At the end of April, more than 20 members of the Aberystwyth 50+ Forum visited Nanteos Mansion for a guided tour of the building, followed by afternoon tea.The tour began with a short history of the house, which was built and owned by the Powell family for over 200 years until 195l. Since then, it has had a number of owners but has recently been restored by its current owners and is now being run as a luxury hotel.

The group was shown around several of the restored rooms. These included a honeymoon suite with hand-stencilled walls, chandelier and a wardrobe specifically for the bride’s wedding dress; the music room, with beautiful gilded plaster work, which is now used for wedding ceremonies and the original kitchen with an enviable array of copper pots.The group was also shown a replica of the Nanteos cup, thought for many years to be the Holy Grail, until carbon dating showed it to be no older than the 11th century.After what proved to be a very interesting tour, everyone sat down to a substantial afternoon tea. This was followed by a raffle, the main prize of a bottle of Prosecco having been donated by the Park Avenue Co-op.The next meeting of the forum will be on Wednesday, 25 May at 2pm in St Paul’s Methodist Centre, Queen’s Road, Aberystwyth. There will be speakers from the Stroke Association and Dyfed-Powys Police. Everyone over 50 will be very welcome.