The important reason families are being offered £5,000 to live in these four parts of Wales

The initiative is aimed at improving the regions' appeal and preserving the Welsh language

People are being offered cash rewards to return to parts of Wales. Young families are being offered money up to £5,000 to return to Welsh speaking heartlands in an effort to secure the Welsh language in Gwynedd, Anglesey, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

The move is part of ARFOR's Llwyddo'n Lleol’s initiative to make the ARFOR region more appealing for young Welsh people to stay. ARFOR is a joint venture by Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Gwynedd and Anglesey local authorities which seeks to use entrepreneurship and economic development to support the heartlands of the Welsh language and maintain Cymraeg in Wales, reports North Wales Live.

As part of the initiative Llwyddo'n Lleol is offering grants of up to £5,000 to families who want to return to the ARFOR region. The grants offer financial support to assist families who are considering returning. The support can include help to pay for transport costs, rent or mortgage costs, childcare costs or Welsh lessons.

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Applicants need to be able to commit to returning to ARFOR by March, have at least one adult under the age of 36, have at least one member who originally comes from the ARFOR region but now lives outside of the counties, include a person who knows Welsh or is committed to learning the language, and be happy to share their experience on camera.

The emigration of families and young people is recognised as one of the main reasons for the decline in the number of Welsh speakers in its strongholds. As a result Llwyddo’n Lleol says it wants to convince young families who have left that having a bright future, with a good job in an exciting field, is possible in their native community. Last month residents in Gwynedd complained too many young people were being driven away by a lack of opportunities, which you can read about here.

Huw Brassington, from Gwynedd, moved to Cumbria for work for years but decided to return home after being offered the Llwyddo'n Lleol grant. He said: "The Llwyddo'n Lleol grant has made it easier for us to make that decision to move home to Wales. Not only am I bringing my job with me but I’ll also be looking for people from north Wales to work with me."

Sioned Meleri Evans moved back to Carmarthenshire to be a sub-producer with Carlam which is producing content for S4C and the BBC. She said: "I'm very lucky because I've been able to come back home to Carmarthenshire to work locally for Carlam. The company is based in Yr Egin, and this has enabled me to be closer to my family and friends."

• If you are interested in the scheme contact Llwyddo'n Lleol at llwyddonlleol@rhaglenarfor.cymru.