Bŵtcamp April 2023 - 24th to 1st May - Lampeter

Bŵtcamp Mis Ebrill 2023

After extensive discussion with the SSi management on the on-going viability of holding Bŵtcamps, we’re very pleased to announce that expressions of interest can now be sent in for the 2023 Bŵtcamps. It helps us, and you, to be able to make plans well ahead of time, so while this thread is about the April Bŵtcamp, you can also express an interest in any of the others.

All of the Bŵtcamps will be held in Llambed (Lampeter), Ceredigion - an area with a sizeable Welsh-speaking population - and the accommodation will be in the same large house as last year. Garth Newydd has 3 twin rooms and 3 single rooms available for bwtcampers.

As with previous Bŵtcamps, the most important rule for the week is the WELSH ONLY rule. Once the set up for the week has been explained in English during the introductory session, there will be only Welsh spoken until the Bŵtcamp is declared officially over.

Bŵtcamp is NOT a Welsh course. There are no “lessons” or class type activities. Rather it is a chance to have a total immersion holiday in Welsh - enjoying fun activities and outings, meeting new people, having new experiences, all through the medium of Welsh.

For that reason, the experience is most successful if you have a certain amount of Welsh under your belt already. A minimum is to have completed Level 1 SSiW, though if you’ve completed Level 2, you are likely to benefit more. It’s also useful if you’re already started using your Welsh a little with others - either face-to-face, or in a Zoom chat group - however, if you haven’t had that opportunity but feel confident you could cope in a Welsh Only situation, don’t hesitate to apply.

The cost for the week will be £600 (£500+VAT) for a Twin Room and £660 (£550+VAT) for a Single Room. As well as your accommodation this includes the organisation, admin and time spent by Nia and Deborah, your evening meal on the first night, and as many of the activities as we can budget for. There is more information on that at Bŵtcamps 2023.

If you’re interested in knowing more, send an email to deborah [AT] saysomethingin.com or click on my username and send me a Message.

We will be using the same booking system as trialled last year, rather than the pre-pandemic method which used to see places filled in 2 minutes and people missing out. Instead, we’re inviting applications from everyone who is serious about coming and we will look at how the group would fit with the accommodation available.

If there are more applicants than spaces, we will hold a live “lottery” on Zoom with all the names in a hat, and the lucky bŵtcampers will be selected at random. Those who miss out will have priority for subsequent Bŵtcamps.

Pob lwc!

EDIT: Note that just clicking on the saysomethingin.com doesn’t link to my email address. I’ve disguised it to deter spambots, so you need to put it together again, replacing the [AT] with @

1 Like

I am very interested in the April Bŵtcamp or the September one. I’d be happy to share a room.

1 Like

I replied to your email, but for some reason my response was flagged as Spam! So I’m glad you posted here as well :slightly_smiling_face:

I have sent out application forms and information sheets to those of you who gave a preference for the April bŵtcamp, and notified others who are on the Waiting List.

Please check your email, including your Spam if you think you should have received something, and contact me if there’s nothing there.

If you’ve received an offer of a place and an application form, please respond ASAP to let me know if you’ll be accepting, or not, if you’ve changed your mind.

Time is of the essence to get this Bŵtcamp organised, so I’d appreciate a quick turnaround.

We’ve had 1 man who was sharing a twin room pull out from this bŵtcamp, so I urgently need another man to take his place.

I’ll contact those of you who have indicated that you could be interested in this bŵtcamp already, but if there is anyone else out there, please let me know. Even if you’re not in the “male willing to share a twin” category, still let me know. I may be able to juggle people about and allocate different rooms rather than cancel the bŵtcamp.

Diolch!

Latest news - I now have another man to fill in that place, but it’s always good to have some reserves, so if you could make the April Bŵtcamp and you’re happy to be on the Backup List that would be great.

I m Bryan, going on the next Bwtcanmp this Monday… I am looking forward to meeting you all, but with some trepidation as I feel sure you are much more fluent than I am. I have had a house near Fishguard for 36 years, have been studying Welsh for about 5 years, have been once to Nant Gwthern, and am half way through level two on SSIW… But I have had little speaking practice, and still find it difficult to understand. Hopefully I will be fluent after our week together! I have been much encouraged by the short video of Anthony Cusack from the NHS (GIG), sent to us by SSIW, telling us why he is learning Welsh. He enjoyed his first Bwtcamp so much that he went on a seond one! See you on Monday.

1 Like

Shwmae Bryan, I’m Gareth and recently stayed at Garth Newydd with some others in the SSiW clwb cerdyn post. I live near Basingstoke in Hampshire. My speaking practice is mainly with another learner from Cheltenham and whilst I find this useful, as neither of us is fluent we stumble along together. I’m hoping this Bŵtcamp pushes me along a bit faster. Gwnes i ddechrau dysgu Cymraeg ym 2019. Welai i ti yng Nghymru dydd Llun nesaf.

1 Like

Hi All,

I’m Sue. I live in South Shropshire, not far from the Welsh border, but the wrong side of course!

I started to learn Welsh seriously during lockdown after many years of feeling ashamed that although I was born and brought up in Wales and it was the language of both my grandmothers, I couldn’t actually speak the language to any degree at all. Thanks to SSiW I can now (to a degree) but I’m not very confident about it - or about understanding quickly enough when someone speaks to me.

I’m able to get practice speaking with a friend who in the same town but we only met though Nia when we separately started SSiW and joined the video chats. We go walking together and now both go to a small monthly ‘Clwb Clonc’ that recently started here.

Wanting to get more confident, I joined the Welsh Winter Traditions weekend at Garth Newydd, earlier in the year and it has helped a bit I think. I’m now quite excited about the challenge of committing to Welsh only for a whole week, but not without trepidation though!

Looking forward to meeting you all,

Wela chi gyd yn fuan

1 Like

Helo. Darren Roberts dw i ac dw i’n byw yn Nhrefynwy. Dw i’n dod yn wreiddiol o Wrecsam. Dysgais i Gymraeg yn yr ysgol nes on i’n un deg pedwar oed. Oedd fy Nhad yn siarad Cymraeg ond byth gartref. Dw i wastad wedi bod eisiau siarad Cymraeg yn rhugl ,cymaint a phosibl. Felly, dyma fy nghyfle!
Edrych ymlaen
Daz

1 Like

Hello Bryan, Gareth, Sue and Daz,

I’m Terry, coming down from Kendal. Level 1, plus phone tutorials with a Nant Gwytheyrn teacher for six months during pandemic (my booked week there cancelled) and then a gap and then Level 2. Very little conversation at all. My middle initial is ‘T’ and that stands for ‘trepidatious’. Looking forward to meeting you all. Safe journeys all round.

1 Like

Shwmae! Helo to all the April Bwtcampers!

I feel like I’ve already got to know you all to some extent after being in contact over these last couple of months, but I’m really looking forward to meeting you all in person and spending next week having a great time together.

It may help the trepidatious amongst you to know that I’ve been through exactly what you’re going through now. I was still learning Welsh when I went on the first ever SSiW bŵtcamp, back in 2010. I hadn’t been learning very long at the time, and it seemed everyone spoke better and understood more than I did, but that didn’t stop me having a wonderful time with some never-to-be-forgotten moments.

Safe journey to you all and see you Monday!

2 Likes

Looking forward to meeting you all and welcoming you all to Garth Newydd.
I hope you enjoy the experience and all the activities we’ve got planned for you.

2 Likes

If anyone is wondering what the experience of bŵtcamp is like, here are a few videos made by participants in the April Bŵtcamp shortly before they left on the final Monday morning.

It seems YouTube won’t give an image if the video is under 1 minute, so a couple of them don’t have images. Just click on the link.

Sue from Church Stretton

https://youtube.com/shorts/CGO4L0aeDBk

1 Like
1 Like

Emily from Scotland and Tom from London

https://youtube.com/shorts/6xpGt8McZxM

1 Like

Bryan from London and Abergwaun

2 Likes

@bryanstevens wyt ti’n gwybod am hyn?

Yn Abergwaun ac Wdig- lleoliad newydd - Mannings ar y Wesh -ail ddydd Mercher y mis 2-3pm. Am ddim ond gofynnwn i chi brynu disied-a chacen efallai!- i gefnogi’r caffi.
Croeso i bawb, siaradwyr Cymraeg rhugl a dysgwyr

Fishguard and Goodwick- second Wednesday of the month 2-3pm, new location-Mannings on West Street, free but we ask that you buy a cuppa- and perhaps a cake!- to support the cafe.
All welcome-fluent Welsh speakers and learners at all levels.