Sun, 04 Jan 2015 11:30 Dal Ati

-Subtitles

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-Hello! I'm Nia Parry.

-During the coming weeks, I'll meet

-some of Wales's familiar faces...

-..and I'll have a quick snoop

-around their houses.

-Welcome to

-our brand new series - Adre.

-The person who lives here made

-his name on TV and in the theatre.

-He's also a real character.

-Let's find out what sort of person

-lives in this house.

-If you need help

-to follow the programme...

-..take a look at the website

-or download the app.

-And don't forget the subtitles,

-of course!

-Mm! Nice.

-This is a big house.

-I wonder if the person who lives

-here has a big personality too.

-Who's the cute little boy

-in this picture?

-It was taken in the 1960s...

-..and he's on the beach in Prestatyn

-with his family.

-That's a clue for you

-about what part of Wales he's from.

-He also likes to talk, talk,

-talk, talk, talk!

-That's certainly true.

-Look what I found - a disco ball.

-I wonder if this person

-likes parties, dancing...

-..and having a good time?

-Could he also like

-a little bit of showbiz?

-I think you can learn a lot

-about a person from their bookshelf.

-There aren't many books here...

-..but what we do have here are books

-about singers and actors.

-The Sian Lloyd autobiography

-is also here.

-I think he's friends with her.

-Some of the pictures on the wall

-are linked to musicals.

-That suggests this person

-enjoys going to the theatre...

-..or perhaps he's been

-on stage himself.

-S P are the initials of the person

-who lives in this house.

-Well, have you worked it out?

-Stifyn Parri - the actor,

-presenter and performer.

-Our very own Mr Showbiz.

-I'll go and find him...

-..and you can watch a clip of him

-presenting Sion A Sian.

-Was it embarrassing to have

-a pink and black school uniform?

-What was it - a circus?

-You're a fine one to talk,

-with that bow tie!

-Einir one, Stifyn nil!

-This will be fun!

-Stifyn lives in this lovely house in

-St Fagans with David, his husband.

-This is the latest step...

-..on the exciting journey

-of this north-east Wales boy.

-I come from

-a place called Rhosllannerchrugog.

-You have a wonderful accent.

-Yes - I have a strong Rhos accent.

-It's easier and quicker

-to say Rhos than Rhosllannerchrugog!

-I lived in Rhos

-until I was 18 years old.

-Where did you go?

-I went to the Guildhall School

-Of Mucus And Trauma, as I called it!

-The Music And Drama College

-at the Barbican, in London.

-After a year there, I got a job

-on an S4C soap opera called Coleg.

-It was shown

-on the launch night of S4C.

-You acted on another soap opera too.

-Yes, I then moved on to Brookside.

-I went there to do one episode

-and ended up staying for two years!

-My screen partner on Brookside

-and I...

-..starred in the first gay kiss

-on British television.

-I then decided I'd like

-to go and sing in a musical.

-I had a chance to do that

-in a musical called Metropolis...

-..which cost a fortune

-but which closed after nine months.

-From there,

-I played Marius in Les Miserables.

-I was part of eight revolutions

-a week for two years!

-What an experience!

-Yes, but then I decided

-to be a producer.

-Next!

-I went into producing

-and presenting.

-I'm now a producer.

-That's my day job.

-But every now and then,

-I also do a bit of presenting.

-You now run a company

-called Mr Producer.

-Yes, I've been doing it

-for 15 years.

-We do three things.

-We create events, many of which have

-turned into programmes.

-We also do PR...

-..and we're agents to the stars.

-This is your new home.

-How long have you lived here?

-How long have you lived here?

-

-Just over a year.

-Why did you decide to move here?

-I lived in Fairwater many years ago.

-That was my first house.

-I was 18 and I remember thinking,

-"One day, I'll live in St Fagans."

-This was a natural step.

-We're in the countryside.

-The woods are behind us.

-But I can get into the city

-in eight minutes.

-I know this is cheeky...

-..but can I go for a wander

-around your house?

-Take a nap upstairs if you like!

-Take a nap upstairs if you like!

-

-Perfect.

-This is a lovely, light,

-open kitchen.

-This is lovely place to work.

-Is it your kitchen?

-It's my kitchen when I'm cooking...

-..then I walk away from the mess!

-David! It's your kitchen!

-David! It's your kitchen!

-

-Hello? Staff!

-It's lovely.

-Did you design this kitchen?

-Did you design this kitchen?

-

-No. It was here when we bought it.

-Two ovens -

-perfect for entertaining.

-The dangerous thing about this house

-is it's crying out for parties!

-It's such an open space.

-But even if I had 1,000 guests here

-they'd all stand around the island.

-No matter what,

-everyone gathers in the kitchen.

-That's a sign of a good party.

-Tell me about that picture.

-I created that

-as a birthday present for David.

-That's David, not Heston Blumenthal!

-That's a budgie on his head,

-not a fascinator!

-The budgie adopted us!

-She flew into our former home

-and lived with us for eight years.

-She came from nowhere?

-Yes. She landed on my car bonnet.

-I came out of the car

-and she landed on my head.

-I walked into the house with

-a budgie, called Olwen, on my head.

-David adored her, and that's why

-I created that as a present for him.

-Oh, that's nice.

-That chair looks really comfy.

-I call that my cheeky chair.

-It's one of the nicest things I've

-ever bought, and it only cost 6!

-I sit in it with my cuppa

-every morning.

-That's nice.

-Tell me about this picture.

-The artist isn't Welsh

-and has no links with Wales...

-..but that picture

-reminds me of my childhood in Rhos.

-There were lots of outhouses

-with zinc roofs...

-..and lots of blue sky, of course.

-That says Rhos to me.

-Amazingly, that's not zinc.

-It's papier mache.

-You can get up really close to it

-and you still wouldn't know.

-I'd swear that's zinc.

-I'd swear that's zinc.

-

-Yes - rusty zinc.

-This is a pleasant, open,

-light and airy room.

-Yes. It's nice, isn't it?

-That's why we bought this house.

-What's the first thing you see

-when you walk through the door?

-Your own reflection.

-I love it, but not because

-I like to look at myself!

-I prefer other people to look at me.

-I love it because I like the way

-mirrors reflect light.

-I think mirrors reflect

-the feelgood factor in a house.

-I love the fact that the double

-ceiling height makes it feel open...

-..but it's cosy over there.

-..but it's cosy over there.

-

-Yes.

-I think light is

-the most important thing in a home.

-There are a lot

-of giant objects here.

-This is really big.

-Yes - it's quite substantial.

-When I'm on my own here at night,

-I almost hear this giggling.

-It's so cheeky!

-It creates wonderful light at night.

-There are pictures

-of your dogs here.

-A friend of mine

-gave me that for my birthday.

-What are their names?

-What are their names?

-

-Bill and Alfie.

-What's through there?

-It's my office.

-I presented a series

-called House To House years ago.

-It was a house makeover show.

-I saw this in one property

-and they were about to throw it out.

-Some grandfather made this.

-Look at all these drawers.

-It has some secret drawers too.

-I love different phones.

-This was in the Piccadilly Theater

-in the West End when I was there.

-This was a prop on my one-man show

-about Emlyn Williams.

-You plug this

-into your mobile phone.

-Very modern!

-I received this as a birthday

-present from a lot of the S4C staff.

-Do you work

-in quite a disciplined fashion?

-No, but I'm disciplined

-in that I'm always working.

-My life is what I do,

-as a creative person.

-That must mean you enjoy your work.

-That must mean you enjoy your work.

-

-Yes.

-But I never feel I go to work

-and I never want to leave work.

-I live with my work.

-Despite the work,

-Stifyn has to sleep too.

-There are two bathrooms

-and four bedrooms upstairs.

-That crown

-feels particularly apt for you.

-Yes, it's definitely apt.

-Sarah, my friend, bought it for me

-for my 30th birthday...

-..as I'd been reigning,

-like a queen, for 30 years.

-She also gave me this cushion

-of Ted, my old dog.

-You met Ted, didn't you?

-Yes. That's him!

-Yes, but she just

-happened to find this.

-Really?

-He's the spitting image of Ted.

-Stifyn, it's my dream

-to have two basins in the bathroom.

-I'm really living the dream, Nia,

-because they're both mine!

-This is my bathroom.

-David has the en suite.

-This is big and white and it's mine!

-You wash your face here

-and brush your teeth there.

-Do you take time to get ready?

-Do you do much male grooming?

-No, I'm naturally handsome,

-so I don't need a helping hand...

-..unlike some people!

-But I do love a good soak

-in the bath with Kate Bush...

-..in my ears!

-Oh, that's nice.

-We've had a peek

-inside Stifyn's house.

-Join us after the break...

-..to find out how Stifyn

-spends his Sundays at home.

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-Welcome back to Adre, where we're

-at home with Stifyn Parri.

-How does a busy man like Stifyn

-relax on a Sunday?

-He's not a man to read the newspaper

-with his feet up.

-Stifyn loves to

-do a bit of gardening.

-Well, Stifyn! This is nice.

-Was it like this when you moved in?

-No. The house is unchanged but

-the garden was completely different.

-There was a horrible strip

-of muddy lawn here.

-With two dogs,

-that wasn't good news.

-None of us

-are getting any younger, Nia...

-..so we decided to create

-some raised beds over here.

-So when you're old,

-you won't have to bend down?

-Yes, and I have

-a good selection of plants here.

-What do you grow here?

-What do you grow here?

-

-Everything!

-There are cabbages growing here.

-The big plant at the back

-is called a T rex.

-When I bought it, six months ago,

-it was tiny.

-The man said I'd have to

-move house in five years' time!

-It will get massive.

-I really like it.

-I really like it.

-

-Brilliant.

-I really like the birdhouse

-and the lights around the garden.

-That's a lovely snug to sit in and

-have a glass of wine in the evening.

-Yes - a big glass of wine!

-I think the garden is the

-most wonderful room in the house.

-I'd rather be out here

-than be indoors.

-How often do you come outside

-to do a bit of gardening?

-At least once a day.

-Yesterday, I was out here

-in my pyjamas...

-..from 8.30 in the morning

-until 1.30 in the afternoon.

-I only stopped because

-I was going to a birthday party.

-Do you talk to your plants?

-Do you talk to your plants?

-

-No.

-I bet you do.

-I talk so much to people in my life,

-I don't need to talk to plants!

-If they could, they'd go like this!

-Shut up!

-MUSIC

-If I go away for three days...

-..this garden has changed completely

-by the time I get back.

-When I get home, I park the car and

-come and see what's changed here.

-You come to see your children!

-You come to see your children!

-

-Yes.

-As you can see,

-this chilli doesn't look healthy.

-What's this over here?

-St Fagans Castle!

-That's nice!

-Let's give them a royal wave.

-One of the things

-I like to do on Sundays is cook.

-There's a lettuce

-and some chard here.

-Let's cut some herbs and make

-a salad, especially for you.

-That's mint.

-Thank you. Next, rosemary.

-Oregano. It's great with cheese.

-Mm!

-Thyme over here.

-Perlysiau - herbs. It's a nice word.

-Parsley. Do you want some chives?

-Parsley. Do you want some chives?

-

-Yes. A little bit, please.

-I feel like your sous-chef.

-I feel like your sous-chef.

-

-Follow me!

-Hello! Welcome to

-Parri and Parry's kitchen!

-Mr and Mrs Parri Parry!

-Mr and Mrs Parri Parry

-are in the kitchen...

-..and we don't know

-what you'll have to eat!

-Stifyn, what will you

-prepare for us today?

-I wanted to make a salad but it's

-not a great time for growing things.

-There's just about enough produce

-in the garden...

-..to allow me

-to make a nice salad for you.

-Are you a foodie?

-Are you a foodie?

-

-Yes, I'm a huge foodie.

-I've got to run and keep fit,

-otherwise I'd be as big as a house!

-What's your perfect meal?

-It's always the same thing.

-I was raised in a chip shop, so

-fish and chips is my favourite meal.

-After all those years,

-you'd either love it or hate it...

-..but I still love fish and chips.

-Your family ran a chip shop?

-Yes - Mam fed everyone in Rhos.

-The best ever fish and chips.

-Celery is my favourite food!

-Celery is my favourite food!

-

-Lots of people hate celery.

-I love it!

-We always say celery, but what's

-the proper Welsh word for celery?

-Selyri!

-No - halogen.

-It sounds painful!

-It's more like halogen bulbs!

-Chop my halogen. No!

-Radish?

-Radish?

-

-What is it in Welsh?

-Rhuddygl.

-That sounds painful too.

-This is name-dropping...

-..but Stifyn went to Catherine Zeta

-and Michael Douglas's wedding.

-It was a lovely day.

-There was a huge mixture

-of people there.

-You had Mr and Mrs Jones

-from Ystalyfera...

-..sitting by Danny DeVito.

-Gladys Knight And The Pips sang.

-I said to Gladys Knight,

-"Can I say, you sang beautifully."

-She said, "Why, thank you!"

-as if nobody had told her before.

-I'll make a dressing.

-I'll make a dressing.

-

-Garlic.

-Tarragon.

-Mint.

-Another cheat! Mint.

-Dijon.

-Olive oil and sesame oil.

-Balsamic vinegar.

-Chives.

-We won't get a cooking series!

-Nia's Salad.

-It looks nice

-and it's almost lunchtime.

-That's true but it's time

-to take the dogs for a walk.

-This is lovely and I can't quite

-believe we're so close to Cardiff.

-Your house is just over there.

-Your house is just over there.

-

-Yes - in the middle of nowhere!

-That's the great thing about it.

-We wanted to be in the countryside

-but be close to the city.

-There's a wonderful peace here.

-Home was Rhosllannerchrugog

-when you were growing up.

-Rhos choir is very famous.

-Did you sing in the choir?

-No, I've never sung in a choir.

-There are more choirs

-than people in Rhos!

-Living in Rhos was like

-living in a musical. Everyone sang!

-What sort of home was your house?

-It was teeny tiny.

-My dad, my brother and I were

-six-footers living in a small house!

-But I always had people

-coming and going from the house.

-I had drama rehearsals,

-I created my own circus...

-..and I had a band.

-My parents had to turn the coal shed

-into a den for me.

-I spent all my time in there.

-Will you move back there?

-Your mother's still in Rhos.

-Yes, but I won't move back there.

-I have to be in Cardiff

-for work and for my career.

-The dogs, David and the house

-are here too.

-Rhos has changed a lot

-since I was young.

-This is a really lovely way

-to spend your Sunday.

-I have a question for you.

-If this place went up in flames

-tomorrow and I hope it doesn't!

-If it did happen,

-which three things would you save?

-Other than David and the dogs...

-..I think I'd have to try to

-run outside with my tartan armchair.

-I'd have to save it.

-It's part of me.

-I spend the first hours

-of the morning in it.

-It fits my bottom like a glove!

-I'm obsessed with black pepper.

-I've seen that huge pepper mill.

-I've got six or seven of them!

-One for every room.

-Do you put pepper on all your food?

-Do you put pepper on all your food?

-

-Yes, but not on custard.

-Maybe I should save my parents'

-wedding photo before my pepper mill!

-I'd have to rescue my laptop.

-I'd have to rescue my laptop.

-

-Ah - work!

-It's not just work.

-It contains everyone's phone numbers

-and other contact details.

-The photos of everything I've done

-are one there.

-They include photos

-of my 50th birthday party...

-..one of the best days of my life.

-The laptop, not the pepper mill.

-Stifyn, thank you very much.

-I've enjoyed being home with you.

-I've enjoyed having you here.

-Join me next time

-for another episode of Adre...

-..when I'll take a peek

-around someone else's home.

-Until then, goodbye.

-.

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-

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-I'm Mark Morgan.

-I'm in Miskin today.

-I've been in the army

-since 1988.

-I didn't speak a word of Welsh

-until I met my wife, Ceri.

-She's a Welsh speaker.

-I started to learn Welsh then but I

-only took it up seriously in 2007...

-..when I took a course

-at the university in Lampeter.

-It's hard for me to attend classes

-every week like most students...

-..because I'm a soldier

-and I travel the world.

-I spend time in the places where

-the army is active at the time.

-I was stationed in Northern Ireland

-back in the 1990s...

-..and I later went to Afghanistan.

-At the end of a day's work, everyone

-else relaxed in front of the TV...

-..but I got my books out,

-finished my module...

-..and send my work to Lampeter

-via the Internet.

-During my career, I've always been

-interested in challenging things.

-I have a keen interest

-in anything involving endurance.

-It began in 1995, when I completed

-the Marathon Des Sables...

-..across the Sahara Desert.

-I also went to Canada to compete

-in The Yukon Arctic Ultra in 2009.

-I recently completed the

-Centenary Race To The South Pole.

-It celebrated the centenary of the

-original race across Antarctica...

-..between Captain Scott

-and Roald Amundsen.

-I covered between 35 and 40

-kilometres every day.

-A routine of two hours of skiing and

-a five-minute rest, 14 hours a day.

-The temperature was between

--35 and -40 degrees every day.

-I have bandages on my fingers...

-..because during the race

-across Antarctica I got frostbite.

-They've improved a lot

-since I returned in early February.

-It sounds terrible but

-I'm much better now, so I'm happy.

-We took 21 days

-to complete the race.

-It was really boring!

-I leave the army in June...

-..and I have one more module to do

-before I complete my degree course.

-The hardest thing for me is the

-structures and I'm still learning!

-The race across Antarctica

-was really hard at the time...

-..but I'd still say learning Welsh

-is the hardest thing I've ever done.

-My advice to someone

-who's thinking of learning Welsh...

-..is to go for it, to be determined

-and to keep going.

-My name is Helena Jones

-and I live in Brecon.

-I was born in Seven Sisters

-during the War.

-1918.

-That means I'm 97 years old.

-My father spoke Welsh

-but my mother only spoke English.

-That's why English

-was the language we spoke at home.

-My father had a bike.

-I would sit on a cushion,

-which he placed on the bar.

-I was only little at the time.

-I'd sit on that cushion

-and we'd go to every eisteddfod.

-Crai, Senny, Trecastell,

-Lower Chapel, Upper Chapel...

-..Pontfaen, Aberysgir.

-It was always in English.

-I liked them.

-If I could get people

-to stop and listen to me...

-..it was a wonderful feeling.

-I first competed in an eisteddfod

-when I was four years old.

-That's the problem.

-I've been hooked on them ever since!

-When I celebrated

-my 90th birthday...

-..the doctor said

-I had to learn a new language...

-..and learn to play

-a new instrument.

-That's why I bought a harp

-and I started to learn to play it.

-That's also when

-I started to speak Welsh again.

-I went to the college in Brecon...

-..and I got an A Grade in

-the Canolradd intermediate course.

-I'm very happy about that.

-The mutations still bother me!

-I've enjoyed learning Welsh,

-to tell you the truth.

-People say, "You're not a learner!"

-They say my accent is too good.

-When I was a little girl...

-..I had to go to chapel in Libanus

-every Sunday morning.

-There was a Welsh-language service

-once a month...

-..and I remember listening to people

-chanting The Lord's Prayer in Welsh.

-I think

-that's why I have a good accent.

-Because I heard Amen so many times!

-I don't understand every word but

-I get the gist of what people say.

-We've got to try.

-If we don't try,

-the Welsh Language will go.

-It will go.

-We must speak it.

-We have to encourage it.

-Two windows on the world

-are better than one.

-Every Tuesday...

-..I go to Brecon

-for a Sesiwn Sgwrsio coffee morning.

-That gives me a chance

-to speak Welsh.

-The man who runs The Three

-Horseshoes across the road...

-..would like to learn Welsh.

-I promised to start a Welsh class on

-a Tuesday night, starting next week.

-Nothing serious.

-No exams.

-John can say bore da, nos da

-and diolch yn fawr.

-Things like that.

-He wants to learn more...

-..so we're going to have

-a little try.

-I'm Supachai and I live in Cardiff.

-I come from Thailand originally.

-I'm a student.

-I'm taking a PhD in Dentistry...

-..at Cardiff University.

-Before I came here,

-I worked as a dentist in Thailand.

-I treated patients...

-..who were HIV-positive.

-I like Welsh culture.

-I enjoy travelling around

-to experience new cultures...

-..and to learn about the way

-local people do things.

-I like everything about Wales.

-I have two reasons to learn Welsh.

-I believe that

-learning a language...

-..is the best way to learn

-about a country's culture.

-The second reason is I feel

-I must respect the local people...

-..by learning the language

-they speak every day.

-I felt there was a difference...

-..between people who live in England

-and people who live in Wales.

-I wasn't sure about that...

-..so I decided to learn Welsh so

-that I could find out more about it.

-I found it easier

-to learn Welsh than English.

-There are similarities

-between Welsh and Thai.

-A lot of the grammar is similar.

-The most important thing

-when you learn Welsh...

-..is to practise all the time.

-You must use your Welsh

-as much as possible.

-Good luck to everyone

-who's learning Welsh.

-Thank you.

-I'm Marie Watkins

-and I live in Cilfynydd, Pontypridd.

-I live in Pontypridd now but

-I come from Caerphilly originally.

-I live here with my children

-and my partner.

-I have one son, called Tai

-and one daughter, called Millie.

-My son is learning to swim.

-He loves swimming.

-My daughter loves to dress up.

-She also loves my shoes!

-Not her own shoes - my shoes!

-They can be a nightmare...

-..but they're usually good children.

-Sometimes!

-I started to learn Welsh last year.

-I've done Entry Level

-and Foundation Level.

-Last September,

-I started Intermediate Level.

-In addition

-to the Welsh classes I attend...

-..I listen to Radio Cymru in the car

-and my children watch Cyw.

-I also record Hwb every Sunday.

-I decided to learn Welsh because

-my children go to a Welsh school.

-I want my children to learn Welsh.

-Being able to speak Welsh

-will help them in the future.

-The only chance I have

-to practise my Welsh...

-..is when I drop the kids off

-at school and pick them up.

-And in class, obviously,

-when I'm in my Welsh class.

-I will be reading to the children

-in the school as well.

-The headmaster has said

-it's OK for me to go into class...

-..and read to the children.

-They can help me with pronunciation,

-words and correctness.

-The advice I'd give

-to anyone wanting to learn Welsh...

-..is to go for it.

-I love Welsh at the moment.

-.

-*

-Hello! I'm Craig ab Iago.

-In this series,

-I look at people and places...

-..which are part of Wales's story,

-past and present.

-Welcome to Pwt O Hanes.

-I started to learn Welsh in 2002,

-when I was a student in Edinburgh.

-I moved to Llanllyfni in 2008

-and I'm still learning the language.

-In this series, I'll introduce

-some clips about Welsh stories...

-..and Welsh people.

-I'll start with a little bit

-of my own story.

-I competed in the Welsh Learner

-Of The Year Competition 2013...

-..and I went on

-to be one of the four finalists.

-Here's a clip of the programme

-we made for S4C.

-I'm Craig ab Iago and I don't come

-from anywhere originally, really.

-My father was in the RAF.

-My family comes from Penygroes

-and Llandwrog originally.

-I moved back to Wales ten years ago.

-I have a two-year-old son

-and a partner.

-I've been a Plaid Cymru

-County Councillor since May.

-That's the best job I've ever had.

-I may not be able

-to change things...

-..but people must listen to me

-trying to change things!

-I'm the coordinator of Project B3,

-the food project in Nantlle Valley.

-The project is funded

-by the National Lottery.

-The idea is to increase

-the level of local produce...

-..we grow, eat and sell.

-The best time to get someone to

-start growing is when they're young.

-My generation

-weren't taught to grow things.

-I thought my food came from Tesco.

-It's important that children

-understand where food comes from.

-It doesn't come from Tesco.

-It comes from the soil...

-..and we can grow it,

-without relying on anyone else.

-One of the schools we visit

-is Bro Lleu in Penygroes.

-The children and the teachers told

-me they wanted an open-air class...

-..with some plants.

-We bought everything and found

-someone to do the work for them.

-We try to do this in every school.

-Who knows what's growing here?

-We, as a school,

-are grateful to Craig ab Iago.

-He's always willing to work with us.

-This time, he's working with Year 2

-pupils to create the school garden.

-We're really grateful to him...

-..for organizing donations

-from local businesses.

-The children helped design the

-garden and they helped plant it.

-It will be wonderful

-to see these plants growing.

-As the children grow,

-so the plants will grow.

-We've been planting

-rhubarb and lavender.

-We've been planting

-lettuce and sprouts.

-And potatoes.

-And rhubarb.

-And rhubarb.

-

-And blackcurrants.

-What are these?

-What are these?

-

-Sprouts.

-Are they the small ones

-I bought for you?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-

-They've grown a lot.

-His Welsh is excellent

-and the children love Craig.

-Good luck, Craig!

-When I was young, the only things on

-my mind were rugby, beer and women.

-Since I started to learn Welsh

-and returned to Wales...

-..I'm a different person.

-I didn't bother to vote

-until I was 30...

-..but now, I'm a Plaid Cymru

-County Councillor.

-Learning Welsh has changed

-every aspect of my life.

-What's important to me now

-is my community...

-..my family, the Welsh language

-and Wales itself.

-My whole family speaks Welsh.

-My sisters and I

-could only speak English...

-..and all my life,

-it made me feel like...

-..I wasn't really

-part of my own family.

-I promised myself

-I'd learn Welsh all my life...

-..but it just didn't happen.

-My grandfather passed away in 2001

-Everyone gathered for the funeral

-and, again, it reminded me...

-..that I didn't speak Welsh.

-I knew I had to learn.

-The following year,

-I found a course in Lampeter.

-I've been on several Welsh courses

-since then.

-On my first day in Lampeter,

-we learned 'Dw i'n hoffi coffi'...

-..and I really struggled with it.

-I felt I was out of my depth.

-I met Llio around four years ago.

-My language has developed a lot

-since I met her.

-She's helped me a lot.

-She's patient and she won't

-correct me when I make a mistake.

-She'll just pick her moments.

-He likes to keep himself busy.

-He's really determined.

-You can see that

-in how well he's learned Welsh.

-When he puts his mind

-to something...

-..he does it

-to the best of his ability.

-He makes sure

-people are having fun.

-When he organizes events, that

-desire for others to have fun...

-..gives him the patience to do it.

-As he learns more Welsh and

-learns more about Welsh history...

-..it becomes more important to him,

-especially now Ynyr's here.

-Ynyr won't learn English until

-he starts school when he's five.

-I'd really love to win

-Welsh Learner Of The Year.

-I'd like to display the award

-with pride on my mantelpiece.

-It would be great feedback for me...

-..to know I've reached the point

-where I can win something like that.

-I know what I want to do

-with my life.

-Welsh is so important to me.

-I want to help change

-the situation...

-..which looks pretty bad

-for the language.

-I want to inspire people.

-On a personal level...

-..it's important

-that people see someone like me...

-..a normal person

-who isn't clever...

-..winning something like that.

-I would use the title

-to inspire others to learn Welsh.

-I'm the vice-chairman

-of Dyffryn Nantlle 20:20.

-Our aim is to develop

-the Nantlle Valley area...

-..and make sure our Welsh language

-levels stay where they are...

-..or, hopefully, improve.

-It would be really useful to win

-Welsh Learner Of The Year...

-..so I could tell learners...

-..and potential learners

-who have moved to the area...

-..that it's possible to aim high

-and win an award like this.

-People would see that I was

-a learner, so they should go for it.

-I didn't win Learner Of The Year

-but I'm still learning...

-..and I really enjoy living my life

-through the medium of Welsh.

-I was born in RAF Nocton Hall,

-Lincolnshire.

-Unfortunately!

-My parents sent me

-to a private school in Birmingham.

-I was at the school

-from the age of seven to sixteen.

-When I was 16,

-I ran off around the world.

-I lived in New Zealand, America,

-Egypt, Israel, Portugal...

-..France and Spain.

-When I was 26, I decided

-I had to do something with my life.

-I was having lots of fun

-seeing the world...

-..but I decided to settle down.

-I moved to Llanllyfni

-eight years ago.

-I met Llio there

-and we now have a son, called Ynyr.

-My relatives all speak Welsh, I work

-through the medium of Welsh...

-..I do my County Councillor duties

-in Welsh.

-I'm also

-the Gwynedd Welsh Language Champion.

-My sisters have learned Welsh.

-I don't speak English

-with my relatives any more.

-I live my life almost 100%

-through the medium of Welsh.

-I'm passionate, I'm creative...

-..and I want to

-make the world a better place.

-It all stemmed from that first

-Welsh lesson in Lampeter.

-Thanks to the Welsh language,

-my life is much, much better.

-Well, that's my story.

-Join me next time for some more

-stories about Wales and its people.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

-.