THE latest community news from Aberystwyth

Bridge Club

Winners by a large margin on 8 June were Magda Corser and Martin Page.

Pam Woodhouse and Sue Sherman shared second place with Keith Bellamy and Nigel Symons Jones.

Mike Jones and Margaret James bid and made 6 Hearts on Board 8 but Keith and Nigel, recognising that they could only lose one Ace, gained an extra 10 points by bidding and making 6 No Trumps.

Jacqui Roberts and Joyce Blair were winners on 10 June, with Sue Sherman and Margaret James coming second and Gabor Galleri and John Holmes third. There were very competitive auctions on Board 21, with three pairs going down in doubled contracts.

Aberystwyth Bridge Club normally plays twice a week in Waunfawr Community Hall, starting at 6.45pm with Friday being the main evening. Visitors are welcome. For further information, please call the club secretary on 01970 639229. For beginners’ lessons, contact Elenid Thomas on 01970 828765.

Rotary Club

At this week’s meeting, a new member Julian Pratt, recently transferred from Crediton Rotary Club, gave a talk entitled ‘ Ready Steady Read with Rotary ‘.

The most basic skills that an adult needs to function independently in a modern society are the ability to read and write effectively.

We all need to be functionally literate.

Without doubt the majority of us are. Over 80 per cent of the adult population have well developed literacy skills.

However, turn that figure on its head. The exact percentage can be debated but it is generally agreed that between 20 and 25 per cent of young people leave school at 16 in the UK functionally illiterate.

Put another way, one in five of our young people are not adequately equipped to face the modern world and therefore are seriously hindered from being successful in it.

The majority of pupils who leave school functionally illiterate at 16 were also far behind the majority of their peers at the ages of seven and eleven.

The Ready Stead Read with Rotary (RSRR) Literacy Programme was original devised when two friends, Stephen Kings from the Rotary Club of Paignton and a retired primary school teacher were discussing the problem of functional illiteracy in the current education system.

In a short time, they had both agreed a way forward that involved developing a process to help very young children learn to read with an intensive one to one system utilising experienced consultants.

The Rotary Club of Paignton supported the creation and the development of the RSRR programme over the following year and in 2012 the programme started at one primary school in Paignton.

It was an immediate success and soon after identical programmes was started in other schools.

All of these programmes were supported by Rotary Clubs and are a perfect example of how Rotary can help a local community.

Since then the programme has been extensively modified as times have changed and will continue to be updated as necessary.

Over 200 children have now had a life changing experience that will not only help them read, but will boost their own self confidence and self-esteem.

Ready Steady Read with Rotary is committed to helping Rotary Clubs across the UK to at least consider supporting this venture in their local schools.

Probus Club

Probus is a club for retired and semi-retired people and so the talk given by last month’s speaker was of particular interest to members.

Jack Evershed, latterly co-chair of the Mid Wales Healthcare Collaborative, gave an admirably clear talk about the new proposals for changes to NHS provision in the area.

Jack started by explaining the healthcare situation in Wales some years ago, when he first became involved in public discussion of these issues.

As a result of the efforts of Jack and many like-minded local people, the Welsh Assembly and the health boards seem finally to be listening to the views of concerned citizens.

Jack went on to explain the different options being proposed by the Hywel Dda Health Board and finished by encouraging audience members to communicate their views to the board (by writing or online) during the consultation period, which runs until 12 July.

Club members who chose to make last week’s trip to Halen Môn, the Anglesey sea salt company, were treated to a fine day out.

The trip was rounded off with an enjoyable meal in the convivial surroundings of the Red Lion in Dinas Mawddwy.

The club’s next meeting will be at 11am on Wednesday, 27 June in the Waunfawr Community Hall.

Following the AGM, the speaker will be Huw Bates, editor of EGO magazine. All are welcome and further details can be obtained from the club secretary, John Andrews, on 01970 358095.

Horticultural Society

THE second of the Cardiganshire Horticultural Society’s 50th anniversary year’s very special summer outings, took place last Tuesday, 12 June, with a party of 36 enjoying a wonderful day in West Gwynedd; travelling through the Snowdonia National Park and visiting Nanhoron and Plas Gwynfryn.

The party were very warmly welcomed to a completely different landscaped garden by Caroline Evans who with her gardener then led a tour round.

Tuesday, 3 July, sees the third trip of the season and takes a party to Shropshire to visit the renowned David Austin Roses centre near Albrighton, and in the afternoon the second visit is a complete contrast, with the party returning to Shrewsbury for a visit to the award winning Bowbrook Community Allotments.

The 93 plots are on a five-acre site and have featured on BBC TV and local radio and several magazines.

Peter Haycox will be welcoming the party and showing it round, and tea and cake will be served before departure.

Places are still available and a warm welcome to anyone interested in gardening and horticulture, to join the remaining two remaining summer outings.

Plascrug Bridge Club

5 JUNE: 1 John Holmes and Alan Stein, 2 Linda Crawford and Dylan Raw-Rees.

12 June: 1 Joyce Blair and Jean Harrison, joint 2 Margaret Ellis and Vicky Edwards/Alan Stein and John Holmes.

Refugees

REFUGEES living in Aberystwyth and Newtown will be able to enjoy three family forest school activity days, aimed at connecting people with nature.

The project has been set up to enable people from war torn Syria living locally to get together.

Taking place at the Ceinws Camp Wild Play Area in June, July and September participants will come together to share fireside music and cooking, den building, nature studies, creating arts and crafts with natural materials, play games and get to know more about the natural environment and each other. The project has been made possible thanks to funding from Outdoor Learning Wales.

Tegwen Brickley chair of the Dyfi OLW Network Group and Mid Wales Refugee Action member said: “We are delighted to receive this funding, it is a fantastic opportunity to bring people together and offer recently resettled families from Syria living in Newtown and Aberystwyth an opportunity to spend time together in nature with local families.”

Mid Wales Refugee Action, based in Machynlleth raise awareness and funds and work to improve the lives of displaced people, volunteering in Northern France and further afield in Europe, and creating a warm welcome for displaced people living in the UK through Sanctuary days and breaks.

If you’re a member of a club, society or group, send your news to [email protected]