I hope you enjoy browsing this site and manage to find what you're looking for. If you experience any difficulties or have an unusual request please click on 'contact us' and you'll have my undivided attention.
Diolch yn fawr

Phyl Griffiths
www.siopyganolfan.co.uk

This evening (15 June 2010), the University of Glamorgan presented the Chair for the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys National Eisteddfod to the local committee at a special ceremony in Treforest.

This year’s Chair and the financial prize are both presented by the University. The Chair was designed and the project managed by two members of staff from the University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Jeremy Spencer and Richard Randall, and crafted by Alex McDonald from Pembrokeshire. Alex was also responsible for crafting the 2008 Cardiff and District National Eisteddfod Chair.

The Mystic Symbols are at the core of this year’s Chair, and its three sweet chestnut upright elements reflect the three triangular shadows. Both the written and spoken word is embodied in its form, with the seat reminding us of an open book and spoken language, and the tip of the Chair reminiscent of the nib of a quill or pen and the written language.

Richard Davies, Chair of the 2010 Executive Committee said:

“I am delighted to accept the Chair on behalf of the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys National Eisteddfod Executive. It’s a beautifully crafted Chair, and is very different to the Eisteddfod Chairs of the past. It’s a modern Chair, and a Chair which perfectly reflects this year’s Eisteddfod.”

“Although the concepts within the Chair will be well-known to Eisteddfodwyr, the Chair itself is unusual and presents these themes in a new way. This is our hope in Blaenau Gwent and the Heads of the Valleys this year. We are very grateful to the University of Glamorgan for their generosity, and for the support of an organisation like the University which plays such a central role within the region.”

The Chair’s materials contain some of the values of the University of Glamorgan, with the wood sustainably grown by Coed Cymru from Welsh woodland, echoing the University’s commitment to the environment and the challenge of a green economy, and the carbon fibre reflects the University’s place at the cutting edge of technology. Both were produced in Wales.

University of Glamorgan Vice-Chancellor, Julie Lydon, commented:

“The University of Glamorgan is proud to be donating this year’s chair, and the fact that it has been designed by one of our lecturers reflects the wealth of creative talent at the University.

“In the year when we are announcing our new Welsh language scheme, it is fitting that we are supporting the National Eisteddod and demonstrating our commitment to the Welsh language in this way.”

The Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys National Eisteddfod is held in The Works, Ebbw Vale from 31 July – 7 August. The Maes is convenient for visitors from all parts of Wales, with easy transport links from all main routes and regular public transport access. Forty minutes from the centre of Cardiff, Ebbw Vale is an hour from Swansea and two and a quarter hours from the Dolgellau area.

The festival attracts around 160,000 visitors every year, and is a travelling festival which alternates between north and south Wales. Entry to all daytime activities is free of charge for the price of a daily Maes ticket.

The Eisteddfod receives a grant from the Welsh Assembly Government through the Welsh Language Board. The Eisteddfod also receives funding from unitary authorities in Wales through its partnership with the Welsh Local Government Association. This year’s festival has received £300,000 from the Heads of the Valleys Regeneration Programme, to enable the Eisteddfod to visit the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys area.

There’s only a week left to apply for a free ticket to the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys National Eisteddfod Maes on Sunday 1 August this year. The scheme will close on Wednesday 30 June, and no application will be accepted after this date.

The scheme, financed by the Welsh Assembly Government, has been a great success, and Eisteddfod organisers have already received applications for over 19,000 tickers for the Sunday, which is sure to be a great day out for the whole family.

For the first few weeks priority was given to local people but by now, we welcome applications from all parts of Wales. The aim of the campaign was to attract a new audience to the festival, especially in an area which has not hosted the Eisteddfod for many years. Organisers hoped that the scheme would appeal to families within an hour’s journey of the Maes, offering them a taster of the buzz and fun of the festival.

84% of the applications so far have come from the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys region, and 44% of applications have come from those between 25 and 44 years old. 69% of those applying for tickets will be visiting the Eisteddfod for the first time this year.

National Eisteddfod Chief Executive, Elfed Roberts, said:

“Our aim was to appeal to families locally, and this campaign has been a great success over the past few months. We must draw a line at some point and it was decided to close the scheme on 30 June following discussion with the Welsh Language Board and the Welsh Assembly Government.

“Over the past month we have seen a marked increase in the number of applications from people across the whole of Wales for the Sunday, and we’re appealing to Eisteddfodwyr from all over Wales to get in touch over the next few days if they would like to take advantage of the free entry scheme on Sunday 1 August. Any visitors who decide they’d like to visit on the Sunday after the end of the month will still be welcomed, but will have to pay for a ticket in the usual manner.”

Anyone interested in attending the morning service in the Pavilion will have to apply for a ticket through this scheme before the end of the month, and a free entry ticket will not allow entry to the Cymanfa Ganu (congregational singing) on the Sunday evening. A separate ticket will need to be bought for this event.

To apply for a free ticket, go to the Eisteddfod website – www.eisteddfod.org.uk – and follow the link from the front page. You can also ring 08454 090 300 or 08454 090 400. Tickets will be distributed before the middle of July.

The Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys National Eisteddfod is held in The Works, Ebbw Vale from 31 July – 7 August. The Maes is convenient for visitors from all parts of Wales, with easy transport links from all main routes and regular public transport access. Forty minutes from the centre of Cardiff, Ebbw Vale is an hour from Swansea and two and a quarter hours from the Dolgellau area.

The festival attracts around 160,000 visitors every year, and is a travelling festival which alternates between north and south Wales. Entry to all daytime activities is free of charge for the price of a daily Maes ticket.

The Eisteddfod receives a grant from the Welsh Assembly Government through the Welsh Language Board. The Eisteddfod also receives funding from unitary authorities in Wales through its partnership with the Welsh Local Government Association. This year’s festival has received £300,000 from the Heads of the Valleys Regeneration Programme, to enable the Eisteddfod to visit the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys area.

There’s only fifty days to go before the gates of The Works in Ebbw Vale open for the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys National Eisteddfod, which starts with the opening concert on 30 July.

With the site already being transformed to create a home for this year’s festival, local towns have also started preparing for our visit by raising flags in the street, to show a real Valleys welcome to the thousands of visitors who will be coming to the area during August this year.

Today, the National Eisteddfod launches a business pack to help local companies to market their services and produce to Eisteddfodwyr. The pack will be distributed to companies and businesses across the area, offering advice, information and some useful Welsh phrases. It also includes a number of promotional materials so that shops feel part of the celebrations over the next few weeks.

By now, the bunting is up in towns across Blaenau Gwent, and Eisteddfod organisers are encouraging local businesses and residents to show their support for the Eisteddfod by taking part in the Go Bonkers for Bunting campaign. This campaign, organised jointly with The Valleys Heart and Soul campaign, provides bunting and posters free of charge to anyone living in the catchment area, who wants to show their support for the festival. Bunting can be ordered via the Eisteddfod website – www.eisteddfod.org.uk .
National Eisteddfod Chief Executive, Elfed Roberts, said:

“It’s difficult to believe that there’s only fifty days to go before the Eisteddfod starts this year. The past few months have flown by, and the support from local people – residents, volunteers, businesses and organisations - across the catchment area has increased and widened, with everyone working so hard to ensure that the whole region shows its support for the festival.

“We now have fifty days to encourage the rest of Wales to come to Blaenau Gwent, to encourage them to be part of the festival, which will be very different to last year’s Eisteddfod, and to encourage them to be part of the fun which will await them here in The Works.

“We have a series of concerts with some of Wales’ leading stars, including Rhydian Roberts, Aled Jones, Only Men Aloud and John Owen-Jones, with a wide range of genres and all kinds of performances on the Pavilion stage in the evening. Maes B is also stage to Wales’ best Welsh language bands, with around 40 of them performing during the week, including people like Elin Fflur, Cate le Bon, Bryn Fôn and Derwyddon Dr Gonzo.

“It’s also good to work with Academi again on the Maes C line up, and the Stomp is sure to be the week’s highlight for many Eisteddfodwyr – with Tebot Piws and Meic Stephens sure to attract people to Parc Bryn Bach, where the evening s are held this year.

“The local response has been fantastic – with everyone wanting to be part of the Eisteddfpfod and keen to welcome the rest of Wales to the region. This is the last time the Eisteddfod can visit Blaenau Gwent because of regeneration plans, so come and join us from every part of Wales, to make sure that it’s a week to remember and to make sure that the local area experiences and enjoys the support of the rest of Wales in fifty days time.”

The Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys National Eisteddfod is held in The Works, Ebbw Vale from 31 July – 7 August. The Maes is convenient for visitors from all parts of Wales, with easy transport links from all main routes and regular public transport access. Forty minutes from the centre of Cardiff, Ebbw Vale is an hour from Swansea and two and a quarter hours from the Dolgellau area.

The festival attracts around 160,000 visitors every year, and is a travelling festival which alternates between north and south Wales. Entry to all daytime activities is free of charge for the price of a daily Maes ticket.

The Eisteddfod receives a grant from the Welsh Assembly Government through the Welsh Language Board. The Eisteddfod also receives funding from unitary authorities in Wales through its partnership with the Welsh Local Government Association. This year’s festival has received £300,000 from the Heads of the Valleys Regeneration Programme, to enable the Eisteddfod to visit the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys area.