A couple from north east Wales have opened up their home to competitors in Llangollen's International Musical Eisteddfod for the 20th year running.

Brenda and Trevor Wilford have put up countless visitors at their bungalow in Chirk, near Wrexham over the years.

They say their experiences down the years have made them many new friends.

The teenagers compete in the Folk Competition

The festival, now in its 56th year, was formed in 1947 to foster international co-operation following the hostilities of the Second World War.

"The whole concept of the eisteddfod is to foster relationships between people all around the world in song and dance," said Mr Wilford.

"You realise meeting people from all over the world that we're all the same. Really it's the politicians who are different.

"The love and friendship from people that we meet sees us through the year."

There are four Lithuanians staying with the couple this year, husband and wife Yonas and Aldana and two 14-year-old girls Gintare and Ruta.

Scout hut

The youngsters will perform in the Junior Folk Competition at the Llangollen Pavillion on Thursday.

Altogether there are 50 competitors from Lithuania staying in Chirk, and 15 have been accommodated in the village's newly refurbished scout hut.

Rita Williams, a member of the eisteddfod's hospitality committee, said it can be difficult finding spaces.

"It's quite hard getting the beds because a lot of people work and the homes are not as big as they used to be."

We feel sad when it's time for them to go home

Trevor Wilford

"We have to find our beds two or three months before the competitors arrive but we don't know what country we're having until a couple of weeks before they get here."

Mr and Mrs Wilford said they enjoy hosting during eisteddfod week.

"You get to know people from other countries, you get to know all about them, the living that they have and you establish a friendship," said Mrs Wilford.

"When we first started, the first family we had were from Hawaii, four Hawaiian girls and one chaperone, they stayed for about a week.

Rita Williams organises beds for visitors

Since then, the couple have visited Hawaii on a number of occasions and were asked to give a talk to local schoolchildren about living in Wales.

Organiser Rita Williams has hosted for 25 years, she says it allows people to make friends from all over the world and visit places they would never dream of.

"We would never have gone to Bulgaria or Czechoslovakia because it was more than 20 years ago when it was a communist country.

"You couldn't go to places like that on package holidays then."

However, there is one downside to playing the host.

"We feel sad when it's time for them to go home but we are warm in our hearts that we have had these people with us, " admitted Mr Wilford.