A theatre group has scrapped plans to set up a performing arts centre at a former Llandysul school after a row blew up over use of the Welsh language.

The Hyperbole Theatre Company had intended to offer classes in theatre, dancing and singing at the old primary school in Llynyfran Road.

But their plans were attacked by Cymdeithas yr Iaith after comments on the website appeared to suggest that only English would be permitted on the site.

This was later amended to read that Welsh would be welcome, but not in classrooms.

Then, after amending its website, the company took it down completely, and deleted its Facebook page.

In a social media post, Gareth Williams, 61, a director of Hyberbole Theatre Company, said: “I am saddened to see that our teaching programme has been deliberately and callously misconstrued to make it appear that we are ‘banning’ Welsh, merely because we teach West End musical theatre in English.

“I was born and bred Welsh and my family has lived locally for over 35 years. I recently returned to Wales and invested in what I thought would benefit the local community.

“The old school had been empty for nearly three years, and nobody locally had expressed any interest, hence I purchased.

“We were going to offer a full teaching programme as an additional service to the other facilities in the area. I now see that we are obviously very unwelcome, after receiving many emails.”

Cymdeithas spokesperson Elfed Wyn Jones said: “It’s not on that a company like this is trying to drag us back into the Victorian era of the ’Welsh Not’.

“We sincerely hope that they are not acting out of malice, but rather genuine ignorance of the cultural environment of the Teifi Valley.”

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