Our dedicated team in Wrexham library have been recognised as this year’s Welsh Library Team of the Year Award.
It was awarded to them after they wowed the judges with how hard they have worked to grow and promote the Welsh language and celebrate our local heritage and culture in our libraries.
The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) have been celebrating library and information teams across Wales since 2020. There are various award categories up for grabs and this year, our Wrexham team bagged the top spot in the “Welsh life” category.
Making an impact
Throughout 2025, the Wrexham library team have gone above and beyond to celebrate the Welsh language by hosting a variety of activities. One of the major ways the team helped support the language was through their help during the Eisteddfod that took place in Wrexham over the summer.
Visitors to the library may recall the public exhibition they hosted which exhibited the National Eisteddfod’s crown and chair. This gave the public a unique opportunity to view the physical symbols of the competitions.
They ran a promotional campaign of Welsh authors throughout the build up and run of the festival who were previous and current Eisteddfod winners.
Welsh language story time sessions for children were arranged on the site of the Eisteddfod as well as the regular bilingual story and rhyme sessions that are held at the library. This included a visit from Magi Ann to the library for those in attendance.
Members of the conversational Welsh language group which is aimed at beginners, which takes place at the library, held their own mini-Eisteddfod.
Celebrating the language
Across the county, the library service held many Welsh language author talks and featured them at the popular Wrexham Carnival of Words in April. This saw local and Welsh language authors come together to discuss their work, favourite literature and the shared passion for both Wrexham and North Wales.
The library advanced their mission to increase Welsh speakers and align with the Welsh Government’s ‘Cymraeg 2050’ by serving as a vital resource for Welsh learners and the existing Welsh-speaking community.
This was achieved by providing learning materials and resources for all ages and access to a huge selection of Welsh language books.
In partnership with Mudiad Meithrin and Menter Iaith Fflint a Wrecsam, the library services were able to host reading groups, activities and conversational sessions so that people could integrate the language outside the education system.
Pride in local history and culture
Wrexham library held a whole host of exhibitions and events to celebrate the rich local history we have. In September, “Gresford: Voices From the Archives” was an event which displayed previously unseen documents connected to the Gresford Colliery Disaster.
It marked the 91st anniversary of the tragedy and it gave visitors a very poignant opportunity to view items such as letters from family members of the victims and petitions.
Over two days, several hundred people visited the exhibit which was hosted in collaboration between Wrexham Library, The National Archives, North East Wales Archives and Wrexham Archives Service.
Wrexham library also collaborated with the National Library of Wales to bring the installation of “Clip Corner” to our library. It gives the public access to The Wales
Broadcast Archive, which holds almost a century of broadcasting material from BBC Cymru Wales, ITV Cymru Wales, S4C and The National Library of Wales Screen and Sound Archive collections.
Honouring the greats
Ellis Humphrey Evans was professionally known as Hedd Wyn. He was a Welsh language poet who was tragically killed on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele during WW1.
“A Pack of Five” is a short film based on Hedd’s life. The film and music score was written and produced by BAFTA Cymru Qualifying Director John Parr. A screening of the film was held at Wrexham library and was introduced by John Parr himself.
Hedd Wyn’s niece also introduced the film and took part in a Q & A with Parr after the screening.
Upon hearing the news of the award, Councillor Beverley Parry-Jones, Lead Member with responsibilities for libraries said “The team at Wrexham Library Service always works hard for our customers and to be recognised for our contribution to growing the Welsh language and preserving our Welsh heritage is phenomenal.
“The team always comes together, particularly in challenging times, for the benefit of our communities – offering activities and library stock to increase knowledge and understanding of our Welsh language and culture. This year has seen new and successful partnerships being formed which will continue for years to come. The dedication of the team is simply amazing – always creative, going beyond what is expected of them and always ready for a challenge.”
Echoing the sentiments, Councillor Hugh Jones, Welsh Language Champion, said “The work undertaken to uphold and celebrate the Welsh language in our community by our library services is tremendous. Their dedication to our beautiful language is very admirable. Thanks to the work they do, we are assuring that our culture and heritage gets the recognition it deserves. I would like to congratulate them on receiving the Welsh Library Team of the Year Award as it is thoroughly deserved. Long may their successes continue. I extend my sincere thanks to them for their tireless efforts”.
