1. What is your Llais y Lle project?
The Cware project looks at the significance of Talgarreg and the surrounding areas of Ceredigion to its residents and community. Talgarreg, as a village, has two quarries, and it’s an important place for the three of us involved in this project. Like many places in Wales, the town has had an influx of people from many different areas, and this has had an impact on the Welsh language. Our project wanted to bridge the relationship between the residents who spoke Welsh and those who didn’t – creating opportunities and events to promote the language and our culture.
2. What happened in the project?
We wanted to empower the residents who spoke Welsh to use the language more confidently and to increase the curiosity of those who couldn’t speak it to learn its importance. We hosted events such as school visits and a Welsh language walking tour, led by Iwan Evans – previous owner of one of the quarries and a fatherly figure for the village – to promote the history and heritage of the area and create a safe space for people to use the language. The tour focused on how the natural landscape, roads, and trails in Talgarreg had evolved. Additionally, we organised a folk music gig at the local pub featuring performances by Mari Mathias, Iwan and Calvin, and Owen Shiers – this drew the whole community together to celebrate and enjoy.
3. What’s next?
We aim to hold a research exhibition at the end of March to discuss our findings and the next steps for Cware. It’s been great to see the Talgarreg community come together and appreciate the history and language of this area. I’m looking forward to sharing the story of all the research in our exhibition, which will stimulate more use of the language in our community.