THE great-grandson of a Bala Reverend is hoping to follow in his ancestor’s footsteps and forge a new transatlantic bond with Wales and America.

Dr Arturo Roberts, one of the leading advocates of Welsh culture in north America, is the great grandson of the Reverend Michael D Jones, who 150 years ago was a driving force behind the creation of a Welsh-speaking settlement in Chubut Valley, Patagonia, Argentina.

Reverend Jones sold his north Wales home, Bodiwan, in Bala, to pay for 153 pioneers to sail out on the ship Mimosa in 1865 in search of a new life in the Americas.

His great grandson, Dr Roberts, is a respected ambassador of all things Welsh across the Atlantic Ocean. He is also a key proponent of moves to strengthen the bond between the American Welsh and their ancestors.

One of his biggest ambitions is to encourage 21st century Welsh generations to visit America to see firsthand how their culture is surviving and thriving thousands of miles away.

Dr Roberts, 88, who was born in Argentina and grew up in Patagonia, said: “I would urge everyone in Wales to at least once in their life come over here, visit our annual festival and see how Welsh culture is gathering real momentum in America.

"We hold festivals each year and celebrations on St David’s Day. We fly the Welsh flag very high.”

As a lifelong stalwart of work to promote the Welsh heritage, he established Ninnau, a north American Welsh newspaper, which he published and edited for more than 40 years.

Dr Roberts urges anyone who is interested to find out about North American Welsh communities, discovering information about their descendants or searching for long lost family who emigrated across the Atlantic, to visit the Ninnau stand at the Eisteddfod.

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops now or online by clicking the Digital Editions tab at the top of the page