MEMBERS of Cymdeithas yr Iaith slept out on the streets last week to highlight the need for a Property Act for Wales. The Welsh Language Society took their message on a tour of towns, and last Wednesday night they were on the Maes in Caernarfon. The aim of the week-long tour was to draw attention to the effects of the housing crisis on the future of Welsh speaking communities and offer solutions to an issue which they feel is undermining local communities. The group met on the Maes at 5.30pm and stayed there until 2pm on Thursday, June 9, where they also collected signatures for their petition. Huw Lewis, from Cymdeithas yr Iaith, said: "Recently, there has been a great deal of discussion about the various housing problems that are facing our communities. Now, Cymdeithas yr Iaith's intention is to draw attention to possible solutions. "The Property Act is a comprehensive policy, which deals with every aspect of the housing crisis and attempts to get to grips with the roots of these problems. "The aim of the Property Act is to offer an element of control over the housing market in order to meet the housing needs of local people and through this, securing the sustainability of local communities and the Welsh language. "Through this tour and also by collecting signatures for the petition, our hope is that we can attract wide-ranging support for the need for a Property Act." The week of campaigning reached its climax on Saturday, June 11 with a rally calling for the Act, which was held on the shores of Llyn Celyn, Bala, where the group were addressed by Elfyn Llwyd MP. In 1965 the village of Capel Celyn was flooded to create the reservoir, now called Llyn Celyn, to supply water to Liverpool. Mr Lewis continued: "Possibly, the history of drowning Capel Celyn, near Bala is the most poignant example of a local community losing the right to control its own future. "By today, different forces threaten our communities - the power of the housing market. As a result this an appropriate venue for a rally calling for a Property Act." | 
