BRECON’S Welsh language newspaper is to have a new editor when Gruff Roberts stands down more than 20 years after he was left “holding the baby”.

The retired headmaster has been the editor and chairman of Y Fan a’r Lle, the Welsh language community newspaper – or papur bro – for Brecon and district since its very first edition in 1996.

The quarterly newspaper is produced by a team of volunteers, led by Brecon resident Gruff, and distributed free inside The Brecon & Radnor Express.

Gruff became involved when Liz Owen-Jones, who at the time was a sales manager with the Bulwark-based newspaper, contacted him about producing a newsletter which to this day is packed with news from local Welsh medium organisations, from chapels to community groups, local villages and local characters.

“Liz Owen-Jones rang me up and said she wanted to do something for the Welsh language, like starting a papur bro, ‘would you give me a hand?’. I said yes I’d give a hand to start off and before I knew it Liz had transferred to the Cambrian News in Aberystwyth and I was left holding the baby, and have been ever since. 22 years. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and it is only my health that has forced me to stop,” said Gruff.

The paper held its annual general meeting last week when Gruff stepped down from the editorship. He also accepted the position of honorary chairman of the paper.

The paper will now be led by its vice chairman Sian Reeves who will also continue as an editor with Gwenno Hutchinson. At the meeting Gwerfyl Minchin, from Brecon, also joined as an editor.

Gruff, who is originally from Pwllheli, on the Llyn Peninsular in north Wales, moved to Brecon with wife Eifiona, who hails from Trecastle, in 1960 to start their teaching careers.

Gruff had accepted the post as peripatetic teacher in the Crickhowell area and Eifiona was appointed a headmistress.

“We had both been appointed on the same day to two different jobs. Eifiona was appointed headmistress of Aberpedwar CP School near Trecastle, it was a single teacher school. We both started in September 1960.”

Gruff later taught at Llanfaes Primary School before he was appointed as headmaster of Penderyn Primary School, which was in Breconshire at the time, but when he retired, after 22 years, in 1990 was in Mid Glamorgan.

Eifiona retired as deputy head at Brecon’s Welsh medium primary school Ysgol y Bannau in 1992. In 1994 the couple moved to Argentina for a year to work as volunteer Welsh teachers in Patagonia, where a Welsh speaking colony had been established in the 19th century.

The couple have three daughters and all three came to visit them in South America where one, Eleri, met her husband Tim, while travelling across the continent. Eleri and Argentinian farmer Tim still live in the country with their son, Gruff and Eifiona’s eldest grandchild, 16-year-old Machen.

Daughter Nia, who starred in Oscar nominated film Solomon and Gaenor as well as several S4C productions, lives in Cardiff and is married to film director Marc Evans. The couple have daughters Edith, 10, and Agnes, who is four next month.

Gruff and Eifiona’s other daughter Anna lives in Abergavenny with husband Paul, an ex-Army warrant officer, and works for the National Union of Journalists organising training courses.

It was only a short time after returning to Brecon that Gruff was pressed in to help with the launch of Y Fan a’r Lle – which translates as ‘the time and the place’ as well as being a pun on Pen y Fan – ready for its first edition in March 1996.

Gruff thinks the paper has helped boost the language in the area. “It created a lot of interest for a start among Welsh speaking people and also learners and teachers use it in Welsh language classes in schools and outside of the classroom.

“Several people also come to those of us involved and say why don’t you print in English as well as it looks so interesting.

“Welsh speaking people in Brecon have gained experience in writing in Welsh for the paper. They wouldn’t have used much Welsh during their education even those fluent in Welsh. My wife was taught in English in Trecastle and had hardly any Welsh lessons so it been good for written Welsh as well. We’ve had people send in news from the districts, some have been with us for 22 years, and they’ve had an experience they wouldn’t have been able to have if it wasn’t for the papur bro. It has given people reading material in Welsh which they’d perhaps not done much of previously. It has brought the Welsh language to the attention of people who do not speak Welsh but are anxious to learn and there are so many in this community who are anxious to learn and do a good job.”

Gruff said correspondents Jenny Gorman and Kate Thomas are among its local correspondents who have learnt Welsh.