THE latest community news from Aberystwyth

Cymdeithas yr Aelwyd

NOS Wener, 27 Hydref, cynhaliwyd yr Aelwyd eu gwasanaeth diolchgarwch dan ofal y Parch Ddr Terry Edwards.

Thema’r noson oedd diolch ac amlygwyd hynny ym myfyrdod Dr Edwards, darlleniadau Eleri Davies, Bethan Jones a Gwynfor Jones, a’r emynau ganwyd i gyfeiliant Delyth Evans.

Yn bresennol hefyd oedd Enid Welsh, un o’r gwirfoddolwyr sy’n cynnal y banc bwyd ym Mhenparcau.

Soniodd Enid sut mae’r banc yn cydweithio (yn hollol gyfrinachol) â meddygon ac asiantaethau perthnasol i gynorthwyo pobl sydd mewn argyfwng ariannol.

Yn hytrach na chynnal ein Swper y Cynhaeaf arferol, cyfrannodd aelodau’r Aelwyd nifer dda o eitemau i’r banc bwyd.

Rotary Club

THE speaker at this week’s meeting was Emily Thomas, an Ysgol Penglais pupil from Bontgoch, who had been sponsored by the club to attend a Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) programme in the Brecon Beacons last July.

Emily gave an excellent presentation on the activities she had taken part in and the key inter-personal skills she had developed on the RYLA course.

Based on outdoor activities, youngsters were divided into teams, one of which took take the lead in organising the day’s events.

Emily’s team was responsible for the gorge walking activity on the first full day of the course, the challenges of which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Successive days were then spent caving, an evening climb up Pen y Fan and canoeing on the Brecon Canal.

The final exercise was to design and build a boat from the minimal materials provided and row it across a river.

The exercises were designed to encourage participants out of their comfort and to test themselves in a new environment.

Those who pushed themselves the hardest undoubtedly gained the most.

Emily came away from the course with many new friends, increased self confidence and positive team building skills.

She had to conquer her own fear of confined spaces in the caving experience, take on a leadership role when others were reluctant to do so and also become more aware of her own mental and physical limitations.

The RYLA course is potentially a life changing challenge and offers participants memories and friendships which will last a lifetime.

Postcard Club

THE members of the Aberystwyth Postcard Club met last month to sell, exchange and buy postcards from their collections.

At their next meeting on Tuesday, 7 November, at 2pm at St David’s Church Hall in Bath Street, the secretary Peter Henley will give an illustrated powerpoint talk on the history of Aberystwyth Promenade and the events that took place there over the years.

Visitors are welcome to attend.

War memorial

ABERYSTWYTH’S war memorial will be illuminated in red as a mark of respect during the Remembrance period.

As in recent years, the memorial will be lit up from 30 October and will remain illuminated until after Remembrance Day.

Ceredigion Council’s Armed Forces Champion, Cllr Paul Hinge, said lighting up the memorial would be a mark of respect.

He said: “This time of year is always when we as a nation look back at the sacrifices made by those in two world wars and other conflicts.

“This is our act of remembrance to them as a county for their sacrifices.”

Bibliographical Group

THE Aberystwyth Bibliographical Group began its programme for 2017-18 with a meeting at St Paul’s Methodist Centre on Tuesday, 24 October.

After some initial technical problems had been solved, members enjoyed an illustrated lecture on Provenance revisited by Dr David Pearson, former director of culture, heritage and libraries at the City of London Corporation.

The speaker’s book Provenance Research in Book History was first published nearly 25 years ago, and he has been working on a revised edition which is due to be published next year.

Dr Pearson spoke about the various types of provenance information found in books: marginal annotations, manuscript notes on endpapers, bookplates, personalised book bindings.

Opinions were divided in the audience as to whether one should annotate one’s own books, but it was generally agreed that historical annotations in books are valuable for research and should be recorded.

Libraries have been recording provenance information in their catalogues for decades, and much progress has been made in the past 25 years, thanks in part to technical advances, but much remains to be done.

After the meeting, members entertained the speaker to dinner at Medina in Market Street.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 21 November, when Dr David Stoker will speak on The Cheap Repository Tracts in Britain, Ireland and America, 1795-1830.

Silver Band

ABERYSTWYTH Silver Band is bidding to bag a massive cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.

Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its community funding scheme, which sees grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 – raised from carrier bag sales in Tesco stores - being awarded to local community projects.

Three groups in every Tesco region have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.

The band is one of the groups on the shortlist.

In January 2017 Tesco held the very first Brass Extravaganza in Aberystwyth. The best brass band in the world, The Cory Band, gave a concert as the climax of a day of competitions and workshops.

For 2018 they welcome the Band of the Welsh Guards to Aberystwyth.

Voting is open in all Tesco stores throughout November and December. Customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.

Public seminar

MEMBERS of the public are invited to a seminar entitled ‘Understanding Wales’ by Dr Leon Gooberman, of Cardiff University.

He will talk about economic change and government reaction in Wales, 1934-2006 at 12noon on 13 November in the Executive Board room at the Visualisation Centre, Penglais Campus.

RNLI callout

ABERYSTWYTH RNLI lifeboat volunteers responded when a commercial fishing vessel suffered mechanical failure off Aberystwyth.

Lifeboat crew and coastguards were tasked at 10.03am on Thursday, 19 October, following reports that the 24ft fishing vessel, Venture AB5, which had one person on board, suffered steering failure off Aberystwyth Harbour.

The vessel was towed safely back to the harbour and details were obtained by coastguards.

Cylch Cinio

YR Athro Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, pennaeth adran theatr, ffilm a theledu, Prifysgol Aberystwyth, oedd ein gwestai yng nghyfarfod Hydref y Cylch Cinio a gynhaliwyd ym Mhlas Antaron, Penparcau.

Cafodd Elin ei geni yn Bermuda a’i magu yn Nhreffynnon ond mae wedi ymgartrefu yma ers blynyddoedd bellach ac yn byw yn Aberystwyth.

Does dim dwywaith am egni, brwdfrydedd, gallu ac ehangder diddordebau Elin.

Mae’n gyfarwyddwr ar Mercator sy’n gartref ym Mhrifysgol Aberystwyth i amryw o gynlluniau Ewropeaidd yn ymwneud ieithoedd lleiafrifol a’u diwylliannau.

Mae Elin yn rhugl mewn saith iaith: Frangeg, Sbaeneg, Galisieg, Basgeg, Cataloneg, Cymraeg a Saesneg ac mae’n gyfarwydd iawn â sefyllfa’r ieithoedd ac yn ymwelydd cyson â’r gwledydd.

Cyfeiriodd at lawer o nodweddion cyffredin rhwng yr ieithoedd lleiafrifol a’r Gymraeg a daeth yn eglur eu bod yn wynebu heriau, rhagfarnau a difaterwch sy’n gyffredin iawn i ni yn y Gymru Gymraeg heddiw.

Er hynny gall arferion byw a dulliau o ymateb i sefyllfaoedd fod yn wahanol iawn.

Da oedd clywed bod Cylchoedd Cinio yn arfer cyffredin iawn yng Ngwlad y Basg ond yno mae’r cylchoedd fel rheol yn gystylltiedig â grwpiau gwleidyddol neu weithgareddau penodol, a’r aelodau sy’n coginio’r bwyd ac yn golli’r llestri.

Roedd disgrifiad a dehongliad Elin wrth iddi godi cwr y llen ar ddatblygiadau gwleidyddol cyfredol Catalonia yn agoriad llygaid ac yn gwneud i ni sylweddoli mai yn rhy aml mai o un ffynhonnell y daw ein newyddion a gwybodaeth atom ni.

Mae Elin hefyd ar fwrdd rheoli Arad Goch a’r Eisteddfod Genedlaethol.

Diolchwyd iddi ar ran yr aelodau am noson ddifyr a dadlennol gan y Dr Richard Edwards a John Ces Jones (John Saer) enillodd y raffl.

John Davies oedd yn y gadair ac fe gyfeiriodd at y newydd trist bod un o’n haelodau Sion Griffiths wedi colli ei briod Meryl a mynegwyd cydymdeimlad â Sion a’r teulu.

Cyfeiriwyd at y ffaith bod Tudor Jones wedi cael llawdriniaeth yn ddiweddar a’i fod yn gwella a llongyfarchwyd Huw Williams am ddod yn dat-cu am y tro cyntaf.

Ymunodd pawb fel un côr i ganu Penblwydd Hapus i Dafydd Evans ar gyrraedd carreg filltir bwysig.

Roedd yn braf cael rhoi croeso i aelod newydd, Gordon Jones o Bow Street.

Derbyniwyd llythyr gan Megan Meredith yn diolch i’r cylch am ei chefnogi yn ariannol pan fu’n ddiweddar yn Tanzania yn cynorthwyo mewn ysbyty yn Dar Es Salaam.

Os hoffech ymuno â chymdeithas sy’n bwysig i Gymreictod Aberystwyth ac sy’n cefnogi achosion teilwg ac yn hoffi ymlacio mewn awyrgych gartrefol naturiol Gymraeg, yna’r Cylch Cinio yw’r lle i chi.

CANTM

THE Ceredigion Association of National Trust members held their AGM at Llanerchaeron on 19 October with all resolutions duly passed.

The chairman reviewed another successful year with the association donating £1,500 to the upkeep of Llanerchaeron and informed members of the need for volunteers to join the committee.

On Wednesday, 15 November, they celebrate with their annual lunch to be held at St David’s University, Lampeter and the luncheon speaker will be Dr Mark Baker on the restoration of Gwrych Castle.

Finally, on 5 December, they meet at Llanerchaeron for carols and refreshments to celebrate the advent of Christmas.

Mavron Quartet

THE Mavron Quartet, led by founder member Christiana Mavron from Bow Street, will be performing The World’s Wife, a new digital chamber opera currently touring Wales, in Aberystwyth Arts Centre Wednesday, 1 November.

Commissioned by the quartet and supported by the Arts Council of Wales, composer Tom Green has turned poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy’s poems into a chamber opera scored for string quartet, loop pedals and soprano.

The World’s Wife takes a look at stories of famous men of history and myth from their spouses’ perspectives.

Performed live with loop pedals, soprano and actress Amanda Forbes brilliantly turns from Medussa’s fury to Anne Hathaway’s tenderness to Salome’s vampy Henry vacuum cleaner cabaret to the eye-rolling Mrs Aesop.

LENS Festival

ON Saturday, 4 November, LENS will take place at The National Library of Wales.

An essential photography festival that no-one with an interest in photography should miss.

From its early days as an event promoting the Library’s visual collections, LENS has grown and developed over the past decade to become a recognised discussion forum for professionals and amateurs alike.

It also provides opportunities to enjoy presentations from some of the photographic greats.

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