WIREDGOV

Its former residents include Prince Charles; First Minister, Carwyn Jones and the One Show’s Alex Jones and now the iconic Neuadd Pantycelyn is set to be home to many more students thanks to £5m of funding from the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools and Education programme, which will contribute to the £12m refurbishment project.

The funding, which was previously agreed in principle, was confirmed by the Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning, Eluned Morgan, as she visited the halls of residence and viewed plans for the project.

Neuadd Pantycelyn has been a dedicated Welsh medium residence since 1974 and is a symbol of Welsh speaking culture within Higher Education. The refurbishment of the building will ensure its historical and cultural significance will live on and will provide opportunities for students to live their everyday lives through the medium of Welsh. 

Part of the building will also be used as a centre for Welsh Speakers and Learners and will be open to the community.

Eluned Morgan said:

“The importance of Pantycelyn to the Welsh speaking world cannot be overestimated. It is an iconic building to so many people throughout Wales and beyond so I am delighted to confirm this funding of £5 million to ensure many more Welsh speaking students will be able to call it home and experience its unique linguistic and cultural atmosphere.

“We have set an ambitious target of reaching a million Welsh speakers by 2050. I have said many times that education is key to achieving this target and this is as true for higher education as it is for primary schools. The students who will be living here will be the teachers, lawyers, scientists and politicians of tomorrow so ensuring they have the opportunities to learn and live through the medium of Welsh and to carry that forward to their professional lives is a vital part of the Cymraeg 2050 strategy.”

Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, said:

“We are very grateful to Welsh Government for their support for our exciting plans to reopen Pantycelyn as a first-class hall of residence for Welsh-speaking students. Aberystwyth offers an unrivalled experience to students who want to learn and live through the medium of Welsh, and the refurbishment of this historic building will further enhance the breadth and depth of our Welsh-medium academic provision.”