Archivist to preserve Llangollen Musical Eisteddfod memories
The Llangollen Musical Eisteddfod has employed an archivist to help ensure that the festival's past is documented and precious memories are preserved for future generations to enjoy.
The festival is launching its new project, Archiving the Past, to build on the momentum of the popular Memories stand, a pop-up archive unit where festival goers were encouraged to share the memories of the Eisteddfod since its first event in 1947.
A grant of £19,000 have been given to the scheme from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Organisers said that the support has enabled Llangollen Eisteddfod to set plans in place to modernise the archives by digitalising the wealth of material collected throughout the years.
The festival’s new archivist, Liz Parfitt, has been working closely with volunteers, leading a 12-month project to catalogue and digitalise existing historical records and documents.
She said that the new push to gather footage, images and documents of the festival would make accessing the archives simple and easy, to ensure everyone can retrieve eisteddfod history.
"Building a relationship with volunteers and visitors is paramount in the development of the eisteddfod archiving project. The festival is encouraging individuals to get involved with this scheme to ensure that the history of Llangollen Eisteddfod is preserved and celebrated by all who are interested. The new digital archive system will provide a valuable resource for anyone who wishes to celebrate the festival’s vibrant past," she said.
“I’m excited to have this opportunity to help the International Eisteddfod move their archival project forward with the digitisation of material and the development of a new archive website. Look out for more information on our progress in 2020."
Since its inception in June 1947, the eisteddfod has been a celebration of peace and international collaboration. A festival designed to showcase global talent; the eisteddfod invites participants from around the world to compete in music and dance competition. The festival is hosted annually in the North Wales town of Llangollen, offering a range of fantastic evening concerts, which have seen the likes of Pavarotti and Jools Holland grace the stage.
This year's eisteddfod will run from July 7-12.
