Words in Wool

Were you one of many thousands who visited the stands of the Ecoamgueddfa and Cyngor Gwynedd at the Eisteddfod in Boduan? If so, you may have come across the Gair Mewn Gwlân presentations by the schools in the Eisteddfod area. They were busy throughout the week talking about their part in this project. Gair Mewn Gwlân is a community project, and as Mared Roberts from Tŷ Newydd Centre, Llanystumdwy, said: “it has brought together different generations within Gwynedd communities to celebrate the unique names and heritage of our area.”

​

34 schools received a package of 64 squares, each square measuring 8 inches in length and width, woven or crossed by individuals and groups from all corners of the world. Yes, there was an incredible response to the request for squares! Then, friends from each school set about sewing the squares into backdrops and to engrave unique names belonging to each school area on the backdrops, with the help of the children.

​

As we know, there is a wealth of information about the history of our areas in local names, and the children from the schools were involved in choosing the names, which are now remembered in the backcloths. Indeed, they are worth seeing – and if you didn’t get a chance to see them in Boduan, there may be another opportunity during the winter... yes, more about that later!

​

The Ecoamgueddfa published a beautiful book presenting the story of the project. The book contains stories and pictures of some of the people who have been weaving and sewing, and there are also poems. These poems are by the children from the schools, guiding us to the names that were so specially engraved on the backdrops.

​

This project would not have been possible without the support of the Ecoamgueddfa and Literature Wales. The Ecoamgueddfa funded the book, while Literature Wales sponsored poetry workshops led by Casia Wiliam for teachers.