full programme for the week, with development officer Aled Wynne Phillips saying: "It's an opportunity to share what we do here culturally and all the gigs and the bands that perform her day-in day-out throughout the year.

"But eisteddfod week it’s going to be rammed and, hopefully, like other businesses in Pontypridd we can welcome eisteddfodwr [eisteddfod attendees] with open hearts."

The Muni is opening for the first time in five years for the eisteddfod

Some competitions will be held at the Muni Arts Centre, which will be opening its doors for the first time in over five years after major redevelopment.

Richard Hughes, chief executive of the Awen trust that runs the venue, was determined to ensure it was ready in time.

He said: "There isn't a bigger festival in Wales, is there?

"It is about Wales, it is about the arts, and it is about culture, and that's what this building is about."

Rhondda Cynon Taf is not a heartland Welsh-speaking area – but big efforts are being made to develop the language.

Its director of public health, protection and community services, Louise Davies, said she was committed to bilingualism in the area.

"We're one of the only county boroughs in Wales that saw an increase in Welsh speakers during the last census," she said.

"We've capitalised on that and work with our Welsh language service and partners like Menter Iaith and the University of South Wales to really promote opportunities to not just learn Welsh but to use the Welsh that people have got."

Patricia Cullis does not speak Welsh but says she will try a few words

As with any festival, there have been some concerns locally about the impact the eisteddfod will have on those living nearby.

But on Taff Street in the centre of the town, Patricia Cullis is looking forward to going along.

"I think it's great to be honest, it brings a lot of people to the town, plus it shows people it's a really nice town and I think it's lovely that people are going to see how nice it is," she said.

"I'm really looking forward to hearing all the Welsh singing – looking at the costumes. I don't speak Welsh myself but you know, I'll try a few words."

Kate Mitchell had concerns initially, but is pleased with what she has seen.

She said: "I did think when I heard about it that Ponty wasn't big enough, but with all the preparations and like, it seems like they're doing a good job, getting everything sorted.

"I'm hoping that I'm going to come down one day."

Cory Cove said he was hoping to take his young family to the festival, adding: "It's bringing economy to Ponty and Rhondda, and it's a nice day out for the kids."