Quakers in Wales attend Wrexham Eisteddfod

Each year, Crynwyr Cymru - Quakers in Wales attends the National Eisteddfod and here's a little flavour of what we got up to this time.

This year we based ourselves in the Peace Tent with a group of other organisations active in campaigns and advocacy for peace. We also set up our usual Quiet Corner in the Cŷtun Tent with a small Quaker display there.

We were lucky with the weather and were only once caught in a downpour this year - although this did coincide with Monday's outdoor meeting for Worship so we did get rather wet! The other instances of Worship on the Maes were luckier though and we were joined by Friends and bystanders alike.

Dafydd Iwan, an extremely popular folk/protest singer (remember the song ‘Yma o hyd’ used as the anthem of the World Cup Football tournament in 2022?) spotted one of our Quaker outreach T-shirts with 'Simple. Radical. Spiritual' emblazoned on it and asked for one which he wore on stage at his packed-out performance.

On the Friday we were joined by a Quaker filmmaker who captured footage of Quaker activity and interviewed some Friends in Welsh and English on the Maes. We also supported a Friend from Swansea, Emma Roberts, to give a talk in the Societies tent about her work as a Quaker Chaplain.

Many copies of the book Tua’r Tarddiad, and of Paham yr wyf yn Grynwr by Waldo Williams and the bi-lingual Cynghorion a holiadau were taken, along with quantities of badges, largely collected by children as freebies! Children also enjoyed making a Peace dove.

Postcards were written to prisoners of conscience; people used post-its to state when or where they felt most peaceful; some signed petitions. I am not sure which activities were ‘ours’ and which were Cymdeithas y Cymod’s – we shared looking after the Peace Tent in a delightful way.

The Maes was a very happy place this year, much helped by excellent weather – except for one downpour during worship! Welsh learners were welcomed and encouraged, and in this city near the border with England, it was good to find many people willing to have a go with their beginner’s Welsh. There is great curiosity in Quaker ways among mother-tongue Welsh people brought up in other churches and chapels, and the National Eisteddfod is an ideal setting for them to find us, and us to find them.

We are already looking forward to our trip to the National Eisteddfod 2026 in Pembrokeshire, where Crynwyr Cymru - Quakers in Wales will be sponsoring the prestigious 'Medal y Cyfansoddwr' competition (Composer's Medal).