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Blue Peter competition to increase number of Welsh speakers

First Minister Carwyn Jones announced ambitious plans to double the number of Welsh speakers to 1 million by 2050, at the National Eisteddfod in Abergavenny.

Carwyn Jones was being interviewed on his plans to develop the Welsh language by the press pack, accompanying his visit.

Abergavenny resident Daphne Scraggybumfluff said:

“1 million? There are already 562,000 Welsh speakers that I don’t understand, without this clever clogs proposing to double it to 1 million.”

Carwyn Jones explained:

“Between 2001 and 2011, Welsh speaker numbers dropped from 582,000 to 562,000 and it appears to be losing 3000 speakers every year, so I set the target of 1 million by 2050.”

When asked by WalesOnCraic’s Welsh Language reporter Owen ap Thomas how this will be achieved by 2050, Carwyn Jones said:

“I have no idea. It sounds bloody good though and it will please the Welsh Language group ‘Cymru 1,000,000’ as they advocate 1 million speakers by 2050. We will leave it to them to implement as we don’t have the money due to austerity. I understand they hold regular fundraising events like jumble sales, car boot sales and Welsh Folk evenings.”

Carwyn continued, “In any case, I can’t imagine I will be First Minister after 2021 and it will then become my successor’s problem to sort out. But you must admit, it does sound good as I have done interviews for BBC and ITV evening news programmes and I’m about to do an interview for S4C. Plus the fact you are reporting it as well on WalesOnCraic is evidence itself, to show it’s a brilliant policy”.

Owen ap Thomas, our WalesOnCraic reporter said :

“It is an ambitious target and we all know what happens to other targets. English speakers will be twice as aggravated as there will be twice as many Welsh speakers they won’t be able to understand.”

It is understood that the First Minister is to launch a Blue Peter competition to find ways to increase the number of Welsh speakers. The first prize will be a family caravan holiday in New Quay, for a week in November.

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