THE Welsh Government has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of Welsh-medium education – and one Gwent family is already firmly behind it

Hywel Davies, 42, and wife Claire, 39, live in Fleur de Lys, near Blackwood, and have four children. They send their three eldest children, Macsen, eight, Talin, seven, and Efa, six, to Welsh-medium school Ysgol Gymraeg Trelyn, in Blackwood, despite the fact neither parent speaks fluent Welsh.

The couple believe that bringing their children up bilingually increases their skills and future opportunities.

Mr Davies, a teacher who works as a cover supervisor at Oakdale Comprehensive, has been learning Welsh sporadically since he left university. Mrs Davies, a nurse, speaks a little Welsh, but the couple claim not being Welsh- speakers has never stood in the way of their children’s Welsh education.

Mr Davies said: “I’ve been learning the hard way. Learning Welsh at school means you don’t have to take time out later on – I wish I’d gone through Welsh-medium education. The benefits are huge – both culturally and in terms of employability.”

.