People at the Tithe Barn in Abergavenny celebrated St David’s Day in style last week when they came together with a Welsh Choir and talented community members to commemorate all that is great about being Welsh.

The Community Wellbeing Cafe hosted the event and continues to establish itself as a hub for local people since opening in 2024. One of their main ambitions has always been to include Welsh language and culture wherever they can in the cafe, and their St David’s Day celebration was all about understanding how they can maintain that feeling in the town.

“In Abergavenny, we have struggled to find Welsh speakers and opportunities to really celebrate our culture so part of today’s celebration has been about instigating whether we would be able to do something within the Community Wellbeing Cafe,” said Karen Smith.

“You could describe it as a consultation event, ultimately asking people what they would like to see from us as a part of that ambition as well as bringing Welsh culture and patriotism to Abergavenny on the day of our patron saint.”

Understanding how Welsh culture manifests itself in the town can be difficult. This year’s St David’s Day Concert at the Borough Theatre was sadly cancelled due to low ticket sales, but events over the weekend like the celebration at the Tithe Barn and a parade through the Town Centre on Saturday proves there is an appetite to keep Welsh culture alive.

The cafe itself, which is a registered Community Interest Company (CIC) is a not-for-profit organisation with the ambition of benefitting the community wherever it can, through support groups for people who have experience with cancer diagnosis, parkinsons disease and mental health struggles. Now it wants to weave Welsh language and heritage into the core of its positive work in the community.

Music was provided by the talented Monmouthshire Community Choir. Led by conductress, Aly Jones, there were renditions of Calon Lan and Sosban Fach to a packed audience, full up with cawl and welshcakes. She said they’d been brushing up on their Cymraeg before the big performance.

“Some of our members have been with us for 14 years, when we first started at County Hall in Usk,” she said.

“So we have got something of a repertoire now, but we have been learning more Welsh songs in preparation for today and I am sure we will continue to keep the hymns alive for years to come.”

“It has been fantastic for our members to come and perform today, but also to share each other’s company and learn more about Welsh culture and heritage in time for St David’s Day. To see so many people come to share it with us is amazing.”

The choir meets every Wednesday during term time at The Grange, in Usk, between 5pm and 6.15pm.

The Mayor of Abergavenny, Cllr Phillip Bowyer, also came to say a few words and was impressed by the talent shown by children who had made models of welsh dragons during the previous half term.

“I must say, if you aren’t happy with the level of judging, I am only an amateur at this,” he laughed.

“But it is very important that we continue to celebrate the Welsh language and culture in Abergavenny and perhaps in the future, as it should be, this will be a national holiday.”