THE new committee formed in Abergav-enny to raise money for the 2004 National Eisteddfod in New-port has pledged to contribute £10,000.

At a public meeting at Ysgol Gymraeg Y Fenni, the committee members were chosen and accepted an invitation from the mayor, Councillor Alan Breeze, (pictured) to hold their first fundraising evening in the mayor's parlour on Tuesday, December 10.

This will be a coffee evening, with a raffle, when future fundraising ideas will be discussed, and anyone interested in helping raise money for the eisteddfod's return to Greater Gwent is welcome.

The chairman of the 2004 executive committee, Dr John Hughes, of Newport, said the event was known as the largest cultural event in Europe, which attracted between 150,000 and 200,000 people during the week.

It will be held in Tredegar Park, Newport, between July 31 and August 7, 2004, and there is hope that the bid by Monmouthshire county council to hold the event in 2010 or 2012 will be accepted.

Dr Hughes said the local community was expected to raise £230,000 towards the £2 million cost of staging the eisteddfod, and funraising committees had been set up all over the area.

He said: "You don't need the Welsh language to be able to appreciate most of the competitions, and there is always a translation machine for hire."

He said research had shown that hosting the eisteddfod generated more than £6 million in income for the area.

The National Eisteddfod's assistant organiser, Sioned Davies, said fund-raising committees in Newport East and Newport West had each pledged to raise £50,000 as their contribution to the 2004 event.

The mayor, Councillor Breeze, said: "The important thing is to spread the word of the cultural benefits to non-Welsh-speakers, and the communal benefits. You should aim for the widest possible audience."

The chairman of the new committee, Pwyllgor Apl Y Fenni (Abergav-enny Appeal Committee) is Lois Arnold, who can be contacted on 01873 856524.