John Lennon's sister to be Llanfest day president

There has been a long tradition of Day Presidents being honoured at the week-long Eisteddfod. Day Presidents are invited to the event to recognise the ongoing work they do in spreading the message of peace and goodwill, which is at the heart of the event.

Llanfest is the final Sunday of the festival and has evolved into a modern mix of rock, pop and indie music, including bands such as the Manic Street Preachers and this year’s headliners, indie-pop legends the Kaiser Chiefs.

Julia Baird will be joining Liverpool’s iconic The Cavern Club at Llanfest on July 8, which is hosting a special pop up stage for the first time; bringing their resident musicians to Llangollen.

Today, Julia is a director of The Cavern Club and is an avid supporter of sharing the message of peace and harmony through music.

Accepting the honour, she said: “It’s a great honour to be chosen as an International Eisteddfod Day President. I truly believe in the ethos of this festival, which brings together different cultures from around the world to celebrate peace and friendship.

“And what a perfect way to mark the 50th anniversary of the Yellow Submarine which is actually on the day of Llanfest. The song will undoubtedly be performed on The Cavern Club stage and we hope the crowds will join in too to mark this special milestone.”

Julia follows a number of prominent International Eisteddfod Day Presidents, including Pavarotti, Mike Peters from the Alarm, Julian Lloyd Webber, Lesley Garrett CBE, Karl Jenkins CBE and Shân Cothi.

Chairman at Llangollen Eisteddfod, Rhys Davies, said: “We are delighted to welcome Julia on Sunday. There is a clear synergy between Lennon’s peace messages in his music and our festival. We enrich lives though music."