Wales Week London, the largest annual programme of events celebrating and promoting Wales, kicks off this weekend.
Running for two weeks until March 5th the initiative - which is now in its seventh year - will deliver around 100 activities and events, helping to celebrate Wales’ heritage and culture while promoting the country globally. The wide range of events will cover areas such as business, architecture, the arts, sport, food and drink, as well as featuring celebrity interviews.
It builds on the success of the last six years, during which time some 56,000 people have attended 540 events at more than 80 different venues across London.
Chair of the Wales Week London initiative, Dan Langford, said: “Every year I’m always surprised by the incredible enthusiasm we continue to see from all our partners, event organisers and friends – both long-standing ones, who join us for Wales Week London every year; and new sponsors, event organisers and supporters, who we attract each year. It’s genuinely humbling, and it always gives our preparations a real boost when we know there is so much energy and ideas that they bring with them. Their ongoing contribution is just incredible, and it’s fundamental to the initiative’s enduring success.”
Wales Week London also works closely with Welsh diaspora groups in London, and both the Welsh and UK governments. This year will also see St David’s Day receptions hosted by the Swiss, French and American governments.
Mr Langford said: “Wales Week is very much about partnerships; we attract and coalesce the goodwill, imagination and energy of so many wonderful people and organisations under one Wales Week banner, through which we promote them, their brands, their activities, and together we make a huge amount of Welsh noise.
“This drives our purpose of commemorating our national day, celebrating Welsh culture and heritage, and promoting a modern Wales to the rest of the world.”
New sponsors for 2023 include Gerald Eve, Admiral, Atradius, RBC Brewin Dolphin and the Football Association of Wales.
In recent years, the Wales Week initiative has also expanded to other locations around the world with simultaneously events including those in New York, Paris, Kansas, Melbourne, Tokyo and Dublin. For first time this year there will also be events in Detroit, Las Vegas and across the north east of England.
Mr Langford said:, “Our worldwide destinations change each year depending on the availability of our friends and volunteers, but we have a growing number of people around the world interested in joining us to run a Wales Week programme where they are – we’re reliant on their time, goodwill and energy, which they volunteer every year. It’s so humbling to attract such good people to be involved in this way – and by doing so they are tremendous ambassadors for Wales around the world.
This year, Wales Week London is also continue to support good causes, such as sponsoring the Support a School programme from Swansea-based 2B Enterprising to deliver activity sessions at Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain; sponsoring the Welsh Art Exhibition held at the London Welsh Centre, and with the help of Lexington Corporate Finance, has collaborated with Welsh artist Nichola Hope in publishing a book on Welsh art and poetry. All proceeds from sales will go to Wales Week in London’s designated charity Velindre, for which to date it has raised £125,000 for.
Wales Week London, which was first held in 2017, was founded by marketing and communications consultant, Mr Langford, and Mike Jordan, managing director of branding agency Bluegg.
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