{"id":14198,"date":"2024-06-11T15:51:18","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T13:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ceidiog.com\/pr\/?p=14198"},"modified":"2024-06-11T15:51:18","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T13:51:18","slug":"bistro-at-ex-sailing-loft-in-idyllic-seafront-location-creates-10-new-jobs-and-puts-wind-under-wings-of-welsh-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ceidiog.com\/pr\/pr\/bistro-at-ex-sailing-loft-in-idyllic-seafront-location-creates-10-new-jobs-and-puts-wind-under-wings-of-welsh-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Bistro at ex-sailing loft in idyllic seafront location creates 10 new jobs and puts wind under wings of Welsh language"},"content":{"rendered":"

A \u00a3500,000 investment by an ex-TV company boss and his opera singing wife has breathed new life into an historic 19th<\/sup> century seafront building in North Wales<\/p>\n

The transformation of the old sailing loft in Felinheli in Gwynedd into a bistro and bar brimming with industrial chic has created 10 jobs \u2013 and put wind under the wings of the Welsh language.<\/p>\n

Called Llofft (Welsh for loft), it was originally where the canvas sails were made and mended when the village was a bustling port with ships carrying iconic Welsh slate all over the world when the industry was in its heyday.<\/p>\n

At various times since then, it\u2019s been a bakery and a caf\u00e9 but the building had fallen into serious disrepair before it was rescued by local couple Dylan Huws and Elen ap Robert.<\/p>\n

From the outset they decided that the Welsh language was going to be central to their offering so the menus and the marketing are mainly bilingual with the Welsh version first, though some of the signage is just in Welsh.<\/p>\n

Now Llofft has been shortlisted for an award at the Gwobrau Mwyaf Cymraeg yn y Byd (Most Welsh in the World Awards) organised as part of the Bwrlwm ARFOR scheme that\u2019s run by Anglesey-based consultancy firm Lafan.<\/p>\n

The aim of the competition is to celebrate all things Welsh in business across the four counties with the highest percentage of Welsh speakers, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Gwynedd and Anglesey.<\/p>\n

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Aberystwyth and Dylan and Elen are thrilled to have been shortlisted in the category for the Most Welsh Space.<\/p>\n

The venture is a labour of love for Dylan, the former owner and managing director of the Caernarfon-based television production company, Cwmni Da, where he masterminded its transition into an employee-owned trust.<\/p>\n

Dylan, whose grandfather and great-grandfather were both seafarers, said: \u201cWe felt there was an opportunity to create something special with a building that\u2019s been at the heart of the community for centuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been open for less than a year and we have unbelievable support from the community and the wider area.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Welsh language is very important to us here in Felinheli because it remains a bastion of the language so we\u2019re continuing the tradition\u00a0of the natural use of the Welsh language within these four walls<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Welsh language is part of our business plan as much as anything else because we want to see the Welsh language being used and it\u2019s integral to all that we do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope that it\u2019s a place where the local community can come and feel that there\u2019s a Welsh welcome but also anyone else who\u2019d want to hear the Welsh language being used or who want to try out their Welsh or maybe read a menu that\u2019s bilingual.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have some things that are in Welsh only and people can work things out for themselves \u2013 for example, there\u2019s no need to translate words like caffi and toiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe word Llofft\u00a0 can be challenging with both the \u2018ll\u2019 and the \u2018ff\u2019\u00a0 but it gives people something to talk about and is actually quite easy to understand in English.<\/p>\n

Wife Elen, who sang professionally as an opera singer and was the first artistic director of the Pontio centre in Bangor, added: \u201cThe Welsh language is holding its own in Felinheli and we want to use it in a confident and natural way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve also tried to get all our IT through the medium of Welsh and the dockets come up from the front of house to the kitchen all in Welsh, so the chef and kitchen staff see the meals required all in Welsh.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe use local suppliers for our ingredients including our meat and we have our own blend of coffee, Coffi Llofft, that\u2019s made for us by Coffi Eryri in Conwy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s important to us that we do all of this in a non-preachy way that is fun and inclusive. The staff are friendly, chatty and cheerful.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very proud to have been shortlisted for the award and proud to have co-operated with ARFOR to finance some of this project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Equally delighted is chef Josh Arrindell, originally from Bristol, who travelled the world cooking in countries as far afield as Australia and New Zealand, before meeting and falling in love with his Welsh-speaking partner, Lily McDonald, from Bethesda.<\/p>\n

The couple now have a seven-week-old daughter and Josh said: \u201cI am loving it here.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s really important for me to understand the culture of Wales and learn the language.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best way to learn Welsh is to immerse yourself in it and that what I get here.<\/p>\n

There is a strong sense of community in Felinheli and it\u2019s a stronghold of the Welsh language.<\/p>\n

\u201cLlofft has a very enlightened and inclusive approach to the Welsh language and they have made me feel very welcome and very eager to show me the ropes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m passionate about learning and I want to be fluent \u2013 it\u2019s not as scary as you might think.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn top of that, I work in an open kitchen with an idyllic view looking across the Menai Strait towards Anglesey. It really is amazing and I pinch myself every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The purpose of the competition is to encourage businesses to use Welsh to boost their bottom line \u2013 and put a smile on people\u2019s faces at the same time.<\/p>\n

It certainly seems to have succeeded with dozens of entries finally whittled down to 30 finalists in seven different categories.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for ARFOR said: “Our aim is to create a buzz around the use of Welsh in a business or commercial environment and how it can help businesses thrive and provide careers for our young people so they don’t feel they have to move away.<\/p>\n

“We have received dozens of nominations from a variety of businesses across the four counties of Ynys M\u00f4n, Gwynedd, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire and those shortlisted for an award are those the judges feel are doing their utmost to use and promote the Welsh language on their premises, their marketing and their social media channels.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have 30 finalists and we are conducting a public vote on social media.<\/p>\n

“We wish all of them the very best of luck at the forthcoming award ceremony and hope the other nominees continue their good work in using and promoting our language.”<\/p>\n

The Bwrlwm ARFOR campaign is part of the ARFOR Two scheme that was launched in 2022 in succession to the 2019 ARFOR programme to continue to strengthen and promote the economic resilience of the Welsh language in the four counties.<\/p>\n

ARFOR Two is intended to provide economic support to communities that are strongholds of the Welsh language, increase opportunities to see and use the Welsh language on a daily basis and help young people under the age of 35 to stay in or return to their communities.<\/p>\n

For more information about Bwrlwm ARFOR and the support that\u2019s available for the use of Welsh in business contact Lafan by emailing <\/strong>post@lafan.cymru<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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