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| Welsh language rally marks 50 years since Trefechan bridge protest | Welsh language rally marks 50 years since Trefechan bridge protest |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Welsh language campaigners have staged a rally in Aberystwyth to mark 50 years since their group tried to bring the town to a standstill with its first protest. | |
| Members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society) sat in the middle of a main road in the town across Trefechan bridge in 1963. | Members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society) sat in the middle of a main road in the town across Trefechan bridge in 1963. |
| The society says about 500 turned out for the anniversary event on Saturday. | |
| A theatre production in Aberystwyth will mark the anniversary on Sunday. | A theatre production in Aberystwyth will mark the anniversary on Sunday. |
| The bridge protest was the first of dozens to be staged by Cymdeithas over the following decades. | |
| Gwilym Tudur was one of the protesters who sat in the middle of the road on Trefechan bridge on 2 February, 1963, to raise awareness about the lack of official status for the Welsh language at the time. | Gwilym Tudur was one of the protesters who sat in the middle of the road on Trefechan bridge on 2 February, 1963, to raise awareness about the lack of official status for the Welsh language at the time. |
| He said sitting in the road on a busy Saturday afternoon was never part of the plan, but it attracted attention. | He said sitting in the road on a busy Saturday afternoon was never part of the plan, but it attracted attention. |
| "The locals didn't like it very much," said Mr Tudur. | "The locals didn't like it very much," said Mr Tudur. |
| "It hadn't been planned very well - it hadn't been planned at all, so people didn't know what was happening. | "It hadn't been planned very well - it hadn't been planned at all, so people didn't know what was happening. |
| "We blocked the traffic which was quite serious and quite dangerous really. | "We blocked the traffic which was quite serious and quite dangerous really. |
| "There was one post office van which kept revving and trying to drive through us, so it could have turned out worse, I suppose." | "There was one post office van which kept revving and trying to drive through us, so it could have turned out worse, I suppose." |
| Society chair Robin Farrar said: "I don't like to think what would have happened to the Welsh language had protestors not been ready to take a stand, to break the law and take responsibility over the past 50 years. | |
| "We must continue to take action today in order to ensure that Welsh has a future as a living community language, not merely a symbolic minority language." | |
| To mark the 50th anniversary of the Trefechan bridge protest, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru is staging a theatrical production in Welsh on the streets of Aberystwyth. | To mark the 50th anniversary of the Trefechan bridge protest, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru is staging a theatrical production in Welsh on the streets of Aberystwyth. |
| Five hundred people are expected to attend the event on Sunday called Y Bont (The Bridge). | Five hundred people are expected to attend the event on Sunday called Y Bont (The Bridge). |
| The mobile performance starts at Aberystwyth Arts Centre before moving around Aberystwyth's streets and cafes. | The mobile performance starts at Aberystwyth Arts Centre before moving around Aberystwyth's streets and cafes. |
| The sell-out performance combines various media so the audiences can experience live performance, enjoy video clips at various venues and get a sense of the thrill and tension of the original protest. | The sell-out performance combines various media so the audiences can experience live performance, enjoy video clips at various venues and get a sense of the thrill and tension of the original protest. |
| More than 60 students from Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol (National Welsh-medium College), Glamorgan University, Aberystwyth University and University of Wales Trinity Saint David's.. | |
| The commemorations come as census results suggest the use of the Welsh language is declining even in its traditional heartlands. | The commemorations come as census results suggest the use of the Welsh language is declining even in its traditional heartlands. |
| They revealed there had been a fall in the number of places where over half the population can speak Welsh | |
| There are 157 council wards with over 50% of residents who are Welsh speakers in 2011, compared to 192 in 2001. | There are 157 council wards with over 50% of residents who are Welsh speakers in 2011, compared to 192 in 2001. |
| Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg accused the Welsh government of failing to halt the decline of Welsh speaking communities. | Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg accused the Welsh government of failing to halt the decline of Welsh speaking communities. |
| A Welsh government spokesperson admitted it needed to do more to "promote and facilitate" the language. | A Welsh government spokesperson admitted it needed to do more to "promote and facilitate" the language. |
| Census figures released by the Office for National Statistics in December showed an overall drop of 2% in the number of people who speak Welsh to 19% of the population in Wales. | Census figures released by the Office for National Statistics in December showed an overall drop of 2% in the number of people who speak Welsh to 19% of the population in Wales. |
| It also suggested Welsh was now a minority language in two heartlands, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. | It also suggested Welsh was now a minority language in two heartlands, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. |