Today, young members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith presented a pledge signed by over 1300 Carmarthen shire people to the Chair and Deputy CEO of Carmarthenshire County Councoil on the steps of County Hall. The 1300 had pledged to live their lives through the medium of Welsh and to press the Council and other auuthorities to create the conditions to make that possible. Among signatories present at the presentation were local boraodcaster Heledd Cynwal, Meinir Jones (presenter of farming programme “Ffermio”), “Pobl y Cwm” actor Andrew Teilo, FUW Vice-Chair Brian Walters and the family of the late Ray Gravell.

The pledge had been launched at a major Cymdeithas rally in Carmarthen in January at which those publicly signing the pledge demanded that the Government and the Council recognised the crisis facing the Welsh language and Welsh-speaking communities as revealed by the Census results. So far, neither body has publicly accepted that the crisis exists.

Cymdeithas Carmarthen Chair Sioned Elin said:

“In receiving these pledges from 1300 local people, Carmarthenshire County Council should accept first of all that there is a crisis which demands immediate action. Urgent steps are needed to ensure that the inhabitants of the county can live their lives through the medium of Welsh, and to ensure the survival of Welsh-speaking communities.”