English university’s radio station gets two-hour-long Welsh language show

An English university’s radio station now has its own two-hour-long Welsh language show.

Bristol University’s radio station, Burst Radio, will broadcast the Welsh language show between 3pm and 5pm every Monday.

The show has been set up by Dafydd Hedd, an economics student from Bethesda in Gwynedd.

The show called Y Calendr will play a variety of Welsh language music.

Dafydd Hedd told Newyddion S4C that the show started as a podcast but was then put on the radio.

“The podcast started out trying to help people in the Welsh music scene,” he said. “We were doing interviews with artists so that people could recognise them and find out what they were about.

“Then I just took that idea and put it on a radio show. There was no real Welsh language cultural hub Bristol and the station hoped that they could help me with that.”

Mae’r myfyriwr @DafyddHedd o Fethesda wedi sefydlu sioe radio Gymraeg Y Calendr ar orsaf radio Prifysgol Bryste. 📻 🎓🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿https://t.co/eTzJzuCByJ pic.twitter.com/NkcDdyWEHf

— Newyddion S4C (@NewyddionS4C) October 16, 2022

Dafydd Hedd added that there was a strong Welsh language community at the university that would tune into his show.

“There are a lot of people who come from Wales studying in Bristol and I think it’s nice that you can get a taste of home because a lot of new freshers can feel like they miss the Welsh language,” he said.

“There are a lot of people from the north that I talk to, if you go to a club and you see a person in a Gareth Bale t-shirt and they speak Welsh it’s an absolutely great feeling.

“That’s the feeling I want, by helping people out in Bristol who make great music, but also to have a voice and a boost to Welsh culture at the university.”