Bangor Gives Welsh a good go!

Hi everyone,
I have just been sent an inteesting email from the good people at Bwrdd yr Iaith / Welsh Language Board. I have included both the Welsh and English versions of the e-mail (below) and hope you will all make a big effort to take part in 'Giving Welsh a Go'. Here is the message first in Welsh and then in English.

Bangor yn croesawu ‘Cymraeg yn Gyntaf’!

Ar ddydd Sadwrn 22 Medi bydd ymgyrch Cymraeg yn Gyntaf yn cael ei lansio mewn 19 ardal ar draws Cymru - a mae Bangor wedi cael ei dewis i fod yn ran o’r ymgyrch. Pwrpas yr ymgyrch yw i annog pobl yn yr ardaloedd hyn i ddefnyddio mwy o Gymraeg yn eu bywydau bob dydd.

Mae Bangor yn un o 19 ardal ar draws Cymru sy’n croesawu ymgyrch ‘Cymraeg yn Gyntaf’ sy’n targedu siaradwyr a dysgwyr Cymraeg er mwyn eu cael nhw i fentro defnyddio Cymraeg cyn Saesneg wrth ddechrau sgwrs.

Mae rhaglen llawn o ddigwyddiadau a gweithgareddau wedi eu trefnu o dan ofal Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg er mwyn hybu ac annog pobl i gymryd rhan yn yr ymgyrch – o sesiynau magu hyder yn y Gymraeg, a sut i wneud datganiadau dwyieithog ar yr uwch seinydd i staff Morrisons ar yr Hysbys, i gig yn y Glôb gyda’r band poblogaidd Gwibdaith Hen Fran. Mae rhywbeth wedi’u drefnu at ddant pawb!

Yn ôl Caren Wyn Roberts, Swyddog Datblygu Cynllun Gweithredu Iaith Bangor, mae'r ymgyrch yn gyfle gwych i bobl Bangor ddefnyddio eu Cymraeg gymaint a phosib - yn y gwaith, yn y gymuned leol ac wrth gymdeithasu.

"Mae’r ymgyrch yn gyfle i bobl weld a chlywed gymaint o Gymraeg sy’n yr ardal a gobeithio wedyn i godi eu hyder i ddechrau sgwrs yn Gymraeg yn y dyfodol. Mae rhaglen o weithgareddau wedi eu trefnu fydd yn apelio at bawb yn yr ardal. Uchafbwynt yr wythnos i ni fydd noson gymdeithasol i ddysgwyr Cymraeg yng nghwmni Ifor ap Glyn ym mar Theatr Gwynedd. Yn dilyn cydweithrediad rhwng Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg â chwmni trenau Arriva, bydd tocynnau trên am ddim i ddysgwyr Cymraeg o Benmaenmawr, Llanfairfechan a Chaergybi – fydd yn dod a’r dair ardal arall sy’n ran o’r ymgyrch eleni at ei gilydd ym Mangor. Rydym yn edrych ymlaen yn arw at hwnnw. Rwy’n hyderus bydd yr wythnos o brysurdeb yn hwb at gynnal digwyddiadau tebyg gydol y flwyddyn lle bydd y Gymraeg yn rhan amlwg ym mywyd yr ardal."

Bangor gives Welsh a good go!

On Saturday 22 September the Welsh – Give it a Go campaign will kick off in 19 areas across Wales - and Bangor has been chosen to take part. The purpose of the campaign is to encourage more people to use Welsh in their everyday lives.

Bangor is one of 19 areas in Wales that will welcome the week long 'Welsh –Give it a go!' campaign which targets Welsh speakers and learners to get them to use their Welsh before English when starting a conversation.

A full programme of events and activities have been organised by the Welsh Language Board in order to encourage people to take part in the campaign. There should be something to please everybody – from confidence building sessions for using Welsh at work and making bilingual announcements on the tannoy for staff at Morrisons, to a gig by popular Welsh band Gwibdaith Hen Fran at the Glôb in Upper Bangor.

According to Caren Wyn Roberts, Development Officer for the Bangor Language Action Plan, the campaign is a chance for the people of Bangor to use Welsh as much as possible - at work, socially and in the community.

"The campaign offers people the chance to actually see and hear how much Welsh there is in the area and hopefully have more confidence to start a conversation in Welsh in the future. A full programme of activities has been organised that will appeal to everybody. The highlight of the week for us being a social evening for Welsh learners at Theatr Gwynedd in the company of Ifor ap Glyn. Due to recent co-operation between the Welsh Language Board and Arriva Trains Wales, free train tickets will be available for learners from Llanfairfechan, Penmaenmawr and Holyhead – brining three other campaign areas together to Bangor. We’re all looking forward to that. I’m confident that the week’s energy and enthusiasm will trigger future events where Welsh will play an obvious part in our community life.”