THE latest community news from Aberystwyth

Holy Trinity Church Children’s Choir

SINGING in a choir is a wonderful uplifting experience and many adult choristers in choirs today, started singing in their local church choir as children.

Sadly there are now very few churches with choirs apart from cathedrals and the progression from church choirs to choral societies and other choirs has been lost.

Holy Trinity Church still has a small adult choir, but in June last year, it took the bull by the horns and started a Children’s Choir.

This is now led by local professional musician David Cooper and with Daniel Smith as accompanist and a number of willing volunteers, has been meeting regularly in church on Friday afternoons from 4pm to 5.15pm.

Between eight and nine children have been attending the practices and on Sunday, 9 December, they made their first contribution to a church service; joining an enhanced adult choir for a service of advent readings and music.

They were joined by the adults in the singing of a number of advent hymns and anthems they had been learning but more importantly sang two items on their own - An Advent Ditty and the Dormouse Carol by Elizabeth Poston.

Five of the children have also been learning to play the violin with David Cooper and towards the end of the service; they gave a marvellous rendering of Howard Blake’s piece for violins Walking in the air.

It was a wonderful service which was much enjoyed by the children, the adult choir and most importantly the congregation. After a Christmas and New Year break, the children’s choir is restarting at 4pm on Friday, 18 January, and in the coming session, David Cooper will be focussing on them playing a prominent role in the Mothering Sunday service on Sunday 31 March.

With the longer view very much in mind, David will be starting the Royal School of Church Music’s Voice for Life Training Course which provides a framework for the children to develop their vocal skills, musical understanding and knowledge of music.

In the long term, this will give them a sound foundation for their lifelong participation in and enjoyment of choral singing with all its health and other positive benefits, be it in church choirs, choral societies or other choirs.

Parents with children interested in joining the children’s choir are very welcome to come to Holy Trinity on Friday, 18 January, at 4pm to see for themselves, children learning to sing in a choir and more importantly enjoying themselves and having fun.

NHS Retirement Fellowship

‘TAI Bach - A History of Toilets’ was the title of Michael Freeman’s talk on 10 December.

Michael mentioned numerous names given, “Khazi” being a familiar one from when the British were in India. We have been provided with much environmental information discovered from cesspits containing seeds, fish bones and valuables, hundreds of years old.

The Tai Bach was usually placed over a pit which had to be emptied by the aptly named Night Watchmen overnight as the smell was appalling.

Contents from garden toilets were emptied out on the vegetable and flower patches. Lime and broken china would line the garden path to a privy so you could see your way in the dark.

Castle toilets were very well ventilated and opened to the outside so the waste spilled away from the castle. As the Romans had 5,000 in a camp at Hadrian’s Wall, they provided communal seating, fresh running water and sponges on sticks, soaked in vinegar.

Cholera epidemics in London from the 1830s prompted improvements in the sewerage system and water supplies. When the Crystal Palace opened in 1851 there were facilities for men only. In 1866 a large number of people died. 1871 the Prince of Wales contracted typhoid. The sewerage system built in 1860 lasted 100 years and was incredibly well built.

In Aberystwyth a sewerage system, water supply and drainage was organised in 1835 after the Town Council created a Town Improvement Commission.

Large gatherings prompted two bath houses in Bath Street to be fitted out for public use during the 1896 visit of the Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra to the University. In1865 the Pier opened on Good Friday and 7,000 paid a penny for using the toilets.

During the same year, however, no facilities were provided for the Eisteddfod.

The Queen’s Hotel would have been the height of luxury when it was built having 18 toilets and 4 urinals to be shared amongst the 104 rooms.

From 1837 to 1879 Brynymor dingle housed Aberystwyth Reservoir and in 1860 a 19 mile-long pipeline from Plynlimon was built to supply the town.

Jane Smyth gave the vote of thanks for a fascinating subject.

On 14 January, the annual lunch will be held at the Richmond Hotel.

The speaker on 11 February will be David Lloyd for his talk entitled “How do they do That?”.

U3A

ON Thursday, 20 December, the Christmas social was held at the Morlan.

Various groups, the literature, classics, poetry, German, recorder and cribbage, all presented a number of short pieces to entertain a full hall of members and guests.

The president Margaret Baker was able to make a special guest appearance for the festive celebration and was welcomed by all.

After the enjoyable afternoon, refreshments were provided, including seasonal sweetmeats.

Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month, at 2.30pm until about 4pm.

If you’re interested, you’re very welcome to join in one of the monthly meetings as a visitor (for up to two weeks at £2 per visit).

Subscriptions are now due for 2019.

The next meeting will be on 17 January: “Wales to Argentina - the 19th-century merchant and explorer Henry Libanus Jones”, an illustrated talk by Monica Lloyd Williams.

War Memorial Trust

THE latest War Memorial Trust Awards was held.

In it, five individuals and five groups received grant aid for a number of diverse activities and interests. There were individual sports people, students with musical background seeking help with their chosen careers as well as youngsters going on VSO to Africa.

Group recipients included Aberystwyth Air Cadets, St Johns Aberystwyth Town Division, Aberystwyth Silver Band and the 2nd Penparcau Scout Group.

In addition, the town Yosano Japan Friendship Association were also successful, having hosted a party of Japanese youngsters earlier in the autumn.

Consequently some 60 youngsters from these groups, and a representation of trustees and officials attended the function. It was good to hear individuals and group representatives giving a resume of their project and the way any funding would be spent. This gives the trustees an insight to the way our grantees would be helped by our involvement, said secretary treasurer Anthony Evans.

“We have been very pleased in 2018 to help over 25 different projects, and spend some £10,000 in the process. It is a great tribute to the trust that year in year out the young people of Aberystwyth and District have a chance to be helped in projects which they hope will be an individual’s experience or as a team or an organisational group.

“In this day and age we are most impressed with the quality of young people who we see in all their diverse projects.

“2019 will see the process begin again in the Spring and we can be sure that there will be organisations, clubs, and individuals who will apply and successfully will allow them to do that little bit more if they satisfy all the criteria,” he said.

Aberystwyth Floral Society

GLENYS welcomed Julie Amies-Carter from Expressions Florist to the Christmas workshop. Julie now works from home and regularly holds workshops in her home and specialises in wedding flowers.

Julie began her first arrangement by wiring moss to three pieces of cane to add texture. To create a frame for the design two of the canes were placed to create a triangular shape from the sides into a point at the middle. The third cane was then placed in the middle of the triangle shape. This resembled the shape of a Christmas tree and she zigzagged little lights around the frame with the switch sitting at the bottom.

She continued the arrangement by adding a variety of greenery including blue pine at the base and clusters of silvery eucalyptus. To this she added a pink Viburnum Tinus, a dark burgundy hebe bringing the line through to the back and sprigs of Rosemary to complete the frame. She added five red Naomi roses in a line on the left side of the frame and added red carnations amongst the roses and at the base and through to the back. She added astrantia for movement and a wilder feel, pine cones, lotus heads, reindeer moss and flower glitter glue for sparkle!

Her second arrangement began with a large wire wreath ring which was covered with vine and wired to the frame and then an oasis wreath ring was wired inside the frame. She then placed blue pine foliage and loose natural eucalyptus with flowing tendrils down the side and added lavender, nice and loose to create a rough outline. She added jasmine for trailing, variegated holly before adding red naomi roses and Carnations. The wreath was hung from a large oblong frame covered and wired with vine and which had a square of oasis in the top left corner. She used the same foliage in the corner to complement the arrangement.

She added gloriosa lilies which gave new dimension to the dark colours. Pine cones were added to the arrangement and dangled on string and wired to the arrangement. She added a few bits of bonsai cuttings to add interest and a few lotus heads and some more pinkie red astrantia and dangled some red baubles down the side.

The next meeting will be on 15 January at 7.30pm with an array of committee members’ demonstrations.

Rotary club

OVER the years, the Rotary Club has offered financial support to a number of young people from the area wishing to travel abroad for humanitarian and experience-widening purposes. The club is proposing to run its scholarship again for 2019.

Any young person up to and including the age of 23 with a permanent address in the Aberystwyth area can apply. Applications are invited from schoolchildren and college and university students. A student with an address in Aberystwyth alone does not meet the criteria for the scheme.

There must be a clear-cut purpose for the overseas visit. A wide variety of possibilities will be considered, including working on a short-term humanitarian project in the health, housing and educational fields; participation in officially sponsored work programmes; as well as representing their local area in worldwide events, eg. Scouts, Guide jamborees.

There is no application form but potential applicants should include a CV and detailed letter of application which will incorporate full details of the purpose of the visit and what it is hoped will be gained from the visit. You will also need to include literature about the organisation and the project details.

The closing date is 31 January.

Send the completed applications to Rotarian Lindsey John Fletcher, 27 Cefn Llan, Llanbadarn Fawr, Ceredigion SY23 3TF.

Applications can also be sent by email with supporting documents to [email protected]

Choral Society

THE SOCIETY’S Christmas Concert was a tremendous success with a lot of very positive comments from a very appreciative audience in the Great Hall.

John Rutter’s very demanding Magnificat was the principal work performed and the choir was joined by the mezzo-soprano soloist, Rebecca Afonwy-Jones and the Sinfonia Cambrensis, and choir, soloist and orchestra were all on excellent form. The choir also sang two pieces by Faure, his Cantique de Jean Racine, and the very popular Pavane for orchestra and mixed chorus. The conductor was David Russell Hulme.

Rehearsals for the society’s spring concert on Saturday, 27 April, start on Tuesday, 15 January at 7.30pm in the Old Hall, Old College, and the work being performed is Haydn’s Creation. Considered to be one of Haydn’s masterpieces, it depicts and celebrates the creation of the world as recorded in the Book of Genesis, and is for a large choir, three soloists and orchestra.

There are some thrilling choruses in the work and singing large scale choral works with professional soloists, orchestra and conductors is a tremendous experience for choristers. The society is always looking to recruit new choristers in all four voices, both experienced singers and those wishing to try a new musical genre.

Horticultural Society

THE DECEMBER meeting of the Cardiganshire Horticultural Society took place in the Waunfawr Community Hall and attracted a very good audience.

The speaker was accomplished garden writer, broadcaster and lecturer, Tony Russell. Many of those in the audience had already met Tony when he led the last of the society’s very successful 50th anniversary year trips round Plas Tan y Bwlch at the end of August, and he did not disappoint them, giving a wonderful talk on the top 50 world gardens.

Tony’s talk was followed by traditional seasonal refreshments which brought to an end a very successful 50th anniversary year for the society.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 8 January at 7.30pm in the Waunfawr Community Hall. Landscape and garden designer Peter Styles will be talking on green walls and roofs. After training in horticulture, Peter focussed on garden design and landscape, and now runs a successful landscape design company based in Shrewsbury and Welshpool.

Dathlu’r Hen Galan

EWCH i ddathlu yn yr Hen Goleg nos Sadwrn am 7yh. Cyfle i gael sbort yng nghwmni’r Fari Lwyd, y gantores Linda Griffiths, y comedïwr Aled Richards a Bois y Fro.

Tocynnau yn £15 yn cynnwys bwyd, diod a lot o sbri! Bydd bar ar gael hefyd.

Tocynnau ar gael o Siop y Pethe a Siop Inc.

Holl elw’r noson yn mynd tuag at Gronfa Pwyllgor Apêl Aberystwyth a’r Cylch, Steddfod Ceredigion 2020. Plîs cefnogwch i sicrhau bod noson lansio’r apêl yn un lwyddiannus.

Parkinson’s UK

FOR a change, the Aberystwyth Parkinson’s Group visited the Maes in Capel Bangor for their annual Christmas dinner. Judith Southgate said grace before they sat down to a lovely lunch. Barbara Couling sold raffle tickets for two hampers and other prizes, which were then drawn.

Tom Kendal, a local singer from Llanbadarn Fawr, came up with his grandfather Ben Davies driving the car, to entertain the group. With a lovely voice he sang a number of carols and popular songs. Christine Reynolds accompanied him.

The New Year starts with practice for boccia games ready for the competition to be held in April at Bala. For the new venue, members will be meeting at the community hall in Waunfawr for the foreseeable future.

Merched y Wawr

ROEDD cyfarfod mis Rhagfyr yn un gwahanol iawn, oherwydd fel arfer bydd aelodau yn dathlu’r Nadolig mewn cinio yn un o westai’r dref. Croesawyd pawb gan Eluned, y llywydd, ac fe gofiodd hi am Helen Davies, sydd wedi derbyn llaw driniaeth yn ddiweddar ac fe ddiolchodd Eluned i Eileen Pryce Jones am yr addurnau hardd Nadoligaidd oedd ar y byrddau.

Er mwyn codi arian tuag at Eisteddfod 2020, mae Gareth Owen yn cynnig pum gwers celf am £40 i aelodau Merched y Wawr, felly unrhyw un sydd â diddordeb i gysylltu gydag Eluned mor fuan â phosib am ragor o wybodaeth.

Mi aeth Eluned ymlaen i groesawu’r wraig wadd sef Hazel Thomas, trefnydd rhanbarthol Merched y Wawr erbyn hyn.

Mae Hazel wedi cael bywyd llawn mewn gwahanol feysydd, wedi gweithio yng Ngwesty’r Dorchester, i fod yn berchen ar Siop Trin Gwallt i fod yn gweithio yn y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol.

Mae hi hefyd yn ymddangos yn aml ar y teledu ar raglenni Prynhawn Da a Heno. Testun ei sgwrs oedd gwymon mewn gwahanol fwydydd a pha mor dda yw hwn i ni ei fwyta.

Cafwyd cyfle i flasu bara lawr, torth gyda gwymon wedi ei ychwanegu a selsigen Morgannwg gyda dip chilli. Pob dim yn blasu yn rhagorol. Hanner amser cafwyd danteithion sawrus a melys ynghyd a chwis Nadoligaidd a chyfansoddi brawddeg, gyda Bethan Bryn yn feirniad.

Symudwyd ymlaen i’r ail hanner gyda Hazel yn dangos sut i gyrlio gwallt sych. Roedd Tegwen, Mererid a Sara wedi cytuno i gael gweddnewidiad ar gyfer mynd allan, a hyfryd oedd y tair yn edrych ar y diwedd wedi cael eu gwallt a’i hwyneb wedi gwneud lan ac wedi gwisgo dillad disglair.

Roedd yn amlwg bod sgiliau neilltuol gan Hazel mewn gwahanol feysydd ac fe brofwyd hyn ar y noson arbennig a gafwyd yn ei chwmni.

Dulci wnaeth ennill y frawddeg. I gloi’r noson fe ymunodd pawb i ganu rhai carolau gydag Ann yn cyfeilio cyn i bawb fwynhau paned a mins pie.

Hyfryd oedd gweld rhai o aelodau Clwb Gwawr y dre wedi ymuno gyda’r aelodau ar y noson unigryw hon o flasu bwydydd a chael gwedd newydd ar gyfer y Nadolig.

Cyn gorffen fe ddarllenodd Audrey ddarn hyfryd o’r enw ‘Yr hen hen stori’, a oedd yn rhoi i aelodau wir ystyr y Nadolig ac fe ddiolchodd Eluned i bawb am noson unigryw i gyd ddathlu’r Nadolig.

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