University announces headline sponsorship deal with Tafwyl

As part of its enduring commitment to the Welsh language, the University has pledged £22k to the annual Tafwyl festival in a three-year headline sponsorship deal.

Every year fluent Welsh language speakers, learners and interested members of the public descend upon Cardiff's historical castle grounds to celebrate the city's use of Europe's oldest spoken language in a week-long festival.

As the official sponsor for Tafwyl, Cardiff will build on existing links with the Festival and its organisers, Menter Caerdydd. Research undertaken by its Welsh speaking academics will be showcased at the Festival with a view to raising awareness of the University's activities and attracting prospective students.

The University's Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Hywel Thomas expressed his support for Tafwyl:

"Cardiff University is delighted to be supporting Tafwyl as its official sponsor. The University has a strong commitment to the Welsh language and to its surrounding communities. We now have more Welsh-speaking students than ever and believe the Festival is a great meeting point for Welsh language enthusiasts of all abilities to come together and celebrate a shared appreciation for our growing and ever-evolving language. I hope that in the coming years, the University's contribution to the Festival will help make it just as permanent a fixture in the Welsh cultural calendar as the Eisteddfod."

Chief Executive of Menter Caerdydd, Sian Lewis, said:

"We are delighted to announce that Tafwyl is growing and expanding thanks to new support from Cardiff University. The University's support offers security to the festival and enables Menter Caerdydd to plan for a prosperous future for the festival. Having Cardiff University as a headline sponsor is a huge and exciting boost and we are very much looking forward to collaborating with them." At last year's Tafwyl, the University's School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies launched Pobl Caerdydd, a digital news and networking service developed by and for the community. The service was developed in response to a crying need for Welsh language content, appealing to an overwhelmingly young and digitally literate audience in Cardiff.

This year the Festival will span from 11-18 July when numerous cultural events will be held in various locations across the city from Chapter Arts Centre and Porters Bar to The National Museum and Clwb Ifor Bach. The week will culminate in a one-day Fair, which in 2013 drew over 12,000 people and is this year expected to attract ever more visitors. More than 20% of the audience came from outside Cardiff last year.

Testament to the Festival's growing popularity, Tafwyl is supported by a number of Ambassadors who include Alex Jones (One Show), Rhys Patchell (Cardiff Blues), Matthew Rhys (Actor) and Huw Stephens (BBC Radio 1 presenter).

According to the latest census data, an estimated 11.1% of Cardiff's 348,500 population are Welsh speaking.