Coron Eisteddfod Eryri - Urdd Gobaith Cymru

“This is the first time I have ever created a crown for the Urdd Eisteddfod,” explained John Price, a father of four,who is originally from Anglesey but has lived in Machynlleth for many years with his wife. But although this is thefirst time that he has worked on a crown for the Urdd, John is an experienced craftsman.“I have created well over a hundred crowns over the years, for a variety of eisteddfodau, including the Llandegfan,Anglesey, Powys and National Eisteddfodau. It is entirely a hobby for me but I get a huge amount of pleasure in theworkshop. It is thrilling to be asked to design a crown for the Urdd’s National Eisteddfod and I very much hope thatthere will be a winner to wear the crown in a few weeks’ time in Glynllifon!” he said.John describes the crown as a traditional one made from a band of silver, with a special couplet engraved in theband underneath the emblem of the Urdd, which has been enamelled in the colours of the organisation, red, whiteand green. The National Park, sponsors of the crown, held a competition to encourage young poets to compete tohave their work on the crown this year. The winner was 20 year old Gruffudd Antur, from Aelwyd Penllyn,Aberystwyth and the couplet has taken its rightful place in the centre of the crown: ‘Pery awen y llenor; Pan na fyddmynydd na môr.’ (When the seas and mountains have passed away; the writer’s muse will remain).“The mountains of Snowdonia are on each side of the Urdd emblem, with the word ‘Eryri’ and ‘2012’ engraved onthem and underneath the mountains are the lakes of Snowdonia. But these shapes also represent sailing on thewaves of the sea and the porpoises swimming in the water. On each side of the couplet are an acorn, an oak leafand two flowers… ‘from a tiny acorn grows a mighty oak’. What will the future bring for the young writer who winsthe crown? What will he or she have to offer us in the future? The Snowdon Lilly, a flower unique to Snowdonia,and the daffodil to represent the emblem of the National Park as sponsors also appear on the crown. Finally, thecap made of purple material conveys the wonderful colours of the local slate quarries and the mountain heather,”John explains.The crown, made of pure silver, will be presented to the winner for creating a piece or pieces of prose over 4,000words long on the theme of ‘Egin’ (Shoots). The competition will be judged this year by Catrin Dafydd and Meg Elis.Aneurin Phillips, Chief Executive of the Snowdonia National Park Authority said: “It is great honour for SnowdoniaNational Park Authority to be able to sponsor the crown for the Urdd National Eisteddfod Eryri 2012. The mountainsand the sea are the defining features of Snowdonia and that is the theme of the crown’s design. It has been createdwith such artistry and craftsmanship by John Price. We are also delighted to be part of the partnership with the Urddand the Countryside Council for Wales which will launch the Geraint George Scholarship, in memory of a man whodid so much to create opportunities for young Welsh-speakers to find work and enjoyment related to theenvironment.”Aled Siôn, the Director of the Urdd National Eisteddfod said: “We are very grateful to Snowdonia National ParkAuthority and to John Price for their commitment and dedication to one of the main Eisteddfod competitions thisyear. They have worked closely in designing and developing the crown and the finished work is well worth seeing.We are all hoping that there will be a worthy winner during the week and that someone will have the chance to takehome a really beautiful crown.”But John Price, the maker of the crown, will be absent from the festival at the start of the Eisteddfod week this year.Having retired after many years as a teacher of metalwork/CDT, he will be accompanying a group of women on avery special journey. The women, members of Merched y Wawr, led by Einir Wyn from Llŷn, will be cycling all theway from Swansea to the Urdd Eisteddfod at Glynllifon in order to raise money for research into ovarian cancer.