Members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith in Ceredigion have presented a petition to call on the Council to ensure that they can live in Welsh in the county.

The petition, which has more than 1,300 signatures, calls on the Council to work through the medium of Welsh, following the example of Gwynedd Council, to ensure jobs for local people, to provide recreational services for young people in Welsh and ensure that housing available to local people.

One of the activists said:

"Although the Welsh language in education is quite good in the county it's as if they are afraid to go further in terms of the language. A large number of after-school activities in the county are in English only; many young people finish school and leave the county to carry on with their education or to find employment but can't come back afterwards because of a lack of work or housing. It is a shame that the Council places so much emphasis on Welsh education yet at the same time is losing young Welsh speakers in by failing to ensure continuity of Welsh-medium services."

Cymdeithas yr Iaith launched the petition following a rally in Aberystwyth at the beginning of the year, where they said that the results of the 2011 Census shows that the national crisis that is facing the Welsh are particularly serious in Ceredigion. For the first time the percentage number of Welsh speakers in the county has dropped below 50%.

Hywel Griffiths Chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith in Ceredigion:

"The Council has already recognized that there is a problem that young people are leaving the county and do not return until after raising a family and yet they haven't shown any intention of doing anything about it. The petition calls on the Council to act in three specific areas and gives them a clear call to action. Also in our Maniffesto Byw (Living Manifesto), launched over the weekend Cymdeithas yr Iaith set out a series of recommendations for the Government, Local Authorities and communities, noting what we can all do to for the goof of the Welsh.
"We are so glad that Ellen ap Gwynn has come to accept the petition - it has been signed by people from all parts of Ceredigion, and we all look forward to seeing what the Council will do following this."

The story in the Carmarthen Journal 19/06/2013 - Language group in call for action