{"id":4053,"date":"2026-09-24T14:23:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T13:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mentermon.com\/?post_type=newyddion&p=4053"},"modified":"2026-09-24T15:02:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T14:02:43","slug":"adlewyrchu-ar-effaith-a-llwyddiant-cynllun-balchder-bro","status":"publish","type":"newyddion","link":"https:\/\/www.mentermon.com\/en\/newyddion\/adlewyrchu-ar-effaith-a-llwyddiant-cynllun-balchder-bro\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflecting on the impact and success of our Balchder Bro scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blog By Elen Hughes, our Community Portfolio Director at Menter M\u00f4n<\/em><\/p>\n

“Over the past three years, it has been a privilege to see communities across Anglesey come together and create positive change through Balchder Bro. We have seen people and groups developing new ideas, strengthening connections, and creating opportunities that have made a real difference to people’s lives in their local areas.<\/p>\n

From providing opportunities for children and young people to take part in new activities, to hosting community events and local celebrations, Balchder Bro was about much more than just providing financial support. It was about giving communities the support and confidence they needed to bring existing ideas to fruition and create something valuable for their own areas.<\/p>\n

An independent evaluation of the project shows that over 9,300 people benefited from Balchder Bro activities, with more than 400 activities and events held across the island.<\/p>\n

Strengthening and supporting the Welsh language<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seeing how the project was used to strengthen the Welsh language in a completely natural way was brilliant. Through community events such as St David\u2019s Day parades, the Gogo Goch Festival, family activities, and creative experiences – people had opportunities to use Cymraeg in a welcoming, social and inclusive environment.<\/p>\n

Seeing young people grow in confidence was also a major highlight. Through creative activities, music, theatre, and the arts – such as contributing to \u2018Y Cowt\u2019 performances at the Anglesey Show, supporting Gwyl y Fenai and much more\u2014we saw new skills develop and young people finding their voice and their place in their communities. It is difficult to measure this kind of success against figures and targets. The achievements are far more personal than that, and this type of impact lasts well beyond the lifespan of any single project.<\/p>\n

Tafarn yr Iorwerth<\/strong><\/p>\n

One particular example was the work of Tafarn yr Iorwerth in Bryngwran. As a community pub that has become a vibrant hub for the area, it used financial support from \u2018Balchder Bro\u2019 to celebrate ten years of community ownership. Two nights of Welsh-language music were organised featuring bands such as Bwncath and Celt, bringing together over 400 people to celebrate not only the pub\u2019s success but also the strength of the Welsh language and the local community.<\/p>\n

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As Nev Evans from Tafarn yr Iorwerth said, “without the support of Balchder Bro, we wouldn’t have been able to hold such a large and successful event.” Those words perfectly sum up the project.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Communities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seeing communities succeed lies at the heart of everything we do at Menter M\u00f4n. That is the driving force behind my role here. We believe in helping communities become prosperous, resilient, and confident\u2014places where the Welsh language thrives and where people feel they can make a difference in their own local area.<\/p>\n

The project evaluation shows that Balchder Bro has made a meaningful contribution to strengthening communities, supporting the Welsh language, improving well-being, and fostering a sense of local pride across Anglesey.<\/p>\n

The future<\/strong><\/p>\n

We welcome discussions with partners and potential funders who could help us bring the next chapter of Balchder Bro to life.<\/p>\n

What has become abundantly clear through the evaluation is that investing in people, communities, culture, and the Welsh language works. The social and cultural benefits resulting from this work extend far beyond the funding period itself.<\/p>\n

Thank you \/ Diolch<\/strong><\/p>\n

To everyone who was part of Balchder Bro\u2014whether as a volunteer, partner, participant, or supporter, we would like to say a huge thank you. You make our role much easier and far more enjoyable!”<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":4054,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-4053","newyddion","type-newyddion","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mentermon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newyddion\/4053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mentermon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newyddion"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mentermon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newyddion"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mentermon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mentermon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}