Nicola Davies and Siôn Tomos Owen are appointed and about
to embark on a journey to foster creativity, reignite a love of
reading, and empower children to become creative change-
makers
At Maesteg Library in Bridgend on Wednesday 10 September, Literature Wales
announced that Nicola Davies and Siôn Tomos Owen are the writers about to
undertake the two national roles, Children’s Laureate Wales and Bardd Plant Cymru for
2025-2027. They follow in the footsteps of Alex Wharton and Nia Morais, who were
appointed in 2023.
On the morning of the announcement, local children from Ysgol Cynwyd Sant, Ysgol
Gynradd Caerau and the Maesteg Writing Squad made their way to the library to be
amongst the first to discover the news. They were joined by invited guests from the
literature, publishing and education sectors, and all were treated to conversations and
performances by the new post-holders as well as the outgoing laureates, Alex and Nia,
who shared words of wisdom with their successors.
Bardd Plant Cymru and Children’s Laureate Wales are two national ambassadorial roles
that aim to inspire the children of Wales through literature. The wider aims of the
projects are to expand children and young people’s access to literature, contributing to
improved wellbeing, increasing enjoyment of literature and empowering children and
young people through creativity.
The authors keep busy by running workshops in various locations including schools,
libraries, hubs, centres, and festivals; writing commissioned poems to mark special
occasions; delivering projects with groups of children and young people throughout
Wales; creating online resources; and championing the voices of Wales’ children and
young people nationally and internationally.
They are independent of each other but are sister schemes that contribute towards
raising a healthier, more creative and more diverse generation of readers and writers
across Wales.
About Nicola Davies
Nicola Davies began her career as a biologist and studied geese, bats and whales in
the wild. She worked as a presenter for the BBC Natural History Unit on programmes
like The Really Wild Show, before becoming an author. She has written more than 90
books for children and young people, including poetry, picture books and novels. Her
work has been published in more than 12 different languages and won awards in Wales,
the UK, Europe and the US. In addition to many books about the natural world Nicola
has written about disability, grief, human migration and children’s rights. Her recent YA
novels The Song that Sings Us and Skrimsli, both published by Firefly Press, have both
been nominated for the Yoto Carniege Award for Writing in their respective years of
publication. Skrimsli won the Children and Young People’s category of the Wales Book
of the Year in 2024, and her poetry collection Choose Love (Graffeg) was shortlisted for
the Yoto Carnegie Award for Writing 2024.
Speaking about her hopes for her time as Children’s Laureate Wales, Nicola said: “I
want all children in Wales to experience the pleasure of reading, the superpower of
writing, and to find their own voices as creative change-makers and advocates for a
fairer, and more sustainable future.”
About Siôn Tomos Owen
Siôn Tomos Owen is a bilingual writer, poet, artist and presenter from Treorci in
Rhondda Fawr. He works as a creative freelance artist – drawing, painting murals and
running creative workshops. He was one of the presenters of the television programmes
Cynefin and Pobol y Rhondda, and was a comedy contributor to Y Tŷ Rygbi, Jonathan
and Academi Gomedi. His first collection of poetry, Pethau Sy’n Digwydd (Barddas)
was shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year 2025, and his most recent publication is a
novel for children, Gerwyn Gwrthod a’r Llyfr Does Neb yn Cael ei Darllen (Atebol 2025).
He has written and illustrated several books for children and Welsh learners, and his
poetry and stories are on the new curriculum for GCSE Welsh and Welsh as a second
language.
Siôn said the following about his tenure: “As Bardd Plant Cymru I want to ease out the
creativity that every child has within them, to create poems, stories or illustrations – the
funny and the profound – and to use these to foster the love of reading which grabbed
me when I was the same age.”
Both schemes are run by Literature Wales, and the Bardd Plant Cymru scheme is
supported by several partners: Welsh Government, S4C, Welsh Book Council and Urdd
Gobaith Cymru. Both roles are awarded every two years to inspirational writers who are
passionate about ensuring that more children and young people discover the joy and
power of literature. Bardd Plant Cymru was established in the year 2000, and since then
18 poets have undertaken the role. The Children’s Laureate Wales scheme was
established in 2019, and Nicola Davies will be the fourth post-holder.
The writers were appointed by panels of experts in the fields of literature, publishing and
education, led by Literature Wales.
Leusa Llewelyn, Artistic Director of Literature Wales, said:
“Firstly, Literature Wales would like to thank Nia Morais and Alex Wharton for their hard
work over the last two years. From running workshops in HMP Parc, to offering virtual
workshops for groups of young people from Wales and Palestine, to walking hundreds
of miles from school to school in Anglesey and Powys… they have both made heroic
strides towards their goal of inspiring children and young people to foster a love of
words and poetry.
We extend a very warm welcome to their successors – Siôn Tomos Owen and Nicola
Davies. The batons are being passed to them as ambassadors for creativity and
advocates for reading and writing. We can’t wait to work with them to realise their
ambitious plans and projects. We are privileged to welcome them both to these roles,
and we wish them the best of luck on the great adventure that is about to begin.”
Related Posts
Casia Wiliam is the new Bardd Plant Cymru for 2017-2019
Poet, Performer, Juggler: Gruffudd Owen is the new Bardd Plant Cymru
A New Children’s Laureate for Wales