Minister: "Communities stronger when Welsh is part of them"

A statement of support from the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, Anna Brychan, was read at the Troi’r Llanw dros y Gymraeg (Turning the Tide for the Welsh Language) rally held by Cymdeithas yr Iaith today to call on the new government to "turn the tide in favour of the Welsh language" after decades of campaigning.

The rally comes three days before the Minister is due to make a statement in the Senedd (7/7) on the government's priorities for the Welsh language.

In her letter, she said:

“I want to begin by saying one thing clearly: the Welsh language has never progressed through goodwill alone. It has moved forward because people have demanded change, held institutions to account, and refused to accept the status quo.

“That is why the work of Cymdeithas yr Iaith is so important. For decades, you have kept the pressure on all of us—fairly, persistently, and sometimes uncomfortably.

"So thank you for your tireless work, and for the sacrifices of time, energy—and freedom—that has helped secure a future for our language.”

Speakers at the rally includes Dafydd Iwan, Mici Plwm and Gwyneth Glyn, alongside representatives from communities across Wales, each of whom will have one minute to call for action on behalf of their communities.

Owain Meirion, Chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith, said:

“After years of campaigning and winning incremental gains for the Welsh language, there is now a genuine opportunity for the Welsh Government to act radically to turn the tide in favour of the language and our communities. While we have seen some progress in Welsh-medium education and secured certain rights for individuals to use Welsh in their daily lives, there is a real danger that these gains will be undermined if we lose even more of our Welsh-speaking communities during this Senedd term.

“We welcome Anna Brychan's support and expect confirmation from the Minister in her statement on Tuesday that they - unlike the previous government - will accept all the recommendations of the three reports produced by the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities, and will publish an implementation timetable that reflects the crisis facing our communities. What is needed is for the inadequate response of the previous government to be replaced and for this new government to publish its own response.

“We call on the Welsh Government to turn the tide that is leading to the decline of our Welsh-speaking communities by introducing a Property Act to establish the right to a home and create a local housing market, providing a strong legal foundation to secure homes and employment for people in these communities.”

Siân Howys, who will speak at the rally on behalf of Cymdeithas yr Iaith, said:

“With Plaid Cymru's success in the Senedd elections, now is the opportunity to redouble efforts to turn the tide for real. The party's manifesto commitments and the recent announcements by Welsh Government ministers are encouraging. Establishing the right to a home, delivering the target in the Welsh Language and Education Act of 50% of children in Welsh-medium education by 2050, extending Welsh language rights into the private sector, together with measures to create a fairer society, free childcare, investment in our public services, strengthening our health service, and challenging Westminster every step of the way as it continues to treat Wales as inferior. For the Welsh language to thrive, everything must change.”

At the end of the rally, the crowd lined up along the football pitch and raise red cards in sequence to create a wave calling on the Government to turn the tide for the Welsh language.

Pictures for the rally can be seen here.