Launching the Friends of Tŷ Newydd
In recognition of your support our Friends will receive a whole range of benefits including priority booking, special offers, discounts from our partners, and writers’ tips and prompts.
Since it was established as the National Writing Centre in 1990, thousands of writers – from national laureates and award-winning writers to emerging novelists and talented amateurs – have passed through Tŷ Newydd’s iconic teal front door, and countless writers pay tribute to its role on their journey.
Here we can retreat from the world;
in the marchlands of soil and surf,
in an ancient house hemmed by history,
embraced by the edge of the woods.
(From Faith, by former National Poet of Wales, Ifor ap Glyn, written to celebrate thirty years of Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre)
Its long, rich history has seen many inhabitants, including the only Welshman to be British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, who commissioned Sir Clough Williams-Ellis to rework the façade and interior, including creating the striking library with its bow window and barrel-vaulted ceiling. You can read more about the history of the house on our website.
The privilege of caring for Tŷ Newydd comes with responsibilities. It costs over £400,000 annually to maintain the Grade II* listed buildings and grounds and to sustain our programme, and with continued cuts to public funding alongside rising costs, it is a growing challenge to raise these funds.
Income from course fees and venue hire go a long way towards meeting these costs, and every time you book a course or retreat you are providing vital support – thank you. But if course fees were to reflect the true cost of running Tŷ Newydd, they would be prohibitive for most people, and as a charity we are committed to being as inclusive and accessible as possible. This means even a sell-out programme leaves a deficit, and each year we need to raise around £110,000 through donations and grants to meet this shortfall.
We would be very grateful if you would consider joining our Friends, from just £4 per month. Your gift will help ensure Tŷ Newydd continues to inspire and nurture writers from across Wales and beyond.
Friends receive Priority Booking, an exclusive Quarterly Newsletter, plus special offers, and other benefits including writing tips and prompts from our fabulous Tŷ Newydd tutors.
We are really delighted that our friends at Welsh literary magazine Folding Rock are offering Tŷ Newydd Friends a 10% discount on print, digital and members subscriptions, while O’r Pedwar Gwynt are offering a 10% discount across their publications.
You can find out more and join online by clicking here, and if you have any questions about the Friends or other opportunities to support Tŷ Newydd and Literature Wales please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.