Llais y Maes digital first

Cardiff University's Centre for Community Journalism in partnership with the National Eisteddfod of Wales has launched the first digital newspaper ever produced for the festival, called Llais y Maes (meaning Voice from the Field).

LlaisyMaes.com is a bilingual website which will be run by an editorial team of seven Cardiff University students.

The National Eisteddfod of Wales initially approached Cardiff University's Centre for Community Journalism last year to produce an experimental student-run blog on the festival. After the success of the project, the Centre for Community Journalism and the National Eisteddfod have launched a fully-fledged digital newspaper at this year's event.

Llais y Maes will provide an alternative view of the festival, showcasing a variety of events in and around the Eisteddfod, as well as interviews, films and photos documenting the most extraordinary sights on the Maes.

Toby Mott, an undergraduate Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies student from Bath, says: "I wanted to contribute to Llais y Maes because quite simply, it's the first of its kind. I'm hoping that the opportunity to help produce a digital newspaper for one of the world's greatest cultural festivals will not only allow me to hone my journalistic skills in a professional environment, but also give me an insight into what makes people return to the National Eisteddfod of Wales time and time again."

The Llais y Maes team will be encouraging festival goers to share their Eisteddfod stories by tweeting them @LlaisyMaes or using #llaisymaes on Twitter or Instagram. By bringing together the voices of the people attending the festival as well as those entertaining them, it is hoped that Llais y Maes will paint a unique picture of what life is really like during this annual cultural celebration.

The students will have access to the highest standard of journalism and digital media training from Emma Meese, Manager of the Centre for Community Journalism, and Sali Collins, Lecturer at the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies.

The Centre for Community Journalism (C4CJ) researches into this area and offers networking, information and training for community journalists. The Centre has just delivered a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Community Journalism, hosted by the Open University's FutureLearn platform, which attracted nearly 9,000 learners from 113 countries worldwide. Emma Meese, BBC Social Media trainer and former Producer, also delivers training sessions across Wales with a focus on digital skills and social media.

C4CJ is working with the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol through Sali Collins. Sali leads the Welsh medium provision at the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, and launches the Welsh language Journalism Studies undergraduate degree this year. As a former Head of BBC Radio Wales and Editor at BBC Radio 5 Live, Sali has more than twenty years' experience as a senior manager in news and current affairs in the broadcast industry, and is encouraging a new generation of journalists to take part in real-world work experience.