THE latest community news from Aberystwyth

Syria Relief

THE founding director of Syria Relief, Dr Ayman Jundi, thanked Sue Marcus, Talybont, and the Aberystwyth community for their donation of £3,000 to their work inside Syria.

Speaking with him to a very switched-on audience in the International Politics Dept, were Dr Ayla Gol, senior lecturer, and Mark Williams, former MP.

Dr Jundi and Dr Gol spoke movingly about the effects of the 7 Years’ War with particular focus on Syria’s “lost generation”.

Half of Syria’s 11-14 million displaced people (two-thirds of the country’s population) are under the age of 18.

They have known nothing but war and are deeply traumatized.

They experience water and food insecurity and are deprived of education, play and health care.

Syria Relief tries to keep life going by working in partnership with local communities, through its 2,200 staff on the ground there.

Sixty per cent of the housing stock in the country is unusable, and medical facilities and schools are frequently deliberately bombed in order to make families leave.

The consequences for the world, as the Great Powers turn the direction of the war to President Assad’s favour, because of the world’s addiction to oil, were discussed.

The local Syria Relief group meets every Wednesday at 6pm in the Arts Centre Café.

Everyone interested in joining is most welcome, or ring 01970 880377 and leave a message for Susanna.

NHS Retirement Fellowship

MEMBERS welcomed Canon Michael Rees for their monthly meeting on 13 November at the Waunfawr Community Hall.

He has been in our Diocese for a number of years but took us to Tenerife where he has held a locum chaplaincy for three years.

His entertaining talk illustrated his experiences of La Orotava in north Tenerife, near Mount Teide, Spain’s highest mountain.

Canon Michael knows Tenerife very well and took us to Puerto de la Cruz for the annual Corpus Christi flower festival.

As Canon Michael explained, much of the excitement and fascination of the festival lies in watching the construction of the display, from its sketchy outlines to the finished article.

The festival unites the community and involves everyone from grandparents to the latest additions to the family and culminates in a procession from the Cathedral to the town square, with a privileged team bearing an effigy of the Lady of Orotava.

The parade processes through the flower-carpeted streets and reduces the extraordinary designs to heather and petals.

The Corpus Christi festival ends with a firework display and is held on the 8th Sunday after Easter, at about the beginning of June.

A vote of thanks was given to Canon Michael for his colourfully illustrated talk.

The next meeting will be held on 11 December, when the speaker will be Charlie Taylor, first responder.

Postcard Club

THE members of the Aberystwyth Postcard Club were entertained with an illustrated glimpse into the past with a digital presentation of postcards and photographs of Aberystwyth promenade through the ages by the secretary Peter Henley at their November meeting.

The next meeting will be on 5 December, at 2pm when members will hold their pre Christmas buffet and social at the St David’s Church Hall in Bath Street.

Choral Society

FOR many people, one of the great pleasures of the year in the run up to Christmas, is attending a performance of Handel’s much loved Oratorio Messiah.

At the society’s Christmas concert in the Great Hall of the Arts Centre at 8pm on Saturday, 16 December, the choir will be performing the Mozart Requiem, the Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols and Handel’s Zadok the Priest.

Messiah lovers, however, will be delighted to learn that the four soloists, the soprano, Zita Syme; the mezzosoprano, Kathryn Turpin; the tenor, Stephen Anthony Brown and the baritone, Charles Johnston, will be singing arias from the Messiah in the concert.

The choir and Sinfonia Cambrensis will be conducted by David Russell Hulme.

Horticultural Society

THE Cardiganshire Horticultural Society’s December Tuesday evening lecture in the Waunfawr Community Hall will be on Tuesday, 12 December, at 7.30pm.

The speaker will be Rosemary Legrand who is a well travelled and knowledgeable horticulturalist and a former nursery owner.

Rosemary will be speaking about Glorious Gardens of France and taking her audience on a tour round the unique gardens of the Dordogne area of Southern France where there are some wonderful gardens to be seen.

The December meeting also serves as the society’s Christmas social and drinks and mince pies will be enjoyed at the end of the meeting.

Carol concert

ABERYSTWYTH-BASED choir, Côr ABC, will be holding a carol concert in aid of HAHAV Aberystwyth based on the tradition of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Sunday, 10 December, at 7.30pm in St Padarn’s Church, Llanbadarn Fawr.

After a busy and successful year in which it reached the mixed choir final of S4C’s choral competition, Côr Cymru, the choir extends an invitation to the people of Aberystwyth and beyond to come and celebrate Christmas with a programme brimming with traditional carols and beautiful Advent pieces by living composers, including James MacMillan and Arvo Pärt.

There will also be opportunities for the audience to join with the choir in singing a favourite carol or two, and to enjoy hot punch and mince pies after the concert.

With free admission, donations will be accepted at the concert and given to HAHAV.

Cymdeithas yr Aelwyd

NOS Wener, 1 Rhagfyr, ein cadeirydd oedd Gwynfor Jones a chroesawodd Mair Jones.

Wedi iddi ddioddef am flynyddoedd o’r afiechyd ME cafodd Mair wellhad ar ôl darganfod ioga.

Erbyn hyn mae Mair wedi trwytho ei hun yn y pwnc ac yn arbenigwraig ar gynnal dosbarthiadau ioga trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.

Soniodd Mair am gefndir hanesyddol ioga a chyfeiriodd at ddau lyfr Cymraeg, sef Y Fendigaid Gân, cyfieithiad gan Cyril G Williams, a Ymlaciwch! gan Margaret Howells.

Yna aeth Mair â ni trwy nifer o ymarferiadau corfforol a meddyliol hamddenol ar ein eistedd, a sicrhaodd nad oedd unrhyw un yn teimlo’n anghyfforddus.

Tybed ai dyma’r tro cyntaf i’r Aelwyd hon a sefydlwyd yn 1933 gael noson ioga?!

AEPPA event

AEPPA (Aberystwyth and Esquel Peoples in Partnership Association) organised another successful event in the Drwm (National Library of Wales) devoted to Patagonia, with the general title ‘Y Wladfa Cymreig: history, legacy and culture of the Welsh in Patagonia’.

Mercedes Mills, secretary, extended a warm welcome to all and gave a brief introduction outlining the objectives of the Association.

The first item of the evening, a CD entitled El Legado (Etifeddiaeth/The legacy), was introduced by Prof Stephen Tooth, Chair of AEPPA.

He explained that it had been made by the Welsh community in Patagonia, telling in detail the story of the Welsh journey to Argentina aboard the Mimosa, the landing on the Atlantic coast of Argentina and the subsequent expansion west towards the Andes and the establishment of two settlements, Trevelin and Esquel.

After an interval for refreshments, the second half started by showing part of an old programme from HTV featuring Dai Jones ‘Llanilar’ interviewing several members of the farming community in Esquel.

The final section of the programme was an excellent presentation by Felicity Roberts outlining the great progress being made in the teaching of the Welsh language, with figures showing clearly the increase in the number of Welsh learners in the whole province.

This success has been achieved with financial help from the Welsh Government, from the British Council Wales and from Cymdeithas Cymru Ariannin. Felicity also mentioned a number of young people from the Wladfa who have come to learn Welsh at Aberystwyth University, a reflection of the increased contact between the two communities.

The event was well attended and a sum of over £150 was collected in donations towards the Ysgol Cymraeg yr Andes in Esquel.

Award nominees

RESEARCHERS at Aberystwyth University have been shortlisted for awards at the 2017 Welsh Social Research Awards which take place in Cardiff on Thursday, 7 December.

Hosted by the Social Research Association and sponsored by Welsh Government Cabinet secretary for finance Mark Drakeford AM, the awards recognise and celebrate outstanding research by social science researchers in Wales.

The finalists feature academics from the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University, with nominations in each of the four categories.

Nominated are Prof Colin McInnes, UNESCO Professor of HIV/AIDS Education and Health Security in Africa, for the Special Achievement Award, Dr Catrin Wyn Edwards for the Early Career Researcher of the Year award and Dr Berit Bliesemann de Guevara for the Research Innovation Award and Dr Huw Lewis, Dr Elin Royles and Dr Edwards for the Research Impact Award.

Prof Chris Thomas, pro vice-chancellor, research at Aberystwyth, said: “Aberystwyth University possesses a long and distinguished record of world leading social sciences research that is widely recognised for its excellence, originality, significance and rigour. I am delighted to see the work of colleagues recognised in this way.”

Plascrug Bridge Club

RESULTS from 14 November: 1, Ian Finlay and Mike Yeo; 2, Doreen Anthony and Dylan Raw-Rees; joint 3, Betty Brookes and Jacqui Roberts/Joyce Blair and Jean Harrison.

21 November: 1, John Holmes and Alan Stein; 2, Doreen Anthony and Dylan Raw-Rees; 3, Mike Yeo and Ian Finlay.

28 November: 1, John Holmes and Alan Stein; 2, Doreen Anthony and Dylan Raw-Rees; 3, Pamela Woodhouse and Margaret James; 4, Margaret Ellis and Con Connelly.

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