WELSH Government funding has been provided for four local authorities - including Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire - to help Welsh language communities thrive economically.

The Welsh Government launched ARFOR, a scheme formed as part of the government’s co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru.

The launch – which took place at the National Eisteddfod in Llŷn ac Eifionydd on Wednesday, August 9 – aims to build on the experience of the first ARFOR programme which was launched in 2019.

At the launch event, which was attended by leaders of the four councils – Anglesey, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Gwynedd – economy minister Vaughan Gething and Plaid Cymru designated member Cefin Campbell, the outlines of the programme were revealed.

The programme will be delivered by the four councils and aims to strengthen the economic resilience of Welsh language strongholds and create jobs to support the language.

Mr Gething said: “ARFOR 2 has the potential to make a significant difference in our Welsh speaking heartlands, by taking forward our ambitions of spreading economic prosperity across Wales.

“By working with our local authority partners, we want to support communities that are the strongholds of the Welsh language to flourish through economic interventions and contribute to increasing opportunities to see and use the Welsh language on a daily basis.”

Mr Campbell said: “ARFOR is an exciting programme to support and grow the local economy and the Welsh language together.

"By investing in these areas, we will encourage and enable entrepreneurship and help businesses grow. This will support vibrant, thriving communities.

“It is great to be at the National Eisteddfod to highlight the programmes supported by ARFOR, a key project that has been enabled by the co-operation agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Wesh Government.”

Dryslwyn business Gwenyn Gruffydd Welsh Honey is one of those that has been benefitting from the ARFOR scheme.

A spokesperson said: “As a business we are very grateful to the ARFOR scheme for the support received to purchase equipment for honey and bee wax production, as well as a computer to run the business when the business was established.

"The scheme also enabled us to create a full-time job. "

The five schemes being supported by the ARFOR programme are:

  • Llwyddo’n Lleol 2050 - A scheme for young people and young families under 35 to gain job opportunities and experiences that can encourage people to stay or return to their indigenous communities. This support is administered by Menter Môn in partnership with Menter and Busnes. £3m will be invested to implement the project. 
  • Cymunedau Mentrus - a fund that offers support to private / community / social enterprises to develop new services / products within communities with a view to developing the local economy and increasing visibility of the Welsh language. 
  • Cronfa Her - a package of support for meeting the local and regional challenges of Anglesey, Gwynedd, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire. Individuals with innovative ideas to meet the economic challenges of the ARFOR Region will have the opportunity to apply for financial support. £2.6m will be invested to implement the project which will be delivered by Menter Môn in partnership with Menter and Busnes
  • Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning - Wavehill has been appointed to carry out the monitoring and evaluation of the ARFOR Programme to identify what we have learnt from the link between the local economy and the Welsh language. 
  • Bwrlwm ARFOR is about how businesses use Welsh and the benefit of doing so. The tender for this work is now live.

For more information head over to www.rhaglenarfor.cymru. Applications close August 14.