THE latest community news from Aberystwyth

Rotary Club

MEMBERS learned with much sadness of the death of Gwynn Lewis, past president of the club and honorary member since 2009.

Rtn Huw Spencer Lloyd gave a short address on Gwynn’s enthusiastic contribution to the work of the Club and his active engagement with the local community as JP.

Parish and county councillor and respected sheep farmer, always keen to keep up with scientific advances to improve the health and hence quality of his animals.

Members offered sincere condolences to Gwynn’s widow, Beatrice, and his daughter and grandchildren of whom he was so proud.

The guest speaker this week was renowned local writer, Cynan Jones, winner of the Welsh Book of the Year in 2015 and the BBC Short Story Prize in 2016.

Cynan learned the hard technical skills of successful writing as a freelance copywriter in Glasgow, where he had to turn his hand to a wide range of material for businesses and local agencies.

His first book, The Long Dry was published in 2006 after he convinced publishers that his concise almost poetic style and innovative use of language, rich in images derived from the people and landscape of Ceredigion, deserved a wider audience.

Since then he has written four further novels and had his work published in over 20 countries and a range of foreign languages.

The last two, The Dig and Cove have been published by Granta.

Cynan shared with members insights into his creative process, involving long periods of mental reworking before retiring to his shed for intensive periods of writing.

He has had inevitable encounters with the fickle world of publishing (‘this work is too long/ short’) but is very pleased that his work has been internally acknowledged.

He has contributed to the script of the BBC series Hinterland, where he experienced first hand the very different demands and financial rewards of writing for television.

He is currently the holder of an RLF Fellowship in Aberystwyth University.

Rtn Hywel Wyn Jones offered sincere appreciation of the talk on behalf of club members and wished Cynan long and continued success in his writing.

The Living Well Group

THE Living Well Group is a monthly self-help community programme for patients with limiting illness and their families and carers.

They meet the first Tuesday of every month at the Plascrug Leisure Centre from 10am-12pm and is free to members.

The festive December meeting was well attended and there was much excitement when the ceramics that had been painted last month arrived for us to take home.

They had fun making Christmas gift bags out of material that were so good that many felt that they would make more at home.

Will members please note that the January meeting will be the second Tuesday not the first.

Merched y Wawr

ROEDD ein dathliad Nadolig eleni yng Ngwesty Antaron, ac er bod y tywydd yn oer tu allan roedd y lluniaeth a’r gwmniaeth yn ein cynhesu.

Braf oedd gwrando ar ddarlleniad o neges amserol oddi wrth ein llywydd cenedlaethol, Sandra Morris Jones.

Estynnodd Megan Jones, llywydd y gangen, groeso i’r gwr gwadd Jeremy Turner, cyfarwyddwr Cwmni Arad Goch.

Rhoddodd amlinelliad o’r gweithgarwch cymunedol a drefnwyd yn Aberystwyth ym mis Gorffennaf i ddathlu Blwyddyn y Chwedlau, sef Hen Linell Bell ac a gynhyrchwyd gan Arad Goch.

Roedd yn gynllun celfyddydol uchelgeisiol a llwyddwyd i ddenu pobl o bell ac agos i ddod yn ymwybodol o stori Cantre’r Gwaelod.

Rydym yn ffodus yn Aberystwyth o fedru elwa ar frwdfrydedd ac arbenigedd Jeremy a’i gydweithwyr.

Canwyd ychydig o garolau i orffen ein dathliad Nadoligaidd.

Stroke Club

THE Christmas lunch party took place on 5 December, when 54 members travelled down to Pencarreg and were treated to a splendid meal.

Two tables were covered with raffle gifts so they knew there was going to be a lot of numbers called out, so Judith and Alma did a grand job of doing the rounds.

When they were all seated, Ann, the chairman, blew her whistle to get everyone’s attention and greeted them all, mentioned members who were ill and read out greetings from them, and then said grace.

The festive dinner was then served and the lovely puddings too and then the raffles.

Such a grand assortment of prizes were won and lots of them were very happy going home!

Thanks were given to the staff and onto the bus with Christmas greetings being handed all around.

On 8 December, the winter weekend party set off to Llandudno, on a very cold and snowy drive.

They stopped in Dolgellau for a coffee break and then on northwards.

Getting near to Blaenau, the snow was increasing and they started up the Crimea Pass, only to be stuck just before the summit (needless to say the road had not been gritted) and the excellent driver, Endaf, rang the local council, and after 45 minutes a gritting lorry arrived and then they got moving, only to wait for it to do the hill down!

After that it was fine all the way to our hotel on the front.

Hot drinks and mince pies were waiting for them as soon as they got settled in.

The hotel was warm and the food was good and evening entertainment was much enjoyed.

Sunday was cold and snowy, so a trip out was abandoned, but the hardy ones ventured out for walks and or last minute shopping.

All too soon it was time to pack and leave for home.

The driver took a different route back, going via Caernarfon and Porthmadog where there was no snow on the roads but the mountains were covered and looked great in the sunshine.

Now they were treated to a different vista, from Trawsfynydd all the way to Dolgellau they saw ‘Winter Wonderland’ in all its glory, the fir trees were magnificent.

A real Christmas card scene with sunshine making all the views in the road extra delightful and the same going through Corris.

After the comfort stop in Dolgellau again, they made good time to reach Aberystwyth by mid-afternoon, letting members off on the way.

Another good holiday, with thanks to the social secretary, Audrey, for her splendid organising skills.

Christmas greetings to all members.

Cylch Cinio

ROEDD hi’n barti Nadolig yn ein cyfarfod ar nos Wener, 10 Rhagfyr, a chafwyd gwledd deilwng iawn gan deulu hawddgar Gwesty’r Richmond.

Daeth nifer dda o aelodau ynghyd i gyfarfod y tro hwn yng nghwmni’r Athro Rhys Jones, Adran Daearyddiaeth a Gwyddorau Daear Prifysgol Aberystwyth.

Brodor o Lanelli yw Rhys, yn gyn-ddigybl yn Ysgol y Strade ac mae ef a’i briod a thri o blant wedi ymgartrefu yn Aberystwyth ers blynyddoedd bellach ac yn rhan o fywyd Cymraeg y dre.

Mae Rhys yn flaenor yng Nghapel y Morfa.

Mae’r Adran Ddaeryddiaeth yn Aber wedi hen sefydlu ei hun ymhlith y goreuon o holl brifysgolion y Deyrnas Unedig.

Cafodd yr adran ei sefydlu 100 mlynedd yn ôl yn sgil nawdd sylweddol gan deulu Davies Llandinam ar sail y weledigaeth bod angen creu unigolion gwybodus o ragoriaeth arbennig a dros y blynyddoedd y mae’r adran wedi llwyddo i gyflawni’r freuddwyd honno.

Mae’r adran wedi arbenigo ar ddehongli Cymru ac mae yno dros y blynyddoedd arbenigedd ysgolheigaidd blaengar wedi blodeuo ac wedi cyflawni gwaith arloesol ar sefyllfa a datblygiad yr iaith Gymraeg.

Mae Rhys yn amlwg yn ymfalchïo yn y llinach o bobol amlwg y mae ef yn eu dilyn: megis Emrys Bowen, Harold Carter, Jim Taylor, Alwyn D Rees a John Aichinson sydd wedi gwneud eu marc yn mapio’r Gymraeg.

Yn ei sgwrs, dangosodd Rhys i ni gyfres o fapiau cyfarwydd ar sefyllfa Y Fro Gymraeg dros y degawdau diwethaf.

Yna, yn gwbwl newydd, roedd ei ymchwil diweddar a ddangoswyd eto trwy fapiau yn cynnwys gwybodaeth strategol allweddol ar symudiadau ymhlith y Cymry Cymraeg.

Wedyn cafwyd data darluniadol oedd yn adlewyrchu y defnydd helaeth o’r Gymraeg ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol yng Nghymru a gwledydd Prydain a hefyd fap o’r trydaru cyfrwng Cymraeg, syfrdanol o ran niferoedd, sy’n digwydd ledled y byd.

Roedd yn agoriad llygad.

Yn wir fe roedd hon yn noson ysbrydoledig gan academydd blaenllaw sydd â’r gallu prin i gyflwyno gwybodaeth gymhleth a dyrys mewn dull sydd yn gwbwl ddealladwy i bawb.

Diolchwyd iddo gan Hywel Wyn Jones a gyfeiriodd at bwysigrwydd yr Adran Ddaeryddiaeth yn y Brifysgol am ei brofiad personol gyda nifer o staff lliwgar dros y blynyddoedd.

Ein cadeirydd John Davies oedd enillydd y raffl ac yn ei cyflwyniad dymunodd wellhad buan a llwyr i’r Cyng Gareth Davies, Llanbadarn Fawr sydd wedi derbyn triniaeth llawfeddygol yn diweddar

Bydd ein cyfarfod nesaf ar 12 Ionawr, yng nghwmni Jeremy Turner yn y Clwb Rygbi.

Beth am ddechrau blwyddyn newydd fel aelod newydd o Gylch Cinio bywiog Aberystwyth?

Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bawb.

Local faces

ABERYSTWYTH Arts Centre cinema will be screening Love Is Thicker Than Water, a new independently produced rom-com set in London and Wales, and featuring two familiar Ceredigion faces amongst the ensemble cast.

The film is co-directed by Ate de Jong – who made 1991 cult classic Drop Dead Fred – and short filmmaker and editor Emily Harris.

The film relates the star-crossed romance of middle-class Londoner Vida, played by Lydia Wilson, and an aspiring animator from Wales, Arthur, played by Johnny Flynn.

The film also features Dylan Raw-Rees as Gareth, a friend of Arthur’s family, and Hedydd Dylan as Annwyn, another potential love interest for Arthur.

Dylan recently starred in A Thin Place, a film made in Borth, after many years of appearing in local productions.

Aberystwyth native Hedydd Dylan has been treading the boards for over a decade, and was most recently seen in Sherman Cymru’s hugely successful production The Cherry Orchard.

The film screens at Aberystwyth Arts Centre on 20 December, at 8.15pm.

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