Ceredigion eisteddfod: Free tickets taken by 'common greed'

A number of the 15,000 free tickets made available for disadvantaged families and refugees have been claimed "fraudulently", claims Elin Jones MS

Free National Eisteddfod tickets intended for disadvantaged families and refugees have been claimed "fraudulently or mistakenly", a leading Member of the Senedd has claimed.

Elin Jones, the Senedd presiding officer, or llywydd, and chair of this year's event, called it "common greed".

The eisteddfod supported her comments, expressing "huge disappointment" about what has happened.

The eisteddfod will be held in Ceredigion from 30 July to 6 August.

• Covid forces international eisteddfod to modernise

• Hope for in-person National Eisteddfod in 2022

The organisation had made 15,000 free tickets available for "local families who do not normally attend".

Writing on Facebook, Ms Jones, the MS for Ceredigion, said: "You know who you are. Shame on you".

Presiding officer of the Senedd Elin Jones is the chair of this year's Ceredigion National Eisteddfod

"Free tickets for the Ceredigion eisteddfod that were meant for local disadvantaged families and refugees have been claimed fraudulently/mistakenly," she added.

"People who are more City than Ceredigion, who may be more affluent than disadvantaged, have been claiming free tickets.

"These people may think they're clever. But they're just demonstrating common greed - and at the expense of children in poverty and refugees."

She added that the eisteddfod will now have to spend time revalidating all tickets, less than two weeks before it starts.

Mistaken ticket holders 'not to blame'

However, in response to several responses from people disappointed at the tone of her comments, Ms Jones clarified: "If you made the request by mistake, you are not to blame for that."

"You were not the target of my message. And apologies if that was not clear enough from my original message.

"This was a scheme for disadvantaged families and refugees. They were the ones eligible to receive the code. The greedy ones are the ones who applied for free tickets for every day of the week!"

The Ceredigion National Eisteddfod will run from 30 July to 6 August

The eisteddfod's website, which now shows that all tickets have sold out, states the tickets were "available for specific groups through the Welsh government's Summer of Fun fund," with a condition of a maximum of five tickets for one day only.

Day tickets normally cost £20 for adults and £10 for children aged five to 15, with a family ticket for one adult and two children £30.

'Huge disappointment'

A spokesman for the eisteddfod said: "We support the comments of the chair of our executive committee in Ceredigion, and express our huge disappointment at what happened over the weekend.

"Yes, it is going to cause hours of work for us as an organisation, but much worse than that is the fact that people feel it is acceptable to apply for tickets that were for disadvantaged families, knowing full well that they were not eligible.

"We will work with Ceredigion County Council and our other partners to ensure the tickets reach those who were meant to receive them and that they have a special time in the children's village during the week.

"We will make no further public comment on this matter."

• CHALLENGING MISCONCEPTIONS: Life in Britain’s biggest special school

• BORN DEAF, RAISED HEARING: What it means to live in two different worlds