We’re delighted to announce that we’ve launched four new Welsh-language editions of our much-loved Our Story books, which help parents talk to their children about how they were conceived with the help of a donor.
These new translations make it possible for Welsh-speaking and bilingual families to share their donor conception stories in the language that feels most natural to them. The launch reflects our ongoing commitment to inclusion, accessibility and representation for all family types across the UK.
The Welsh editions include the following family versions:
- For solo mums who have used sperm donation;
- For mum-and-dad families who have used double donation;
- For two-mum families who have used sperm donation;
- For two-dad families who have used egg donation and surrogacy.
All four are available to buy now in our DCN bookshop.
Nina Barnsley, Director, DCN, said:
“We’re delighted to make our Our Story books available in Welsh for the first time. We know that having these stories in a family’s home language can make such a difference. It’s a small but meaningful step towards ensuring all donor conception families can start open, confident conversations with their children.”
Christie Margrave, Lecturer in French and Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Cardiff University, who coordinated the Welsh translations, said:
This project is about more than translation – it’s about inclusion and connection. It recognises the importance of linguistic identity to discussions of personal identity. Every family deserves access to the same supportive resources, in the language that feels most natural to them. Linguistic identity is hugely important for many families in Wales, and making Our Story available in Welsh means they can share their beginnings in a way that truly reflects their identity and values.
In addition, these Welsh-language books will enable teachers in Welsh-medium schools to facilitate discussions around different family make-ups, normalising discussion of donor conception for the children in their classrooms.”
This project was funded by the Cynnau | Ignite programme, Cardiff’s leadership development programme, and by the Wellcome Trust, which focuses on empowering people to contribute to a positive research culture. The project was designed by Cynnau | Ignite participant Dr Christie Margrave, of the School of Modern Languages at Cardiff University.
The Our Story series includes books for families who have used sperm, egg or embryo donors, with versions tailored to different family structures. Additional versions are available for those who conceived outside of the clinic framework and for those who used surrogacy, and all books come in both single baby and twin-versions. The first edition was published in 1993 by families who went on to set up the Donor Insemination Network, which later became the Donor Conception Network. You can view the full range of all 48 titles in our DCN Bookshop.
