A NEW scheme which pairs Welsh speakers with those keen to learn the language launches in Monmouthshire in the New Year.

Learn Welsh Gwent will be running the scheme to encourage those who are already learning Welsh to speak it outside the classroom with others who are already fluent in the language.

Twenty learners will have the chance to meet for hour-long sessions with a local fluent speaker, aimed at giving learners much needed practice and giving speakers of Welsh the chance to talk to others about what’s going on in the community in Welsh and practise talking with learners.

The sessions will be informal and friendly with the emphasis on using whatever Welsh the learner has in order to gain confidence and make learning the language feel real.

‘People will be matched as locally as possible and we’ll take into account people’s interests and work patterns when we match the pairs,’ states Geraint Wilson-Price, director of Learn Welsh Gwent.

Prospective participants are asked to contact [email protected] or visit learnwelsh.cymru/gwent and complete the simple form.