The National Eisteddfod in Rhondda Cynon Taf gave the "Welsh language a platform and a boost to the economy" officials said.

The claim came at the end of a busy week of competition in the Pavilion and countless concerts, talks and other events on the Eisteddfod Maes in Ynysangharad Park in Pontypridd and bustle in the town.

The National Eisteddfod will be held in Wrexham, another urban area, in 2025.

A sub-postmaster, wrongly jailed jailed in the Post Office scandal, was honoured by the Gorsedd Cymru at this year’s National Eisteddfod.

Noel Thomas, from Gaerwen, Anglesey was given a standing ovation by the audience in the Pavilion. He was among the 49 people invested into the blue or green robes of the Gorsedd by the Archdruid of Wales, Mererid Hopwood, during a special ceremony at the Eisteddfod in Parc Ynysangharad, Pontypridd.

Also honoured were an asylum seeker, a popular broadcaster and a Wales rugby international and her mother.

The Archdruid was told Noel Thomas had "conscientiously and selflessly served his community for many years as sub-postmaster and county councillor".

But in 2006 he was sacked by the Post Office and jailed for false accounting. It was not until April 2021 that his reputation was restored when he was cleared of all charges against him in the Supreme Court. 

This year’s Welsh Learner of the Year is Antwn Owen-Hicks.  He was honoured in a special ceremony on Wednesday on the Pavilion stage, following a competition that attracted the highest number of entries ever. 

Eisteddfod officials said 45 individuals were interviewed this year with individuals from Wales and beyond nominated. The other three who came out on top were Joshua Morgan, Alanna Pennar-Macfarlane and Elinor Staniforth.

Eurgain Haf, who lives within a stone's throw of the Maes at Parc Ynysangharad in POntypridd was presented with the Prose Medal in a colourful ceremony led by Archdruid Mererid Hopwood. This year’s theme was a volume of creative prose not exceeding 40,000 words on the subject of 'Newid' (change). Eisteddfod officials said 14 entries were received. Eurgain, who wrote under the nome de plume of Manaia, wrote a novel called Morfarch Arian (Silver Seahorse). It tells the story of a family of four who all have their issues with mental well-being. The death of a grandmother plays an important part in the novel but the story is not without humour.

Antwn Owen-Hicks uses Welsh in his work with the Arts Council of Wales every day, and has been supporting and promoting Welsh artists for years. He grew up in a non-Welsh speaking household - his great grandmother was the last Welsh speaker in his family.

He became interested in his roots and the language as a student in London. He started learning when he returned to Wales and has completed several courses over the years including obtaining an A-Level in Welsh.

He is a founding member of Welsh folk band, Carreg Lafar, which has recorded four albums and performed across the UK, Europe and North America.

A Muslim service took  place on the National Eisteddfod Maes for the first time ever. The Now in a Minute group, who work to improve access for Muslims in Wales, worked with the Muslim Council of Wales and Cardiff University's Islamic Centre to create a mosque on the Maes on Ynysangharad Park.

Dame Siân Phillips also  enthralled a near capacity audience for an hour at the National Eisteddfod.

One of Wales' best-known actor she was in conversation with Steffan Donnelly about her life and career in performance and spoken word.

Volunteers are the backbone of the National Eisteddfod and without volunteers it would be difficult to stage the festival.

From the dozens of Rhondda Cynon Taf residents who have worked tirelessly to raise money to the hundreds who have shared their time during the Eisteddfod, their contribution is essential.

And the organisers of the festival and local agencies who have worked together to ensure the success of the Eisteddfod hope to take advantage of their enthusiasm contribute their time in the future.

Eisteddfod Volunteer Co-ordinator Morys Gruffydd said: "The success of the National Eisteddfod is dependent on the support and assistance of many volunteers, not only during the week but throughout the year and we grateful to everyone who is part of the team.”

Sir T H Parry Williams memorial award medals were presented to the two founders of Cwmni Theatr Maldwyn by the children of a man who was key to the success of the company.

Penri Roberts and Linda Gittins, together with the late Derek Williams, founded Cwmni Theatr Maldwyn for the Maldwyn National Eisteddfod in Machynlleth in 1981.

They both received the award, the first time ever that more than one person received the award at the same time, from Osian and Branwen Williams, children of the late Derek Williams for "offering invaluable experiences to young people from the countryside of mid Wales".

Over the past 40 years, Cwmni Theatr Maldwyn has provided invaluable experiences for young people in rural mid-Wales, and nurtured some of the most talented stars of UK musicals, with several starring in main roles in shows such as 'Phantom of the Opera' and 'Les Miserables'.

Until this year, the Medal has been presented to an individual who has made a real contribution in their local area, with a particular emphasis on working with young people. But this year, both Linda and Penri were honoured on the Pavilion stage.

Linda said: “I'm extremely proud to receive this Medal and very proud for Penri too. But as we accept the honour, we remember Derec. We worked as a trio, not as three individuals. The three of us founded Cwmni Theatr Maldwyn, and this Medal is as much for him as it is for us both.

"For the three of us, the show was important and its success and the enjoyment of the team and the cast was thanks in itself. I never imagined that we’d receive such an honour, so it was a great shcokc, and to be honest, I still can’t believe it,” she added.

Penri echoed Linda's comments by adding. "I’m grateful to the Eisteddfod for such an honour, and I’d like to say that we’re also accepting the Medal on behalf of the late Derec Williams. We were a trio composing and producing all the Cwmni Theatr Maldwyn shows and we were also three friends."

If you remember the scorching weather at the Cardigan National Eisteddfod in 1976 or, the strong winds in Tŷ Ddewi in 2002 or the rain in Anglesey seven years ago, researchers want your memories.

Tywydd Eisteddfodol (Eisteddfod Weather) is a new project by geographers and writers from the Departments of Geography and Welsh at Aberystwyth University and they will have a 'pop-up' stand on at the National Eisteddfod in Pontypridd with their partners the Eisteddfod, the Urdd, the National Library of Wales and Cymdeithas Edward Llwyd.

Dr Cerys Jones, Dr Hywel Griffiths, and Professor Sarah Davies are geographers who investigate contemporary and historical aspects of climate change, and Dr Eurig Salisbury and Dr Cathryn Charnell-White are historians of literature who are interested in the literary evidence for the history of the weather.

Drs Salisbury and Griffiths are also, of course, poets who have won the main prizes of the National Eisteddfod. Hywel was the winner of the Crown at the National Eisteddfod staged in Cardiff in 2008 and the winner of the Chair at the Maldwyn and Borders National Eisteddfod in 2015.

Eurig Salisbury won the Prose Medal at the National Eisteddfod in 2016 with his novel ‘Cai’ and he was Bardd Plant Cymru, the Welsh-language Children’s Laureate, in 2011–13. Both have explored wealther relevant themes in their poems.

"This project started when we were discussing about the way eisteddfodwyr often remember the weather at a specific eisteddfod, rather than the exact year," explained Dr Cathryn Charnell-White from Aberystwyth University.

The winner of this year’s Science and Technology Medal in his everyday work ensures that particle beams run quickly and accurately in a huge underground machine.

Dr Rhodri Jones won the Science and Technology edal for his work with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the 17 mile long machine which is buried deep underground at the CERN particle physics laboratory which lies on the border between France and Switzerland.

He’s the Head of CERN’s Beams Department, and he and his colleagues ensure that the particle beams flying around the £3.7bn underground machine hit each other correctly.

Three friends from Patagonia,  Meleri Pinciroli, 18, Kiara Ace, and Santiago Pires, both 17 years old, greeted visitors as they walked over the bridge from Pontypridd to the Maes in Parc Ynysangharad.

The three youngsters from Gaiman have also spent periods volunteering in the Cymdeithas Cymru-Ariannin Association tent on the Maes.

Their job was to say 'hello' as people walked across the bridge and ask if they needed help.

All three said they had enjoyed the experience of volunteering and the opportunity to meet so many people.

"We had maps to share and people were asking where places were. Luckily there was a steward nearby to help but we learned quickly," says Kiara.

Y Wladfa was founded by Welsh emigrants to Patagonia from 1865. The Welsh-Argentine community is centred on Gaiman, Dolavon, Trelew, and Trevelin and it is believed there are still around 5,000 Patagonian Welsh speakers.

Thousands of Eisteddfodwyr were joined by hundreds of locals from Pontypridd on the National Eisteddfod Maes for a gig by the evergreen folk singer Dafydd Iwan.

As the sun set over the huge stage at Parc Ynysangharad the veteran singer - he celebrates his 81st birthday in three weeks time - took to the stage with his experienced band to sing some of his favourite songs along with some new ones.

Dafydd told the crowd he had hoped to have been joined on stage by Max Boyce, another veteran singer, but he was unable to attend. Dafydd said he sent his best wishes to Max and asked the audience to join with him in singing the chorus of one of Max's best loved songs, Hymns and Arias, for which he had written some new verses.

It received one of the loudest cheers of the gig.

But the loudest cheers were kept for Dafydd's anthemic rendition of Yma o Hyd, a song which he wrote more than 40 years ago and which has had a new lease of life becoming the unofficial anthem of supporters of the Wales football team.

The legacy the Eisteddfod leaves behind is just as important and of course the National Eisteddfod in Rhondda Cynon Taf is no exception.

Since the first planning meetings in 2017 Eisteddfod officials have been working diligently with Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and other agencies to ensure the Festival brings positive blessings to the area.

One of those agencies is the Bryncynon Strategy which runs a number of community activities and projects in the county and is keen to develop the Eisteddfod's endowment.

The organisation started working with the Eisteddfod two years ago as part of the Festival's outreach programme.

As well as a food pantry, Bryncynon Strategy, which has its headquarters in Ynysboeth near Abercynon, distributes meals and runs a lunch club. They have a community garden and cafe and run activities ranging from bingo to Tai Chi, responding to what local people want.

A bilingual booklet of recipes will be launched at the Eisteddfod, many of which have been handed down from generation to generation, in a uniquely Welsh style.