The Anne Brooke Scholarship was established to support undergraduate students who want to study Welsh as a subject (first or second language) at a university in Wales.
Darcey received her early education in London before moving with her family to Caerphilly where she began attending Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Cwm Rhymni.
Darcey has won the scholarship to study Welsh at Bangor University. Darcey said:
"I've been determined to study Welsh at university since moving to Wales as a little girl, so receiving this scholarship is a real honour.
“My early upbringing was in a bilingual home in London and I attended a nursery where over thirty languages were heard. After moving to Wales, I was soon disappointed when I realised I was in the minority, as my peers in the area often turned to English. This strengthened my passion for Welsh and my desire to study it and to make it central to my life and career."
The Anne Brooke Scholarship is given in memory of the American author who learned Welsh and settled in the Rhondda. She published a number of Welsh language children's books to support non-Welsh speaking parents to read with their children, including the popular series Plant y Goedwig, Mabon a Mabli and Storïau'r Sosban Fawr.
The scholarship was established by the Coleg after Anne Brooke's nephew, Peyton Robertson, made a generous donation. Peyton said:
“Congratulations to Darcey for being the first recipient of the Anne Brooke Scholarship. I know my Aunt would be very pleased to see her lifelong effort to preserve the Welsh language carried forward through Darcey's sincere interest in studying and using Welsh as part of her career growth and development."
Darcey added: “Anne's story is inspiring, and as someone who comes from the same area in Wales, I hope that I can do my part to motivate young people in my area to use their Welsh skills and continue with Welsh-medium education after leaving school."
Dr Ioan Matthews, Chief Executive of the Coleg Cymraeg, said:
"I would like to congratulate Darcey on winning the Anne Brooke Scholarship and we wish her every success as she goes to Bangor University to study Welsh. Her passion and commitment to the Welsh language is clear, and I'm sure she will make the most of every valuable opportunity that studying Welsh will give her at university and beyond, and in her future career.
"I would also like to thank the family of the late Anne Brooke, Peyton, Brooke and Elizabeth Robertson, for their generous donation that has allowed us to establish and offer this scholarship, which will support the next generation of students who want to study Welsh as a subject – either as a first or a second language.
"It's great to see Anne Brooke's legacy continue through this scholarship, which contributes to our ambition to see more learners choose to study through the medium of Welsh and develop their Welsh language skills."
The scholarship is worth £1,000 per year for up to three years (a total of £3,000) and will be awarded annually.
Applications for the 2027-2028 academic year will be awarded from among the applications for the Coleg's Main Scholarship. Applicants will need to complete the application form in the Main Scholarship section on the Coleg's website before 20 January 2027.
