Welsh Learner of the Year finalists announced

The competition is organised by the National Eisteddfod and the National Centre for Learning Welsh.

30 individuals were interviewed this year – the highest number ever - with learners from Wales and beyond nominated, and after plenty of discussions, the judges decided on their top four, with, Alison Cairns from Llannerchymedd, Roland Davies from Llanidloes, Manuela Niemetscheck from Bethesda and Tom Trevarthen from Aberystwyth.reaching the 2023 final.

The semi-final judges were Liz Saville Roberts, Geraint Wilson Price and Hannah Thomas.  Tudur Owen will take Hannah’s place on the panel for the final during the Eisteddfod in August,

The judges were in full agreement that the standard was very high again this year. It would have been easy to choose nine finalists, but they had to whittle it down to the final four.

So who are they? Here's a little bit of their history and their Welsh language journey over the past few years.

Alison Cairns

Originally from Scotland, Alison Cairns now lives in Anglesey. She lives her life in Welsh and has seven children. She started learning Welsh by listening to BBC Radio Cymru, watching S4C and reading her daughter's books.  She now uses Welsh confidently every day, without ever having had a formal Welsh lesson. Welsh is the language of the family, and Alison, who works in the care sector, realises how important using Welsh can be when dealing with patients. She enjoys working with horses and kickboxing and is an experienced shearer who has won a number of awards over the years. Alison and her partner, Siôn, are getting married in the autumn.

Roland Davies

Roland Davies from Llanidloes, started learning Welsh after meeting his wife, Fflur, and realising how important the language is to her and her family. He attended Welsh lessons, spent a week at Nant Gwrtheyrn, and studied Duolingo and Say Something in Welsh early every morning before going to work. Roland and Fflur have three young children, and Welsh is the family language. He performs with Welsh language theatre company, Cwmni Theatr Maldwyn, and has just finished touring Wales playing one of the main roles in the show 'Y Mab Darogan'. He was nominated for the award because of his extraordinary effort to learn Welsh, speaking our language daily with family, in the community and at work.

Manuela Niemetscheck

Originally from Canada, Manuela Niemetscheck lives in Bethesda with her family and works as an Art Psychotherapist at Ysbyty Gwynedd. Manuela speaks five languages and learned Welsh through Wlpan and at Nant Gwrtheyrn. She was inspired to learn our language not only because of her family and her community, but also because she believes that using Welsh in mental health services is extremely important, and her contribution to providing Welsh services specifically in the Hergest Unit is huge. Manuela lives her life in Welsh and is passionate about our language.

Tom Trevarthen

Like so many people, Tom Trevarthen came to Wales to study at university. He fell in love with Aberystwyth and decided to stay. After following a PGCE course, he got a job at Ysgol Henry Richard, Tregaron, and set about learning Welsh.  He attended weekly online lessons during lockdown, before joining the intensive course last summer. He is studying for a postgraduate degree at Aberystwyth University, researching education in Wales. He uses Welsh every day, when socialising, working and studying, and the language he uses with friends has now changed from English to Welsh. He is extremely supportive of other learners and encourages them in every way.

The winner will be announced on the Pafiliwn Mawr stage on Wednesday 9 August, and will receive the Dysgwr y Flwyddyn Trophy and £300, donated by Pwllheli Town Council.  The other three finalists will receive £100, again donated by Pwllheli Town Council. 

For more information on the Llŷn and Eifionydd National Eisteddfod, visit www.eisteddfod.wales, and for more on the National Centre for Learning Welsh and to find a Welsh course which works for you, click on www.learnwelsh.cymru.

(Photo – clockwise: Alison Cairns, Roland Davies, Manuela Niemetscheck, Tom Trevarthen)