On 25 and 26 June, scores of children from 34 schools across Wales took over the Arts Centre in Aberystwyth for two days of keen competition. It was the national round of Darllen Dros Gymru, the Welsh Books Council’s Welsh-language books competition for primary schools.
All pupils were competing for the prestigious title of Darllen Dros Gymru 2019 Champions. The national round is the culmination of reading activities across Wales, with the regional winners making it through to the final in Aberystwyth. The challenge involves discussing books and performing short dramatic presentations based on titles they have read, and this year’s eagle-eyed judges were Mair Heulyn Rees and Rhian Cadwaladr. As part of the day’s activities, the children and teachers had the opportunity to enjoy sessions in the company of actor and author Meilyr Siôn who inspired the avid readers with a presentation based on his latest novel, Hufen Afiach (Atebol). Rob Kenyon, a teacher at Ysgol Sant Baruc, Vale of Glamorgan, said “The pupils really enjoyed the whole experience of discussing and performing the books. It gives us the opportunity to develop literacy in a relevant and fun way. The chance to meet the author was the icing on the cake.” The competition for Years 3 and 4 took place on Tuesday, 25 June, and Ysgol Llannon, Carmarthenshire were crowned national champions as well as taking the trophy for the best presentation with their interpretation of Llanast by Mari Lovgreen (Gomer). Ysgol y Garnedd, Gwynedd, came second and also took home the award for best discussion group, with Ysgol y Wern, Cardiff, in third place. On Wednesday, 26 June, it was the turn of pupils from Years 5 and 6 to compete, with Ysgol Gymraeg Rhydaman, Carmarthenshire as overall champions as well as discussion award winners. Ysgol Pen Barras, Denbighshire, took second place as well as the trophy for best performace for their interpretation of Pren a Chansen by Myrddin ap Dafydd (Carreg Gwalch), with Ysgol Sant Baruc, Vale of Glamorgan in third position. Helen Jones, Head of the Children’s Books and Reading Promotion Department at the Welsh Books Council, said: “Darllen Dros Gymru is a great opportunity for children to reach for a book, read it and really enjoy its content. Children can use their imagination, dissect the book’s themes and discuss what’s happening in the story. Special thanks go to the dedicated organisers for their hard work in the county rounds, and to the teachers and supporters for ensuring the success of this event.” Thanks to the support of Gomer, Carreg Gwalch, Y Lolfa, and Rily Publications, every child who took part was invited to choose a free book to take home.
From 26 June, health professionals in Wales will be able to prescribe free library books to assist people in managing their mental health or dealing with difficult feelings and experiences in what experts behind the scheme are calling ‘bibliotherapy’.
The Reading Well Books on Prescription for mental health scheme has been developed by The Reading Agency and public libraries, leading health organisations including the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Mind, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the British Psychological Society and the Royal College of Nursing, as well as individuals who have personal experience of mental health needs and their relatives and carers. The scheme is being launched in Wales following its success in England which has seen 931,000 people borrow over 2 million Reading Well books from public libraries. Debbie Hicks, The Reading Agency’s Creative Director, said: “One in four of us will face a mental health issue at some point in our lives. Reading has proven power to help people manage their own mental health and wellbeing. We are delighted to be launching this life-changing programme in Wales, with many of the books available in Welsh for the first time, enabling the scheme to reach even more people.” Free copies of the books will be available to members of the public to borrow from all 22 public library authorities in Wales from 26 June, as well as supporting promotional material including leaflets containing the booklist. The Reading Agency is working with Welsh Books Council to translate most of the books into Welsh and all programme materials are bilingual. The books can be recommended by a health professional and borrowed free of charge from a local library, or users can self-refer and borrow the titles as they would any other library book. Professor Neil Frude, a consultant clinical psychologist and founder of the original Book Prescription Wales initiative, said: “Reading Well Books on Prescription for mental health in Wales is a useful and highly cost-effective additional resource for providing psychological help for many people across the principality. It is estimated that there are currently over 400,000 adults in Wales with a diagnosable mental condition. Thankfully there are several highly effective ways of delivering psychological help, including the use of self-help books written by expert clinicians, otherwise known as ‘bibliotherapy’. “The beauty of this scheme is that it recommends the very best books and delivers them freely through the public library service. In this way the scheme has the added benefit of bringing more people into the library, that precious community asset, where they will find many other resources that can help to boost their wellbeing, to build resilience and to thrive.” The collection of 37 books includes health information, self-help and inspirational personal stories such as Reasons to Stay Alive by award-winning author Matt Haig, which explores his personal experience of coming close to committing suicide at the age of 24, and The Recovery Letters, an anthology of heartfelt letters written by people who have recovered or are recovering from depression. Author Malan Wilkinson from Caernarfon, North Wales, an ambassador for Reading Well Books on Prescription for mental health said: “It’s been a year since I wrote my book about living with a mental health condition and it is true to say that reading and writing about my experiences has been invaluable for my own health. After six years of living with mental health problems, it’s wonderful to see this scheme being launched in Wales. Having this collection of 37 self-help books will be of great assistance to people across the country.” Ainsley Bladon, Mental Health Strategy Lead at Welsh Government, said: “The Reading Well scheme, funded by Welsh Government, presents a wonderful opportunity in Wales – to continue the legacy of our Book Prescription Wales scheme, to empower individuals to manage their own wellbeing using public health approaches, and, uniquely, to offer a full range of Welsh language titles in our libraries, representing one the biggest ever translation projects undertaken in Wales.” Nic Pitman at SCL Cymru said: “Public Libraries are vital community hubs for health and wellbeing support, and this list of expert-endorsed titles is another way we can support public health in Wales. SCL Cymru is enormously excited to work with The Reading Agency to deliver this programme that has been widely endorsed by health professionals as part of our drive to promote good mental health.” The scheme aims to make health information publications more readily available to members of the public. Reading Well Books on Prescription in Wales has been launched by The Reading Agency and Society of Chief Librarians Cymru and is funded by the Welsh Government. For more information about the Reading Well Books on Prescription for mental health visit: https://reading-well.org.uk/wales
The Welsh Books Council is delighted to announce the publication of the first Welsh-language adaptations of titles dealing with mental health from the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme. Working with the translation company Testun, we have been able to translate the first four out of 20 selected books into Welsh in time for The Reading Agency’s launch of the scheme in Cardiff on 26 June. The books, published by Y Lolfa, are: Cyflwyniad i Ymdopi â Gorbryder Cyflwyniad i Ymdopi â Galar Cyflwyniad i Ymdopi ag Iselder Canllaw Bach Sheldon i Ffobia a Phanig Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Welsh Books Council, said, “Having books of this nature available in Welsh is of the utmost importance to us. It is a big project to bring into being, one that involves the hard work of many people – translators, editors, designers and publishers. We are thrilled that these first four books will be available in libraries and bookshops across Wales to offer help and support to readers. It is hoped that these books will inspire original work in the Welsh language, as well as offer advice and guidance to those wishing to use self-help reading to understand an array of mental health conditions.” For more information on these titles, please go to http://www.gwales.com/home/?lang=CY&tsid=2
Pupils from Cyfarthfa Park Primary, Methyr Tydfil, BookSlam 2019 winners. A team of avid readers from Cyfarthfa Park Primary School, Merthyr Tydfil, have been crowned the 2019 Champions of BookSlam, the Welsh Books Council’s annual reading competition for children. The national round, held recently at Aberystwyth Arts Centre, saw hundreds of pupils from primary schools throughout Wales competing for the national championship. Their task was to impress the judges in two rounds, namely a 10-minute discussion and an 8-minute dramatic presentation based on their chosen books. At the end of an exciting day, Cyfarthfa Park Primary School, Merthyr Tydfil, was crowned the overall BookSlam Champions, having impressed the discussion judge with their knowledge of the book Flight by Vanessa Harbour. In the presentation round they performed their own interpretation of Rugby Zombies by Dan Anthony. During the day’s activities, children and teachers also enjoyed a fantastic presentation by author Shoo Rayner. The adjudicators this year were Pam John for the discussions and Anna Sherratt for the presentations. Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Welsh Books Council, said: “The aim of BookSlam is to get children from all over Wales reading. By discussing and performing what they have read, the pupils gain a deeper understanding of some of the wonderful children’s books we have here in Wales. It was a great pleasure to see the youngsters brimming with enthusiasm during the national round of BookSlam, and our thanks go to the dedicated and hard-working county organisers, teachers and other supporters that make these events possible.” The 2019 runners-up were Ysgol Penllwyn, Ceredigion with Christ the King R C, Cardiff and Franksbridge, Powys Primary Schools in joint third position. Thanks to the support of Welsh publishers every child who took part in the competition was invited to choose a free book to take home as a memento of the day.
The winners of the 2019 Tir na n-Og Welsh-language awards were announced at this year’s Urdd National Eisteddfod at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, on Thursday, May 30.
The winners of the 2019 Tir na n-Og Welsh-language awards were announced at this year’s Urdd National Eisteddfod at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, on Thursday, May 30. Winners of the primary category are Elin Meek from Carmarthen and Valériane Leblond from Llangwyryfon for Cymru ar y Map (Rily), a stunning picture atlas that portrays Wales at its best. Winner of the secondary category is Manon Steffan Ros with Fi a Joe Allen (Y Lolfa), a story that recreates the excitement of Euro 2016 as we follow the story of Marc Huws and his father on their unforgettable adventure. Chair of the judging panel, Bethan Mair, said, “We were in no doubt that the primary category prize should go to Cymru ar y Map – the decision was unanimous. Here is a truly original book, innovative, excellent and beautifully illustrated, that combines many aspects of language, history, geography, culture, heritage and art of Wales, suitable not only for primary pupils but for all ages.” She continued, “Bethan Gwanas recently noted in her blog that we as judges didn’t share this year’s shortlisted books into primary and secondary age groups. The truth is that we found it very difficult to do so as many of the titles under consideration could bridge both categories. One thing became obvious – that Fi a Joe Allen was a story that touched us deeply.” Bethan Mair added, “I’m sure that some people will think us mad for not awarding the prize to Llyfr Glas Nebo, considering the praise already heaped upon this captivating book. My response is this: If you have enjoyed any of Manon’s previous books, read Fi a Joe Allen – whatever your age – and make up your own mind!” Earlier this month, the Tir na n-Og English category prize was awarded for the second time to Catherine Fisher, this time for her book The Clockwork Crow, published by Firefly.
A magical mystery of snow and stars by a master storyteller.
In a prestigious event held at the School of Journalism, Media and Culture, Cardiff University on 16 May, as part of the CILIP Wales Conference (Chartered Institute of Librarians and Information Professionals), this year’s award was presented to Catherine Fisher for her novel The Clockwork Crow, published by Firefly Press. Since its inception in 1976 the Welsh Books Council has annually celebrated the best English-language title with an authentic Welsh background. The Clockwork Crow is a gripping tale of enchantment and belonging, set in a frost-bound mansion in snowy mid-Wales, When Seren Rhys is given a newspaper parcel by a stranger late at night in a freezing Victorian train station, she has no idea of what trouble it contains. Catherine Fisher is an acclaimed poet and children’s author who lives in Newport. She graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in English and has worked in education and archaeology and as a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. She is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy and in 2013 was appointed the inaugural Young People’s Laureate for Wales. Catherine has won many awards and received much critical acclaim for her work including the 1995 Tir Na n-Og Award for The Candleman. The Clockwork Crow was the winner of Wales Arts Review’s Welsh Books for Young People 2018 and was shortlisted for this year’s Blue Peter Book Awards. Sioned Jacques, Chair of the Tir na n-Og English-language Panel, noted “This novel was considered by the panel to be imaginative, beautifully descriptive, captivating and derivative of many classic titles such as C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. Yet it is still unique and typical of the high quality expected from an exceptionally talented author such as Catherine Fisher.” She added “The main character is written in such a way as to make the reader want to be her and to feel empathy for her. It is well-edited with beautiful illustrations and contains some wonderfully atmospheric descriptions of the Welsh countryside.” Catherine Fisher said, “I’m delighted to win the Tir na n-Og Prize. The Clockwork Crow is a novel that uses Welsh folklore and is set in a Welsh landscape. But I also hope that, as all imaginative fiction should, it will appeal to all readers everywhere.” According to Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Welsh Books Council, “All the titles shortlisted for this year’s Tir na n-Og award were of an exceptionally high standard, reflecting the quality of books available for children and young adults at present. It is with great pleasure that we warmly congratulate Catherine Fisher and Firefly Press on their achievement.” The Tir na n-Og English-language Award – which recognises the exceptional quality of books with a Welsh background for children and young adults – is sponsored annually by CILIP Wales. The event began with an entertaining panel discussion in the company of all shortlisted authors and chaired by broadcaster and author Lucy Owen. A crew of avid young readers were invited to quiz the authors as part of this year’s shadowing scheme. Free resource packs were also available online so that schools could adopt the role of unofficial judges. The winning titles in the primary and secondary Welsh-language categories will be revealed on 30 May at the 2019 Cardiff and the Vale Urdd National Eisteddfod at The Millennium Centre, Cardiff.
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