Two women have gone from complete beginners to teaching Welsh in their own communities in North Wales, thanks to intensive Learn Welsh courses.
Charlotte Roberts, who is originally from Wrexham and now lives on a farm on Anglesey, and Danielle Pritchard, who moved from Leeds to Bala, completed intensive courses with Learn Welsh North West, which is run by Bangor University on behalf of the National Centre for Learning Welsh. Both have now started brand-new careers as part-time tutors.
After meeting her husband, Matthew, at Harper Adams University, Charlotte moved to North Wales and secured a job as an animal care lecturer at Coleg Glynllifon. However, in order to achieve her ambition of lecturing in the agricultural department, she needed to learn Welsh. Determined to learn, she signed up to an intensive Learn Welsh course.
Charlotte said:
Everyone else in the area spoke Welsh, so it was difficult to live here and not speak it at all. The intensive course was the perfect option for me, and I am so glad I went for it as Welsh really has changed my life. After completing the Learn Welsh course, I got a lecturing job in agriculture at Glynllifon, through the medium of Welsh.
Today, alongside working on the farm, Charlotte is a part-time Learn Welsh tutor, and her journey has transformed life at home for her children, Thomas, who attends Ysgol David Hughes, and Osian and Alys, who attend Ysgol Parc y Bont. Charlotte loves helping Thomas with his Welsh-medium science homework and helping Osian and Alys read in Welsh.
Danielle’s language journey began after she moved from Leeds to Bala in 2019 to live with her husband, Gareth. She enrolled on an intensive Learn Welsh course during the pandemic. In the early days, she started saying 'Bore da' and 'Diolch' to the local postman, and since then has been encouraged to speak Welsh by her neighbours.
Danielle was inspired by another tutor, who had also successfully learned Welsh as an adult, as she explains:
I decided to complete the Dechrau Dysgu course last year – which is the training course to become a tutor – and I'm now teaching Welsh classes in the local community. When I saw that Sarah Hattle, who observed my class during the training course, had learned Welsh and was now sharing the language with others, it really inspired me. I would encourage anyone interested in an intensive Learn Welsh course to practice their Welsh every day, take part in local events, and enjoy the process.
More information about the intensive Learn Welsh courses offered by Learn Welsh North West in September can be found below:
Entry and Foundation Course | Course | Learn Welsh (Face-to-face)
Entry and Foundation Course | Course | Learn Welsh (Self study and virtual classroom)
To find an intensive Learn Welsh course in another part of Wales, follow the next link to use our Course Finder.
