Eisteddfod should remain travelling festival, says task force

The National Eisteddfod should continue to travel around Wales, says a task force that has been considering its future.

Chaired by broadcaster Roy Noble, the group of 12 members opposed the festival establishing permanent bases.

But their report said each eisteddfod should "experiment, better reflecting the area it is visiting".

Eisteddfod chief executive Elfed Roberts welcomed the report and said it would be considered carefully.

The National Eisteddfod is one of Europe's largest cultural and artistic festivals.

Established by the Welsh government in 2012, the task-and-finish group looking at the event's future included Hay Festival director Peter Florence and Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM.

The biggest proposed change would have meant having a four-year cycle for the festival.

In two of the years it would have been held in two different permanent bases, while during the other two years it would continue as now moving between north and south Wales to temporary homes.

During this year's eisteddfod in Denbighshire, First Minister Carwyn Jones and Welsh Secretary David Jones both publicly supported the idea that it should remain a travelling festival.

The report came to the same conclusion but recommended the appointment of a new artistic director "to attract visitors from all corners of the world".

The eisteddfod receives about £500,000 from the Welsh government towards the £3.6m cost of staging the event.

Mr Roberts said: "We welcome the publication of the group's report and will consider its content carefully.

"This is an independent report on the eisteddfod, commissioned by the former minister for education and skills, and we look forward to receiving the government's response to its content and recommendations in due course.

"This response and the report itself will be presented to the management board and the council of the eisteddfod, and following internal discussions we will publish our response to the report."