Welsh learner of the year announced at Wrexham National Eisteddfod

A school teacher has been named as the Welsh learner of the year at the National Eisteddfod.

Lucy Cowley, originally from Wrexham, was honoured in a special ceremony on the Pavilion stage on Wednesday, bagging the top prize of £300.

Ms Cowley said she was “emotional” winning the prize in the year the event is held in her home city, and specifically in Isycoed, where she grew up.

She learnt a small amount of Welsh in school, but it wasn’t until she started teaching that she realised she loved sharing Welsh with her pupils.

“I’m very proud. I never thought I’d win,” said the primary school teacher.

The accolade goes to someone who has shown dedication and progress to the Welsh language.

Although Lucy lives and works in north Wales, she did not feel that she fitted in speaking Welsh.

She said: “Winning this means the world to me. I speak with an English accent and I didn’t speak Welsh.

“People didn’t understand why I was learning Welsh but I’m so glad I did.”

She enrolled on courses and incorporated more Welsh in the school where she works.

She also established a Welsh discussion group in Llangollen, Denbighshire, where she now lives.

The group attracts new learners and others who want to reconnect with the Celtic language.

For Lucy, the learning will continue, and as a jewellery designer in her spare time, she hopes to give lessons on this subject in Welsh.

Lucy was up against three other finalists, Rachel Bedwin, who lives near Bangor, Gwynedd, Hammad Hassan Rind, who lives in Cardiff, and Leanne Parry, who lives in Prestatyn, Denbighshire. They all received £100 runners-up prize.

More than 150,000 people are expected to attend the National Eisteddfod this week, with 6,000 competitors showcasing the best Welsh language art, music, drama and literature.

It is held in north and south Wales on alternate years and it’s the first time since 2011 that the eisteddfod has been held in the area.

Dona Lewis from the National Centre for Learning Welsh said numbers of learners are continuing to rise, with 18,330 people completing its courses between 2023-2024.

This represents a 45% rise since it first started publishing data in 2018.