A HUSBAND and wife who revived the Abergavenny Eisteddfod have been recognised for their cultural contributions to the area and to Wales in a ceremony at the National Eisteddfod reports DAVID LYNCH.

Town and county councillor Douglas Ewards and his wife Edna,well known residents of the Abergavenny, were each awarded the Certificate of Honour by Cymdeithas Eisteddfodau Cymru/The Society of Welsh Eisteddfods at the organisation’s annual meeting on the Maes.

Councillor Edwards said, “It’s a real shock for us to be given this award. We are very proud of the work we have done, and it’s very nice to be recognised for it.”

Councillor and Mrs Edwards worked tirelessly to revive Abergavenny’s tradition of holding a local Eisteddfod in 2002, with a small celebration of talent from the local schools.

Eisteddfod y Fenni now holds an event for schools each year around April, as well as one for adults during June.

Edna said, “We’ve come a long way from where we began, but we couldn’t have done it without the local community, they’ve been at the centre of our efforts, and have supported the Welsh language in this area enthusiastically.”

Before the couple revived the local eisteddfod, the last such event to be held in Abergavenny was in 1853, under the stewardship of Lady Llanover, although some smaller musical and cultural competitions were held through schools and chapels until living memory.

Douglas, who represents the Grofield ward on Monmouthshire County Council, said, “Edna was the driving force in bringing back the Eisteddfod, whereas I supported her.”

A former town and borough councillor herself, Mrs Edwards’s first major success in reviving the local tradition was to move the old Gorsedd stones left by the 1913 National Eisteddfod from a field near Plas Derwen to Swan Meadows, where they would have a prominent position in the centre of town.

She was also an influential voice in bringing the National Eisteddfod back to Abergavenny, meeting with the President of the Court of the Eisteddfod about bringing the national event to Abergavenny for 2013, a hundred years since it had last been held in the town.

“We were only a few years out!” admitted Councillor Edwards, adding, “Last Saturday was incredibly rewarding, we were so proud to see the National Eisteddfod come to fruition on Castle Meadows after the fundraising and organisational efforts throughout the town and the county.”

Abergavenny’s local appeal group broke its fundraising target of £100,000, raising an admirable £120,000 towards the costs of the festival.

Both husband and wife were thankful of the support given by others in reviving and running Eisteddfod y Fenni, including their fellow committee members over the years: Mrs Bronwen Green, former head at Ysgol Cymraeg y Fenni, Ceri Thomas, and Rosemary Williams, the current chair.

They also thanked Geraint Hughes from Cymdeithas Eisteddfodau Cymru, and Mrs Wynn Williams of the Upper Chapel Eisteddfod Committee for their help in reviving the calendar event.