American Welsh learner returns to Rhondda roots for historic statue unveiling

Nation Cymru staff

A Welsh learner will be travelling from North Carolina to the Rhondda later this month for the unveiling of a statue of her great aunt, Elizabeth Andrews, as part of the Monumental Welsh Women project.

The statue, made by artist Billie Bond, will be unveiled at the Rhondda Heritage Park on 25 June. Elizabeth Andrews was the first woman organiser for the Labour Party in Wales and is remembered for campaigning to improve living and working conditions for mining families.

During the visit, Maura High is eager to practise her Welsh.

She follows a weekly online lesson with Learn Welsh Cardiff which is run by Cardiff University, on behalf of the National Centre for Learning Welsh. She also practises by watching S4C, listens to podcasts, and uses Welsh Facebook groups to improve her language skills.

The National Centre for Learning Welsh leads the Learn Welsh for adults sector. The Centre’s main aim is to create Welsh speakers who enjoy using the language by providing a national strategy and Welsh language learning services.

The Centre leads programmes for communities, workplaces, specific sectors such as Health and Care and the Education Workforce, as well as for young people and families. More people than ever are learning Welsh through the Centre, with over 20,000 learners using their services during 2024–2025.

Connection

Maura shared: “I started learning Welsh during the pandemic to feel closer to my family. It has helped me understand the world my great aunt Elizabeth lived in and the life she led. Finally having the opportunity to speak Welsh in Wales will be a very special feeling.’’

Although Maura was born in the Rhondda, she spent her childhood abroad in Malaysia, Jamaica, and Pakistan due to her father’s military career. Following her father’s death, she returned to Wales at the age of 10 to attend Monmouth School for Girls – a boarding school where her mother took up the role of caterer.

During the school holidays, Maura lived with her grandmother in the Gurnos in Merthyr Tydfil, where two of her cousins still live today. After studying at Bristol University and teaching in Nigeria, Maura eventually moved to the United States, where she has worked as a teacher, translator, poet, and editor.

Maura is visiting Wales for eight days with her daughter and granddaughter, who is a student in New York.

Maura is very much looking forward to the trip, and to returning to her roots in south Wales, as she explained: “I can’t wait to see the statue in the Rhondda.

“I have travelled a lot over the years, but my heart is still in the valleys. Standing there with my daughter and granddaughter will be a very emotional experience, I’m sure.”