Monmouthshire County Council say they are rising to the challenge set by Cymraeg 2050 to reach the Welsh Government’s target of a million Welsh speakers living in the country by the middle of the century.

Councillor Sara Jones, Monmouthshire’s cabinet member with responsibility for the Welsh language said, ‘Promoting the language and complying with the standards are huge challenges, but the council is working hard to achieve success’.

‘The Council have so far introduced a fully bilingual website,social media accounts in Welsh and English and bilingual press releases. There is also a bespoke Welsh language phone line and more than 98% of vacancies are now assessed as Welsh language desirable.

‘The National Eisteddfod hosted by the council in Abergavenny last summer was a massive success attracting over 140,000 visitors which contributed to an increase in people wanting to learn Welsh with the number of learners more than doubling. Sixty-five members of the council’s staff have also attended Welsh language classes in the workplace.’

Meanwhile, the call for Welsh-medium education within Monmouthshire continues to grow. Councillor Jones states, ‘More people are showing a demand for the language and our efforts put us in a better position to satisfy that demand’.

Currently about 560,000 people in Wales speak Welsh, almost 20% of the population.