Prepared by Ida Wrzesień from Kolegium Karkonoskie in Jelenia Góra

Speaker three - Jill

My name is Jill Watkins and I live in Newport. I’ve got a husband, he’s retired. I work at market research. I am English although I have lived in Wales for 50 plus years. I have three children, six grandchildren. What else would you like to know?

Q: Do you think that there is an image of a Welsh person? Is there such a phenomenon as a Welsh person around?

A: Well really a north-welsh person from north Wales would speak welsh, and their very proud of their welsh language. But the south Walians don’t speak Welsh. We speak English. That’s the only difference I can think of. I mean they’re really proud of being Welsh.

Q: Don’t they have to learn …?

A: Oh they learn Welsh at school, my grandchildren, it’s part of their curriculum to learn Welsh. But unfortunately we don’t speak it as a language. So it’s really a little unnecessary. But it is keeping the welsh language going.   (It very much an educational school experience)

Q: What would you say are the markers of Welshness. Since we are in Wales right now, we are in the heart of Wales, we are in the capital. What would you define as such signposts of Welshness?

A: Very difficult to answer that. I don’t know. The language, their national costume. Have you seen their national costume? Yes   which is tall black hat (not very comfortable). No but the children put it on St. David’s day which is March the 1^st primary school children always dress in Welsh national costume and they have their welsh national cakes. They’ve got he Welsh cakes they mums bake on St. David’s day. That’s the main way of celebrating Wales. All signposts are in Welsh as well as in English, aren’t they?

Q: One more question concerning tourists. What in your opinion attracts people to come to Wales as tourists not necessarily the British people, all the tourists. What is attractive for them in Wales?

A: It’s the heritage I think. The old buildings, the castles.  Mean there’s loads and loads of castles in Wales. It’s their heritage, the history yeah, the tradition, yes.