Denbigh Town Council is to give £6,000 in sponsorship for the financial year 2018/2019 to support the efforts to raise funds towards bringing the Urdd Eisteddfod to Denbighshire in 2020.

The council’s contribution will go some way to boosting the total towards the local Denbigh Town Appeal Committee fundraising target of £60,000.

Since the public meeting in June 2017 which formally invited the Eisteddfod to the county, more than a third of the appeals committees have been established, and they are already busy organising activities to assist in the effort to reach the financial target. The hope is all the appeals committees will be established by the summer.

This will be the Urdd Eisteddfod’s first visit to Denbigh town itself, although in the past it has been held in the county seven times.

Cllr Roy Tickle, Mayor of Denbigh, said, “As the town council we are extremely pleased to be able to give this money to assist the local community in Denbighshire in their efforts to raise funds towards welcoming the Urdd Eisteddfod to the county in 2020.

"I know that the children and young people of town and the county as a whole, are very much looking forward to welcoming families and friends to our home ground as part of the largest youth festival in Wales.”

Aled Siôn, director of the Eisteddfod and Arts, added, “I would like to thank Denbigh Town Council wholeheartedly for their generosity in making this donation to kick-start the Denbigh Eisteddfod 2020 Appeal.

Holding a festival the size of the Urdd Eisteddfod, which welcomes 15,000 children and young people from all parts of Wales to the field at the end of May every year, is not a cheap endeavour.

"However, I know that a number of committees have already been established across the county to assist in the process of fundraising for the appeal, and I would also like to thank them for all their hard work to date and over the months to come.”

As well as raising awareness of the Welsh language amongst children and young people in the area and their families, research shows that a visit from the Eisteddfod contributes up to £6 million to the local area, and that 78% of visitors spend money in local businesses.

In 2018, Brecon and Radnor will host the Urdd National Eisteddfod, and Cardiff Bay will be location in 2019.

Urdd Gobaith Cymru has over 54,000 members between eight and 25 years old

The Urdd aims to give the children and young people of Wales an opportunity to live their lives through the medium of Welsh, developing confidence and respect for each other and the people of the world.