The Powys Eisteddfod in Oswestry at Park Hall

Over 100 years since its foundation, the Powys Eisteddfod is looking forward to a successful two day return to Oswestry this summer.  Taking over Oswestry's Park Hall showground from Friday July 15th, the event is a celebration of Welsh traditions and heritage giving opportunities to people of all ages to perform and compete through music, poetry, dance and arts and crafts and attracting competitors from all over Wales.

Originally part of Old Powys, Oswestry has a proud and vibrant Welsh tradition, and maintains its cultural association with Wales. In fact, the Powys Eisteddfod has previously visited Oswestry on many occasions including the 1930s in Cae Glas Park and 1987 at Park Hall (see the photos). This year is the first time the Powys Eisteddfod has returned to Oswestry since 2002.

Whilst celebrating Welsh culture, history and tradition, and naturally conducted in Welsh, the Music, Dance, Arts & Crafts categories of the Eisteddfod are actually open to competitors in any language.  Including not only all the traditional classes of Cookery, Crafts & Textiles, Floral Art, Art, Ceramics 3D Model, Photography and Design & Technology, the Arts & Crafts category also has new areas such as Computer Work and Graphic Design.  To help the non-Welsh speakers, an edited version of the Arts & Crafts schedule is now available in both English and Welsh and has been distributed to some of the local primary schools with an invitation for the pupils to enter.  This version can be downloaded from http://bit.ly/PowysEisteddfod2016Edit and includes an application form. Entries are, of course, welcome from all ages!

Members of The Rotary Club of Oswestry are pleased to have been involved with this event as, through the Mary Hignett Bequest Fund administered by the Club, the Powys Eisteddfod has received a grant of £2,500 to fund the prizes for the Choral and Arts & Crafts competitions.  This is an exciting venture for the Club, who had previously supported the Eisteddfod at Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant in 2011, and appropriate as Mary Hignett, whose bequest enabled the grant, was most fond of the area being a founder member of the Montgomeryshire Field Society and the Border Field Club and a teacher at Welshpool High School. 

A selection of the winning entries of the Rotary Club's Millicent Kaye Art Competition for Primary School pupils from the Oswestry area will be a guest display in the Arts & Crafts area - once more appropriate as the celebrated artist was a friend of Mary Hignett.

Members of the Eisteddfod Committee have produced a reduced event schedule for the Arts & Crafts competition in both Welsh and English to allow as many people as possible to take part in this Oswestry event.

You may download the full schedule here

or the edited Arts & Craft schedule here