HAVE YOUR SAY As an English member of a Welsh army unit which sings the anthem at formal services, I take great pride in belting out a vaguely passable phonetic version of Land of Our Fathers Will Should everyone know their anthem?

A Welsh tutor is helping workers at Williams Medical Supplies in Rhymney, with Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.

MD Vince Kerr said it gave him "goose bumps" to hear the anthem sung at the Millennium Stadium and he wanted all his staff to be confident with it.

One learner Jannine Sykes said the experience was "really enjoyable".

She added the lessons had inspired her to consider learning more of the language.

"In rugby matches I used to sing along but never used the right words, but now I'll be louder than anybody else," Ms Sykes from Tredegar said.

"My six-year-old step-daughter goes to the local Welsh school in Rhymney, so I practised with her."

The sessions for a team of six were initiated by Mr Kerr, originally from Woking in Surrey, who said Hen Wlad fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers) was the "best anthem in the world".

"It gives me goose bumps to hear the anthem sung in the Millennium Stadium," he said.

"Many occasions, both business-related and social, involve singing Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, but for many non-native language speakers, getting to grips with the words can be a battle," he added.

In turn Mr Kerr added the sessions had "created an excellent team-building opportunity for our organisation".

The anthem was written 1856 by Evan James, a weaver, from Pontypridd.

Evan James' son, James James, inspired by an old melody composed for the harp, set the words to music.

After the Gramophone Company recorded it as one of the first ever Welsh language recordings in 1899 its subsequent popularity set it on the route to national anthem status.

It celebrated its 150th anniversary in July, 2006.