Welsh education scholarship awarded to Cardiff Law student

For the second year running, a School of Law and Politics student has been awarded a prestigious William Salesbury Scholarship.

Heledd Ainsworth, a Law and Welsh (LLB) student originally from Llandysul, Ceredigion will receive the 2018 scholarship from the National William Salesbury Fund (Cronfa Genedlaethol William Salesbury). The fund awards two scholarships worth £5,000 to Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol students each year with the purpose of promoting and supporting Welsh-medium Higher Education. Heledd follows in the footsteps of last year’s winner Nest Jenkins who also studies at the School.

The Scholarships are named in honour of William Salesbury (c.1507 – c.1584), a noted scholar and the chief translator, in 1567, of the first New Testament into Welsh.

The Fund was established to give Welsh-medium Higher Education advocates the opportunity to contribute financially and support students who are studying 100% of their degree programme in Welsh, sponsored by the Coleg.

Heledd said of her achievement, “I am delighted to receive this coveted accolade. It recognises the importance of Welsh medium study to help provide a more bilingual legal and judiciary process. The scholarship will support and enhance my studies and further explore the use of minority languages within the legal system in other European countries.”

Although Heledd is in her first year at university she is already thinking ahead to the future and hopes that her degree will equip her with bilingual legal competence which will open doors to many areas within government, politics, local authorities, education and business. Whichever career she eventually chooses, Heledd’s intention is to remain in Wales.

Professor René Lindstädt, Head of the School of Law and Politics said, “Giving our Welsh students the opportunity to carry out their studies in their mother tongue is something which is incredibly important to the School of Law and Politics and it is fantastic to hear that Heledd will be assisted in her studies for the next three years because of this scholarship. We are proud to be the home school, not only of Heledd but of Nest Jenkins and Gwenllian Owen who work as ambassadors for Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. We are huge advocates of the work of the Coleg and hope that we continue to attract students to the School who choose to study our programmes in Welsh.”

Dr Gwenllian Lansdown Davies, Chair of the William Salesbury Trust said, “Rydym yn hynod falch o allu cefnogi myfyrwyr ym myd y gyfraith. Mae sicrhau bod myfyrwyr talentog, fel Heledd a Nest, yn cael cefnogaeth i astudio a datblygu mewn system gyfreithiol ddwyieithog yn rhan hanfodol o waith y gronfa."

“We are extremely proud of being able to support students studying law. Ensuring that talented students, like Heledd and Nest, receive support to study and develop in a bilingual legal system is an essential part of the fund’s work.”