EXCITEMENT for this year’s National Eisteddfod is growing, as the festival organisers celebrated their partnership with MCC at their first press conference of the year.

Elfed Roberts, the Eisteddfod’s chief executive, met with council leader Peter Fox and council staff in Abergavenny Castle to make announcements for the calendar year leading up to the national festival of culture.

Mr Roberts said, “The 2016 National Eisteddfod is an opportunity for the people of Monmouthshire to showcase their talent to the rest of Wales.”

To encourage local involvement, choirs have been created at Abergavenny and Caldicot, which will sing alongside the Rhys Taylor Big Band at the main pavilion.

MCC is also working to promote the Eisteddfod through community events and activities.

These include the launch of the Caru Sir Fynwy/Love Monmouthshire 2016 campaign on St Dwynwen’s day, January 25, and the mass singing from Male Voice Choirs at Caldicot Castle on June 18.

Mr Roberts added, “I also want to stress that we are trying to dispel the myth that the Eisteddfod is only for Welsh speakers.

“Our motto for this year’s Eisteddfod is ‘no Welsh, no worries.’

“We want people from all different backgrounds to visit the festival to appreciate the culture of Wales, whether they are English speakers or Welsh speakers, or from further afield.”

Councillor Fox said, “We at MCC are working closely to provide the background services for the Eisteddfod, and in return we hope to gain huge economic benefits for the local area from the festival.”

It is hoped that more than 150,000 people will visit the Maes over the 8 days of the August festival.

It’s estimated they will bring between £6-8 million to Monmouthshire.

Councillor Fox was keen to stress that the Eisteddfod was for the whole of Monmouthshire, not just the Abergavenny area, and cited the proclamation event at Caldicot as an example of how other parts of the county were involved in the festival.

He added, “We would also like to dispel the myth that our county has no interest in Welsh language culture.

“Monmouthshire is one of two local councils in Wales, along with Cardiff, which has a growing Welsh speaking population.

“The Eisteddfod is our opportunity to promote Monmouthshire as a tourism destination, and to celebrate our connections with the rest of Wales.”

To find out more about this year’s National Eisteddfod, visit eisteddfod.org.uk

Elfed Roberts (left) and Peter Fox (right) at Abergavenny Castle, overlooking the site for the Eisteddfod Maes.