Sophie Tuckwood, who’s originally from Nottingham, has made the most of every opportunity to learn Welsh since moving to Pembrokeshire.
Sophie moved from Nottingham to Pembrokeshire in 2011, to join her husband, Andrew who is from Haverfordwest.
After having children, Sophie decided to learn Welsh. Sons Arthur and Logan, who are now 3 and 5 attend Ysgol Caer Elen;
‘‘After I had the children, I felt it was important to keep the language alive and that there were many benefits in raising them bilingually.’’
Sophie started by attending 'Cymraeg for kids' fun sessions with her youngest son and then joined ‘Clwb Cwtsh’, which is a free short course for families of young children.
In September 2018 Sophie started a ‘Welsh for the Family’ course for beginners, followed by an intensive course with SaySomethingInWelsh during summer 2019.
Sophie now speaks Welsh with her children every day and enjoys listening to Radio Cymru and Welsh music. Her favourite artists are Georgia Ruth and Ani Glass.
She has also set up a blog on Instagram called @welsh.notebook where she shares ideas and connects with other learners and Welsh speakers.
Before lockdown, Sophie met friends in the pub every week to practise her Welsh;
‘'My Welsh is so much better after a pint! I've made so many friends by learning Welsh, and I try to take advantage of every possible opportunity to use my Welsh.’’
Sophie is currently following an Advanced level course for experienced learners with Learn Welsh Pembrokeshire, run by Pembrokeshire County Council on behalf of the National Centre for Learning Welsh.
Sophie is looking forward to attending more Welsh language events in the future;
‘‘The more new and exciting experiences I have when using my Welsh, the more inspired I am to learn. My top tips for anyone who would like to start learning are, to speak Welsh, make mistakes and keep at it!’’
Video: Sophie speaking about her experiences with S4C Dysgu Cymraeg
Listen to Sophie chat to Tomos Hopkins from Learn Welsh Pembrokeshire here.
