Monday 7 February 2022
Llangrannog here we come!
Got to Llangrannog and sharing a room with 5 of my friends. Great! Looking forward to skiing in the morning. Fish and chips for dinner. Perfect!
All schools in Wales have a link with the Urdd. The Urdd is an organisation that provides opportunities for children and young people to enjoy experiences through the medium of Welsh. Urdd Gobaith Cymru was established by Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards in 1922 and this year the organisation will celebrate its centenary.
Sir Ifan's original intention was to protect the Welsh language. Although over a million people spoke Welsh at the beginning of the last century, Sir Ifan was concerned that children did not have enough opportunities to enjoy speaking the language outside the home.
Since then, the Urdd has gone from strength to strength and celebrated several milestones. The first Urdd branch was opened at Treuddyn in Flintshire in 1922 and the first South Wales branch at Abercynon in 1924.
Sir Ifan decided to hold camps for members to get together to socialize and after experimenting with a mobile camp the Urdd's first static camp was opened in Llangrannog in 1932, followed by Glan-llyn in 1950. Today the Urdd’s centres offer all sorts of experiences for Welsh young people from ski slopes to horse-riding to sailing and canoeing on Llyn Tegid and, according to the Urdd website, the centres receive 49,000 visitors every year! The much-loved character Mr Urdd appeared for the first time in 1976 and his presence will no doubt be evident as the centenary is celebrated.
Have you ever attended the Urdd Eisteddfod or sports?
The first Urdd Eisteddfod was held in Corwen in 1929 and the first sports in 1932.
If you visit the current Urdd website you will see that the organisation offers much more to its members here in Wales and abroad. The Urdd has established partnerships across the world, one of which is Disneyland in Paris where members have the opportunity to take part in activities during the park's Welsh celebrations on March 1st. Mistar Urdd and Mickey Mouse are great friends!
The centenary will be celebrated throughout 2022 when the Urdd will "recognise the past and innovate for the future.”
Mr & Mrs G Jones,
Bryn Hafod,
Nercwys,
Flintshire
19/07/1967
Hello Mam and Dad,
How is everyone? Keith and I are sleeping in a cliff tent at the bottom of the field. Thankfully I have a torch, which I hide in my sleeping bag. I am sharing a tent with 4 boys from the Llŷn Peninsula and they all like football. I have lunch and dinner with over 150 every day. On the whole the food is quite good to be honest.
I walked over the mountain to the island of Lochtyn and swam in the sea at Llangrannog today. The Swogs made a circle around us to keep us safe playing ball in the water. Is everyone ok at home? I’m having loads of fun and the boys from our tent are playing in a group with combs and paper at the inter-house eisteddfod tonight in the gym. You blow through the comb. We are going to win!
I’ll be home on the bus on Friday afternoon.
Bye for now,
Gareth
Celebrating 100 years of Urdd Gobaith Cymru
25 January 2022
It’s a big day for Urdd Gobaith Cymru today as the organisation celebrates its 100th birthday.
Today on Cariad @ Urdd Day the centenary celebrations of Wales' national youth movement begins with the largest online birthday party in the organisation's history, with a world record-breaking attempt. Today the Urdd and the nation as a whole will try to break the Guinness world record by uploading as many video recordings as possible of individuals, groups and families singing a short version of the iconic song, Hei Mistar Urdd, on Twitter and Facebook between 10:45 and 11:45 a.m.
Hei, Mistar Urdd, yn dy coch, gwyn a gwyrdd
Mae hwyl i’w gael ym mhobman yn dy gwmni.
Hei, Mistar Urdd, ty’d am dro ar hyd y ffyrdd
Cawn ganu’n cân i holl ieuenctid Cymru.
More than 80,000 have signed up to take part in the day's celebrations including schools, charities and community groups across the country.
St Fagans National History Museum will open a new exhibition to mark the centenary of the movement and some of our most iconic buildings in Wales, the Senedd, Millennium Centre and National Library of Wales will be flying the Welsh flag or lit up in red, white and green as part of the celebrations!
Sian Lewis, Chief Executive of the Urdd, said, "Our debt as a nation to Sir Ifan's vision is huge. The Urdd has been a unique and innovative organisation since the beginning, and is as relevant today to the lives of young people as it was a century ago."
A very happy birthday to the Urdd. Here’s to the next 100 years!
The Urdd Badge
When you become a member of the Urdd, you receive a badge as part of your membership pack. But how familiar are you with the Urdd badge?
The first badge was round and designed by Mary, Sir Ifan ab Owen’s fiancée. Sir Ifan told Welsh children who wanted to join: "Each member will receive a badge and certificate... with the picture of the red dragon in the middle, and the shield, and the green colour of the fields around it, all surrounded by a circle bearing the words “URDD GOBAITH CYMRU FACH”.
Members were given free entry to the first Urdd Eisteddfod in Corwen in 1929 as long as they wore their badge.
A special badge was issued for Welsh learners in 1930. Once they had mastered enough Welsh they would be given a full member badge free of charge.
In 1944 the triangular Urdd emblem was created. The round badge had always been used before. Designed by R. L. Gapper, the triangular emblem is the perfect symbol for the Urdd in red, white and green.
White = Christ
Red = Fellow man
Green = The land of wales.
Then there was the motto “For Wales, for Fellow man, for Christ” – this was the motto at that time and until very recently. The area of the three colours is identical!
In 1976 the character Mr Urdd was created based on the new triangular badge. And every year since this likeable character carries an item to celebrate the membership year. You may have one yourself!
In 1996 as the Urdd celebrated its 75th anniversary, a unique badge was distributed, created especially to wear. A gold coloured round badge with the triangle in the middle with the number 75 and the words “YR URDD ER MWYN CYMRU” around the edge.
2022 marks the 100th anniversary and there is a special badge to celebrate the historic occasion.
Do you have a collection of badges? I wonder if you have one of these?
