Services

HOLY Cross: Mass at 6pm on Saturday with Bishop Edwin.St Mary Magdalene: Mass at 11am with Bishop Edwin.Manod Orthodox: Third and Sixth Canonical Hours at 10am followed by Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom at 10.30 am,St Michael’s: Morning service at 9.30am.St David’s: Morning service at 11am.Bowydd: Rev Anita Ephraim, 10am.Calfaria: Rev D T Lewis, afternoon.Bethesda: Rev Carwyn Siddall, 10am.

Gallery

THE EXHIBITION of a small selection of paintings by Blaenau-born Peter McNally, who now lives in London, will end this week.It will be followed by an exhibition under the heading of Seas and Mountains by artist Ray Murphy for the next six weeks.

Rhoddion

CAFWYD rhoddion o £249.31 er cof am y diweddar Melvyn Jones o Argoed, 5, Llwynygell, Rhiwbryfdir at y Kidney Wales Foundation.

Sports

IT WAS not a good day for the Blaenau Amateurs FC as they were beaten 7-3 at Meliden on Saturday in a Welsh Alliance Division 2 fixture with Ian Roberts (2) and Carey Roberts their scorers.The reserves didn’t kick a ball as their home match against Lland-yrnog Res was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.This Saturday, the first team are at Penmaenmawr and the Reserves home to Llanberis Res. Bro Ffestiniog XV were 19-0 winners at Flint and this Saturday they are home to Denbigh.

Advice

A REPRESENTATIVE of the Citizens Advice Bureau will be available at the library on Mondays between 10am and 1pm No appointment needed. There will be no Macmillan Cancer Support co-ordinator for the time being, but you can get relevant information by calling at or phoning the library on 0176 830415.

Poetry

THE MARCH meeting of the local poetry and creative writing group will be held next Tuesday at the Bridge Café between 10.30am and noon. For more information, call 01766 830403.

Clwb Cerdded

TAITH leol fydd gan aelodau y Clwb Cerdded Stiniog ddydd Sul a gofynnir iddynt i droi i fyny ger Ty Gorsaf am 9yb; mae esgidiau cryf, dillad addas a phecyn o fwyd yn hanfodol i’r daith.

National Eisteddfod

GERWYN Murray of Glanywern, Manod, who has been a loyal member of the Dolgellau-based band Swnami for some time, will be taking part in the National Eisteddfod.It has been confirmed that his band, as well as Yr Ods and Can-delas, will be taking part in the eisteddfod’s very first rock prom which will be held at the Eisteddfod Pavilion during this year’s festival in Monmouthshire on Thursday, 4 August. The bands will be accompanied on the night by the Welsh Pops Orchestra, conducted by Owain Llwyd, and the compere will be Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens.

Moelwyn Choir

THE MOELWYN Male Voice Choir held its annual meeting last Friday evening with Idris Roberts presiding.He thanked conductor Sylvia Ann Jones, accompanist Wenna Francis Jones the officials and the choir’s dedicated members for their support and contributions over the years. He also mentioned the great loss the choir had received over the past year with the death of the hard-working chairman Anthony McNally. Both the secretary Eifion Morris and long-serving treasurer Meirion Ellis gave their detailed reports which were received and agreed upon.They were then re-elected, as were chairman, Idris Roberts; vice-chairman, Tecwyn William; compere, Gareth Griffiths; and stage manager, Glyn Jones. The choir now rehearses at the WI Hall and are preparing for the coming season of concerts which will start at Betws y Coed on Friday, 4 March.

Award

OVER the years, many visitors who have visited the underground slate caverns at Llechwedd have seen the storage spaces there of the South Caernarfon Creameries cheddar cheese. Now that cheese has been named the Best Dairy Product at the 2016 Ford Management Today awards ceremony which was held in London. There to receive the award was Linda Lewis-Williams on behalf of the Creamery and the Llechwedd mine boss Michael Bewick. Siop SiaradSIOP Siarad, the social group for Welsh learners, will be holding its next meeting at 11am on Saturday, 27 of February at the Bridge Café. Learners and fluent Welsh speakers are all invited to come along for an informal chat.The group have, over the past few months, have had several new faces attending and even more would be welcomed.

Cymdeithas y Gorlan

AR 1 Chwefror, yn Festri Capel Bowydd, rhoddodd Janet Roberts groeso i’r Parch Carwyn Siddall atom. Ynys Llanddwyn oedd ei destyn — man hudolus sydd yn ôl chwedl wedi ei henwi ar ôl Dwynwen, merch Brychan, Tywysog Brycheiniog, a greuwyd yn santes y cariadon yn y 5ed ganrif.Wrth fod yr ynys ar fynedfa ddeheuol yr Afon Fenai, yn 19eg ganrif adeiladwyd goleudy, gyda rhes o dai i’r rhai oedd yn gymeryd gofal ohonno. Mae un o’r rhain wedi ei adnew-yddu bellach, ac mae bosib gweld arddangosfa o fywyd gwyllt yn ardal. O 1840’au ymlaen roedd bad achub hefyd, gyda’r criw o bentref gyfagos Niwbwrch yn cael eu galw gyda gwn mawr. Mae’r blynyddodd diwetha hefyd wedi gweld Hollywood yn gwneud defnydd o’r ynys, gan adeiladu strwythurau o gwympas y goleudy. Wedi noson ddifyr iawn, taliwyd y diolchiadau gan Robin Davies, a cawson baned wedi ei pharatoi gan chwiorydd cyn troi am adre.Bydd yn cynnal Dydd Gweddi Byd Eang y Chwiorydd am 6.30yh ar 4 Mawrth yng Nghapel Calfaria ar y thema Derbyniwch Blant, Der-byniwch Fi. Rhoddir yr anerchiad gan y Parch Anita Ephraim. Ar 7 o’r mis yng Nghapel Carmel eto am 6.30yh bydd ei cyfarfod blynyddol ac i ddilyn am 7yh bydd Gwynne Pearce yn rhoi sgwrs ar Dylanwadau Canu Pop Cymru.

Cymdeithas Hanes

UNWAITH eto daeth cynulleidfa dda i gyfarfod diwethaf Cymdeithas Hanes a gynhaliwyd ar 17 Chwefror.Ein gwr gwadd oedd Vivian Parry Williams a’i destun oedd Y cynllun mawreddog i ddraenio chwareli Stiniog yn 1903.Seiliwyd y ddarlith ar adroddiad gan Thomas Jones ym Mai 1903 i geisio cael gwared neu draenio y miliynau o alwyni o ddwr oedd yng nghrombil y chwareli. Yn yr Ocli fel enghraifft defnyddir pympiau oedd yn pwmpio allan 40,000 galwyn yr awr ond yr oedd angen un yn pwm-pio 100,000 galwyn yr awr. Nid am chwarel yr Ocli yn unig roedd yr adroddiad, ond Llechwedd, Foty a Maenofferen yn ogystal.Bwriad a chynnig Thomas Jones i ddatrys y problem oedd cloddio un o ddau dwnnel o’r chwareli i fynd â’r dwr ohonynt yn well ac i’r perwyl hyn aeth mewn cysylltiad â chwmni oedd yn creu twnnel Simplon yn y Swisdir. Yr oeddynt yn defnyddio “drill” arbennig ac yr oedd ganddo ddiddordeb mawr yn y cynllun yma. Bwriad Jones oedd creu drwy gysylltiad â’r bedair chwarel, un twnnel yn redeg i lawr i Rhydsarn neu un arall i Cymerau.Amcangyfrifwyd mae cost y twnnel i Rhydsarn oedd £75,000 a £65,000 i Cymerau, ond teimlodd Thomas Jones y buasa £100,000 yn clirio y cyfan.Wedi ystyried hyn a hefyd cost y posiblrwydd o drydaneiddio y chwareli, penderfynwyd gwrthod cynllun Thomas Jones.Yr oedd Vivian yn dal allan mae y rhesymau am wrthod y cynllun oedd diffyg cyfalaf, diffyg hyder a diffyg gweledigaeth. Tybiodd beth fuasa y sefyllfa wedi bod erbyn hyn os buasant wedi mynd ymlaen efo’r cynllun. Hwyrach y buasant yn parhau i weithio yn y chwarel, buasa poblogaeth Blaenau heb ddisgyn o dan y 5,000, buasa fwy o siopa yn y dref, buasa Ysgol y Moelwyn heb golli ei chweched dosbarth ac ni fuasa cyn gymaint o gapeli wedi cau. Yr oedd nifer o sylwadau ar y diwedd yn amlwg fod y gwrandawyr wedi cymeryd diddordeb mawr a mwynhau darlith am bwnc oedd yn hollol newydd iddynt. Talwyd y diolchiadau ffurfiol gan Bill Jones, gan dynnu ein sylw at un o’r sleidiau a ddangoswyd, un yn dangos rhediad y twneli yn yr Ocli. Cynhelir y cyfarfod nesaf ar 16 Mawrth pryd y disgwyliwn Hefin Jones Roberts i sôn am hiwmor dyn ambiwlans.