Successful projects include creative community schemes to enrich and raise awareness of the Welsh language in literature, to support young people's interest in the Welsh music scene, to interweave the ‘Codi Canu’ singing community with creative textiles, to explore the relationship between Cymraeg and timeless themes such as peace and the landscape, and projects to stimulate the use of the Welsh language through all forms of visual art activity, folk singing and creative writing.

The 13 Llais y Lle (‘The Voice of Place’) projects will take place across Wales, including Pembrokeshire, Bridgend, Newport, Meirionnydd, Caerphilly, Cardiff and Gwynedd. They reach a range of ages, from babies to young people and adults, and intend to expand the use of the Welsh language and raise awareness of Welsh culture among several specific communities.

Llais y Lle was first launched in 2023 and is made possible through the generous support of National Lottery players.

Einir Siôn, who leads the Llais y Lle scheme on behalf of the Arts Council of Wales, said,

"It's a pleasure to announce the projects that will be part of Llais y Lle, with the scheme now in its third year. Once again, there was a great response, with 51 replies to the call-out for applications. We received several particularly strong applications, which is testament to all the creative ideas that individuals and community groups have around promoting the use and ownership of the Welsh language. I'm really looking forward to working with everyone on these projects across Wales over the coming year. Everyone will meet each other for the first time on the 3rd of July to begin the journey of discovery and sharing."

The successful individuals are:

Rhian Anderson - Caerphilly

Celf yn y Caffiare creative arts sessions that bring people from the Aber Valley together with the aim of promoting the use of the Welsh language. It will be aimed at all levels and abilities, including those with no previous experience but interest and curiosity about the Welsh language.

Tom Bevan - Newport

Siaradwyr Newydd: Newid y Sîn will consist of 15 fortnightly sessions where a community of creative second language Welsh speakers will come together at the Riverfront, Newport to take part in cross-arts creative workshops, with the aim of making work aimed at an audience of other New Learners/lapsed speakers in the community. 

Joseph Conran – Gwynedd

Inspired by the old idiom, and the poems of T H Parry Williams, Ein Milltir Sgwâr is a collaborative creative process of exploring the role that the Welsh language plays in our relationship with landscape. It uses words, materials and ideas to map the Welsh landscape, and creates a space for supporting artists to use the Welsh language.

Nico Dafydd  - Pembrokeshire

Enter the music factory to see what goes into the sausage! Over the course of 12 months, young people in the 2026 National Eisteddfod area will receive masterclasses and workshops from the most active individuals, organisations and groups in the music scene in Wales, from poster designers to sound engineers and everything in between, working towards creating their own events in order to motivate, support, and create a long-term infrastructure for musical activity in the Welsh language among young people aged 16-25 in the area.

Llinos Griffin  - Meirionnydd

Triggered by the Welsh Women's Peace Petition, Byw Mewn Heddwch (Live in Peace) encourages arts action in the exploration of peace. In collaboration with Academi Heddwch Cymru and Heddwch Nain/Mam-gu, multi-media sessions will be held for Meirionnydd's voiceless communities (GISDA young people and women in the area). 'Peace' is explored in its broadest sense – from the personal to the international to creating a 'peace community' on our doorstep.

Carys Hedd - Pembrokeshire

Esgyn (Lift) is a project that will stitch our ‘Codi Canu’ singing community together with creative textile work in North Pembrokeshire. This will be done by recreating the Betgwn, part of the traditional Welsh costume to be worn in performances such as Y Mari Lwyd.  The project will also consult with the communities what they would like to create out of recycled materials to display or wear at singing sessions and special events.

Kamalagita Hughes - Bridgend

The project will pilot intergenerational storytelling workshops encouraging bilingualism and enjoyment of the Welsh language with a variety of groups. It will use storytelling performances, creative workshops and translanguage techniques to build confidence in participants around using and enjoying the Welsh they already have and developing a new vocabulary, with a particular focus on parents, learners and those who are out of the habit of speaking Welsh.

Hammad Rind - Cardiff

The aim of Lleisiau Grangetown (Voices of Grangetown) is to promote Welsh-language literary activities in Grangetown, one of the most diverse and deprived areas of Wales. Activities will include Welsh Open Mic events, book clubs and creative writing courses. The overall vision of the project is to bring the Welsh language to the community in an inclusive and accessible way.

Trishna Singh - Cardiff – Newport, Bridgend, Caerphilly

Ladies of Rage have incorporated Welsh writing as part of their process of creating music to help them learn. Over the course of the year they want to become a learning centre and host bilingual writing workshops and musical events using their language officer as a teacher and inspiration to start a movement within their organisation and beyond.

Rebecca Smith-Williams - Caerphilly

Babi Celf (Art Baby) is a weekly group for babies that gives parents  and carers access to the arts and offers a space to speak Welsh. The focus of the group is arts experiences for the adults (which the baby will enjoy too!).The group itself will curate a monthly program that is open to a broad community of parents.

Antwn Owen-Hicks - RhCT / Caerphilly

Cylch Canu (Singing Circle) is an opportunity for new Welsh learners/speakers to meet every month, through a social event, to share folk songs, learn new ones, be creative and develop confidence in using Welsh. This project focuses on Antwn Owen-Hicks' personal development as an artist-leader, to expand his skills and experience in this work, working with key organisations and other artists.

Krystal Lowe - Casnewydd

Through Anabledd a Dysgu Cymraeg (Disability and Learning Welsh) Over the course of one year a community of Disabled Artists who are Welsh learners will collaborate to develop a Welsh language teaching pedagogy using creative writing to support people for whom the aural, verbal, and social communicative elements of traditional Welsh language learning environments is inaccessible.

Rufus Mufasa – Bridgend

Colomen Cludwr is a creative project with Welsh-speaking residents of Parc Prison, exploring identity, belonging, and expression through Cymraeg. Using workshops in poetry, storytelling, and art, participants will co-create new work for the prison’s Eisteddfod and beyond. The project centres Cymraeg as a cultural lifeline—carrying voices and messages from within to the outside world.