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Caerphilly’s Welsh language initiative, Menter Iaith Caerffili, has won a national project of excellence award for their Welsh childcare service in the area.

The childcare service was established by the Menter Iaith following local demand from parents and families for Welsh-medium childcare.

Lowri Jones from Menter Iaith Caerffili said: “We knew there was local demand for childcare through the medium of Welsh that was affordable, of high quality, and that was close, or even on the site of their children’s schools. 

“We then set out to provide a variety of childcare provisions in Welsh including pre-school care, wrap-around for nursery-aged children, after-school care, and care during the school holidays. 

“By today, it has developed into an extremely successful service and has expanded significantly over the years. 

“We now offer care clubs across six sites and have succeeded in creating 60 jobs within the childcare sector, with many of the jobs full time. This has enabled local people to get work through the medium of Welsh within their communities and develop a career within the childcare sector.

“We are extremely proud to be able to offer a key service for parents, unique experiences for children and support 60 individuals to work locally through the medium of Welsh.”

When presenting the award, the judges said: “The childcare service offered by Menter Iaith Caerffili is a great example of how we can extend our services to non-Welsh speaking homes and reinforce the use of the Welsh language in an informal context.”

The event was an opportunity to celebrate the work of the 22 Mentrau Iaith across Wales creating opportunities for people to enjoy using Welsh every day within their communities.

This was the third time that the national awards were held, and instead of specific categories as in previous years, five projects of excellence were awarded. The criteria included impact on the Welsh language, innovation, and inclusion.

You can find out more about Mentrau Iaith Cymru’s work by visiting their website.