THE latest community news from Aberystwyth.

Côr Meibion

LLETY Parc was the venue for this year’s choir annual dinner held on Saturday, 21 January.

Organised by the choir social secretary Tom Jones, the dinner was attended by most members of the choir plus spouses and friends.

After an excellent meal, a programme of entertainment was arranged, including offerings from several choir soloists plus some choir groups. Choir musical director Alwyn Evans, who is also a tenor soloist, sang two items and there were songs from choir soloists Alun John, Bass and Glyn Jones, tenor.

There was also a surprise visit from Welsh singer “Mike Stevens” in the guise of choir chairman Ken Edwards. All the musical items were accompanied by Elenid Thomas.

Cymdeithas yr Aelwyd

NOS Wener, 20 Ionawr, Hefin Jones oedd ein cadeirydd a chroesawodd Howard Jones, Llanbadarn Fawr, sy’n gyn-athro pobl byddar.Cawsom gyflwyniad difyr ac addysgiadol gan Howard i’r iaith arwyddion ddefnyddir i gyfathrebu â phobl byddar.

Aeth Howard â ni drwy’r wyddor a nododd lawer o eiriau cyffredin ac enwau llefydd. Diddorol oedd sylwi sut mae iaith arwyddion wedi esblygu wrth i dechnoleg ddod yn rhan o’n bywydau, e.e yr arwydd am y teleffon sydd wedi newid sawl gwaith dros y blynyddoedd. Ac fel y Gymraeg mae iaith arwyddion yn gallu ymdopi â phethau fel Facebook a Twitter.

Diolch i Howard bydd gennym well dealltwriaeth y tro nesaf y gwelwn iaith arwyddion yn cael ei defnyddio mewn cyfarfod neu ar y teledu.

Wildlife trust

THE February evening meeting of the north Ceredigion section of the Wildlife Trust South and West Wales, is on Monday, 6 February, at 7pm, in Aberystwyth University’s Lecture Theatre C22, in the Huw Owen building, on the Penglais campus. The speaker for the evening will be from The Woodland Trust.

All are welcome at the meeting, and more information on it and the sections programme of meetings and activities in 2017, is available from the secretary, David Purdon on 01970 871012.

Choral society

ON Tuesday evening, 17 January, the Aberystwyth Choral Society’s rehearsals restarted after the Christmas break in the Old Hall, Old College at 7.30pm.

There was a good turnout of choristers, and conductor David Russell Hulme introduced them to the second work which the society will be performing at its spring concert in the great hall of the arts centre on Saturday, 22 April.

This is Ralph Vaughan Williams‘ setting for chorus and orchestra of the Walt Whitman text Toward the Unknown Region. At its first performance in Leeds in 1907, it made an immediate impression on the public and the critics, and identified Vaughan Williams as a new and important voice in English music.

The work’s enduring success stems from its remarkable marriage of music and text, the unmistakable quality of Vaughan Williams’ inspired music perfectly encapsulating Whitman’s noble, humanistic aspirations.

The first half of the rehearsal focused on the Vaughan Williams work and the second part on Sir Michael Tippets challenging A Child of Our Time.

Cambrian Floral Society

ON Friday evening, 6 January, the society held its annual dinner at the Richmond Hotel, Marine Terrace.

After enjoying an excellent meal the chairman, John James, introduced the guest speaker, Rev Michael Rees, who gave an illustrated talk on the celebration of the Corpus Christi Festival on the island of Tenerife.

Heather was gathered from Mount Teifi together with an abundance of rose and geranium petals. These were formed into designs of a chosen theme and laid meticulously on the streets. Everyone agreed it had been an interesting insight into a floral festival which was very different from their own.

The group returns to Bethel Chapel vestry on Wednesday, 1 February, for a demonstration at 7pm. All welcome.

Stroke club

FOR THE luncheon meeting of the new year, 57 members travelled to the Poppies restaurant at Arthur Newmans garden centre at Capel Dewi.

The chairman greeted all the members and then said grace, before sitting down to a splendid meal served by the very helpful staff. The raffle tickets were handed out by Jean and Judith, followed by Sylvia and Jean encouraging members to have the new 650 annual books of tickets that generate the large amount of money needed to pay for the coach fees.

After the lovely sweets and tea and coffee, the present 650 numbers were drawn and the cheques written.

John and Jean handed out all the raffle prizes to round off the day, but not before the whole company gave the president/social secretary a greatly-deserved round of applause, a presentation of bouquet of flowers on the learning that Audrey has been awarded a BEM in the New Year’s honours list. The next outing is on 22 February.

Cylch Cinio

JOHN Watkin, Ffair Rhos oedd ein gwr gwadd nos Wener 13 Ionawr, yn Brynamlwg. Mae John yn entrepreneur wrth reddf ac mae ei fywyd yn llawn a lliwgar.

Mae’n enw cyfarwydd ym myd darlledu ac mae wedi arloesi mewn sawl cyfeiriad ym myd y cyfryngau.

Bu’n gweithio gyda’r BBC ac yna gyda HTV Cymru cyn symud ymlaen i sefydlu a rheoli nifer o gwmnïau cynhyrchu ac adnoddau ei hun. Bu am gyfnod yn Llundain yn lawnsio y rhaglen adnabyddus y BBC, Blue Peter, cyn dychwelyd nôl i Gaerdydd a chreu y rhaglen deledu Gymraeg i blant Bilidowcar.

Yn ddiweddarach daeth yn yn adnabyddus fel y dyn oedd y tu ôl i gyfresi megus Rasus a Twrio ar S4C.

Mae ei brofiad teledu wedi teithio ymhell o Gymru a bu yn Brunei yn sefydlu gwasanaeth teledu cenedlaethol ac wedi hynny treuliodd gyfnod yn cyflwyno y dechnoleg ddarledu diweddaraf yn China.

Soniodd am y merched a fu’n ddylanwad mawr iddo yn ei fywyd – pobol fel Gwennant Davies yng ngweithgareddau’r Urdd yn Aberystwyth, Norah Isaac yng Ngholeg y Drindod Caerfyrddin a Teleri Bevan yn y BBC yng Nghaerdydd.

Teleri a ofynnodd iddo deithio i’r India i wneud rhaglen ar Indira Gandhi, prif weinidog yr India. Bu’r daith i’r India yn un o brofiadau mawr ei fywyd a chawsom ddisgrifiad graffig o’r ffilmio a’r recordio yng nghwmni Mrs Gandhi.Wedi dychwelyd i Gaerdydd a chwblhau y gwaith golygu ar y rhaglen daeth galwad o adran newyddion y BBC yn Llundain i ddweud bod Indiana Gandhi wedi ei llofruddio ac mai cyfweliadau y rhaglen hon oedd y rhai olaf o Mrs Gandhi.

Defnyddiwyd darnau o’r rhaglen ar donfeddi newyddion y BBC ar draws y byd. Noson ddifyr iawn.

Diolchwyd i John ar ran yr aelodau gan Siôn Griffiths. Enillwyd y raffl misol gan Endaf Edwards.

Cydymdeimlodd y cadeirydd Tudor Jones â’r Dr Richard Edwards sydd wedi colli ei fam yn ddiweddar.

Croesawyd Dicky Wyn Davies, trysorydd y Cylch Cinio, yn ôl wedi iddo dreulio cyfnod yn derbyn triniaeth meddygol. Roedd hefyd yn braf cael cwmni Philip Davies, Talybont sydd wedi ail-ymuno â’r cylch.

Bydd ein cyfarfod nesaf yn Llety Parc ar nos Wener, 10 Chwefror, yng nghwmni’r milfeddyg Phil Thomas, Llandre. Bydd cyfarfodydd misoedd Mawrth ac Ebrill yn symud i’r nos Wener gyntaf yn y mis oherwydd gemau rygbi rhyngwladol.

Motor Neurone Disease Association

A LOVELY Christmas dinner was enjoyed by all who attended, it is just a shame that more members could not attend as only 11 members and two non-members attended.

The association is grateful to Tyglyn for their support and lovely welcome as always. Thanks were given to Edgar and Glenys (non-members) for their support at the dinner and members hope to see them during the year.

Merched y Wawr

WYN Melville Jones oedd ein gwestai’r mis yma. Cawsom gyflwyniad diddorol i’r dylanwadau fu arno ym myd celf cyn iddo gychwyn ar gwrs arlunio, i ddechrau ar gwrs sylfaen yng Ngholeg Celf Abertawe, ac yna yng Ngholeg Gaerfyrddin lle bu’n dilyn cwrs i fod yn athro arlunio.

Cawsom weld rhai paentiadau ddylanwadodd arno megis llun gan Ogwyn Davies, ei athro celf yn Nhregaron, a llun gan ei fam oedd yn artistig iawn.Gwelsom lun difyr o’i fodryb yr awdures Eirwen Jones gan Carey Morris a llun tirwedd o’r Eidal gan Cymro oedd yn byw yno.

Yna aeth ymlaen i gyflwyno printiau o’i waith gwreiddiol a hefyd lluniau olew, yn aml iawn yn lluniau o leoedd eiconig yng Nghymru megis Eglwys y Mwnt, Soar y Mynydd, yr Hen Goleg neu brom Aberystwyth. Diolchwyd i Wyn gan Delyth Evans, ein cadeirydd, am noson hyfryd iawn.

Bibliographical Group

THE speaker at the meeting on Tuesday, 17 January, was Prof Judith Broady-Preston, professor of information management and director of the Institute of Professional Development at Aberystwyth University.

In October 2015, Judy paid a visit to Shanghai as the guest of Dr Wu, head of Shanghai Libraries, who is an alumnus of Aberystwyth and a university fellow. Her talk was about two libraries she was shown during her visit, and the contrasts between them.

Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei was established by the Jesuits in 1847 and is still housed in its historic building in the French quarter of Shanghai and organised according to the knowledge principles of the Jesuits.

Shanghai Public Library, by contrast, is in a modern building and at the cutting edge of the latest developments in information delivery.

The audience was intrigued by the photographs of the knowledge immersion pods, and surprised to hear that the library is open and fully staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The lecture was richly illustrated with photographs of the two libraries, which emphasised the contrasts between them.

A lengthy and stimulating discussion followed, after which the speaker was entertained to dinner at Park Lodge Hotel.

The next meeting will be on Saturday, 18 February, at 11am in St Paul’s Methodist Centre when Dr William Marx of the University of Wales Trinity St David, Lampeter, will speak on John Warrin’s Great Book: National Library of Wales Manuscript 5006.

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