Services

HOLY Cross, Mass at 6pm on Sat-urday with Bishop Edwin; St Mary Magdalene, Mass at 11 am with Bishop Edwin; St Michael’s, Morn-ing service at 9.30am; St David’s, Morning service at 11am; Manod Orthodox Church, Third and Sixth Canonical Hours at 10am followed 30 minutes later by the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom; Calfaria, Rhian Williams, afternoon; Bethesda, Rev Anita Parry Ephraim, 10am.DonationTHE town council has donated the sum of £740.40 to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau.SkateIT WAS reported to the town council that the police are very supportive of the idea of installing a youth centre at the skate park but would like it to be located near the fence which borders the allotments to reduce noise.There may be a possibly of a shel-ter available from the police but if not they could direct the town coun-cil to grants toward youth activities and such grants may also be avail-able by the Fire Service through their campaign to raise awareness of the dangers intentional fires which were a problem for them last year. The town council, in response, welcomed the offer of a youth shelter and will collaborate with the police and fire services to obtain money for youth services at the site. On the question of the starting of fires, the police has announced that they are arranging information days at Ysgol y Moelwyn to raise awareness of the consequences of such actions and the council has been invited to attend to discuss the skate park. Also about the site, the council is to contact Gwynedd Council as work on the lights there is still to be completed by them.

Damage

FOLLOWING the recent gales, damage has been done to the town’s flagpole as well as one of the panes of glass at the bus shelter in Rawson Square. Gwynedd Council has been informed and been asked to repair them as quickly as possible.

Gallery

THE Maenofferen Gallery hosts an exhibition of a small selection of paintings by Peter McNally until the 26 February and admission to the gallery is free during the library’s opening hours.SportsAFTER two blank weeks, Blaenau Amateurs FC are at Llanllyfni on Saturday in a Take Stock Van Hire League Cup Second Round tie and the Reserves are at Llanberis in a Craig Bragdy Pools Challenge Cup 2nd Round tie; Bro Ffestiniog XV next scheduled match will be at Flint on 20 February.ParkTHE Park Partnership is making an application to Keep Wales Tidy for a Green Flag and hope to receive a small grant towards the planting of fruit trees there. The Partnership chair, in a letter to the town council, has offered the council a sum of £5,000 towards the costs of purchas-ing a swing for disabled children and a crazy golf course at the park.PlaqueTHE town council meeting was told that the work of putting the town council logo onto the plaque which is to be set at Rawson Square has not yet been completed.CerddedTAITH nesaf aelodau Clwb Cerd-ded Stiniog fydd dydd Sul o Dol-wyddelen i Gapel Curig a gofynnir ir aelodau fod ger Ty Gorsaf am 9 a bod esgidiau cryf, dilliad addas a pecyn o fwyd yn hanfodol i’r daith.ApplicationHAVING discussed a planning application for change of use of the ground floor from a shop to a self-contained flat at 32 Church Street, the town council asked for more information regarding Gwynedd Council’s policy on conversion of shops into flats on the high street. Town councillors felt that Gwyn-edd Council should pursue a policy of rejecting such applications and, if this is not their policy, the town council feels it should be as it would ensure the future of the towns.AdviceA CITIZENS’ Advice Bureau rep-resentative will be at the library be-tween 10am and 1pm on Mondays but as yet the Macmillan Support co-ordinator is not available. Con-tact the library for more information on the matter. MeetingA FIRST joint letter sent by the town council, Dolwyddelen Com-munity Council and the Ffestiniog Memorial Hospital Defence Com-mittee to Betsi Cadwaladr Universi-ty Health Board last October asking if the board representatives could meet here in Blaenau with the three groups was somehow misplaced.Now the board has confirmed that it is to send its chairman Peter Higson and maybe another to a meeting in Blaenau on 15 March.

Planning

THE town council, having debated planning applications which had been resolved by the planning authority, have not objected to: Demolition of existing rear extension and construction of a new extension at 2 Frongoch, Cwmbowydd; and engineering operations involving the removal of existing plant and erection of a new plant and alterations to existing track at the Welsh Water site at Ffestiniog.

Cymdeithas Hanes

BYDD y Gymdeithas Hanes yn cynnal eu cyfarfod nesaf yn neuadd Sefydliad y Merched, nos Fercher nesaf (Chwefror 17) am 7:15. Y siaradwr fydd Vivian Parry Williams a’i destun fydd y cynllun mawreddog a drafodwyd yn 1903 i ddraenio chwareli ‘Stiniog.

Bro Ffestiniog Archaeology Society meeting

THE recent meeting was very well attended and given through the medium of Welsh with instant translation by Bryn Jones.Guest speaker, Dr Dafydd Gwyn, started by outlining the meaning of World Heritage sites, which are selected by UNESCO and defined as sites of “outstanding universal value”. In the past cathedrals, churches, castles have received the honour; many cathedrals and churches in France have such status and places like the Taj Mahal in India, Machu Pichu in Peru and here in Gwynedd the castles and town walls of King Edward I.

Recent awards have recognised sites linked to slavery such as holding areas in Africa prior to shipping to America and Europe, and recently Pontcysyllte Viaduct and Canal was given WHS status.The Slate bid will highlight the industrial, community and cultural side of the area, tackling it from an angle different to that of a building, ancient site and natural areas such as forests.The creation of communities around the discovery of slate rather like the various gold-rush locations around the world will take a high priority in the bid. Development of those communi-ties such as Blaenau, Bethesda, Llanberis, Nantlle, Deiniolen and Aberllefenni into the towns of today within an educational, religious and transport context.Within the quarries the ‘Caban’ was a source of education; learning to read and write, the art of debate and poetry.The quarries attracted top-notch engineers and investors to the Blaenau area such as John Brunton, George Parker Bidder, Charles Warren Roberts, Lord Rothschild and Lord Palmerston – once the UK Prime Minister.Undoubtedly the campaign to gain WHS status will probably be the most important thing to happen to North Wales over the next two years and should it be successful it will be the greatest thing to hit the area since the slate boom itself as far as the future is concernedChairman Bill Jones thanked Dr Gwyn for his talk and for the excel-lent translation facility provided by Bryn Jones.The next meeting will be on Thursday, 18 February, at 7pm, in y Ganolfan when the subject will be ‘Roundhouses’.

Merched y Wawr

CYNHALIWYD cyfarfod cyntaf y flwyddyn newydd ar 25 Ionawr yn y Ganolfan Gymdeithasol o dan lywyddiaeth Ceinwen Humphries. Cymerwyd enwau ar gyfer tîm i gynrychioli’r gangen yn y Bowlio Deg yng Nghlanllyn ar 19 Chwefror. Dyddiad arall i’w gofio yw 14 Mai, pryd y cynhelir Gwyl y Pum Rhanbarth yn Ysgol Friars ym Mangor.Gwr gwadd y noson oedd Dafydd Roberts o’r Manod, gyda chymorth Gareth T. Jones ar y cyfrifiadur. Dangosodd amryw o sleidiau a dynwyd gan ei dad-yng-nghyfraith o’r ardal rai blynyddoedd yn ôl, ac yna rai diweddar i gymharu a dynnwyd gan Dafydd ei hun. O hen ffordd Dolwen a’r Tyrpeg Newydd i ganol y dref a’r diwydiant chwareli, gwelwyd newidiadau mawr. Cyn gorffen cafwyd cwis darluniadol o ddarnau addurniadol a dyddiadau a welir ar rai o adeiladau’r dref, a syndod oedd sylweddoli cyn lleied yr ydym yn sylwi ar yr hyn sydd o’n cwmpas.Diolchwyd i’r ddau am noson ddifyr gan Ellen Evans.Ellen hefyd oedd enillydd y gystadleuaeth gyda hen lun o’r Blaenau. Lluniau Megan ddaeth yn ail a thrydydd.Byddwn yn cyfarfod am 6.30yh ar 22 Chwefror yng Ngwesty Seren, Llan Ffestiniog, i swpera a dathlu Gwyl Dewi.