Boost as sponsor comes up trumps.

Byline: EMYR WILLIAMS

SPONSORS of this year's Literary Medal, the Principality Building Society, have come up trumps,by agreeing to provide a mortgage of pounds 1.9m to ensure an investment of more than pounds 6m at the Urdd residential centres at Glan-llyn,near Bala and Llangrannog in Ceredigion.

As a result, the centres - with the additional creation of the movement's new residential centre within the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay - will be amongst the best in the world.

This combined development, costing pounds 10m, will allow the Urdd to cater for 50,000 children each year by 2005,and will create 50 new jobs over the next two years.

``We are delighted that the Principality has made a major step in our social responsibility remit through this partnership with the Urdd,'' said the Society's head of commercial lending, Peter Hughes.

``Both organisations share an enthusiasm for maintaining and developing the cultural, sporting and business fabric of communities throughout Wales.

``The Principality's commercial lending division is a new and very exciting addition to the services we offer. This agreement is a vote of confidence in our decision to create a commercial lending arm.''

The Urdd is also using pounds 500,000 of its own resources towards securing the investment in Llangrannog and Glan-llyn, with the remaining sum grantfunded.

``With the developments in the residential centres, an amazing growth in our sporting provision,and through appointing additional youth officers, the Urdd provides more activities and a wider variation of activities to more young people than has ever been done in any period of the organisation's history,'' said chief executive,Jim O'Rourke.

``This shows the strength of our provision, with more to come with the opening of our new amenities and the imminent developments to the Eisteddfod by 2005.

``It is the first time that the Principality - Wales's largest financial institution - has been involved in the Urdd movement, and in addition to sponsoring the Literary Medal,it is also providing an estimated 1,500 prize certificates to be handed out to schools and individuals throughout Eisteddfod week.''

YESTERDAY'S president has been a familiar face on the Urdd stage over a period of years, winning many prizes at the Eisteddfod,including singing, reciting,cerdd dant,folk singing and public speaking, plus the prestigious Eisteddfod Scholarship at Abertawe and Lliw in 1993.

Abigail Sara,an accountant by profession, was educated at Swansea and Ystalyfera,graduating in mathematics from Christ's College,Cambridge.