Eisteddfod yr Urdd 2025 Chair and Crown unveiled

The Chair and Crown for Eisteddfod yr Urdd Dur a Môr 2025 were unveiled tonight (Friday, 9 May) during a special event at The Towers, Swansea.

Angharad Pearce Jones from the Brynaman area has designed and created the Chair, sponsored by Soar-Maesyrhaf Chapel. Nicola Palterman from Neath has created the Crown, sponsored by primary schools in the West Glamorgan Region.

Some of the final pieces of steel from Tata Steel’s works were used in the designs of the two prizes, paying tribute to the local industrial heritage of this year’s Eisteddfod yr Urdd, which will be held at Margam Park, Port Talbot.

Creating an Eisteddfod chair “a dream come true”

“Creating this year’s chair has been a wonderful privilege and a dream come true. It’s something that’s been on my wish list for many years,” says Angharad Pearce Jones, the award-winning artist who is originally from Y Bala, but who has lived in the Brynaman area for twenty years.

The chair is inspired by the local steel works and industry, and a combination of the Welsh steel and flat steel produced in Port Talbot was used to create it. Angharad was given a guided tour of the Tata Steel site and saw parts that were not visible from the main road, such as countless pipes, and these parts can be seen on the finished chair.

“I’m lucky that I had the last piece of Welsh iron ore from Tata’s works for the chair, and I was determined to create a chair that felt positive – a celebration rather than a sad symbol of the past. My intention was to create a contemporary and appealing chair for the young person who will hopefully win it. I want them to be able to enjoy the chair forever.”

Angharad is famous for her work with steel. She won the gold medal for fine art at the 2024 National Eisteddfod at Rhondda Cynon Taf, and she’s currently designing a permanent sculpture for the site of the Ruthin Craft Centre.

The chair is sponsored by the Soar-Maesyrhaf Chapel, Neath. Angharad visited this Welsh chapel while researching the history and the building for further inspiration: “Remarkably, the woodwork and the red and cream colours of the steelworks’ pipes were similar to the chapel’s colours. There was a strong sense of correlation between the two sites. Many of the Welsh-speaking people who used to attend the chapel were also employed in the steelworks, and the chapel will be reflected in the design as well.”

It’s clear that Angharad was thrilled at the opportunity, as the Urdd means so much to her. “I had a lot of fun and success competing on the Urdd stage with school choirs in Y Bala. Our school won the choir competition five years in a row. We were famous and we released a CD! I’ve competed in gymnastics, on the piano and as a soloist, and my daughter has just competed in the Urdd’s rugby 7s competition. We owe a great debt to the Urdd.”

The crown to feature diamonds “for the first time ever”

This year’s crown is sponsored by the primary schools of the West Glamorgan Region. They were looking for someone local to create the crown and Nicola Palterman jumped at the opportunity when asked.

“I’ve had several interesting design commissions over the years, from wedding rings to prizes such as the Prince William Cup, but this is the first crown,” explains the luxury jewellery designer. “My business partner, Laura Thomas, has designed a crown for the National Eisteddfod in the past, and now I’ve had the opportunity to design a crown for Eisteddfod yr Urdd!”

Born and bred in Neath, Nicola went on to study at the Birmingham School of Jewellery before being offered a job as a luxury jewellery designer at Aur Cymru, Dolgellau. She set up her own jewellery shop in Dolgellau 30 years ago, before deciding to establish a business back in her hometown. After sharing a studio and workshop with local jeweller Laura Thomas, the pair decided to merge their businesses and create ‘Jewel and Grace’ eighteen months ago.

In discussions with the sponsors and the local committee, everyone agreed that the culture and history of the area needed to be reflected in the design: “I wanted the design to be based on the steel and sea theme. The waves of the coastal landscape in the Aberavon area can be seen, while the birds are a strong symbol in this year’s Welcome Song and offer much hope for the future. But the design also recognises the importance of the steel industry, which has been the lifeblood of people over the years.

“The material is a striking combination of the ‘young’, shiny silver; tin coated with a layer of local steel from Tata’s works; and blue velvet that represents the maritime element on the cap. I’ve also added small blue diamonds to introduce an element of luxury that has been a hallmark of my work over the years. I think it’s the first time ever that the Eisteddfod yr Urdd crown contains diamonds!”

The Chairing ceremony will be held on the Thursday of the Eisteddfod, sponsored by the Ivor and Aeres Evans Trust. The Crowning ceremony will take place on the Friday of the festival, sponsored by Cardiff University.

The Urdd has extended thanks to the following for sponsoring the festival’s other main Medals and ceremonies:

• Monday: The Art, Design and Technology Medal and the Young Artist Scholarship’s ceremony is sponsored by Cronfa Elw William Park Jones.
• Tuesday: The Drama Medal is sponsored by Cymdeithas Ddrama Gymraeg Abertawe.
• Wednesday: The Welsh Learners Medal is sponsored by Learn Welsh Swansea Bay Region and the Bobi Jones Medal by Tŷ’r Gwrhyd, with the ceremony sponsored by the National Centre for Learning Welsh.
• Saturday: The Chief Composer Medal is sponsored by local choirs, namely Parti Llwchwr, Morriston RFC Male Voice Choir, Dunvant Male Voice Choir, Swansea Philharmonic Choir, Ospreys Choir, Côr Nedd.