01/02/2011

Weather Forecasts To Launch In Welsh And Gaelic

The Met Office has launched Gaelic and Welsh language forecasts on its website, providing the latest weather forecasts and warnings to the 600,000 Welsh speakers and 58,000 Gaelic speakers, along with thousands of learners across the UK.

The Met Office 'Invent' website will provide up to date forecasts for over 5,000 locations across the country in Gaelic, Welsh as well as English.

As the National Weather Forecaster for the UK the Met Office provides the latest weather forecasts and warnings around the clock so that the public can make the most of the weather. This latest development of providing forecasts in Welsh and Gaelic on the website will make forecasts more accessible and relevant to Welsh and Gaelic speakers.

Iain Forsyth, Head of the Public Weather Service at the Met Office said: "We are delighted that we are now able to provide weather forecasts in Welsh and Gaelic. This latest development follows the release of the Welsh language weather widget late last year."

Fiona Hyslop MSP, Minister for Gaelic in the Scottish Government said: "The Scottish Government is committed to a secure and sustainable future for Gaelic in Scotland. The Met Office is providing opportunities for Gaelic speakers and learners to use the language in everyday life, and such efforts are at the heart of growing the number of people using Gaelic.

"The Met Office's commitment to Gaelic content is a most welcome contribution towards our aim of creating a new generation of Gaelic speakers. This step complements a range of other Gaelic initiatives being taken forward in education, arts and other areas of Scottish public life."

The Met Office weather widget allows websites to embed Met Office forecasts into the page, letting visitors to keep up to date with the latest weather forecast without leaving the page. The widget is available in both English and Welsh, giving website owners the ability to add content seamlessly into both English and Welsh websites. A Gaelic version of the widget will be launched in the next few months.

(BMcN)

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