A Carmarthenshire man who swapped his deskbound office job for a career as a carpenter has picked up an award for promoting the Welsh language.
Geraint Edwards, from Llandeilo, fell in love with woodwork helping his grandfather in his shed in Dolgellau as a boy but went down the academic route of taking a degree in Welsh and Welsh Literature at Aberystwyth University.
He then worked for Literature Wales in an office job in Cardiff when the highlight of his year would be the National Eisteddfod when he would load a hire van with his carpentry tools and head for the Maes to put together his employers’ stand.
Finally tiring of sitting in front of a computer screen he went back to woodworking as a self-employed cabinet maker and now his commitment to his first language has earned him the Individual title at the inaugural Gwobrau Mwyaf Cymraeg y Byd (Most Welsh in the World Awards).
The ceremony at Tan y Graig near Aberystwyth was organised by the Anglesey-based consultancy firm, Lafan, as part of the Bwrlwm ARFOR project to promote the economic benefit of Welsh in business in the four counties that are strongholds of the language, Ynys Môn, Gwynedd, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.
The aim of the awards is to celebrate businesses in the four counties that are benefiting financially from using the Welsh language and boosting their bottom line.
The Welsh language is very dear to Geraint, who moved from Dolgellau to Llandeilo to be close to his girlfriend, Carys – the couple have two daughters – and he has built himself a workshop at her parents’ farm near Ffairfach.
The 37-year-old said: “I had always enjoyed woodwork with my grandfather and then in school but I decided to go down the academic route and spent nearly ten frustrating years in an office job.
“The highlight of my year was that time around the Eisteddfod when I’d spent three weeks putting up our stand, fixing it all and then dismantling it before heading back to the office so I finally decided to break free and become a cabinet maker.
“I had drifted away from what I really enjoyed doing for 15 years but the Welsh language is still part of me and my story and it definitely helps with my work.
“When I changed career I was still living in Cardiff and in the building trade I was different from most builders because I spoke Welsh and even here in Carmarthenshire not many have their name and what they do in Welsh on their vans.
“I think customers really appreciate it and like to use a Welsh speaker particularly those who are first language Welsh themselves and who can talk to me in the language they are most comfortable in.
“I like to use Welsh oak directly from the sawmill and you can tell the story of that timber from the woodland and doing that in your mother tongue is part of our heritage – if I was trying to do that in English it wouldn’t work the same.
“The Welsh language is part of who I am – just like my red hair. It’s a constant in my life. I was born and bred speaking Welsh, I did my work in school in Welsh, my degree in Welsh and now I’m a carpenter and cabinet maker.
“Welsh has always been there on every step of my journey – it’s what anchors me.”
Geraint Hughes, from Lafan, said they had been inspired to launch the awards to recognise businesses that go the extra mile to promote and make use of the Welsh language.
He said: “We have had Welsh learners here who five years ago could not speak a word of Welsh and we’ve had people from all sorts of backgrounds and businesses.
“Everyone has a different story but what brings them together is not only their passion for Cymraeg but going beyond the emotion is that it’s a useful and often essential tool to have in their business.
“With our commercial hats on we see that we get more customers and more attention because there’s an emphasis on Cymraeg.
“We had hundreds of nominations on line – our only role was to draw up a shortlist and then leave it to the public to decide.
“The awards only represented a tiny part of the campaign and what was really significant was the huge commitment of so many businesses in the way they embrace the language.
“Hopefully as an event it will evolve over time but what is really important is for people to recognise the value of Cymraeg in business.”
Bwrlwm ARFOR manager Zoe Pritchard said: “The awards ceremony was a joyous occasion to celebrate everything Welsh and that the fact that it is a living and vibrant language.
“We want to create a buzz around the use of Welsh in a business or commercial environment and how it can help businesses thrive and provide careers for our young people so they don’t feel they have to move away.
“Its aim is to celebrate the Welsh language and show that it is not a museum piece but can have real benefits and relevance to businesses here across the four counties.”
