A LLANGOLLEN singer has built his own custom-made trike to ride into the National Eisteddfod in style.

Arwel Jarvis, 53, will be singing at multiple events in the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham and has been working on his musically-themed motor-trike for 15 months.

It is now ready and raring to go for the week-long event, which gets under way on July 30.

“It’s such a thrill for me because I love the National Eisteddfod. I thought as a tribute I’d build a musical trike. It’s built from scrap-yard bits, and it’s on the road now.”

The trike is decorated with musical notes, a flying Welsh dragon and an exhaust bracket he designed himself in the shape of a guitar.

Arwel is a fitter who carries out restoration work on the boiler section at the Llangollen steam railway during the day. He has been working on the trike in the evenings for over a year.

“It’s always been in my mind to build a trike, but it’s one of them things I just never got round to. Well, I got around it.”

He said the response from people so far was great, especially to the unique Welsh dragon design. He worked hard to finish it so he could take it to the eisteddfod.

“I set myself a goal and then I stress myself out trying to get it done. Thankfully I managed it, a good three weeks in advance.

“Many people would ask why, but that’s my way – I’m a goal setter.”

In his youth Arwel was a winner in the under 15 singing category at the eisteddfod and says the festival has been close to his heart ever since.

He is competing this year in the Rhos and District Mixed Choir on the Saturday, singing in the Bro Glyndwr male voice choir on Saturday and Sunday and in the Eisteddfod Choir at the concert on the last night.

“I’ve never won it in a competition with a choir, and (with the trike) I thought I could do two things at once.”

In addition, he said, he would be performing separately as a singer-songwriter throughout the festival on Monday, Sunday and Thursday.

“There are a lot of eisteddfods,” he added, “but this is the one we all prepare for, this is such an important event.”