Hay Festival Education’s Scribblers Cymraeg closed last week after bringing a trio of exceptional writers and performers direct to 1,089 KS3 pupils across Wales.

Over five days, 33 schools took part in creative Welsh workshops at Swansea University, Aberystwyth University, Cardiff University, Bangor University and Wrexham University. 

Free for local state schools, Scribblers Cymraeg events tie in with the Welsh Government ambition to have one million Welsh speakers living in Wales by 2050.

Writer, broadcaster and actor Anni Llŷn hosted the tour with workshops delivered by presenter and author Siôn Tomos Owen and stand-up comedian Leila Navabi, while staff from each university offered creative Welsh writing sessions and campus tours.

This year for the first time Scribblers Cymraeg sessions were also extended to second- language Welsh pupils at Swansea University on Thursday, November 7 and Cardiff University on Friday, November 8 with workshops in association with Reaching Wider, a partnership of universities, schools and colleges working to improve social mobility.

Scribblers Cymraeg and the English-language Scribblers Tour held earlier in the year both aim to engage and encourage the next generation in storytelling and conversation, inspiring empathy and creativity. Now in their thirteenth year, the tours give pupils a chance to engage with their nearest universities and experience life on campus too.

Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said: “Thank you to everyone who have made Scribblers Cymraeg 2024 a success.

“We believe that culture belongs to everyone. By taking writers direct to pupils all over Wales in free, creative workshops, Scribblers Cymraeg widens access to Festival inspiration while prompting a love of literature at an early age.“

Sara Jones, teacher at Ysgol Pentrehafod, Abertawe said: “Attending Scribblers Cymraeg encouraged pupils to think creatively and proved that they understand and use Welsh much more than they realise.

“The staff were wonderful, so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Hay Festival Education’s Scribblers Cymraeg and Scribblers Tour are funded by the Welsh Government and are part of Hay Festival’s wider outreach and education work that includes the free schools programmes at Festivals, and Hay Festival Academy in the UK, plus Hay Festival Joven and Hay Festival Communitario internationally.”