Welsh in every community: creating more opportunities to use Welsh
Y Gymraeg ym mhob cymuned: creu mwy o gyfleoedd i ddefnyddio'r Gymraeg
- The Welsh Government has accepted all 31 recommendations from the second phase report of the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities either in full or in principle.
- The report, Reaching every community, strengthening Welsh, looked at the Welsh language in areas with medium and lower densities of Welsh speakers.
- This response, alongside work already underway in communities with higher densities of Welsh speakers, will help shape a new strategy for the Welsh language.
Today, the Welsh Government published its response to the recommendations of the second phase report of the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities, placing a strong emphasis on creating more opportunities to use Welsh in everyday life.
The Government has accepted all 31 of the Commission’s recommendations, either in full or in principle. These focus on strengthening Welsh in communities with medium and lower densities of Welsh speakers and will help shape the new strategy for the Welsh language.
The Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, Anna Brychan, said:
“Welsh is a language for the whole of Wales. It belongs to all of us, regardless of who we are, where we live or however much Welsh we speak.
“We want to take Welsh to people where they already are and make it part of the things they do every day, in local clubs and activities, on the playing field, through culture, at work and online.
“There is strong support for the Welsh language across Wales. By working across government and alongside our partners, our ambition is to turn that support into greater day-to-day use of Welsh, and to see the language heard and used more often in communities across Wales, while creating more opportunities to use it in areas with medium and lower densities of Welsh speakers at present.”
To coincide with publication of the response, the Minister visited Cymric Netball Club in Cardiff, where Welsh is part of every aspect of club life, from training sessions and matches to social activities.
Club coach, Megan Price, said:
“When we established Cymric Netball Club ten years ago, our aim was to create an opportunity for women to socialise through Welsh while doing something they enjoyed.
“Some of our members use Welsh every day, while others had not used it very much since leaving school. Through the club, we have seen people gain confidence in Welsh, make new friendships and discover the value of the language in a new way.”
Alongside work already underway following the first phase of the Commission’s work on communities with higher densities of Welsh speakers, today’s response will help shape the Welsh Government’s new strategy for the Welsh language and its wider work to increase opportunities to hear and use Welsh across Wales.
Notes to editors
- Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities | GOV.WALES
- The Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities was established in 2022 to provide independent advice to the Welsh Government on the future of Welsh as a community language. The Commission has published three reports: the first focused on communities with higher densities of Welsh speakers, the second on communities with medium and lower densities of Welsh speakers, and a separate report on the planning system and the Welsh language. A final report, examining Welsh beyond Wales, will be published in due course.
- The Welsh Government will conduct a National Survey of Welsh Language Use over the next two years to strengthen the evidence base on how people use Welsh.
- Later this year, the Welsh Government will consult on a new strategy for the Welsh language, a new National Framework for Welsh-medium Education and Welsh Language Learning, and a Code to Describe Welsh Language Ability.
- Cymric Netball Club will celebrate its tenth anniversary in January 2027. The club has more than 50 members across four teams and provides opportunities to train, play and socialise through the medium of Welsh.