Duo celebrate success at Denbigh Urdd Eisteddfod

Josh Osborne has won the chief Welsh learners' prize and Anna Ng is the Bobi Jones Medal winner.

Both received their medals at the Welsh learner ceremony on the Cyfrwy stage on Tuesday having completed various tasks assigned to them on the festival field in Denbigh.

The chief Welsh learners' prize is awarded to an individual between 19 and 25 years of age that has committed to learning Welsh, and the Bobi Jones Medal awarded to an individual between Year 10 and 19 years old.

They are awarded to individuals who can show how they use the language on a day-to-day basis at school, college, or work and socially as well as promoting the language to others.

READ: History made on first day of Denbigh Urdd event

Josh and Anna won their medals after completing various tasks on the Eisteddfod Maes, set to test the language, confidence, and knowledge of the finalists.

This included preparing a post for the Urdd Eisteddfod’s social media, doing a question-and-answer session with the president of the day, Robat Arwyn, as well as an interview with the competition adjudicators.

Chief Welsh learners' prize winner Josh is 24 years old and originally from Poole, Dorset in the south west of England.

He now lives in Swansea.

The only person in his family who speaks Welsh, he thanks his girlfriend Angharad for inspiring him to start learning the language two years ago.

Josh said: “I've been learning Welsh for about two years now, since Angharad sent me a link to an online Welsh language learning course with Learn Welsh Glamorgan.

"My thanks go to my three tutors, Helen Prosser, Angharad Devonald and Maldwyn Pate.

"Thanks to them, I'm doing the advanced exam this year, and look forwards to socialising and getting to know more and more people who speak Welsh.”

The learners' medal adjudicators were Nerys Ann Roberts and Geraint Wilson Price.

This medal has been sponsored by the Denbigh Rotary Club, and the ceremony was sponsored by The National Centre for Learning Welsh.

Anna Ng. Picture: Urdd

Bobi Jones Medal winner, Anna Ng, is 18 years old and is a student at Cardiff High School.

She is currently studying chemistry, Welsh (second language) and English for her A-levels and hopes to study Celtic Studies at Cambridge University.

Her background is an interesting one, as her father is from China and mother from Norway and then Scotland.

Her mother, Anna, has also learnt Welsh, and although being blind has successfully learnt Welsh through Braille. 

The other two finalists in the Bobi Jones Medal competition were friends from Merthyr Tudful, Millie-Rae Hughes (second) and Deryn-Bach Allen-Dyer (third).

The competition adjudicators were Siân Vaughan and Stephen Mason.

Deputy vice-chancellor at Cardiff University, Professor Damian Walford Davies, said: “As the Urdd celebrates its centenary, it’s a pleasure and privilege for Cardiff University to sponsor the medal named for the Cardiff-born learner who did so much to open up the language to others.

"We share the values that the medal itself celebrates: a commitment to the language and pride in hearing it reclaimed by new voices.”

Dona Lewis, deputy chief executive and director of planning and development at the National Centre for Learning Welsh, said: “As the centre prepares to offer free Welsh language courses to 18–25-year-olds from September 2022, it is a pleasure to work with the Urdd to celebrate the achievements of these young Welsh speakers.

"A huge congratulations to Josh on winning the learners’ medal, and to Anna, winner of the Bobi Jones Award – we’re sure their stories will inspire other young people to enjoy learning and speaking Welsh.”