MIKE HEDGES SPEAKS IN SUPPORT OF WELSH LANGUAGE LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS AND ASKS FOR WELSH GOVERNMENT SUPPORT.
Speaking from the Senedd office, local Swansea East MS said… ‘Local Welsh Language community newspapers provide a vital link within Welsh speaking communities, enabling people to keep in touch with what is happening within their communities in their own language. It is difficult to put a value on that, especially when you are trying to encourage people to learn Welsh and use it in their every day lives.
I urge the Welsh Government to come up with a plan to support these vital resources within our Communities!’
I would also like to ask for a Government statement on the future of papurau bro in Wales. These are Welsh language, local, community newspapers produced by volunteers and generally published monthly. In Swansea, we have Wilia, which is very good, and which has now gone online only. It provides a valuable opportunity to keep up with what is happening in Welsh-medium schools, the local Welsh societies, and Welsh-medium chapels. I'm asking for a Government plan for the continuation of these vital resources.89
With regard to your second question, papurau bro are absolutely unique sources here in Wales for our Welsh language community-based news. We're very grateful for the work of many volunteers who work very hard to ensure that they're published each month. I think it's fair to say that COVID-19 posed a real threat to them. Many did continue to be published and some adapted to being published online, as you referred to. I know the Minister for Education and Welsh Language last week announced a one-off inflationary support for Welsh language grant-funded organisations, and the network of papurau bro will receive an additional £6,000.91
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