A new collection of Welsh GIFs, which celebrate place names in Ceredigion, are now available.

The small images, which have been animated for digital platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, have been developed by primary and secondary school pupils in Ceredigion, in conjunction with the digital design company Mwydro from Caernarfon.

The project is part of the Hac y Gymraeg scheme and the aim is to raise awareness of local names and generate a discussion about them.

So far, schools in the north of the county have developed GIFs for Pontarfynach waterfalls, Nant y Moch, Pumlumon and Ystrad Fflur, and by September the aim is to compile 100 GIFs from different parts of the county.

Designer Sioned Young, from Mwydro, said: “I thought it would be great to collaborate with school pupils and give them a chance to design their own GIFs of Welsh place names in their area. It’s wonderful to be able to begin the work with Ceredigion schools. I have learned and developed my knowledge about the school’s local areas and about Ceredigion recently, and I’m sure to learn more during the coming months.”

Through funding by #HacyGymraeg Welsh Government and courtesy of Ceredigion County Council’s Language Charter, over 30 of the county’s schools will take advantage of a workshop by Mwydro. The project is a further creative development based on the work on habitats the schools have been a part of with the Language Charter during the past year. The Cynefin y Cardi comic was launched last year, along with a series of podcasts called Clonc Cynefin.

Bethan James, Assistant Head at Ysgol Mynach, added: “This is such a contemporary project which caught our pupils’ attention. The children had a great time researching, designing and developing their digital skills. Seeing the masterpieces which promotes our local area on the international social networks is a source of pride for us as a school.”

Councillor Wyn Thomas, Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet Member for Schools, Lifelong Learning and Skills, said: “This is an exciting and fantastic project for Ceredigion pupils to develop their digital skills and also to celebrate their local areas. The GIFs look great and they celebrate all the wealth we have in Ceredigion. Many congratulations, and I would encourage anyone who uses social media to take advantage of these catchy images.”

If you use social media, why not add a GIF to your image and put Ceredigion on the map? To view which images are available, visit Mwydro on GIPHY.

04/07/2023