GwirVol As Right As Rain At The Eisteddfod.

The 2010 Eisteddfod went down a storm, both in terms of numbers attending and also literally – unfortunately Wales’s summer weather was more gloomy than glowing this year but thankfully this didn’t dampen the spirits of people who attended the festival!

When arriving at the Eisteddfod, swarms of people were spread out all over the area. There were people arriving on buses, coaches, in cars, by foot – proving that the Eisteddfod is just as successful now as it ever has been. After dashing through the barriers of people at reception, I was finally in the Maes, ready to embrace the Welsh culture.

GwirVol, was situated in the Sbardun Pavilion (undercover fortunately!), hosted by Wales Council for Voluntary Action. The marquee included a number of organisations that offer volunteering opportunities in Wales. GwirVol’s stand was covered in leaflets, brochures, fliers and all other promotional material that advertised GwirVol. Our stand also had freebies which we cunningly used as an incentive for potential volunteers. These included GwirVol branded notebooks, pens and even digital clocks! With all this free information and giveaways, our stand became prominent with colours of pink and blue splashed about on it.

Whilst strolling along the Maes, it was apparent how many diverse stalls there were. From arts and crafts made out of recycled materiel to stands that gave away free native trees! Oh yes, it was diverse all right, and with 186 Stallholders there was bound to be something that interested everyone at the Eisteddfod. The stalls which created the most buzz (other than GwirVol of course), was The British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research Wales, The Woodland Trust and a retailer named the Calon Company. The British Heart Foundation had lots of friendly and informative volunteers ready to spill the facts on ways to lead a healthy lifestyle. It was also easy to identify that the Woodland Trust was a hit with the attendees as almost everyone there had a tree poking out of their bag! Vintage fabric retailer Calon Company, stopped people in their tracks when they stumbled across their stall. Washing-up liquid aprons, colourful, Welsh slogan embroidered pillows and door stops filled with lavender flowers which double up as a room scent were just a few of the quirky things on offer at the stand.

When midday arrived it was time to assess the traditional culinary of Cymraeg. In every food marquee there were Welsh snacks, drinks, nibbles and treats. People could feast on Cawl, chomp on Bara Brith and even guzzle on organic Welsh milkshakes, Daioni. A mere glance at the mouth-watering display of honey-glazed cakes, sticky sponged puddings and jam-filled treats was enough to break my three month diet for a few cheeky Welsh cakes!

After a sugar boost, we were brimming with energy and ready to make the GwirVol name known. One of the leaflets we had was a simple questionnaire about young people’s views of volunteering and there was also a section that enabled budding volunteers to sign up to volunteering. For every 16-25 year old we could spot; we would approach them and ask them if they could take part in our questionnaire. The response we got was phenomenal and it proved that young people in Wales today are interested and concerned with helping out their community and giving something back, and learning this has given me even more pride in being Welsh. GwirVol’s appreciation doesn’t go unrewarded though, and we informed everyone who filled out the questionnaire that we would be putting their entry into a random prize draw to win some high street vouchers. Yes, we know we’re a lovely bunch and the winner of the questionnaire was Sion, 19 from Cardiff who has previously volunteered with Maes B and the Under-construction Festival.

After we filled up the GwirVol volunteering box it was sadly time to leave the Eisteddfod. Whilst taking in the beautiful Welsh scenery of the giant grassy mountain tops and the huge dips of the valleys, my mind summoned up the days events. Welsh slogan embroidered pillows, meeting many Welsh people, devouring on Welsh delicacies, it’s apparent that there are so many businesses in Wales that link their trade with Welsh things, simply out of love and admiration for their Country, and it has made me appreciate just how much pride and culture this country really has.