A music loving 92-year-old great-grandmother is spearheading an appeal to find veterans of the first ever Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in 1947.
Retired teacher Moira Humphreys was a member of the Coedpoeth Youth Choir who took to the stage at the inaugural festival which was established to promote peace in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Organisers are planning to present Moira and surviving fellow competitors from the historic first eisteddfod with commemorative medals to mark the 75th anniversary of the event.
The popular festival had to be cancelled in 2020 due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, before going online in 2021.
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Preparations are well underway for this year’s festival which starts on Thursday, July 7, and culminates with Llanfest on Sunday, July 10, when the eisteddfod are joining forces with the Llangollen Fringe Festival.
During the four-day event there will be a host of new attractions and activities on the revamped outdoor site, including music, dance, talks, comedy, food, drink, shopping, workshops and pop-up entertainment.
News that the eisteddfod is returning in a physical form this year was music to the ears of Moira Humphreys, from Coedpoeth, who has vivid memories of the very first one.
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Moira said: “It would be nice to know there are veterans like me still out there. It is a such gracious idea to recognise them in this anniversary year.”
“The first festival was held in 1947 but in the couple of years leading up to that there was a lot of hard work put in, fundraising locally and logistical planning, all of which helped to make it the success it has become today.”
Camilla King, the eisteddfod’s executive producer, said: "We are hugely grateful to Moira for helping in our bid to track down people who competed at the very first festival in 1947.
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“We would like to celebrate the important part they played in creating history and generating new hope at a time when the world was still reeling.
“We feel it is important to honour these peace pioneers who helped lay the foundations for this international treasure."
If you know of anybody who competed at the first Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in 1947 please contact Ceidiog Hughes by emailing ceidiog@ceidiog.com or ringing 07958 497592.
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