Welsh-learning teacher brings choir to Eisteddfod

When Jonny Small moved to Wales from Surrey a decade ago, he had no idea he would be leading a school choir in Welsh-language song at the country’s national youth arts festival.

Mr Small, a Year 4 teacher at an English medium school in Penperlleni, Monmouthshire, said learning Welsh had changed his life and he was delighted to "open that door" to his students.

On Wednesday, the Urdd Eisteddfod celebrated Welsh learners with a variety of competitions and prizes.

Seventeen-year-old Melody Griffiths was presented with the Urdd Eisteddfod 2024 Learners Medal, while American-born Isabella Colby Browne received the Bobi Jones Medal for learners aged 19 to 25.

Mr Small studied music at Bristol University, before moving to Wales in 2014 and doing his teacher training.

Despite having a Welsh partner - as well as his 98-year-old grandmother hailing from Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf - he had very little knowledge of Wales before he arrived.

During the pandemic, he took part in the Welsh government’s sabbatical scheme online, and quickly grew his language proficiency.

"People in Wales treat you with such kindness, like you are a member of their family, and I just felt this pull to be more than just someone who lives here," he said.

"Sometimes it appears people are speaking so fast and it's just getting lost on me, but if I explain I'm a learner, they slow down and they're very kind to me, they're very patient and understanding.

"It really does encourage me to be a better speaker, to try harder."

He said Wales was "unique" in that most Welsh speakers also spoke English.

"The call to speak this language isn't out of necessity of communication, it's out of appreciation for where we are, why we're keeping it alive, what we're doing it for," he added.

Mr Small said he has now "been given an opportunity to immerse my class in Welsh as much as I can" through daily games and activities and has been shocked by how capable many of the children have become.

"It sort of takes my breath away. Out of that, something bigger starts to grow," he said.

He had no idea what the Urdd Eisteddfod was until two years ago, when he began working one day a week in a Welsh medium school. Now, his choir has become the first from its local authority area to attend the festival.

"Events like the Urdd are absolutely vital. It needs to be as wide and broad as it possibly can be," he said.

"But I think sometimes it can be almost an impenetrable thing if you don't understand what it is, and I really hope I can have a chance in the future to help other schools to access it too."

Following a series of tasks at the festival, Melody Griffiths from Wrexham, was announced as the winner of the the Learners Medal 2024.

The 17-year-old, who attends Coleg Cambria, said she did not have a Welsh teacher until she was in Year 11, but has since discovered a love for the language.

"I think you can't fully connect with the culture of our country unless you have that understanding. That's probably one of the biggest reasons I enjoy it, it's allowing me to become my Welsh self - not whatever I was before," she said.

Caitlin Brunt, 17, came second. Despite attending English-medium schools, a first-language Welsh primary school teacher inspired her to "begin learning Welsh more deeply".

"Welsh is special and learning it has been a special journey as well, because I feel like it's my language and I belong in that language," she said.

"It worries me [that we could lose the language] because it's part of our culture, it's part of our history. So if people aren't speaking it, they're losing that from our country."

Both girls encouraged any budding Welsh speakers to "give it a go".

Isabella Colby Browne, 22, moved to Mold from the US as a child and now works as an actress and lives in Cardiff.

She took first place in the Bobi Jones Medal, which recognises a learner aged between 19 and 25 who best demonstrates their use of the Welsh language on a day-to-day basis.

"Speaking Welsh has opened many doors for me in the world of the arts in Wales. I feel a stronger sense of identity within Wales, and I am so proud to be part of the culture and community," she said.

Sian Lewis, chief executive of the Urdd, said the Welsh language was "instrumental" in the organisation's work, adding: "We are recognised internationally for leading the way in our successful youth provision through a minority language."

She said this "places a responsibility" on the Urdd to ensure all Welsh children come into contact with the language at some point.

The Welsh government has set a target of achieving one million Welsh speakers by 2050.

But Gwilym Morgan from Cardiff, who won the 2023 Learners Medal, said its current strategy is not enough to get there.

"There's a lot of emphasis on first language Welsh speakers, as rightly there should be, but there's not an equal amount of focus on second language speakers, which I think is a real shame," he said.

"I think learners are the way to reach this target, there's no other way to reach it."

The Welsh government said it had "made it easier than ever for people to learn Welsh" through funding for organisations like the Urdd and through offering free Welsh lessons to young people and the education workforce.

Additional reporting by Elen Davies