Bardic honour is Wheely great for happy Tanni.MEET "Tanni Wheely". Cardiff's golden girl Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson Dame Carys Davina ("Tanni") Grey-Thompson DBE (born 26 July 1969 in Cardiff, Wales) is a Welsh athlete and TV presenter. Born with spina bifida, Tanni is a wheelchair-user, and is considered to be one of the most successful disabled athletes in the UK. yesterday added a new title to her extensive list of honours: Tanni Olwynog - or Tanni Wheely. The 11-time Paralympic gold medal winner was given the bardic name as she was admitted to the green-robed order of the Gorsedd of Bards on the National Eisteddfod eisteddfod (īstĕth`vəd, –vôd) [Welsh,=session], Welsh competitive festival. Contests traditionally are held in all the arts and crafts, with special emphasis on music and poetry. maes at Bala. Tanni said she was thrilled. "I'm so proud of being Welsh and I'm so guilty that I'm not fluent in the language," she said. "I've been learning forever and I've been trying really hard today. I can understand quite a lot of what they are saying but speaking it is not natural for me. "Mum was a Welsh speaker, but not my father. We went to Welsh chapel so that helped me to understand quite a lot, but it's hard to practise now that I live in north-east England." She will now have to choose between using her full title, Dame Tanni Carys Davina Grey-Thompson DBE DBE abbr. Dame Commander of the British Empire DBE Dame (Commander of the Order) of the British Empire , honorary freeman of the City of Cardiff, or her snappier bardic name, Tanni Wheely. CAPTION(S): Welsh paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson is invited into the green-robed order of the Gorsedd of Bards on the National Eisteddfod maes at Bala |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion