2024 Proclamation to be held in Aberdare

This year's festival is held on Saturday 24 June, and it’s a great opportunity for local people to welcome the Eisteddfod to the area and for the festival to give residents a taste of things to come at the Eisteddfod itself.

Today, organisers announce that the ceremony will be held in Aberdare, with the National Eisteddfod returning to its roots, and to the home of the first modern Eisteddfod in 1861. Gorsedd Cymru will lead a procession through the town, prior to the traditional ceremony, with the first copy of the Rhondda Cynon Taf Eisteddfod List of Competitions presented to the Archdruid by the Chair of the Executive Committee, Helen Prosser. The ceremony is an important milestone in the preparations for next year's festival.

She says, "Knowing that the Proclamation is on the horizon has given us quite a thrill here in Rhondda Cynon Taf. We've been hard at work for a few months preparing the List of Competitions, making sure there’s a local flavour to the national competitions, and we hope that everyone will be excited to see what competitions are in store for next year. Presenting the List to the Archdruid will be a very special experience, and to be able to do so in the home of the first modern Eisteddfod is quite a privilege."

Preparing for the Proclamation has been a partnership between Gorsedd Cymru, the Eisteddfod and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, and Councillor Rhys Lewis, Cabinet Member for Education, Youth Participation & Welsh Language, said, “It will be fantastic to welcome the Eisteddfod back to Aberdare for the Proclamation event, back in the place where the first ever modern Eisteddfod was held.

“The Proclamation is steeped in tradition and will be an important milestone in the countdown to the 2024 Rhondda Cynon Taf National Eisteddfod.  Events such as this, and the frequent community events being held across Rhondda Cynon Taf, are creating a real buzz leading up next year’s festival.

“I would urge all our residents to come along and take part; it really will be a special day for everyone.”

Looking forward to the Proclamation and the publication of the List of Competitions is the perfect opportunity to launch the appeal for prizes for the Eisteddfod, and for the first time, the prizes are available to secure online. Organisers are keen to make it easy for people to support the festival. Helen Prosser said, “We've had so much support from all over Wales. People are very keen to be part of the Eisteddfod here in the Valleys, and so many people from all parts of Wales and beyond have a connection with someone or something in the catchment area.

"We want everyone to have a chance to support us, and so we’re launching a national appeal today for the prizes. This is to make sure that everyone can be part of the competitions and celebrations and we hope that people will want to contribute generously. We’ve got an ambitious financial target, and we need the support of the whole of Wales to help us reach the goal."

Campaigns have already started to raise awareness and funds locally. A £15 for 15 months campaign is already attracting supporters, and you can join this campaign online and contribute money monthly to the local fund in the run up to the festival. Another new campaign is the major prizes campaign. For the first time, organisers are inviting expressions of interest from individuals, groups and organisations to present the main awards, with a panel discussing and selecting the successful applications.

"We’re aware that some individuals, groups and organisations have been disappointed in the past as they’ve missed out on the chance to present the Chair, the Crown or another significant medal or award. We believe in doing things in a slightly different way here in Rhondda Cynon Taf, so we’ve issued an open invitation for anyone to express an interest in presenting a major prize or award, and we’re looking forward to receiving lots of applications for these honours before the closing date on 18 May,” says Helen Prosser.

And with looking forward to the Proclamation comes the first chance to recruit volunteers to help on the day. The Eisteddfod is keen to cast the net as wide as possible to attract a group of enthusiastic volunteers to be part of the Proclamation in Aberdare. All the details are on the Eisteddfod website, https://eisteddfod.cymru/2024-cyhoeddi, and volunteers will be invited to attend a training event in the Aberdare area during the week leading up to the event.

Organisers are also encouraging local people to get involved in local committees across the region. These committees lead on raising awareness about the Eisteddfod in their local area. The work has already started in the Rhondda, with the first Cwm Cynon meeting to be held on Thursday 18 May at the Aberdare Rugby Club and the Taf meeting taking place soon. You can join the local committee by volunteering here, https://eisteddfod.cymru/2024-helpu-help.

The Rhondda Cynon Taf National Eisteddfod is held