THE latest community news from Aberystwyth

Côr Meibion

Côr Meibion Aberystwyth joined the Tenovus Choir and several artists on Friday, 26 January at St Michael’s Church to perform a fund-raising concert for Livability Plas Lluest.

The money raised will go towards the fund for a sensory/music room. The event was organised on behalf of Lluest by Ruth Davies.

The opening group of songs was sung by Côr Meibion Aberystwyth and included A Llawenydd Cenwch which is a Welsh version of the well known With A Voice Of Singing and the love song Ar Lan y Môr.

The audience was then treated to the beautiful combination of Eleri Turner on harp and Bruce Cardwell on the cithern, which is a plucked stringed instrument resembling a lute.

The young soloist Ioan Mabbutt then sang Cân y Ddraig by Robat Arwyn.

The 60-strong Tenovus Choir conducted by Tifanny Evans entertained the audience with several items from their repertoire including a song by Elvis Presley and a devotional piece by Karl Jenkins.

The second half of the concert started with three items from Côr Meibion Aberystwyth including Calon Lân with the verses sung by Ioan Mabbutt. Ioan also sang a further solo Ffos Felen by Eric Jones.

Johnny Sinatra, alias John Harrington, sang some of the best loved songs of Old Blue Eyes including Fly Me to the Moon and My Way and Côr Meibion finished the evening with three items, Bring Him Home from Les Miserables when the opening lines were sung by Howard Jones, the spiritual Lily of the Valley when the soloist was Glyn Jones, and the rousing hymn Llanfair.

The conductor for Côr Meibion Aberystwyth was Alwyn Evans and the accompanist was Elenid Thomas who also accompanied Ioan Mabbutt.

The compere for the evening was Hywel Wyn Jones.

Waunfawr WI

The January meeting of the Waunfawr WI took place on Monday, 8 January in the Community Hall on the Waun, and saw president Jean Eklund receiving apologies from five members but still warmly welcoming 12.

She then warmly introduced the speaker for the evening Rev Lynn Rees, a former police officer,now a non stipendiary curate at St Padarn’s Church, Llanbadarn Fawr.

Lynn spoke entertainingly and with insight on the major influences in his life.

He hails from the Amman Valley and has always felt a calling to ordained ministry and initially considered a career in the RAF as a chaplain before eventually deciding on the police; feeling that would be a satisfying, fulfilling career which would help others.

After training he was posted to Aberystwyth and has remained living here throughout his career.

However he has undertaken varied roles which have taken him further afield including working in Police Headquarters, the Home Office and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, where he was particularly involved in issues regarding safeguarding and protecting victims of abuse.

His calling to the church never left and he took the opportunity after retiring from the force to train for the ministry in the Church in Wales and was ordained in June 2016.

He is now based as curate at St Padarn’s Church, Llanbadarn Fawr, although he travels widely in the benefice in his role of diocesan safeguarding officer.

He also works for Aberystwyth University as part of the Law and Criminology Department’s ‘Dewis-Choice’ research project and members were left amazed at his ability to manage time and were pleased that he found time to join Waunfawr WI and give such a stimulating and interesting talk.

Thursday, 25 January also saw 16 members enjoying an excellent post Christmas lunch together in the Glengower Hotel.

This month’s meeting is on Monday, 5 February at 7pm in the Community Hall when the speaker will be Jane Guite of Cletwr Café speaking on ‘Rabbiting On!’

Arthritis care

The Aberystwyth Branch of Arthritis Care have had a busy and confusing few months as since November they have officially amalgamated with Arthritis Research

They are now waiting to see what they will be called.

The branch is holding its AGM on Monday, 5 February in Gerddi Fynnon, Trefechan at 7pm.

It is hoped that all the members will remember as they have not met since their Christmas dinner in the Richmond Hotel.

Beekeepers Association

The January meeting of the Aberystwyth Beekeepers Association took place on the evening of Tuesday, 16 January in the Waunfawr Community Hall.

It was the association’s Annual General Meeting and some 20 members were present.

2017 had been a very successful year for the association and after the usual AGM reports, the committee for 2018 was elected: Rob Davies, chairman; Ann Ovens, secretary; Richard Spencer, treasurer; and Phil Springham, membership secretary.

Most of the meeting was then devoted to planning the year’s programme which will include meetings and demonstrations on rearing your own queens, swarm control, the importance of drones, and visits to members’ apiaries.

At the end of the meeting, members were urged to note in their diaries the beekeeping event of the year in Aberystwyth, the Welsh Beekeepers Association’s 75th anniversary conference on 13-15 July in Aberystwyth University with an exciting programme of lectures, workshops, beekeeping stands and a celebration dinner.

Looking forward to spring, the association will be repeating a beginners’ taster weekend over the weekend of 5-6 May.

Places are still available and will be invaluable to anyone interested in taking up the craft.

Further information on the taster weekend and the association’s programme for 2018 is available from Ann Ovens on 01970 832359.

Choral Society

Being part of a large choral society and singing major choral works with a professional conductor, professional soloists and a large orchestra, is a truly wonderful experience as members of the Aberystwyth Choral Society know only too well.

Every chorister who sang in the recent Christmas concert went home that night with a great feeling of satisfaction from the sustained applause at the end of the concert from the very good audience.

This signalled their great appreciation of everybody’s efforts after many weeks of Tuesday evening rehearsals.

One of the choristers, Sue Wildig, recently met up with a friend who told her most movingly of the marvellous experience he had enjoyed back in December in the Great Hall when for the first time in his life he attended a choral concert, saying that it was the most wonderful thing he had ever heard.

Sue was really touched by the man’s emotions as he recalled a special evening.

She was asked to convey his appreciation to the choir and to say that he would definitely be attending the forthcoming spring concert.

This she did with pleasure during the break in last Tuesday evening’s rehearsal.

There is still time for new choristers in all four voices to join the ranks for the spring concert on Saturday, 28 April when the main work being performed will be very tuneful Stabat Mater by Dvorak.

Anyone interested in doing so will be warmly welcomed in the Old Hall, Old College on Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm . The choir operates a no auditions policy.

Wildlife Trust

The North Ceredigion Section of the Wild Life Trust South and West Wales’ programme of monthly evening meetings resumes at 7pm on Monday evening, 5 February in Lecture Theatre C22 in the Huw Owen Building on the Penglais Campus.

The speaker will be local naturalist David Kirby of Aberystwyth who will be talking about Things that Slither and Crawl: Local reptiles. All are welcome.

Section members have recently received their copies of the latest section newsletter.

This extends to six pages packed with interesting information on the section’s activities and the ongoing management in the county’s reserves led by Em Foot, the Ceredigion Wildlife Trust Officer and her team of volunteers.

There is also an article from local ecologist Chloe Griffith on the Nature in our Village Project in Penparcau.

More information is available on the section’s activities from the secretary, David Purdon on 01970 871012.

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