THE Monmouthshire Eisteddfod has moved a step closer with the formation of subject committees.

Around 50 people attended a meeting at Caldicot School on Wednesday evening to form the committees which will create the competition syllabus for the eisteddfod in Abergavenny 2016.

The committees include music, dance, Cerdd Dant, recitation, Welsh learners, drama, literature, art and science and technology.

The regional vice-chairs were put forward at a public meeting in July which attracted 200 people in Abergavenny.

They will be responsible for co-ordinating the local appeal fund which has to raise ten per cent of the cost of running the week-long festival, which averages £3.5 million.

The county will be split into 42 wards, which will each have a financial target to raise.

Monmouthshire council will provide £580,000 towards the event, of which £300,000 to £350,000 will be raised by the community in the next two years, with the support of Eisteddfod organisers.

Organisers predict Monmouthshire will take in up to £8 million for the week-long festivities which begin on July 31 and run to August 6.

Elen Huws Elis, Eisteddfod organiser, said: “The community are a massive help, without them we wouldn’t exist. We rely on our volunteers, they are the people who know the area inside out.

“The community fundraising really brings communities together, they make new friendship groups and create choirs which have a lasting affects after we leave. My background is in music so I would really like to do something similar here with a choir to bring people together -you don’t need to be a Welsh speaker to be able to sing in Welsh and it also inspires non Welsh speakers to learn the language.”

A committee was also formed to organise the Maes B music festival, this will also have a fundraising target.

Ms Elis said: “Once the committees are fully formed then people can really see their ideas progress. That’s when most people become quite excited to see the syllabus take shape.”

The syllabus of competitions is currently going through an independent review and will be presented to a panel on September 27.

Ms Elis said: “I really don’t know what will be the outcome of it. We have to see what the trends are right now, the Eisteddfod has evolved massively - it’s now a festival.

“Some visitors don’t even go into the main pavilion to see competitions. They get their culture in other areas around the site. We need to find a successful balance.”

The next subject committee meeting is on November 8.

Nominations are also open for a chairman, vice-chairman and secretary for the executive committee and must be received before October 3.

E-mail elen@eisteddfod.org.uk for details.