She plays the cello, clarinet, flute, oboe, saxophone, trumpet and violin, as well as running her own craft business, but mum-of-three Mandy Lewis decided to learn another skill.
Mandy didn’t have the chance to learn Welsh when she was a student at Bangor University and decided to start the Duolingo course while she had some time during lockdown.
“My family are Welsh,” said the 44-year-old, explaining why she decided to take up the language. “We live just on the border – about three miles from Wales.”
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Mandy lives in the village of No Man’s Heath in Cheshire, England, with her husband Rob and daughters Willow, 14, and Rebecca, 10. Her son Sam, 18, goes to university in Aberystwyth.
She grew up in the village and completed German A-level, but didn’t learn Welsh at school. Mandy went on to study history and archaeology at Bangor University.
“I wanted to learn Welsh while I was there,” she said. “But there was nothing available at the time – this was the mid-90s – unless you had A-level. I only knew maes parcio!”
Mandy and Rob got married after graduation and she went to work for English Heritage in Manchester, then became a music teacher after having their first child.
Mandy yw ei henw hi
Mae hi’n byw yn No Man’s Heath, yn Lloegr
Mae ei rhieni hi’n dod o Gymru
Mae tri o blant gyda hi
Mae hi’n hoffi caiaco, rhedeg a cherdded
She started making leotards when her daughters took up gymnastics and now designs crafts like personalised bags, which she sells on Etsy.
Mandy also makes beeswax wraps – an alternative to cling film – after her family tried to stop using plastic.
“My family don’t speak Welsh, so it’s just me,” she said. “But I feel a longing to be in Wales. I think the roots are strong.
“I started using Duolingo in July and really liked it. It was just a lockdown thing – having the time.”
She also read Am Ddiwrnod! by Margaret Johnson and decided to sign up to an intensive course with Learn Welsh Cardiff.
Mandy said the online course was “ideal”. She was worried all her classmates would live in Cardiff, but quickly realised she wasn’t the only one living outside of Wales.
Despite fearing she would be out of her depth, Mandy enjoys the fast pace of the course, adding: “It’s something new every day.”
Her favourite part so far has been meeting other Welsh learners, but she finds learning the mutations difficult.
Mandy enjoys reading and recommends reading widely to other learners – rather than just sticking to the reading list. Her favourite books are E-Ffrindiau and Sgŵp! by Louis Arnold.
E-Ffrindiau is a story about two friends exchanging emails and learning Welsh. Ceri is a PE teacher in a school near Sydney in Australia. Sara is an office worker who lives in a village near Cardiff.
Sgŵp is about journalist Lowri Glyn, who feels like life on the Post Pen-y-bae newspaper is very dull, until one day everything changes.
Mandy also recommends the Ofergoelus podcast. The title means superstitious and the story is about a small town where strange things keep happening.
She has started writing short stories to practice new language patterns and also uses the Memrise app every evening to learn vocabulary, as well as reading the news in Welsh on the BBC website.
Her favourite word is hiraeth, which doesn’t have an exact translation in English, but conveys a sense of nostalgia and longing for home.
In her spare time, Mandy enjoys kayaking, as well as walking and running with her sheepdog Tollie.
“My husband would like to learn too,” said Mandy, who attends classes for an hour and a half on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
“I keep trying to speak to him in Welsh and point out odd things like deilen (leaf) and llaeth (milk).”
Earlier this year, Mandy and her daughter volunteered their sewing skills to help make scrubs for NHS workers. In the future, she hopes to use her Welsh at work.
Ble rwyt ti’n byw?
Dw i’n byw yn No Man’s Heath, pentre bach yn Lloegr. Mae e ar y ffin rhwng Sir Gaer, Shropshire a Chymru.
Beth wyt ti’n wneud?
Dw i’n gweithio o adre. Dw i’n gwneud llawer o bethau i werthu – bagiau gyda enwau pobl, dillad a gorchudd bwyd cwyr gwenyn.
Oes teulu gyda ti?
Oes, mae gŵr a thri o blant gyda fi.
Beth wyt ti’n hoffi wneud yn dy amser sbar?
Dw i’n dwlu ar ddarllen a dysgu Cymraeg. Ar hyn o bryd dw i’n darllen llawer o lyfrau Cymraeg, fy hoff lyfr i yw E-Ffrindiau a Sgwp! Hefyd, dw i’n hoffi caiaco, rhedeg a cherdded.
Oes anifail anwes gyda ti?
Oes, mae ci gyda fi. Ei henw hi yw Tollie. Mae hi’n gi defaid ond dyw hi ddim yn gweithio ar y fferm. Dw i’n hoffi rhedeg gyda hi, ar hyd y gamlas neu ar y bryniau.
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