THE latest community news from Aberystwyth

Cymdeithas yr Aelwyd

NOS Wener, 17 Tachwedd, croesawyd Nerys a David Bennett o Dregaron gan y cadeirydd, Joyce Evans.

Nerys a David yw perchnogion Anrhegaron, fusnes newydd agorodd flwyddyn union yn ôl yn hen swyddfa bost Tregaron i gynhyrchu a gwerthu nwyddau ac anrhegion chwaethus a Chymreig.

Dylunir a chynhyrchir llawer o’r eitemau gan Nerys a David ar beiriant ysgythru laser sy’n eu galluogi i bersonoli’r nwyddau trwy argraffu ar ddefnyddiau fel llechen, pren, gwydr a fframiau, a gwelsom ddetholiad o’r nwyddau hyn ar y noson.

Y mae’r siop hefyd yn gwerthu llyfrau a dillad, yn cynnwys sane Chris Tywydd, a dymunwn yn dda i’r busnes newydd hwn yng nghefn gwlad Ceredigion.

Cylch Cinio

WRTH agor cyfarfod y Cylch nos Wener, 10 Tachwedd, yng Ngwesty’r Llety Parc galwodd y cadeirydd, John Davies, ar i fwy o bobl ifanc lleol i ystyried sefydlu mentrau newydd yn hytrach na mynd gyda’r llif i swyddi proffesiynol.

Pe byddai mwy o’n pobol ni ein hunan yn mentro mewn busnes gallai hynny greu swyddi a fyddai yn rhoi gwell cyfle i’n pobol ifanc i aros yn yr ardal yn hytrach na heidio i chwilio am waith i lefydd fel Caerdydd.

Roedd John yn cyflwyno ein gwr gwadd am y noson, Aled Rees, sy’n wreiddiol o Langwyryfon ac yn brysur yn gwneud enw iddo’i hun fel dyn busnes yn yr ardal hon.

Yn gyn-ddisgybl o Ysgol Llangwyryfon ac Ysgol Gyfun Penweddig, dechreuodd ei yrfa yn labordai Ysbyty Bronglais ac yna dilyn cwrs gradd mewn bio-cemeg ym Mhrifysgol Bryste cyn derbyn cymwyster uwch gan y Brifysgol Agored.

Erbyn hyn mae wedi ymgartrefu yn Llanbadarn Fawr gyda’i wraig Angeles sy’n hannu o Batagonia, a’u tri o blant.

Ac yntau wedi meithrin cysylltiadau ym Mhatagonia, aeth ati gyda’i briod i sefydlu Teithiau Tango er mwyn darparu teithiau o Gymru i’r Wladfa ac erbyn hyn mae Teithiau Tango a Tango Tours yn cynnig dewis eang o deithio ar draws De America.

Yn dilyn y llwyddiant yma sefydlodd gwmni teithio Cambria, sy’n trefnu amrywiaeth o dripiau ac yn ystod y flwyddyn diwethaf bu’n datblygu menter arloesol a dyfeisgar a newydd iawn, Hafan Epic Retreat, er mwyn cynnig cyfloedd glampio moethus mewn lleoliadau gwirioneddol odidog yng nghefn gwlad.

Mae’n rhagweld y bydd yn y dyfodol yn cydweithio mwy gyda chwmnïau teithio rhyngwladol er mwyn cydlynu trefniadau ymwelwyr â Chymru.

Mae hefyd yn bartner yn Siop y Pethe ar ei newydd wedd yn Aberystwyth ac mae’n ystyried hynny yn fraint fawr i gael dilyn ôl traed a gweledigaeth Megan a Gwilym Tudur.

Diolchwyd iddo gan Gwynfryn Evans, Llandre, un a fu ar sawl ymweliad cofiadwy â Phatagonia ac un sy’n frwd dros hybu entrepreneriaeth yn yr ardaloedd gwledig.

Roedd hi’n noson arbennig o dda i John Harries a gafodd groeso mawr fel un oedd wedi dychwelyd i fod yn aelod o’r Cylch Cinio wedi bwlch o rai blynyddoedd. John hefyd wnaeth ennill raffl y mis.

Daeth y newydd bod un o’n haelodau ffyddlonaf, Hywel Wyn Jones, Llanrhystud, yn Ysbyty Bronglais a dymunwyd gwellhad buan a llwyr iddo.

Bydd ein cinio Nadolig eleni yng Ngwesty’r Richmond ar nos Wener, 8 Rhagfyr, yng nghwmni yr Athro Rhys Jones, adran daearyddiaeth a gwyddorau daear Prifysgol Aberystwyth.

Croeso i aelodau newydd i ymuno â ni.

Cymdeithas yr Aelwyd

NOS Wener, 10 Tachwedd, ein cadeirydd oedd Eleri Davies a chroesawodd Jeremy a Mari Turner, dau o hoelion wyth Arad Goch, ein cwmni theatr lleol.

Trwy gyfrwng lluniau aeth Jeremy a ni nôl i fis Gorffennaf pan lwyfannwyd dros 100 o ddigwyddiadau yn Aberystwyth dan y teitl Gwyl Hen Linell Bell.

Seiliwyd yr wyl ar chwedl Cantre’r Gwaelod ac yn y misoedd cyn yr wyl llwyddwyd i ddenu cannoedd o wirfoddolwyr a chyfranogwyr i gynnig syniadau ac i gymryd rhan mewn gweithgareddau cymunedol a gweithdai.

Agorodd y wyl gyda gig yn y bandstand a daeth i ben gyda Gwledd Gwyddno ar y prom, diweddglo mawreddog i wyl lwyddiannus, ac i gloi ein noson ardderchog ni gwelsom fideo sy’n cofnodi’r cyfan.

Inner Wheel

MEMBERS met for their monthly meeting on 13 November at Waunfawr Hall.

Before the meeting they paid tribute to Olwen Baker, who had recently passed away.

Olwen was a past president and secretary of the club, having been a loyal and supportive Inner Wheel member for many years.

The guest speaker for the evening was Stuart Evans from Ceredigion Museum, who spoke about the refurbishment of the museum.

In 2011 the museum initiated a project called Storming the Walls, asking people what they liked in the museum and how they thought things could be improved.

One thing that stood out was the need to improve the entrance. They also realised that displays and signage could be improved and more information given on the history of the coliseum, which had previously been a theatre and then a cinema.

It was also felt more could be done for families, tourists, people with disabilities and young people.

The Heritage Lottery Fund was approached for a grant to upgrade the entrance, provide a café and replace the very old lift.

The plans also included incorporating the town’s information centre into the museum shop.

The plans eventually were approved and the refurbishment was able to proceed.

Among the aims was to increase visitor numbers and increase the range and quality of community focused activities and increase income generation activities. Two events officers are now employed to arrange plays, musical events, operas and films.

Stuart showed slides to show how the work progressed on the development of the new building, thanks in great part to the hard work of the curator Carrie Canham, resulting in a beautiful restoration and a huge asset to Aberystwyth.

He was thanked by Jan Young for his excellent presentation.

The next meeting will be on 11 December when the guest will be Martin Davies, president of Aberystwyth Rotary Club.

Bridge club

RESULTS from Friday, 27 October: 1, Margaret James and Mike Jones; 2, Mair Jenkins and Jean Harrison; 3, Dai Hayes and Keith Bellamy.

Sunday, 29 October: 1, Mike Jones and Kim Marsh/Gabor Gelleri and John Holmes; 3, Roger Boyle and Jeff Thomas.

Friday, 3 November: 1, Ian Finlay and Mike Yeo; 2, Magda Corser and Alan Stein; 3, Keith Bellamy and Mike Jones.

Sunday, 5 November: 1, Betty Brookes and Sue Sherman; 2, Doreen Anthony and Margaret; 3, Jean Harrison and Mair Jenkins.

Friday, 10 October: 1, Elenid Thomas and Betty Brookes; 2, Jean Harrison and Mair Jenkins; 3, Pamela Woodhouse and Sue Sherman.

Sunday, 12 November: 1, Roger Boyle and Jeff Thomas; 2, Gabor Gelleri and John Holmes; 3, Tianhua Chen and Yuan Shen.

Cambrian Floral Society

WEDNESDAY, 1 November, saw the society’s first afternoon meeting of the winter take place.

It was good to see the chairman, John James, back in charge after his recent illness, and he welcomed a new member who had joined the society for the first time.

He then introduced Margaret Carter, the demonstrator for the afternoon.

Mrs Carter has been involved in flower arranging for several years and won a Chelsea Flower Show gold medal for a pedestal arrangement at a young age.

She commenced her demonstration with a basket arrangement containing blue lilies and green carnations and this was followed by an arrangement in a miniature rocking chair.

To follow, she displayed a table complete with silvers containing three classic arrangements in pink and white which was based on the past TV serial Duchess of Duke Street.

To conclude the demonstration she chose a triangular design, which was arranged in a silver urn and contained lilies, roses and carnations in several shades of red.

Sylvia Greenleaf gave the vote of thanks and the refreshments were prepared by Margaret Dyfri and Joy James.

All members sent good wishes and flowers to Ray Edwards, who was unable to attend as she was recovering from surgery.

The society is looking forward to a number of events in the near future.

On Sunday, 26 November, at 7.30pm at Bethel Chapel, a carol concert including performances by Marianne Powell and Rev J Tudno Williams.

A donation from the proceeds of this evening will be spent on buying gifts for those having to spend their Christmas at the children’s ward of Bronglais Hospital.

On Wednesday, 6 December, at 2.30pm at Bethel Chapel vestry, a Christmas arrangement workshop with Alex Hales is on.

Details can be obtained direct from Alex at his shop No 21 in Chalybeate Street. The design will be a festive one which will be appropriate for the house at Christmas.

On Wednesday, 13 December, at 7.30pm the open evening with festive refreshments and a Christmas extravaganza demonstration by John James (Black Orchid) takes place at Neuadd Goffa, Penparcau.

A donation from the proceeds of this event will be presented to the Seren Appeal.

Further information on any of these events can be obtained from the chairman on 01970 890223.

All are welcome to attend.

Rotary Club

CLUB members and their guests recently enjoyed a wonderful evening’s musical entertainment when the first round of the Rotary Young Musicians Competition was held in the Marine Hotel.

The performances were a credit to the talents of the young performers and all who support them.

After much careful deliberation by the adjudicators, Eirwen Hughes and Louise Amery, it was agreed that the following should proceed into the next round, to be held in Ysgol Penglais in January: Guto Ifan Lewis (vocalist), Erin Hassan (French horn).

Aberystwyth Rotary Club gratefully acknowledges the support of Cerdd Ystwyth in Aberystwyth in providing the prizes awarded on the night.

Choral Society

THE Tuesday evening rehearsals in the Old Hall, Old College, for the forthcoming Christmas Concert, continue to go well with the new singers settling in and thoroughly enjoying singing with a large choir.

Conductor David Russell Hulme has now chosen the third and final work to be performed at the concert in the Great Hall of the Arts Centre on Saturday, 16 December, and it is the magnificent and ever popular Coronation Anthem Zadok the Priest by Handel.

It is one of Handel’s best known works and was composed for the coronation of King George II in 1727, and has been sung prior to the anointing of the sovereign at the coronation of every British monarch since its composition.

David intended to start rehearsing it at last Tuesday’s rehearsal but was indisposed and Gwennan Williams, the conductor of Cor ABC, and an unfamiliar face to many in the choir, took the practice, and started the process.

Staging large scale choral works with professional orchestra and soloists is an expensive business and to raise funds the Society organised a coffee morning in the Waunfawr Community Hall on what turned out to be a particularly damp and miserable Saturday morning. This coming Saturday a goodly number of Choristers will be singing at the Aberystwyth Food Fair in the Great Hall and on Friday evening, 22 December a party will be carol singing in the foyer of Morrison’s Supermarket.

Further information on the Society and its Christmas Concert is available from the Chairman, June Wilson on [email protected] or 07852 188184

50+ Forum

A LITTLE colour was added to an autumn day at the end of October for members of the Aberystwyth 50+ Forum by a trip to the glass making studio of Cariad Glass in Llandysul.

Here the group was shown the traditional process of making leaded stained glass windows by the owners Chris and Justine Dodd.

The couple also make stained glass gifts and mirrors and the Forum members had the opportunity to browse and purchase a number of these.

But one craft visit was not enough.

The group then went to the National Wool Museum in Drefach Felindre, housed in the former Cambrian Mills, first for lunch and then to explore the museum.

Unfortunately, the visit coincided with the annual clean and service of the looms and other machinery, so there was no conducted tour, but it was possible to get a pretty good impression of the process of transforming a fleece into cloth from the very informative information available throughout the museum.

At the end of the tour there was a display of clothing, shawls and blankets that had been made at the Cambrian Mills when it was a working concern.

Although nowhere near it’s former size, the site still houses a commercial working mill, Melin Teifi, which is one of the last makers of flannel in Wales.

The visit finished with cakes and tea in the Museum cafe making a pleasant end to a very interesting and enjoyable visit for the 30 or so members who came on the trip.

The next meeting of the Aberystwyth 50+ Forum is at 2pm, on Wednesday, 29 November, in St Paul’s Methodist Centre, Queen’s Road.

There will be a talk on dementia given by a speaker from the Alzheimer’s Society followed by refreshments.

All over 50 are welcome.

Probus Club

At their October meeting, members of the Aberystwyth Probus Club were both entertained and informed by a talk with the enigmatic title ‘Nothing’.

The speaker was Gareth Kelly, stalwart of the local community, speaking here as a physicist.

The subtitle of the talk turned out to be ‘The rise and fall of the vacuum’ and Gareth took members on a journey through the history of ideas about nothingness, infiniteness and vacuum.

They heard about the changing metaphysical ideas about these concepts, from the ancient Greeks through to 20th century scientists, together with the development of practical applications of this branch of physics, such as the improvements in pump design in the 17th century.

Some of the latest ideas in quantum physics were perhaps a challenge for those for whom school physics is all but a dim and distant memory, but overall it was a stimulating presentation.

The club’s next meeting will be held at 11am on Wednesday, 29 November in the Waunfawr Community Hall.

Angela John, professor of history and author, will give a talk entitled ‘Before stardom: Burton, Hopkins and Sheen’, about three of Wales’ most famous actors, who all grew up in Port Talbot.

The club extends a warm welcome to all members of the public who might enjoy this interesting topic.

Further details can be obtained from the club secretary, John Andrews, on 01970 358095.

Stroke Club

For November’s lunch outing, there was a new adventure to try when 47 members went by coach and car to the Riverside Café and Farm Shop in Tregaron.

As the coach could not negotiate the last part of the drive, members with cars did the grand job of ferrying members down to the café.

Some of the more abled ones even walked down and back which was very good for them.

Judith and Alma did the rounds with the raffle tickets.

When all were seated the chairman, Ann Evans attempted to say grace before the meal was served.

A good spread was provided. The desserts were exceptionally delightful.

The 765 club numbers were drawn and all the cheques written and the raffle took place whilst tea and coffee were being served.

Some members had a look at the lovely pictures adorning the walls and a wander in the farm shop before the assorted trips up the narrow road to the coach for the homeward journey.

A reminder that the Christmas lunch is on 5 December at Pencarreg in Llanrhystud and the winter weekend break is starting on 8 December to Llandudno.

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