Representatives of Welsh-speaking communities will gather in Aberystwyth Saturday (12th January) to discuss ways to sustain and rejuvenate the langauge in their local areas.

To date, the “Cynghrair Cymunedau Cymraeg” - an alliance of Welsh speaking communites - has almost 20 areas signed up across Wales after just a few months. Some community council and town councils have joined, as well as co-operatives and community groups who have the specific aim of promoting the language at a community level.

The new language group’s first national meeting will be held in the Morlan Centre, Aberystwyth.

Speaking ahead of the event, the acting Chair of the alliance Craig ab Iago commented: “It has been a very exciting time for the Alliance since its launch last June. Menna Machreth has been appointed as our co-ordinator and started work from the office in Caernargon in October.

“Cynghrair Cymunedau Cymraeg’s purpose is to be a forum for communities to cooperate and share best practice so they can empower themselves, and through that, rejuvenate the Welsh language as well. We are declaring that transforming the Welsh language’s state will occur from the bottom up by by taking risks and innovating.”

“This first national meeting therefore is an imporant opportunity for present and potential members to come together to dicsuss how they can cooperate and what type of things we can be doing to sustain and strengthen the Welsh language on the ground.”

Explaining why the community group Felin 70%+, which encourages non-Welsh speakers to learn the language and offers support to them to do that,  has joinedthe alliance, Aled Job said:

‘One of the reasons Felin 70%+ has joined Cynghrair Cymunedau Cymraeg is that we feel it’s important for us as a community to make contact with similar Welsh language communities in other areas in Wales. By being part of an alliance like this, we hope to be able to share ideas with other communities about how to strengthen and develop our Welsh speaking communities over the years to come.’

Marc Jones, one of the founders of the co-operative  un o sefydlwyr menter gydweithredol y Saith Seren, Wrecsam, tafarn sy’n ganolfan Gymraeg ar gyfer Wrecsam:

‘We need to fight for the langauge and normalise it as a community language in every part of Wales - in both rural and urban areas. We’re only 10 miles from the border here in the Saith Seren but it’s possible to raise awareness of the language here. Sustaining natural Welsh speaking communities is essential as heartlands for the language - we can feed off our  joint successes   That’s why Saith Seren is supporting Cynghrair Cymunedau Cymraeg which pulls all the campaigns on the ground to protect the Welsh language together.’

For further information about the Alliance visit the website http://cymunedau.org/?page_id=20, contact Menna Machreth at menna@cymunedau.org or 01286 662904. Menna is available to come to speak with communities across Wales about the Alliance and how they can be part of the initiative.