THE latest community news from Aberystwyth

Haircut for charity

A FOUR-YEAR-OLD Aberystwyth schoolgirl is preparing to have her knee-length hair cut off for charity.

Plascrug School pupil Myla Davies is raising money for The Little Princess Trust, which provides real-hair wigs to boys and girls that have lost their own hair through cancer treatment and other illnesses.

The money Myla raises will go towards making the wig, which will be made out of the hair she has cut off later this month.

Myla’s mum Sophie said: “At the moment, her hair is past her knees and it going to be cut to shoulder length.

“Myla was born with lots of hair. She has always had long hair and we were thinking of having it cut a bit shorter, so we thought ‘why not raise some money for a good cause at the same time’.”

Myla, who has already raised £137, will have her locks cut at 12pm on Saturday, 25 November, at Claire Lloyd Hair Studio, Market Street.

Rotary Club

MEMBERS gave a warm welcome to Matthew Newbold who provided an overview of Advance Aberystwyth ar y Blaen, the company which has been set up to manage the second phase of the BID project until March 2021.

The company is managed by a board of directors drawn from the local business community, with funding derived from a levy equivalent to one per cent of business rates.

This funding is expected to produce some £900,000 over the four years of the project to be spent on initiatives in the town.

The four broad areas covered are improving access to facilities, promoting and marketing the town, developing stronger business opportunities and strengthening links between public and private bodies within the town.

A number of themed routes have already been identified: marketing and connectivity, the night time economy, digital tourism and identifying areas where participating businesses may reduce their expenditure (for example in energy and telecommunication costs). In this latter case, potential savings have more than covered the cost of the business levy.

Advance Aberystwyth ar y Blaen is working on a range of projects with local partners with the aim of adding value and increasing the impact of current activities.

It is not intended to replace current spending by, for example, the town or county council.

Additional money has been allocated to improving the town’s Christmas lighting and extending the number of streets covered as well as promoting free parking in the run up to Christmas.

The board is seeking to extend the town’s visitor attractions and improve signage where it is perceived to be in need of upgrade.

There was a lively interchange of ideas and views after the presentation, reflecting the general desire to increase the attractiveness of the town and generate additional footfall for businesses.

Past president Richard Griffiths, on behalf of members, thanked Matt­hew for his informative talk and expressed the hope that the project would achieve positive and lasting outcomes for the town.

Welsh Hearts

WELSH Hearts is holding a fundraising event on Sunday, 26 November, which will include a speaker who had open heart surgery four years ago at the age of 21.

A festive lunch will be held at Llety Parc Hotel with Becky Morgan from Colwyn Bay speaking describing how what she thought was a chest infection turned in to full open heart surgery that saved her life.

Becky, along with Welsh Hearts/Calonnau Cymru, is campaigning for better awareness and support for younger people.

With 12 young people dying every week of undiagnosed heart conditions, heart screening can identify life threatening heart conditions which is why Welsh Hearts offer the screening programme to 18 to 35-year-olds.

Ben Lake, MP for Ceredigion, has tabled an Early Day Motion to recognise the work that Welsh Hearts are doing to save lives in Wales and to continue the placement of defibrillators and training members of the Welsh public in basic life support skills.

The lunch will be providing funds for training and a defibrillator in the Aberystwyth area and the charity is grateful for the support of the Llety Parc staff.

There will be a raffle and second speaker, Chris Roberts, founder of the North Wales Dragons football team which sports the Welsh Hearts logo on their football kit to spread much-needed heart awareness in Wales.

Tickets, priced £20, are available from www.welshhearts.org or by contacting Nick Aitken on 07388 301562 or [email protected]

Parkinson’s UK

THE Aberystwyth group met last Monday at the rugby club where the chairman welcomed everybody and reported that Paul Standing was in hospital for a week and that Gwyn Davies had been in and out of hospital also.

Carron Baker gave the treasurer £154 which she had raised from the sale of the Christmas goods she had knitted and sold.

Pat Davies said everyone was welcome to attend the Penguin, Pier Street instead of Starling Cloud on Wednesday, 8 November, for cake and coffee at 2pm.

The Christmas dinner will be at Plas Antaron, Penparcau, on Thursday, 14 December, at 1pm. The menu was circulated.

The group’s visit to the pantomime on Saturday, 20 January, at 2.30pm has been arranged and names were taken.

The speaker for the meeting was Medwin Parry of Blood Bikes Wales, and Barry White and Glyn Griffiths also came along with one of their special bikes.

The Aber boys meet at the Railway Club and they hold two bikes. He reported that the people of Ceredigion were very generous in their donations. There are 176 Blood Bikes in the UK; they are now linked to the Air Ambulance.

One member also went to Singleton Hospital last Friday and had observed as a Blood Biker travelled ahead of them with a clear understanding of what they were doing.

As the group is a charity, they cannot give money to another charity, but a collection was made by the members.

Pat Davies thanked Medwin for an interesting and educational talk.

The meeting closed with the usual tea.

On 27 November the speaker will be John Hughes of Dysgu Bro.

Fashion Show

NEXT Friday night, 10 November, Aberystwyth Ladies Circle are holding a Fashion Show at the Marine Hotel.

Clothes will be displayed from Steil, M&CO and Lily’s Boutique.

The compare will be Yvonne Evans from the S4C weather fame and the entertainment will be given by Aberystwyth Tenovus Choir.

There will be a chance to browse the many stalls from 6.30pm onwards. Tickets are £10 each and available from JB’s hairdresser and the Marine Hotel.

All the evenings proceeds will be going to local charities and there is a call for support for this special evening of fund raising entertainment

Horticultural Society

THE Cardiganshire Horticultural Society’s monthly Tuesday evening Lectures in the Waunfawr Community Hall are now under way and the October one saw David Howard who has had a wide and interesting career in horticulture, giving a well attended meeting, a talk on His Gardening Life.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 14 November at, 7.30pm when Towyn based garden designer and landscaper Quentin Deakin will be talking on Creating and Maintaining a Coastal Garden in which he will be drawing on his experience in the coastal area of Mid-Wales.

Friends of Bronglais

THE Friends held a successful and enjoyable charity lunch recently hosted by the Conrah Hotel.

It was an opportunity for the Friends to mix and to meet other supporters in convivial surroundings.

The treasurer, Lloyd Evans, announced that over the past three years, the Friends have donated over £60,000 to Bronglais Hospital and Community.

The profit of £1,157 made at the lunch will be a welcome addition to the funds and the support given is much appreciated.

Côr Meibion

CÔR Meibion Aberystwyth joined with Côr Meibion Dyfi to present a concert at the Tabernacl Machynlleth on Friday, 3 November, in support of the work of Hospice at Home (HAHAV).

The charity which has been working in the Aberystwyth area for the past two years is now proposing to extend their work to Machynlleth and the Dyfi Valley.

Dr Alan Axford was present at the concert to explain the work of HAHAV and to encourage interested people to volunteer to help.

The concert brought the two choirs together under the baton of Alwyn Evans who is the Musical Director of both groups. The accompanists were Elenid Thomas and Catrin Jones and

The two programme presenters were Hywel Wyn Jones and Robert Bryn Sion. Included in the choir programme were operatic choruses such as Mozart’s O Isis and Osiris and Speed Your Journey from Verdi’s Nabucco, Welsh songs including Nant Y Mynydd and Yfory and the spirituals My Lord What A Morning and Lili y Dyffrynnoedd.

In this the verses were sung by Tecwyn Jones of Côr Meibion Dyfi. The soloist for the concert was Huw Ynyr, a young tenor who has won the Bryn Terfel Scholarship and is presently studying for a Masters Degree at the Royal College of Music and Drama Cardiff.

He thrilled the audience with operatic arias by Scarlatti, Donizetti, and Lalo. He also sang Llanrwrst by Gareth Glyn, the hymn O Fy Iesu Bendigedig and Yr Hen Gerddor.

For the closing choir item of the concert Huw sang, as a solo, the third verse of the rousing hymn Morte Christe.

Cymdeithas yr Aelwyd

DELYTH Fletcher oedd ein cadeirydd nos Wener, 3 Tachwedd a chroesawodd Hedd Bleddyn, y bardd a’r cyn-gynghorydd sir o Llanbrynmair lle roedd ganddo fusnes beddfeini.

Soniodd Hedd am ei gysylltiadau â’r Urdd ers y 1940au a sut yn y 1950au y bu criw bach o bobl ifanc yn gweithio yng Nghanllyn ar benwythnosau yn y gaeaf yn nyddiau cynnar y gwersyll pan oedd y cyfleusterau yno yn brin iawn.

Cawsom hanes y teithiau canw ar afonydd yng Nghymru, Ffrainc a Sbaen, a thaith gerdded ar ynys Skye, ac roedd gan Hedd lu o hanesion difyr.

Wedi iddo ymddeol ysgrifennodd Hedd dri llyfr a gyda chymorth colofn farddol Twm Morys yn Y Cymro aeth ati i ddysgu cynganeddu, ac erbyn hyn enillodd 16 cadair.

I gloi’r noson darllenodd Hedd ei awdl i Hedd Wyn gafodd ganmoliaeth uchel iawn yng ngwyl Penbedw ym mis Medi.

Merched y Wawr

OHERWYDD storm Ophelia gohiriwyd cyfarfod mis Hydref tan diwedd y mis.

Croesawyd pawb gan Megan Jones, y llywydd, cydymdeimlodd â’r aelodau a gollodd anwyliaid, dymunodd adferiad buan i Ray Edwards a gafodd llawdriniaeth yn ddiweddar.

Croesawodd Mair Benjamin o Dregaron i ddangos ei chrefftau, hefyd Nerys ei merch a ddaeth i’w chynorthwyo.

Daethant yn llwythog yn cario bagiau di-ri.

Yn y bag cyntaf roedd llieiniau bwrdd a chlustogau patrwm hardanger.

Yn y bagiau eraill roedd pob math o waith crosio a gwâu, doliau, capiau bobls a theganau, bagiau llaw lledr, cardiau croes bwyth, bocsys addurniedig ac i goroni’r cyfan pedwar cwilt gwely godidog.

Diolchodd Delyth Evans ar ran y gangen am noson arbennig o berffeithrwydd. Cafwyd cyfle i siarad a Mair a Nerys dros baned.

Mis Tachwedd cawn gwmni John Price, Y Gof Arian.

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