Moving to and establishing a business in Carmarthenshire has inspired Paul Raven, co-owner of Tea Traders, to learn Welsh.
Paul was born in Aberystwyth, and grew up in Swansea in a non-Welsh speaking household. After years of living and working in London and Flintshire, North Wales, in 2017, Paul and his partner, Nick, moved to the Gwendraeth Valley, and opened a specialist tea shop in Carmarthen.
Shortly after moving to the area, Paul found himself living in a Welsh-speaking community, with many local customers speaking Welsh in the shop.
Paul explains: “We are a very community-focused business, and the desire to chat in Welsh with customers and to use more Welsh within our business gave me the motivation to start learning Welsh.”
Paul’s language journey began in 2017, and he took advantage of free translation support and services from ‘Helo Blod’ and Menter Gorllewin Sir Gâr to create a bilingual menu and website. Alongside the business, Paul enrolled on a Learn Welsh course for beginners, but, due to work commitments at the time, and Covid-19, Paul decided to take a break from the learning.
At the beginning of 2024, Paul came across a programme called ‘Cymraeg i Fusnesau Sir Gaerfyrddin’ (Welsh for Carmarthenshire Businesses), which helps local businesses to embrace and promote the Welsh language. The initiative is a collaboration between Carmarthenshire County Council’s ARFOR programme and the National Centre for Learning Welsh’s Work Welsh scheme.
Paul has been following an online course alongside other local businesses, led by a tutor from Learn Welsh Ceredigion-Powys-Sir Gâr, run by Aberystwyth University on behalf of the National Centre. Paul told his staff about the course, and two others enrolled, so now all three are learning Welsh together.
Paul says, “I hear and see a lot of Welsh language around me every day, whether I’m at the supermarket, visiting suppliers, or meeting customers at the shop. It certainly feels as though I’m part of a thriving Welsh community and this gives me extra motivation to learn Welsh and to improve my skills.”
Paul enjoys the weekly sessions on Zoom, and says that everyone in the group supports and encourages one another.
“Learning Welsh has had a really positive impact on our business. We have always actively engaged with our local community. We aim to be customer focused, inclusive, and to provide a warm welcome to all our customers. In addition to connecting with local Welsh speaking customers and increasing the amount of Welsh that we use at the shop, we have also discovered that many visitors to Carmarthen are curious about the Welsh language, and that they really enjoy hearing Welsh and picking up a few words during their visit to our tea shop.”
Paul says that his skills and confidence are improving every day.
“I’m recognising and understanding a lot more spoken Welsh at the shop. I’m practising with my colleagues. I’m encouraging customers to speak to me in Welsh, and I try to respond in Welsh if I can.”
Here’s Paul’s advice to anyone learning Welsh: “Go for it! Find a method that works for you. There are so many ways to learn. Learning with others is fun and a great way to meet people.”
He adds: “Let people know that you’re learning, and when you’re out and about look out for opportunities to use your Welsh in your local community. You’ll soon build up a network of other learners and Welsh speakers who’ll encourage you and help you to practise. Try to find ways to listen to Welsh every day - maybe listen to Radio Cymru, or find a TV programme you enjoy on S4C.”
Paul is now following a Foundation-level course, and is looking forward to gaining confidence and using his Welsh in both the business and the local community.
