THE latest community news from Aberystwyth

Great War centenary

Rita Thomas, one of Hafan y Waun Care Home’s senior carers, and a veteran of the Women’s Royal Naval Service set herself the challenge to teach herself to knit so she could create 100 poppies to commemorate the centenary of the Great War.

They became part of a bigger project she created for the centenary of the Great War.

After putting a call out to the community to help knit poppies, nearly 2,000 arrived from as far afield as Oswestry and Tregaron.

Local knitting groups contributed, as well as residents and their families.

Eideila Williams, the oldest resident at 101, sewed the first poppy to officially start the project as staff, volunteers, residents and visitors all took part in creating the display in Hafan y Waun’s café.

Cylch Cinio

CLWB Rygbi Aberystwyth oedd cyrchfan yr aelodau ar gyfer y cyfarfod misol ar nos Wener, 9 Tachwedd.

Cyflwynodd y cadeirydd, Dr Richard Edwards, y g?r gwadd am y noson, John Roberts. Wrth ei gyflwyno cyfeiriodd yn benodol at gampwaith cofiadwy John yn Cyfarwyddo yr Anterliwt Donald Bricit a Stryd y Domen yng Nghanolfan y Morlan ym mis Ionawr eleni. Cafodd John ei fagu yn ardal Pwllheli ac Abersoch a bu’n fyfyriwr Cymraeg a Drama ym Mhrifysgol Bangor ac mae wedi ysgrifennu a chynhyrchu nifer o ddramau. Penderfynodd fynd ar drywydd newydd ac astudio diwinyddiaeth yng Ngholeg Bala-Bangor a bu’n weinidog gyda’r Presbyteriaid yn Nyffryn Ceiriog. Cafodd ei apwyntio i swydd cynhyrchydd rhaglenni crefyddol gan y BBC ac ef yw cyflwynydd y rhaglen Bwrw Golwg ar foreau Sul ar BBC Radio Cymru. Mae’n gyfathrebwr o’r radd flaenaf.

Dewisodd ‘Cofio’ fel thema ar gyfer ei sgwrs. A ninnau ar drothwy Sul y Cofio arwyddocaol eleni ar yr 11eg o’r 11eg mis, a hynny gan mlynedd ers diwedd y Rhyfel Mawr, pwysleisiodd mai cofio pobol nid cofio buddugoliaeth yw’r neges. Dylai’n pwyslais fod ar gofio colled ac aberth pobol a sylweddoli erchylltra a gwallgofrwydd rhyfeloedd a chanolbwyntio ar wneud y byd yn lle gwell i fyw ynddo. Cyfeirodd at y cyfleoedd a gafodd yn ei swydd i deithio yn eang a chyfarfod gyda rhai unigolion blaenllaw. Soniodd yn benodol am ymweliadau a chyfweliadau mewn gwledydd ansefydlog fel Nicaragua a Zimbabwe. Er iddo ryfeddu at garisma a doniau cyfathrebu arweinwyr llygredig fel Robert Mugabe a Daniel Ortega dyweddodd mai gweithredodd pobol gyffredin oedd wedi creu’r argraff fwyaf arno. Soniodd yn benodol am un wraig oedd, yn wirfoddol, yn casglu tua 70 o blant y stryd yn Harare yn ddyddiol a’u cludo mewn bws i ysgol i’w haddysgu a’u bwydo ac yna eu dychwelyd nol i’r ddinas ar ddiwedd y dydd.

Diolchwyd i John am sgwrs ysbrydolig gan Dafydd Evans a disgrifiodd ein siardwr gwadd fel ‘llais radio’ ac yntau yn wrandawr selog bob bore Sul ar Bwrw Golwg. John Lewis oedd enillydd y raffl.

Roedd yn braf cael estyn croeso i’r entrepreneur John Watkin, Ffair Rhos fel aelod newydd. Mae John ar hyn o bryd yn gwerthu gwin Malbec o Batagonia gyda’r elw yn cael ei gyfrannu i Gronfa Leol Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Ceredigion – Tregaron 2020. Mae pob bocs o win yn cyfrannu £25 i gronfa leol y prynwr.

Byddwn yn cyfarfod ar gyfer ein cinio Nadolig yng Ngwesty’r Richmond ar nos Wener, 14 Rhagfyr a hynny yng nghwmni yr actor a’r cyflwynydd teledu Alun Elidyr.

Mae’r drws ar agor i aelodau newydd.

Postcard Club

AT THE November meeting of the Aberystwyth Postcard Club, members and guests were entertained with a fascinating illustrated insight into the vast archives kept at the University of Aberystwyth by the University’s Records Manager Julie Archer.

The topic of her talk covered innumerous periods from the day the doors opened in 1872 to the first University College in Wales at Aberystwyth to the present day almost 150 years later.

The vast collection from whch Julie Archer had drawn depicted early student records, coins, medals, early photographs and postcards. The collection also has examples of the colourful student red and green blazers, scarves and sports caps that have been donated to the archive. One particular local studio postcard of a Lady in Aberystwyth college student attire who gained her degree in 1922 has been identified as a former distinquished law student Iris de Freitas from British Guiana who became the first practicing Lawyer in the Caribbean. The talk gave a vivid impression of how student and staff life had changed thoughout the existence of the University. Julie pointed out that funding to research the records of students has been obtained in collaboration with the Old Students Association in Cardiif and the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth.

Information regarding the digitised records is available via the website ‘Opening a digital window to the past’ .

The next meeting of the Postcard Club will be on Tueday, 4, December when members will be invited to give short talks during their Christmas social at St David’s Church Hall in Bath Street at 2pm.”

Rotary Club

‘IN search of the global countryside’ was the subject of a stimulating talk at last week’s Rotary Club meeting by Prof Michael Woods, of Aberystwyth University’s Department of Geography and Earth Sciences.

He commenced with a reference to Alwyn D Rees’ research and publication on Life in a Welsh countryside (1950) and to the work that has continued over several decades at Aberystwyth on the human geography of rural areas.

From Wales, Michael Woods took us to places as far afield as Tasmania, Taiwan and Brazil, giving examples of the effects of globalisation and how, for example, the ‘westernisation’ of diets in China had led to an increase in demand for western food products and the expansion of international trade. Dairy farming in New Zealand had doubled over past decades to meet the demands of new markets. It had led to more intense farming, and in countries such as Brazil the need for irrigation had had a marked effect on the landscape. Milk produced in Tasmania was now being flown to China and Taiwan where it is sold, as a fresh luxury product, at the equivalent of £9 per litre. Increasing demand for animal feed such as soya had the effect of squeezing out small farmers used to more traditional methods and products in countries such as Brazil.

There is also extensive migration from rural communities in countries such as Brazil and China, which can be encouraged as a way of bringing capital into the areas. Some of these migrants also end up in rural areas - as many as 1,500 had moved from Brazil to the small town of Gort in Western Ireland.

Similar trends in globalisation was seen in the fishing industry, and there were examples such as in Canada where communities traditionally dependent on sea fishing were responding to the challenges of over-fishing by diversifying into manufacturing and tourism.

Studies in Aberystwyth continued to focus of the effects of globalisation on the rural economy and communities of mid-Wales. As farmers face political uncertainties and increased competition, there is an even greater need for the leadership and research provided by centres such as Aberystwyth University.

Cymdeithas yr AelwydPrynhawn Gwener, 9 Tachwedd, croesawyd Erwyd Howells gan y cadeirydd Hefin Jones.Siaradodd Erwyd am ei fywyd fel bugail ac fel y bu’n gweithio ar nifer o ffermydd lle’r oedd y gwas yn cael ei drin fel un o’r teulu. Erbyn hyn mae Erwyd yn hunan gyflogedig ac yn gwasanaethu yma ac acw fel bo’r angen.Cymerodd Erwyd ddiddordeb yn ifanc mewn nodau clust a soniodd am Charles Evans oedd a gwybodaeth anhygoel am nodau clust, a’r cyfan ar ei gof. Roedd llawer o waith Erwyd ar y mynydd yn cael ei wneud ar gefn ceffyl ac roedd cael c?n da yn hanfodol, fel yr oedd ffon bugail. I gloi prynhawn difyr ac addysgiadol dangosodd Erwyd nifer o eitemau y mae wedi eu casglu dros y blynyddoedd, rhai ohonynt dros gant oed.Wildlife TrustThe second of the North Ceredigion Section of the Wildlife Trust south and west Wales’ monthly evening meetings was held on Monday, 5 November, at the Hugh Owen Building on the Penglais Campus.Chairman Fiona Corke welcomed to the meeting a good turnout of members and some students. After the usual business had been dealt with, the meeting had an illustrated update from Emily Foot, the Trust’s Ceredigion wildlife officer, on the seasonal management work she has been leading with her team of volunteers, in the trusts’ Ceredigion Nature Reserves. Members also reported on unusual wildlife sightings in the county, which they had noted recently.The speaker for the evening was Andy Jones of the Botanical Society of the British Isles whose talk was entitled ‘Arrowheads and Weasel’s snout: the Significance of Arable Weeds as Archaeology in Wales’. He gave an interesting presentation concentrating on the significance of arable weeds as archaeology in Wales, in which he illustrated what humble weeds of arable land can tell us about natural and cultural history. The December meeting of the section will be on Monday, 3 December, at 7pm in C22 in the Hugh Owen Building, when Becky Hulme (WTSWW’s red squirrel officer), will be talking about recent developments with the Mid-Wales Red Squirrel Project.Choral societyThe 2018 AGM of the Aberystwyth Choral Society was held pre-practice on 6 November in the Old Hall, Old College.Chairman June Wilson reported on another very positive year for the society. Both the Christmas and Easter concerts had been successful, attracting good audiences.She went on to warmly thank all those who had worked so hard in many and diverse ways, to make the year successful. However, she reminded everybody that, sadly, president Darryl Griffiths and a number of other long-serving former choristers had passed away over the course of the year.The treasurer, Tim Cutts, presented the accounts for the past financial year which showed all to clearly that the staging of two full-scale choral concerts each year was most definitely not a cheap affair. Principal officers elected for the coming year were: June Wilson, chairman; John Wildig, vice-chairman; Tim Cutts, treasurer; Sarah Rees, secretary.Choral Society AGMs in recent years have been undertaken very smoothly and quickly and the 2018 one was no exception; and spot on 7.30pm the evening’s rehearsal got under way concentrating initially on the Faure Cantique de Jean Racine and finally the Rutter Magnificat. To raise money for the society’s funds, the choir is holding a coffee morning with stalls next Saturday morning, 17 November, in the Waunfawr Community Hall from 10.30am until noon. The following Saturday, 24 November from 11am to midday, a party will be singing carols in the Great Hall for the Arts Centre Food Fair, heralding the start of the festive season.Côr Meibion The Choir joined with the Band of the Prince of Wales Division and soloist Kirsten Orsborn at the concert which was part of the Aberystwyth Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance 2018.This was held at Theatr y Werin, Aberystwyth Arts Centre on 8 November and commemorated 100 years since the end of World War One. The choir programme was chosen with the significance and solemnity of the occasion very much in mind and the items reflected the religious and spiritual significance of the festival.Y Darlun by Davey Davies was sung for the first time in concert by the choir and was inspired by the famous drawing the Praying Hands by the German artist Durer. Tangnefeddwyr is taken from the poem by Waldo Willams set to music by Eric Jones and is a reflection on the bombing of Swansea in February 1941.Three hymns were included in the choir programme, Glyn Rhosyn, Deep Harmony and Llanfair. Also included in the choir programme were the spiritual Steal Away and Bring Him Home from Les Miserables. The choir was conducted by their musical director Alwyn Evans with accompanist Elenid Thomas and the choir items were presented by Hywel Wyn Jones.The concert was followed by the Muster, Parade of Standards and Act of Remembrance led by Rev Mones Farah. The presentations were made by Col Patrick Norrington-Davies and the compère was Gareth Hughes.If you’re a member of a club, society or group, send your news to [email protected]