THE latest community news from around Aberystwyth.

Lions Club

LIONS club representatives from across west Wales have taken part in a special lifesaving seminar in Pembrokeshire.

The Save a Life event let members of Lions clubs from Aberystwyth, Fishguard and Goodwick, Haverfordwest, Pembroke and Pembroke Dock and Tenby, the clubs in Zone A, receive training and advice at the St John’s Ambulance headquarters in Haverfordwest.

The seminar included demonstrations on how to perform CPR, how to help someone who is choking, how to put someone in the recovery position and how to find out if someone has injuries or conditions which are life threatening.

Benjamin Manlucato, of Aberystwyth Lions and the chair of the Zone A Lions Clubs, organised the event and said as well as teaching members lifesaving and first aid, it gave the clubs the chance to address issues facing them.

He said: “I have impressed among my fellow Lions the importance of our participation to the Centennial Service Challenge Campaign and the Centennial Awards on offer from the LCI.

“Intensified membership drive was also discussed to arrest the continuing decline of membership within the district.

“As zone chairperson, I have also distributed booking forms for the Centennial Masked Ball 2017, which was given to all participants of the seminar.”

Aberystwyth & District Floral Society

THE society met on 20 September for the first on the programme of events. Llanfarian Hall was filled with members new and old for Delyth Price’s demonstration entitled A Night at the Musicals. It was a pleasure to welcome back Delyth, a NAFAS area demonstrator and judge, who has had a lot of success over the summer in various competitions including the Royal Welsh Show.

Her first arrangement depicted The Lion King and had very two very large spathes on a stand, it incorporated large grasses, orange sisal tulips and bright red Anthuriums, and included a dramatic mask. At the end Delyth played one of the songs from the musical, The Circle of Life.

Her second arrangement depicted Billy Elliott. This was a very elegant all-round cascading display using lots of foliage from her garden including Hostas and Senecio. She then added White Lizianthus, White Roses called Countdown, white feathers, white Carnations and hung two white ballet shoes from the pedestal. We listened to the song Electricity from the show whilst she completed the arrangement.

The third arrangement depicted The Phantom of the Opera. This was staged on a metal grid with a stand and she added soft Ruscus and Fatsia Japonica, Hostas, Hellebore leaves and rolled Apidistra Leaves to create a focal area. She then added red spray Carnations, red Roses called Naomi and red Gerberas. A white phantom mask was added for dramatic effect and Cyrus Palms for movement. She added a small arrangement to the base reflecting the larger arrangement for balance. Whilst completing the arrangement she played the duet song Phantom of the Opera from the musical.

Her fourth arrangement was depicting Wicked, following on from the Wizard of Oz story. The container was the shape of an upside down witch’s hat and was filled with lime green sisal to reflect the colour of the witch. Daphne added lime green Hostas, and variegated Fatsia, Rubus Tricolour, Ruscus, Aspidistra leaves to build the base and shape. She then added white Antirrhinums, Anastasia Shamrock Chrysanthemums into the centre of the design to create a focal area. Yellow carnations were then grouped together to add a splash of colour on one side. Whilst completing the design we listened to Defying Gravity.

The last design was based on Mary Poppins and was a large, round urn-shaped container. She added faceted Willow for height and Zebra grass, Leycesteria Formosa, Himalyan Honeysuckle with beautiful purple berries, Rubus Tricolour, Forsythia, Cotoneaster, Purple Gladioli, pink Antirrhinums, Amaranthus, dark red Dahlias, and the main focal flowers large pink Hydrangea heads. She also added Sedum Spectible, green Chrysanthemums and lilac Liatris.

Members wished Delyth luck for her national demonstrators test. The next meeting is a workshop with Iona Davies from Tregaron, on Tuesday, 18 October, at 7.30pm in Llanfarian Village Hall and is an autumn theme, doing an arrangement in a pumpkin. If you wish to take part, see the website for details: www.aberystwythfloralsociety.org.uk.

Cambrian Floral Society

ON Wednesday, 7 September, the first meeting and demonstration of the new session was held at Bethel Chapel Vestry, Baker Street.

The demonstrator for the evening was chairman, John James. Prior to the demonstration, a presentation to two local charities took place, following the society’s successful flower festival and Cymanfa Ganu, held from 21 to 24 July, which raised £1,200.

Cheques were handed to Pauline Thomas, the local representative for the Wales Air Ambulance and Carol Evans, senior clinical nurse specialist in diabetes at Bronglais Hospital.

A short meeting followed to introduce the programme for the coming months, when it was also decided that the entrance fee for each evening would remain at £3 John gave a demonstration ranging from the traditional to contemporary designs

He used a variety of foliage from the abundant supply of his flower arranger’s garden. The flowers used were also what is seen in gardens at the end of summer and early autumn.

His first design was a three placement arrangement within three black boxes using fatsia japonica, pink and yellow roses, erica, spotted laurel and hedera helix ‘goldchild’ to link the three boxes.

The next design was a harvest scene within a picture frame using the shades of autumn in which fruit, wheat, barley and helianthus annus predominated. A more delicate design followed, using a green figurine as a container. Long stems of fennel with yellow greberas completed this simple but very effective arrangement.

Refreshments were prepared by Sylvia Greenleaf, Joan Subbacci and Marian Weston, followed by the final design for the evening which was a pedestal.

For the outline of the pedestal John used beautiful branches of the creamy white hydrangea paniculata and filled the space with hostas, pale pink dianthus and cerise gerberas. As usual, all arrangements were raffled at the end of the evening.

The next meeting will be held at 7pm on Wednesday, 5 October, at the same venue. The demonstrator will be Lynne Breeze, who will be visiting for the first time, and a warm welcome is extended to all.

Health roadshow

WALES’ national health study, HealthWise Wales’ roadshow campaign visited Aberystwyth Food Festival.

The study received support from members of the public at the Food Festival including support from Food Centre Wales, Aberystwyth Rotary Club and MP Mark Williams who called it a “fantastic campaign” and encourages people to “support and sign up”.

HealthWise Wales offers a unique opportunity for the Welsh public to be part of shaping the nation’s health and wellbeing and to help the NHS in Wales plan for the future.

Everyone aged 16 and over and living in Wales is given the opportunity to take part and spend ten minutes completing a confidential, online survey twice a year.

This unique project, which is funded by the Welsh Government and managed by Cardiff University, is the first of its kind in Europe.

It aims to recruit 26,0000 participants over five years to build a picture of the nation’s future health needs by collating detailed information from people of all ages and backgrounds. HealthWise Wales is run by Cardiff and Swansea University and funded by the Welsh Government.

Stroke club

FOR the September lunch outing, 51 members travelled to Borth to have a meal at the Sands. The chairman greeted everyone and welcomed Carol, a new member. He then said grace in Welsh and English.

They were served a splendid meal and were looked after by the staff extremely well. After tea and coffee were handed around, the 650 numbers were drawn and the cheques written, with some lucky people to hand to have them at once.

Jean and Judith circled the two rooms with the raffle tickets before the meal, and handed out all the prizes. All that remained was for the chairman to thank everyone for attending and for the staff at Sands for a lovely day out. The next outing is to Tregaron on 19 October.

Rotary Club

THE audience at this week’s meeting were led on a journey around Ceredigion by local photographer Iestyn Hughes, through past and present images of the county.

Iestyn’s formative years were spent in Anglesey, then after graduating from Aberystwyth university, he spent his working life in the National Library. In retirement, photography was rediscovered and a photographic project based on Ceredigion took shape.

Work began in the National Library delving back through pictures and photographs, many of them the work of an anonymous artist known as the Welsh Primative, a 19th century photographer John Thomas, a native of Cellan, and a 20th-century photographer, Geoff Charles.

Iestyn wandered here, there and everywhere getting acquainted with the landscape and the people, particularly in the south of the county, which was unfamiliar to him.

His photographs, as well as some images from the library’s collection are to be found in his bilingual book, Ceredigion, Wrth fy Nhraed, At my Feet.

Friends of Bronglais

LLETY Parc recently hosted a charity Sunday lunch for the Friends of Bronglais and Community. The venture was a great success, not only as a charity event but also as an enjoyable social occasion, a full dining room being testimony to the enthusiastic support of members and friends. The total raised, including from the raffle, came to £858.

Inner Wheel

AT THE first meeting of the Inner Wheel current programme. president Val Deauville welcomed speaker Rotarian Lindsay Fletcher, a retired sea captain.

Following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps as master mariners, he had spent 44 years at sea in the Merchant Navy, working his way up the ranks from an apprentice at 16 to a chief officer and master mariner.

Lindsay had worked on container ships over much of the globe from the 1970s until 2014 and had experienced great changes in their development first hand.

Members were shown photographs of these massive ships and enjoyed seeing behind the scenes of on-board life, such as the captain’s quarters,engine room, the bridge and the the huge anchors.

They learned that the ships could be controlled from one small console and tried to imagine the planning needed to stop as it took as much as one mile!

Club member and past president Margaret Pugh Jones thanked Lindsay for his fascinating talk which showed much of the historical development of the vessels on which he had worked and their importance in carrying so much of the world’s goods.

During the business meeting mention was made of the successful joint Rotary and Inner Wheel Pig Roast event held in the Rugby Club in the summer. The Inner Wheel contribution of £619 would go to Water Aid.

Members were looking forward to an afternoon social tea at Glandyfi Castle at the end of September.

The speaker at the October meeting will be Carrie Canham from Aberystwyth Museum speaking on ‘Memories of the Coliseum’.

Merched y Wawr

DAETH llu o aelodau ynghyd i gyfarfod mis Medi i ail-ddechrau’r tymor.

Wedi’r cyfarfod busnes cyflwynodd Delyth Evans, y llywydd, ein gwraig wadd, sef Rhiannon Taylor, a ddaeth atom i siarad am Sudd Cymru.

Mae Rhiannon yn arbenigo mewn creu sudd ffrwythau a llysiau o bob math, sudd sydd yn amlwg yn llesol ac yn iachus iawn. Dangosodd inni sut i greu’r sudd gan ddefnyddio offer arbenigol a rhannwyd rysetiau diddorol.

Diolchodd Eleri Davies i Rhiannon ar ran y gangen am gyflwyniad unigryw a chofiadwy.

University Philatelic Society

THE Aberystwyth University Philatelic Society will be holding its first meeting of the autumn in the Seminar Room in the Old College on the seafront at 7pm on 29 September.

Membership is open to anyone in the Ceredigion area who collects stamps or postal stationery at any level from beginner to expert. Meetings are held every two weeks and the first will be a get-together session.

Art courses

NEW community art courses are starting soon in Aberystwyth taught by Tereska Shepherd who will provide demonstrations, handouts and individual assistance in an inspiring and relaxed environment.

Discover the exciting world of watercolour painting through a six-session Watercolour for Everyone Course starting on Wednesday, 28 September, at Pantycelyn, Aberystwyth.

No previous artistic experience is required for this or the Fungi Illustration Course starting on Wednesday, 5 October. For further information, contact Lifelong Learning on 01970 621580 or email [email protected] or visit www.aber.ac.uk/en/lifelonglearning.

Chess Club

ABERYSTWYTH Chess Club meets in the St David’s Club, Eastgate Street at 7.15pm, every Tuesday. It is a few doors along from Fusion King and has a blue door.

They are always keen for new members. There is no charge for a first visit; thereafter the fee is £3 an evening, or £2 for students and juniors. There are players of all standards.

30th birthday

A PARTY has been held in Aberystwyth to celebrate three decades of business.

Started by a group of women over the kitchen table, the Welsh women’s press, Honno, celebrated its 30th birthday in September with a party in Aberystwyth, where the press is based.

Writers, academics and the Assembly Member were present to toast the success of the press which publishes novels, memoir and short story anthologies by Welsh women and women living in Wales.

Its classic imprint publishes the forgotten women writers of the 20th century such as Allen Raine, Lily Tobias and Betsy Cadwalladyr.

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