WI

THE PRESIDENT, Jacqui, welcomed members to the March meeting before Meirion was sung unaccompanied and apologies were accepted.Five members will celebrate their birthdays before the next meeting. Minutes of the last meeting were read and signed, and the matters arising from the minutes were noted.Eleven members attended the Te Cymreig at Dyffryn Village Hall, 11 members attended the Harlech WI meeting on 9 March and four members played scrabble at Felin Ganol in Dolgellau where Christine Leese won the cup with a score of 409.A delegate is required for the Spring Council at Rhyd-y-Maen on 26 April.The date for the quiz night has been changed to 29 April and the fashion show at the Edinburgh Woollen Mill shop is on 19 May. The county letter was read and relevant dates and events noted. A letter from Belarus from Avril and Andrew was read out, thanking the WI for the items sent. Stewards are still required for the Royal Welsh Show in July as well as small home-crafted items to be sold over the four days of the show.There will be a sewing session in Dyffryn village hall on 27 April.The speaker for the evening was Peter Rutherford, access officer for the Snowdonia National Park.He trained as a mechanical engineer initially and since leaving school has spent nine years furthering his education at university. He previously lived in South Africa for five years.The national park covers a large expanse of north and west Wales and has many wardens who cover different areas of the park.Peter’s job is to maintain access in the park, be it mountains, lakes, or coastlines.He showed the group slides on how they work to keep on improving the access areas of the park. Sixty per cent of the park is accessible to the public, which requires a lot of upkeep.He works as a go-between for landowners and event organisers for various races and biking events. They keep cattle and Welsh cob horses on the park, but not sheep, he said.Educational groups use the park for research projects and many people use it for various activities such as hiking, canoeing, moun-tain biking and running, as well as tourists who just want the experi-ence of visiting Snowdon.People who walk through the national park are counted electronically and more people are visiting the park all year round, Peter said.He was thanked by Liz Roberts.The monthly competition for a short poem was won by Joan Probert with Christine Leese second and Janet Davies in third.The hostesses were thanked for the refreshments. The raffle was won by Pauline Roberts and the plant by Liz Roberts.The next meeting will be on 27 April.

Merched y Wawr

NOS FAWRTH, 15 Mawrth, cyfarfu 15 aelod Merched y Wawr y Bermo a’r Cylch am eu cyfarfod diweddaraf.Dechreuwyd efo materion y mudiad dan arweinyddiaeth Llewela efo cymorth ein ysgrifenyddes Gwenda.Cawsom ein atgoffa fod penblwydd 50 Merched y Wawr yn cyrraedd y flwyddyn nesaf.Aethon ni ymlaen i’r prif gweithgaredd y noson, sef darlith gan ein gwr gwadd, yr Ynad Heddwch Elfed ap Gomer.Gwyneth ddaru ei gyflwyno. Roedd o’n cofio hi, Llewela a Grace am eu bod nhw wedi gweithio efo eu gilydd yn Ysgol Ardudwy, rhai blynyddoedd yn ôl.Ar ôl i Elfed ymddeol fel athro, aeth o yn Ynad Heddwch ac yn y cyfarfod esboniodd i ni am waith yr Ynad.Dechreuodd efo cyflwyniad PowerPoint am hanes yr Ynadon, yn dechrau yn ôl yn 1195, amser Richard Calon Llew, yn datblygu dros y canrifoedd ac, yn y blynyddoedd diweddar, yn wynebu toriadau. Wedyn dangosodd Elfed luniau Llys Ynadon Dolgellau, hen a chy-foes, yn defnyddio nhw i esbonio sut mae Llys Ynadon yn gweithio. Gorffennodd efo ni yn gweithio yn grwpiau o dri (fel tri Ynad ar y Fainc), yn ystyried achosion dych-mygol ond nodweddiadol.Roedd y cyflwyniad yn dda, a roedd o’n ddiddorol iawn i ni cael cipolwg ar fyd y llysoedd, a dod i ddeall mwy am waith Ynad.Ar ôl sesiwn cwestiynau, diolch-wyd Elfed gan Pam dros bawb.Bydd ein cyfarfod nesaf ar 19 Ebrill gyda Ken Robinson yn siarad am Lein y Cambrian.

Concerts

TWO CONCERTS have been organised by the Bro Ardudwy Churches at St John’s Church, Barmouth.On Saturday, 2 April, they will be welcoming Côr Meibion Bro Dysynni from Tywyn at 7.30pm for the first concert.For the second concert on Monday, 18 April, at 7.30pm, the Hermitage Ensemble from St Petersburg will entertain an audience with the spell-binding sound of a Russian Orthodox male voice ensemble that draws its singers from amongst the finest soloists in St Petersburg, including members of the Kirov Opera.The extraordinary resonance produced by the Hermitage Ensemble’s blend of voices, all underpinned by a spine-tingling Basso, roams across the rich tradition of austere, sombre chants and more full-blooded and joyous folk songs – conjuring up the beauty and strength of the great Russian soul!Tickets can be purchased online at https://barmouth.church/events and will also be available on the door on the evening of the concerts. Refreshments during intervals.