Career Shift from Acting to Welsh Tutoring in the Army
After a successful acting career, Ruth Lloyd has transitioned to working as a Welsh tutor.
A Welsh tutor for the Army says she has been amazed by the "enthusiasm and number of people from all ranks committed to learning the language" since starting her role this year.
Ruth Lloyd had a successful career as an actress, appearing in series such as Rownd a Rownd, Pobol y Cwm, and Pen Talar, as well as films like Streetlife with Rhys Ifans and Helen McCrory.
Since then, she has spent years teaching Welsh to children and adults in the workplace, and she now works full-time as a tutor for the Army in Wales.
She spends most of her time teaching soldiers of all ranks at Brecon barracks.
Since starting the role in January, Ruth says she has been surprised by the emphasis she has seen on promoting the Welsh language and culture as "an integral part of soldiers' lives, both professionally and personally."
Ruth Lloyd with Brigadier Mark Davis (right) and Colonel Sion Walker (left)
Welsh Language Learning Among Soldiers
Learning Welsh is not compulsory for soldiers in Wales, but Ruth says "a very, very large number" of soldiers, including some non-Welsh speakers, are taking up learning the language through the Army.
The mother of five from Llanwrtyd, Powys, said the emphasis on learning the language comes from the top, with Brigadier Mark Davis keen for Welshness to be central to the Army's culture in Wales.
"The respect towards Welshness is very strong here. Everyone is so enthusiastic about the language – they take pride in it," said Ruth.
"The hope is that more soldiers will be able to go out into the community speaking Welsh while doing their work.
"There is also recognition of the importance that families who are Welsh speakers have access to the same support through their own language as families who do not speak Welsh."
Welsh Speakers Network Being Established Worldwide
A network for Welsh speakers of all levels is in the process of being established for soldiers wherever they are in the world, according to Ruth.
"They are playing with the name 'Trafod y Ddraig' at the moment where anyone working in the Army who wants to speak Welsh meets monthly.
"They network with each other, whether they are in Estonia, Germany, or anywhere else in the world they are working."
Welsh Language Has Saved Lives in Kosovo
Besides promoting Welsh for the benefit of the language, there are practical advantages to soldiers learning Welsh, says Ruth.
A story often told in the barracks in Brecon is that of Lieutenant Colonel Nick Locke in Kosovo in the 1990s.
"He was a young soldier in that war, and they had gone to liberate villages," said Ruth.
"The villagers in the villages were in terrible danger, and they were surrounded.
"It did not look like the soldiers or the villagers would come out alive until someone decided that only people who spoke Welsh would be allowed to use the radio.
"They were a Welsh-speaking battalion who did that, and they managed to get every soldier and every one of the villagers out alive.
"But they would not have done so without that because people surrounding them had intercepted the radio and understood English."
Ruth said learning Welsh "strengthens relationships" and that soldiers "of all ages, whether from Wales or not" are learning.
Clearly, such cases do not happen every day, but learning Welsh for soldiers "strengthens the feeling of belonging, which is very important," said Ruth.
"I was speaking with someone from Northern Ireland who said she had never realised how much learning a language can create a sense of unity with colleagues.
"She said people get to know each other through the language, learning about each other, and she told me that learning Welsh is the best team-building exercise she has ever had."
Ruth said learning Welsh "strengthens relationships" and that soldiers "of all ages, whether from Wales or not" show enthusiasm for speaking the language.
There is even one soldier from New Zealand who has started learning Welsh, she said, due to his interest in learning Maori – the indigenous language of his country.
Changing Army Culture and Embracing Welsh Identity
The Army in Wales is aware of its image as primarily British culture but "they are making huge efforts to change that," said Ruth.
She said she was recently shocked after attending a St David's Day event at Brecon barracks.
"The Royal Welsh band was there and when they started playing the anthems, they began with God Save the King.
"No one sang, everyone was silent while the music played – they were not disrespecting the English anthem but they did not sing it.
"And then when Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau was played, they all sang, every single one of them – that was a moment for me."
"Now I don't drive into the car park without the men at the gate, the security boys, saying 'shwmae' or 'good afternoon'," she added.
Recognition for Ruth Lloyd's Work
Ruth (third from right) at the Inspiring Tutors Awards 2026 ceremony on Tuesday night
Ruth received an award for her work as a tutor at an event in the Senedd on Tuesday night.
She was one of six tutors from Wales celebrated at the Inspiring Tutors Awards 2026 ceremony.
Ruth said winning the award for teaching Welsh in the workplace was "a privilege and an honour."
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