THE latest community news from Aberystwyth

Floral Society

ABERYSTWYTH and District Floral Society held their first meeting of the 2017/18 season on the 19 September, at Llanfarian Hall.

A good turnout of members were warmly welcomed by Pat Jones, chairman.

Pat thanked everyone who had supported in any way to the Fashion Show held at the Marine Hotel in July and informed everyone that a fantastic amount of £1,500 had been donated to the Chemotherapy Unit at Bronglais Hospital, a very worthy cause.

A minute’s silence was held for one of the founder members of the club, Megan Davies, who passed away during the last few weeks after a short illness.

Thoughts were also with other members of the club who are unwell and best wishes were sent to them and their families.

The demonstrator was Janet Hughes from Wrexham with the title ‘Flowers for Pleasure’.

During the evening she produced six arrangements using varying different containers with vibrant flowers arranged in such a way that even the white flowers appeared whiter.

All through, they had an easy going talk of how she spends her days and how she got into flower arranging. As they neared the end she told how she came to pass her NAFAS demonstrators test and to finish created a stunning basket design on a large scale, full of foliage, Ivy, Fern, Bergenia and various garden foliage which she gets from good friends and beautiful flowers in tones of pink, Asters, Bright Pink roses, Anthuriums, Pale Pink Germini, Bright Pink Alstromera, Bright Pink Carnations all overflowing from her basket.

Janet was thanked by Glenys Morgan for her wonderful array of designs and vibrancy of her choice of flowers , with everyone agreeing what a great start to the year.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 17 October, when Elizabeth Gordon will be our demonstrator with her title ‘Any Ol’ Pot will Do’, with the members competition in the three categories, beginners, tntermediate and advanced being ‘An Arrangement in a Pot’.

Please come and support and also try the competitions.

Please note the change of venue and change of date for the open evening and earlier time; This year it will be held at Llanfarian Village Hall on Friday, 17 November.

The demonstrator this year with his title ‘Fabulously Festive’ is Keith Smithies, National Floral Designer from Rhos on Sea.

This promises to be a fabulous evening with tickets £8 before hand from the committee or £10 on the door. Doors open at 6.15pm to start at 7pm prompt.

Adran Diwylliant

DATHLU tri chanmlwyddiant geni Williams Pantycelyn.

Cynhelir y gynhadledd undydd eleni yn y Drwm yn y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol ddydd Sadwrn, 14 Hydref.

Y mae’n briodol iawn mai agweddau ar waith Pantycelyn a fydd dan sylw am ein bod yn dathlu tri chanmlwyddiant ei eni eleni. Bydd pum papur yn cael eu cyflwyno, a’r siaradwyr fydd yr Athro E Wyn James, Dr Eryn M White, Gwynn Matthews, yr Athro Densil Morgan a’r Athro Ceri Davies.

Yn sesiwn olaf y diwrnod, bydd panel o dri (Dafydd Iwan, Gareth Bonello a Lleuwen Steffan) o dan gadeiryddiaeth Delyth Morgans Phillips yn sôn am ddylanwad emynau Pantycelyn arnynt hwy, ac am yr her o gyflwyno emynau’r Pêr Ganiedydd mewn cyd-destun cyfoes.

Trefnodd y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol arddangosfa arbennig ar Bantycelyn a bydd hon i’w gweld yn ystod y dydd yn Ystafell Summers.

Yn ystod y dydd hefyd, bydd Cymdeithas Emynau Cymru yn lawnsio cyfrol o ysgrifau’r diweddar Glyn Tegai Hughes ar Bantycelyn.

Trefnwyd y digwyddiad gan Adran Diwylliant y 18-19 Ganrif, Cymdeithas Cyn-fyfyrwyr Prifysgol Cymru, gyda chydweithrediad a chefnogaeth yr Adrannau Athroniaeth, Clasuron, Diwinyddiaeth, a Llên Gwerin ac Ethnoleg, ynghyd â Chymdeithas Emynau Cymru. Cafwyd cefnogaeth gan Lyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru a chan y Ganolfan Uwchefrydiau Cymreig a Cheltaidd hefyd. Noddir y digwyddiad gan y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

Bydd y diwrnod yn dechrau am 9.30yb ac yn gorffen am 4.30yp.

Bydd y tâl cofrestru yn £5 am y diwrnod a gofynnir i bob un gofrestru ymlaen llaw.

Gellir cofrestru trwy anfon siec yn daladwy i ‘Prifysgol Cymru’ a’i hanfon i’r Ganolfan Uwchefrydiau, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3HH.

Gellir cofrestru trwy anfon ebost at: [email protected]

Rhif ffôn: 01970 636543.

Bydd Caffi Pendinas yn y Llyfrgell ar agor yn ystod y dydd.

Dolen ar gyfer cyflwyniad gan Lleuwen Steffan:

Showtime Singers

The Showtime Singers begin rehearsals for their spring production of The Threepenny Opera on Wednesday, 4 October at 7.30pm in the Music Studio, Old College, King Street.

A landmark of 20th century musical theatre, Kurt Weill’s score is influenced by jazz and 1920s German dance music, as he rebelled against the concept that opera was an art form for the aristocratic elite, and strove to make it accessible to all levels of society.

The Ballad of Mack the Knife and Pirate Jenny have become classics of musical theatre.

For this production, the Showtime Singers will continue their tradition of performing to orchestral accompaniment.

The musical director will be Harry Jepson and the director Vivien Morgan.

Established members of the society will welcome new singers and actors of all levels of experience at the first rehearsal.

There will be no auditions for the chorus: auditions for principal roles will be held in early November.

For more details visit the society’s Facebook group page.

Probus Club

At the first meeting of the new session, a packed audience heard a most interesting talk by Aneurin Roberts and Mark Stevens of Wales Air Ambulance.

Starting with a single helicopter in 2001, the service has now flown over 27,000 missions and has expanded to four helicopters.

Nowhere in Wales is more than 20 minutes away from one of their helicopters, and the critical injury doctors and paramedics who fly with them.

Aneurin and Mark gave many examples of the literally life-saving work done by this organisation, which is funded entirely from public donations.

Wales Air Ambulance is the president’s nominated charity for this year and the club will be holding a coffee morning in support of their work, on Wednesday, 11 October at 10.30am in the Waunfawr Community Hall.

All are welcome and further details can be obtained from the club secretary, John Andrews, on 01970 358095.

Women’s Archive Wales

The 20th annual conference of Women’s Archive Wales is to be held this weekend at Morlan in Aberystwyth with women delegates from all over Wales attending.

Presentations relating to the history, literature, art and business enterprises of women in Wales – past and present – will take place throughout the day on Saturday and on Sunday morning.

The AGM will also be held together with an evening celebration at Medina’s restaurant.

Some of the presentations are: Liz Jones on ‘Marguerite Jervis: Forgotten Queen of Romance?’; Rachel Rowlands, ‘Through Education, Passion and Inheritance to Rachel’s Dairy; Mari Beynon Owen, ‘From Swansea to the Riviera’: Gwenny Griffiths, portrait painter, 1867-1953’’; Shirley Smith, ‘I have all along advised that she be watched’: Insanity and infanticide’; Clare Claridge: ‘As Good As It Gets’: The Rural Industries Bureau Quilting Scheme in Wales 1928-39; and Moira Vincentelli: ‘Hijabi talks – a video art work’.

Conference will conclude with Nia Wyn Dafydd from the National Library of Wales informing delegates of the WAW’s resources held there.

Translation facilities are provided and lunch prepared by The Treehouse.

Contacts: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] 01970 612615; mob 07720 823179

Food waste

Food Waste is currently one of the national campaign subjects being supported by WI’s throughout England and Wales.

In keeping with this, Ceredigion Federation of WI’s has arranged a food forum on Saturday, 7 October at St Paul’s Centre in Aberystwyth between 10am and 4pm.

This will involve a food surplus debate involving representatives from local supermarkets, a demonstration on cooking ‘food for one’ and input from local food banks and other organizations.

U3A

At a well-attended meeting on Thursday, 21 September, Will Troughton, a historian of photography and the curator of the National Library of Wales, gave an interesting talk on Aberystwyth through time.

He explained how he took photographs of scenes from the same angle as old photos to show how much or how little some parts of Aber have changed.

In identifying the buildings the chimneys are useful as they have often remained unchanged.

He noted how many original house names which had historical significance have disappeared.

He drew on the collection at the National Library for his talk and his book of the same name.

The next meeting will be at 2.30pm on Thursday, 19 October, when Rupert Marshall will explain ‘Why birds sing’. All are welcome at the Morlan centre, see their website.

Choral Society

Tuesday evening rehearsals started for the forthcoming Christmas concert in the Old Hall, Old College at 7.30 pm on Tuesday, 26 September.

The work being rehearsed and which will be performed in the Great Hall of the Arts Centre in December, is The Mozart Requiem.

Rehearsals got off to a cracking start with around 70 choristers including two new couples and eight other new singers, being warmly welcomed by chairman June Wilson and conductor David Russell Hulme.

More new choristers in all four voices will still be very warmly welcome at the first rehearsals for the new session.

The society operates a no auditions policy and further information is available from the chairman, June Wilson on [email protected] or 07852 188184.

The wonderful start to the new session was marred later in the week with the sad news that Darryl Griffiths, had passed away in hospital in London.

Darryl had served as a chorister for many years and had chaired the committee for a long period before lately becoming the president.

Deepest sympathy is extended to his widow Elizabeth, their son David and the whole family.

50+ Forum

ON Wednesday, 27 September, in St Paul’s Methodist Centre Queen’s Road, Glan Davies of Welsh Hearts gave a talk about the work of the charity.

He demonstrated the use of the defibrillator and spoke about recognising the symptoms of a heart attack and how to treat a person in an emergency before services arrive.

The meeting was very well attended and many questions and answers were given at the end of the session.

On Thursday, 28 September, a group from the forum visited the Libanus 1877 Boutique cinema in Borth, to view the film Victoria and Abdul. An afternoon enjoyed by all in comfortable surroundings. Really worth a visit!

On Wednesday, 25 October members and guests are travelling to Cariad glass at Llandysul and the National Wool Museum near Newcastle Emlyn.

Horticultural Society

Last Monday morning, 25 September, a coach conveying 44 members of the Cardiganshire Horticultural Society left Aberystwyth for a three-day visit to the Isle of Man, and all enjoyed a wonderful trip which will long remain in their memories.

After a coffee break in Bala, the first day was spent visiting The Gardens of the Abbeywood Estate at Delemere and the University of Liverpool Ness Botanic Garden, before the party caught the 7pm high-speed catamaran from Liverpool to Douglas.

The following morning was grey and damp for what for many was the highlight of the trip – a visit to the Mallards Botanic Garden which is under construction.

The party was welcomed by the head gardener, Andrew Inglis, a former Balmoral Estate head gardener.

Andrew talked about the aims and objectives of the garden and the way it was being funded by an entrepreneur.

The party then split into two and one group went with Andrew round the Mallards Farm development and the other went round the adjacent Ballachrink Farm with ecologist Katie Grace to see the way biodiversity was being encouraged to return to what had been an intensive dairy unit. After a buffet lunch, the groups swapped over.

The party was amazed by the detailed planning work which had been going on for several years and both guides commented that they had never seen such a level of interest in a visiting party, particularly as everyone in the party had taken part in the questioning and discussion.

The rest of the three days on the island were spent visiting other notable gardens and the visit finished on another high note with a visit to Milntown, a fascinating garden and house which had been left in trust for Isle of Man residents to enjoy.

With the summer trips and the Isle of Man visit successfully over, CHS members now have the monthly Tuesday evening lectures to look forward to and the second of these is on Tuesday, 10 October at 7.30pm in the Waunfawr Community Hall when David Howard who has had a wide and interesting career in horticulture, will be talking on His Gardening Life.

A warm welcome is extended to people interested in gardening and further information on the society’s winter programme is available from the secretary, David Hughes on 01970 623125.

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