Dear Parents/Guardians,

In March 2024, Welsh Government announced £350,000 of funding to be provided to the National Eisteddfod to enable eligible families from lower income households to attend the festival in Rhondda Cynon Taf. This means that free admission tickets and food vouchers will be available for up to 18,400 eligible local people when the National Eisteddfod visits Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, Pontypridd, from 3 rd -10th August 2024. The National Eisteddfod is the largest cultural festival in Europe, held in a different part of Wales every year. You can find out further information about the Eisteddfod and what to expect by visiting www.eisteddfod.cymru. For those families interested in applying for a free admission ticket and food voucher, priority will be given to: • Families that have pupils aged 6-16 that are eligible for a free school meal as detailed on the RCT website – www.rctcbc.gov.uk/EN/Resident/SchoolsandLearning/FreeSchoolmealsApplyfor freeschoolmeals.aspx (Please note that anyone aged 5 and below, before 11th August 2024, will already be allowed to gain access to the National Eisteddfod for free). • Families residing in the highest areas of deprivation as identified by the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) (https://www.gov.wales/welsh-indexmultiple-deprivation-2019-analysis-relating-areas-deep-rooted-deprivation). To register your interest please complete this simple online form – www.rctcbc.gov.uk/RCTEisteddfodFamilyTicket.

Closing date to register your interest is Friday 24th May 2024. Should you have any questions or would like assistance completing the form, please email Eisteddfod2024@rctcbc.gov.uk. NOTE: By completing the form, it is no guarantee that you will receive a free admission ticket and food voucher. If you are successful, you will hear from the Eisteddfod by the end of July. Yours sincerely, Gaynor Davies Director of Education and