From 1 to 8 August, Eisteddfod y Garreg Las will bring people together at Llantwd in north Pembrokeshire. Marking 850 years since the first recorded Eisteddfod was held in Cardigan in 1176, it will be a major celebration of Welsh language, culture and creativity.

As we enjoy the competitions, performances, exhibitions and activities, I would encourage us to look beyond what is being presented and ask: what learning made it possible?

What we see on the Maes is the culmination of months, and sometimes years, of practice, preparation, encouragement and shared endeavour. Performers, competitors, artists and makers will present what they have learned and created. Volunteers, families, tutors, community groups and organisations will bring the results of skills developed, knowledge shared and relationships built.

We are often too quick to recognise learning only when it happens on a course or results in a qualification. The Eisteddfod challenges that narrow view. It makes visible the curiosity, confidence, creativity and collaboration through which people develop their abilities and sustain our language, culture and heritage.

This learning does not belong to one age group or move in only one direction. Everyone arrives with different knowledge, experiences and perspectives. People learn from those who have practised a skill over many years, but also from those encountering an activity, tradition or idea for the first time.

A performance can introduce an audience to a different perspective. A conversation can give someone the confidence to use their Welsh. Volunteering can uncover abilities a person did not know they possessed. Preparing for a competition can develop discipline, resilience and teamwork at any age.

Through these experiences, culture and heritage are not simply preserved or handed down unchanged. They are explored, questioned, practised and renewed by everyone who participates.

People will come to Eisteddfod y Garreg Las from different starting points. Some will have been involved throughout their lives, while others will be visiting for the first time. Some will speak Welsh fluently; others will be learning, returning to the language or taking their first steps.

Bringing people together does not automatically create inclusion. A strong learning community must welcome different experiences, value every contribution and offer more than one way to participate. That responsibility belongs to all of us working across education, culture, public services and community life.

At Adult Learning Wales, we see what becomes possible when learning is accessible, relevant and rooted in people’s lives. Adults bring valuable knowledge and experience while continuing to develop new interests, skills and relationships. What they gain is carried into families, workplaces and communities, opening opportunities for others and creating wider change.

The Maes also reminds us that learning is not confined by age, place or setting. It happens through conversation and participation, in formal sessions and unexpected encounters. It can begin with curiosity, grow through encouragement and lead somewhere none of us had anticipated.

Together with colleagues, I will be attending the Eisteddfod throughout the week. We look forward to attending events, visiting the stands of partners and stakeholders, making new contacts and strengthening existing relationships. It will be an important opportunity to promote adult learning, hear different perspectives and explore the potential for greater collaboration.

Most of all, I look forward to hearing about the learning taking place in organisations and communities across Wales, the partnerships being developed and the difference they are making.

The challenge is to ensure that the ideas, relationships and appetite for learning generated on the Maes are not confined to one week. What we learn there should travel back with us, creating new conversations, stronger connections and more opportunities for people to learn throughout their lives.

Kathryn Robson, Chief Executive