Rotary Club

AT THIS week’s special general meeting the following club officers were confirmed: President, Derrick Whiting; president elect, Martin Davies; junior vice-president, Michael Deaville; secretary, Hywel Davies; treasurer, Robin Varley.Retiring treasurer Richard Morgan present-ed the end-of-year accounts. He reported that more than £10,000 had been raised for local and international charities during the year.Arrangements for the Christmas collection at Morrisons and at Owain Glyndwr Square were well advanced, the proceeds as usual going to local charities.This year, the international committee will support the Wheelchair Foundation and Toilet Twinning, providing toilet facilities for developing countries.The youth activities group staged a success-ful young musicians evening and mock interviews for Ysgol Penglais and Ysgol Penweddig students are ongoing.Applications for grants for humanitarian projects should be received by the end of January.President John Harries thanked the committee chairs and members for their work.RWFCAAT THE November meeting held at the RNA Club members received an update from the secretary on the St David’s Day celebration arrangements, laying up of colours for three Royal Welsh and a brief update on the Mametz Wood trip in July.St David’s Day will be celebrated on 27 February at the Marine Hotel at a similar cost to last year, but members will be notified soonest of the actual cost.The laying up of three Royal Welsh (RWR) colours will take place on 24 January at St Mary’s Church, Swansea. Members wishing to attend should contact the secretary, Paul Hinge, as soon as possible to give accurate figures for catering purposes.The Mametz Wood trip has moved on another stage and RHQ with the 1st Battalion Royal Welsh have done their recce and are now formulating the programme.Comrades will be able to buy in and out of the many parades that will be taking place. Capt (Retd) Des Williams DCM has also been to see the accommodation and is happy that it is what the branch needs.Finally, there is no meeting in December, so the branch’s next meeting, which will also be the AGM, will take place on Wednesday, 4 January, at the usual venue at 8pm.

Bridge clubs

RESULTS from Sunday, 8 November: 1, Mike Jones and Kim Marsh; 2, Betty Loyn and Jean Harrison; joint 3, Jo Davies and Doreen Anthony/Roger Boyle and Robert Griffiths.Results from Tuesday, 10 November: 1, Pam Ellis and Mike Jones; 2, Alun Richards and Ian Finlay; 3, Pamela Woodhouse and Margaret James.Results from Friday, 13 November, n/s: 1, Magda Corser and Ron Jones; 2, Margaret Hathaway and Jeff Thomas; 3, David Adam-son and Robert Griffiths.E/w: 1, Margaret James and Mike Jones; 2, Dai Hayes and John Valentine; 3, Mike Yeo and Ian Finlay.Results from Tuesday, 17 November: 1, Margaret James and Pamela Woodhouse; joint 2, Alun Richards and Mike Jones/Jeff Thomas and Gwynant Edwards.

Ladies’ Circle

SANTA will be visiting villages around Aberystwyth on his sleigh on 11, 13 and 14 December. Aberystwyth Ladies Circle will be accompanying him, collecting donations for the Ystwyth and Ceredig wards at Bronglais Hos-pital and the Dialysis Unit in Aberystwyth.Santa make stops at the following: Friday, 11 December, from 5pm around Bow Street; Sunday, 13 December, from 4pm around Pen-rhyncoch; Monday, 14 December, from 5pm around Comins Coch and Waunfawr.All times and days are weather dependent as Santa doesn’t like to get too wet on his sleigh.

Friends of Ceredigion Museum

THE ANNUAL general meeting of the Friends was held at the Coliseum on Saturday, 14 November, with the president, Mona Morris, in the chair. After welcoming members to the meeting, she paid tribute to Rev Alan White, a loyal member of the Friends’ council, who died on Friday, 12 June. She reflected that he would be sadly missed by the association, his church and many societies in the town of Aberystwyth.As usual, the highlight of the meeting was the curator’s report. Mrs Canham told the Friends that Ceredigion Museum was on the threshold of embarking on ‘New Approaches’, the most exciting development since its move to the Coliseum in 1982. Museum and council staff, supported by the Friends, had been working extremely hard over the last year to develop the Heritage Lottery Fund grant application that would provide the museum with a fabulous new street level entrance – combined with the Tourist Information Centre – a café, a shop, a new lift and two new members of staff to engage new audiences and to develop new income streams – strengthening the museum’s resilience at this time of continuing financial austerity.She continued by remarking that the Friends had played a central role in developing these plans by attending the consultations, sharing expertise and, most significantly, helping to raise the £400,000 matched funding necessary for the Heritage Lottery Fund to commit their £900,000 contribution to the £1.3 million cost of the project. Ceredigion County Council had pledged £200,000 to the matched funding – from the sale of Ty Lisburn – and the Friends had helped to secure a further £99,000 thus far, with the outcome of the final funding applications due any day.The curator reviewed the year’s exhibitions, which began with the multi-sensory Cassandra’s Rant by the acclaimed Welsh artist Shani Rhys James and concluded with the present exhibition entitled Creative Mapping: Aberystwyth Printmakers’ responses to maps past and present, which juxtaposed historic maps from the collection with artistic responses from Ceredigion’s most esteemed printmakers.If all goes to plan and New Approaches becomes a reality, the Friends’ continuing support will ensure that the future is not only secure, but that our treasured museum will be enjoyed by more people.When the formal business of the meeting was concluded, members talked about objects of historical interest which they owned and then socialised over tea and cake.The annual membership of the Friends is £8 with a reduced fee of £4 for volunteers, stu-dents and the unwaged. Membership forms are available at the museum counter. One of the benefits of membership is a 10 per cent discount in the museum shop which is just the place to find unusual Christmas presents. Remember too that Santa will make a special visit to the museum cottage on 12 and 19 December.