Welsh Liberation

Fighting for language and culture is an inherent part of our culture in Wales - whether back in the fifth century when defending the Old North in the face of the responses of the Saxons or in the protests of the twentieth century for the language to be officially elected.

This is a page for some dates that mark the importance and history of the Welsh language and Welsh culture.

UMCA

Since the very beginning, the Aberystwyth Welsh Students' Union has been part of this fight. UMCA was founded in 1973 in order to give a voice to Welsh students and was a catalyst for a campaign for the language across Welsh universities with the establishment of UMCA ultimately prompting the establishment of Welsh Student Unions in Bangor and Cardiff.

UMCA is an organisation that represents and voices the opinions of Welsh students socially, academically and politically in the Aber Union, across the university and nationally. From organizing Welsh-medium social events to voicing opinions on national academic committees, UMCA has a key role in creating and maintaining an environment where Welsh students can live completely through the Welsh language.

Pantycelyn

One of his most influential roles is the political role. A number of developments for the Welsh language at the university are due to the activity of UMCA students across the years.
Their most obvious fight was probably their fight to defend Pantycelyn Hall when the university threatened to close the hall as a Welsh-medium hall of residence in 2013. This prompted the Save Pantycelyn campaign which led to several protests, the students occupying the residential building and even over 30 students threatening to fast.

Thanks to the campaign, Neuadd Pantycelyn has now been renovated and is the heart of the Welsh community in Aberystwyth, in the hope that this will continue for decades to come.