() is a voluntary, non-political, organisation for women in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It is similar to the

Women's Institute The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organisation for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being th ...

(WI) but its activities are conducted through the medium of

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

. Its aims are to promote women's issues and to support culture, education and the arts in Wales.

History

was established in 1967 when the WI insisted on

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as the official language of the movement. There had been an historic use of Welsh in the WI, and with over two hundred and fifty branches in Wales this decision was unpopular. The WI branch in the village of Parc,

Llanycil Llanycil is a community in the county of Gwynedd, Wales, near Bala, and is 99.9 miles (160.7 km) from Cardiff and 176.2 miles (283.6 km) from London. In 2011 the population of Llanycil was 416 with 80.4% of them able to speak Welsh. Th ...

broke away from the movement and began Merched y Wawr, which would operate solely in Welsh. The movement grew quickly and in the late 1980s the organisation had over 10,000 members and more than 275 branches. In 1968, launched a quarterly magazine, (''The Dawn''), and embraced an anthem, (''My Language, My Land''), composed by David Jacob Davies and Elfed Owen. In 1975, the organisation's founder, Zonia Bowen, an atheist, left the organisation when began to embrace Christianity, contrary to the movement's non-denominational origins. has been involved in campaigning efforts ranging from support for the creation of a memorial to

Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn Gwenllian of Wales or Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn (June 1282 – 7 June 1337) was the second daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native Prince of Wales (). Gwenllian is sometimes confused with Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd, who lived two cent ...

to collecting oral history across Wales. Local branches typically meet once a month. The headquarters are in

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

; the hall there is a community resource, used by other charities and organisations in the area. In 2007 it had around 6,500 members.

References

External links

Merched y Wawr website
{{Authority control Organizations established in 1967 Women's organisations based in Wales Aberystwyth 1967 establishments in Wales Welsh language