THE latest community news from Aberystwyth.

‘Hidden now Heard’

A PORTRAIT of ‘Joe Bevan’, on show at Ceredigion Museum, has found a permanent home at the National Library of Wales.

‘Hidden now Heard’, which will be officially handed over on 15 December, is a thought provoking oral history exhibition appearing at Ceredigion Museum until 24 December.

It captures the hidden stories of former patients and staff of long stay Learning Disability Institutions across Wales.

Besides many aural testimonies the display includes a series of paintings done by artist Pete Jones, originally from Bangor. Pete studied art at Loughborough College of Art and Design and worked as a learning disability nurse for 30 years.

The painting of ‘Joe Bevan’ was undertaken during 2015 and Pete said: “It is sad that Joe is no longer with us. In this painting I have attempted to capture the energy and spirit of his character. Joe was originally from Pembrokeshire and lived many years at Bryn Neuadd Hospital in Llanfairfechan, north Wales. This is a portrait of a single figure and reflects the feeling of isolation and alienation.”

A shared experience if many institutional individuals.There are a number of other works in the display by Pete Jones, each one a study of a character that he worked with during his employment.

Gareth Lloyd, Cabinet member responsible for economic and community development services said: “This exhibition raises contemporary and important issues regarding learning disabilities. I hope many people visit the exhibition.”

The ‘Hidden now Heard’ exhibition is created by Mencap Cymru and supported with funding from The Heritage Lottery Fund and The Welsh Government.

The Drwm

AEPPA (Aberystwyth and Esquel People in Partnership Association) organised another successful event in the Drwm devoted to Patagonia, where Aberystwyth’s twin town of Esquel is situated.

Under the general title ‘Perspectives on Welsh Patagonia: past, present and future’, Mr R Mills gave a short paper about why the Argentine government was keen to encourage the Welsh migration to Patagonia at the time of the sailing of the Mimosa in 1865.

He showed maps to illustrate the vast territory south of the province of Buenos Aires and said how important the Welsh had been in securing that area, still not settled, for the Argentine Government.

After an interval for refreshments, Dr Stephen Tooth gave an illustrated talk about his recent visit to the region and then set out his hopes for the future. These hopes involve a closer link with several organisations in Esquel, such as the university and the cultural centre, but mainly of course with the Welsh community, whose activities go from strength to strength. They are currently in the process of extending their canolfan in Esquel.

Dr Tooth had been very impressed with their efforts and used this event to highlight this and made a plea for contributions to their funds. A sum of over £100 was collected and will be sent to Esquel.

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