Awards success for BBC Cornish language podcast

A BBC podcast helping people to take their first steps towards learning the Cornish language has collected three prestigious awards.

The Learn Cornish podcast is presented by BBC Radio 1's Danni Diston and language expert Sarah Buck and combines Cornish language lessons with conversation about Cornwall's wider history and culture.

The judges at the Gorsedh Kernow Awards praised the BBC Sounds podcast, which launched in May, as "ground-breaking".

Buck said: "It makes me feel so proud and so overjoyed for what we've achieved, and hearing Cornish being spread far and wide."

The Gorsedh Kernow Awards were set up to celebrate great work in Cornish language, Cornish writing, Cornish dialect, art, music and community contributions.

The judges awarded BBC Radio Cornwall and the Cornwall Language Office an AWEN award for special creativity for their joint work on producing the Learn Cornish podcast.

There were personal AWEN awards to the presenters DJ Dani Diston and Sarah Buck - 'awen' is the Cornish word for 'inspiration'.

During the presentation in Bodmin on 4 September, Gorsedh Kernow Support Worker Michael Bunney said: "This project has been ground-breaking, in terms of extending and deepening and broadening a recognition and understanding of the Cornish language.

"It's a prime example of collaboration, of positivity, of creativity and of people working together.

"I love the BBC and I love BBC Radio Cornwall and I will keep saying so for the rest of my life because our local media is so important," Bunney added.

Sarah Buck who works for Cornwall Council in the Cornish Language Office said: "It's been a fantastic honour, it was really special to work with Danni.

"Having not learnt a word of Cornish to being able to hold a basic conversation with none other than the Grand Bard Jenefer Lowe - hearing her now using her Cornish on BBC Radio 1 - hearing words like 'splann' [Cornish for 'brilliant'] across the airwaves, across the United Kingdom, wow.

"It makes me feel so proud and so overjoyed for what we've achieved and hearing Cornish being spread far and wide."

BBC Radio Cornwall Managing Editor Emma Clements added: "It's been a real privilege to showcase the Cornish language through the stories of people speaking Kernewek today and to play our part in keeping the language alive."

In 2026 the Cornish language was given extra protection through the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

The move gave Kernewek the same level of protection as all other Celtic languages recognised across the British Isles, including Welsh, Manx, and Scots Gaelic.

Cornwall Council has estimated there are 400 to 500 advanced Cornish speakers and 2,000 to 5,000 people with some basic knowledge.

The UK government announced in December it would apply the extra Part III status, after the language was officially recognised in 2002.

There are 12 episodes of the Learn Cornish, Dyski Kernewek podcast to download.

Special guests include the Cornish film director Mark Jenkin, the Cornish Pirates rugby player John Stevens and the Grand Bard of Cornwall Jenefer Lowe.

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