The Minister for Education and Welsh Language has today announced additional funding of half a million pounds for the National Eisteddfod and the Urdd Eisteddfod, to make this year's festivals accessible to lower income families.
£350,000 will be provided to the National Eisteddfod and £150,000 to the Urdd as one-off funding to enable families and individuals from lower income households to attend the national festivals in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Montgomery this summer.
This means that free admission tickets and food vouchers will be available for up to 18,400 eligible local people to attend the National Eisteddfod in Pontytpridd in August.
The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, said:
I'm delighted to announce this additional funding to support our renowned national Welsh language festivals.
The eisteddfodau are not only a cultural highlight in the Welsh calendar, but also a great opportunity for people to see, hear and speak Welsh, and take part in the various competitions and social events on offer. The Welsh language belongs to us all, and I want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience and to enjoy our eisteddfodau.
Betsan Moses, Chief Executive of the National Eisteddfod said:
We're very grateful to the Welsh Government for their support in ensuring that local residents have the opportunity to visit this year's Eisteddfod. The offer will include a free ticket to the Maes along with food vouchers. We believe it's vital that we're able to offer more than a Maes ticket to make our festival accessible to everyone wishing to come along to Parc Ynysangharad in early August, enjoy a great day, and get to taste the language and culture.
We'll be announcing further details about the tickets in due course, and we look forward to welcoming all to Rhondda Cynon Taf shortly.
Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said:
I send my thanks to the Minister and Welsh Government for this generous funding.
For many people in Rhondda Cynon Taf, this will be the first Eisteddfod that they have had right on their doorstep. During the cost of living crisis, it's important that we all work together to ensure as many people as possible, no matter their circumstances, are able to join in and be inspired by the Eisteddfod.
As a Council, we have worked closely with the Eisteddfod to create an inclusive event that all the community can be a part of, and this funding underlines that ambition.
The National Eisteddfod will administer the funding and ticket sales.
The Urdd will announce their plans for admission tickets on the 18th of March, after each Local and Regional Eisteddfodau have been held.