ONE lucky person will enjoy the trip of a lifetime next year thanks to Ffestiniog Town Council.

Following Blaenau Ffestiniog’s successful twinning with Rawson in Patagonia in 2015, the local council is offering a scholarship to a young person aged 16 to 30 to travel out to South America and follow in the footsteps of the Welsh pioneers who headed out to Argentina 150 years ago.

In a meeting in July 2015, the council decided to provide an annual sum of £1,500, from the 2016/17 financial year onward towards the scholarship.

The purpose of the grant is to support and strengthen the relationship between the two towns, especially among the young.

By offering the scholarship, it is hoped the younger generation are encouraged to foster a long-term relationship with the Wladfa and its people, which will lead to the wider community benefiting from the relationship.

The scholarship is offered in the form of an essay writing competition and any application should not be more than 1,500 words.

Marks will be given for the reasons why you want to visit Patagonia, what you intend to do there and how you plan to share your experiences with the community on your return home.

The competition closes on 12 January 2017 and the winner will be announced, befittingly, on St David’s Day.

For more information or an entry form, email clerc@cyngortrefffestiniog­.cymru.