THE latest community news from Aberystwyth

Probus Club

AT the January meeting of the club, only one of the 30 members present would admit to having a tattoo, but this did not detract from the audience’s interest in a talk about this latest fashion among younger people.

The speaker was Dee Matthews, tattoo artist and proprietrix of the pink tattoo parlour on Borth High Street.

Dee’s talk was an eclectic mixture of anthropology, cultural and political history, methodology and personal anecdote.

People have been tattooing their bodies for many thousands of years (the ice man found in a Tyrolean glacier had 61 tattoos across his body) and cultures in most parts of the world have used tattoos for ceremonial and, more recently, for artistic purposes.

The audience was also able to view and handle some of Dee’s collection of tattooing implements, from the rather macabre carved “tapping sticks” of Borneo, to the latest hi-tech inking machines used today.

In proposing the vote of thanks for Dee, the secretary took the opportunity to share with the audience some recollections of life as a young sailor in the Far East, more than half a century ago.

The club’s next meeting will be at 11am on Wednesday, 28 February, in the Waunfawr Community Hall.

David Steeds will give a talk entitled ‘David Davies Llandinam 1880 – 1944. Wales and the world’.

All are welcome and further details can be obtained from the club secretary, John Andrews, on 01970 358095.

Cymdeithas yr Aelwyd

NOS Wener, 16 Chwefror, croesawyd y newyddiadurwraig Sara Gibson gan ein cadeirydd Delyth Fletcher.

Cafodd Sara brofiad eang gyda gwasanaeth newyddion radio a theledu BBC Cymru, yn paratoi a darllen bwletinau newyddion, gohebu byw o’r Cynulliad ac yn lleol, ac yn fwy diweddar yn gweithio i’r gwasanaeth digidol Cymru Fyw.

Bu Sara’n gweithio ar storïau trist, fel damweiniau ar y ffyrdd, a rhai gyda diweddglo hapus fel hanes y ci defaid Pero deithiodd 240 o filltiroedd o ogledd Lloegr i’w gartref ym Mhenrhyn-coch.

Mae’r dechnoleg ddiweddaraf yn galluogi gohebydd i gyfweld pobl ar y ffôn clyfar, ffilmio, golygu a pharatoi eitemau ar gyfer radio, teledu a Chymru Fyw.

Mae Sara yn ei ystyried hi’n fraint cael bod yn rhan o hyn, ond mae hi’n cydnabod fod gan y swydd gyfrifoldeb hefyd.

Plascrug Bridge Club

30 JANUARY: 1, Jacqui Roberts and Mair Jenkins; 2, Dylan Raw-Rees and Jeff Thomas; 3, Betty Brookes and Mike Jones; joint 4, Sue Sherman and Anne Edwards/Alan Stein and John Holmes

6 February: 1, Jacqui Roberts and Dylan Raw-Rees; 2, Agnes Mckenzie and Mary Jones.

13 February: 1, Jacqui Roberts and Dylan Raw-Rees; 2, John Holmes and Alan Stein.

Inner Wheel Club

THE Inner Wheel Club of Aberystwyth held their February meeting at the Waun Fawr Hall, president Pat Sani in the chair.

The speaker for the evening was Roger Bray whose subject was the Green Aberystwyth Group.

GAG, as it is known, was formed about 11 years ago and has worked tirelessly to preserve local green spaces.

Through a series of slides, Roger illustrated the green areas in the Aberystwyth locality, from playing fields to parks and street trees , and showed how the work of the group has contributed to conservation and replanting there.

Some sites, such as Penglais Woods, were familiar but we also saw the unexpected green idyll in the garden at Bronglais Hospital, the serene space outside the MIND office in Trefechan and wild flower meadows at the cemetery.

Roger emphasized the value of such green spaces in urban areas as they contribute to the well being of residents as well as rainfall patterns and climate.

GAG has carried out surveys of green spaces, including street trees and liaised with the Welsh Government and Ceredigion County Council between 2013-2015 in creating Coed Aberystwyth – an avenue of 280 trees lining the approach road from Llanbadarn Fawr to Aberystwyth.

GAG is committed to widening accessibility to green spaces and Roger’s final slides showed the positive changes in this direction around the town.

Horticultural Society

THE Cardiganshire Horticultural Society’s February evening Lecture in the Waunfawr Community Hall took place on Tuesday, 13 February, when chairman Jan Eldridge, warmly welcomed a very good turnout of members to the meeting.

Before introducing the evening’s speaker, she invited the summer trip organisers, John and Sue Wildig to reveal the eagerly awaited programme of summer trips they have planned for the society’s 50th anniversary year.

The first of these in the middle of May takes the Society into the Shropshire Hills AONB, to visit Millichope Park and the associated Viola nursery, plus Mynd Hardy Plants.

In mid-June the fabulous garden and grounds of Nanhoron will be the highlight of a day in west Gwynedd.

In early July there will be a visit to David Austin Roses at Albrighton, and by contrast the second visit of the day will be to the award winning Bowbrook Community Allotments in Shrewsbury.

The destinations of all the five trips being organised were very well received.

Jan then welcomed the evenings speaker, Aron Roberts of the National Trust who has recently taken over the running the Ceredigion component of the National Campaign to save Britain’s dwindling Magnificent Flower Meadows.

These can be a joy to behold in mid-summer and provide much needed habitat for flowers, bees and butterflies for future generations to enjoy.

Aron gave a very well illustrated talk which generated a wide range of questions from the audience.

The next meeting of the society will be the Annual General Meeting in the Waunfawr Community Hall on Tuesday, 13 March at 7.30pm.

At this meeting the full details of the five summer trips will be available, along with timings, costings and booking forms.

A warm welcome to the meeting is extended to anyone interested in gardening and horticulture.

St David’s Day Parade

THE annual Aberystwyth St Davd’s Day Parade will take place on Saturday, 3 March.

It will commence at 1pm from the Town Clock and finish on Llys y Brenin.

Because of the road words on Terrace Road there will be a change to the usual route with the Parade walking down Great Darkgate Street, Baker Street and then (unlike in previous years) cross over to Alfred Place and Corporation Street.

The parade will be the focus of a whole host of events.

On Saturday Morning there will be live music on Sgwâr Owain Glyndwr with Meibion y Mynydd and Mari Mathias

Free events for kids and family at the Bandstand organised by Cered, the local language initiative include St David’s Day mask making with Meinir Mathias, a clothes making workshop with Theatr Arad Goch theatre company and a Welsh clog dancing lesson with Tasgu.

There will also be free folk music at the Llew Du pub, Bridge Street from 4pm.

The parade starts at 1pm from Aberystwyth Town Clock and goes to Llys y Brenin.

The ceremony is hosted by Geraint Lloyd, Radio Cymru, grace will be by David Greaney on behalf of Aberystwyth’s Catholic Church and Aberystwyth Mayor, Cllr Steve Morris, introduces Ned Thomas, this year’s ‘Tywysydd’ (guide).

Music is by Côr Meibion Aberystwyth, Meibion y Mynydd, and members of other local Aberystwyth choirs and Aberystwyth Silver Band. And also percussion by Samba Agogo.

This year’s escort for Ned Thomas will be Glyn Owen and Moli Roberts (head boy and girl of Ysgol Penweddig) and Karl Piotrowicz and Emily Morgan (head boy and girl of Ysgol Penglais).

For more information contact Siôn Jobbins on 07815 857821.

Bibliographical Group

THE Octagon at St Paul’s Methodist Centre was filled almost to capacity for the Bibliographical Group meeting on Saturday, 17 February.

The speaker was Prof Bill Bell, who is Professor of Bibliography at Cardiff University.

His illustrated lecture entitled ‘What did Tommy Read?’, based on the findings of Prof Bell’s forthcoming monograph, explored the reading habits of troops on the Western Front in the First World War.

There is a great deal of evidence for the range of literacies and tastes among British troops at the time as well as a number of uses to which the printed word was put.

The supplies from home were not always suited to Tommy’s taste, and were not always received in predictable ways.

As the War progressed, the authorities at home attempted to accommodate the needs of soldiers as they came to recognise that provision of reading matter was essential to troop morale.

All the same, effects did not always live up to expectations.

The meeting was preceded by coffee at St Paul’s.

Following a lively discussion after the lecture, the group entertained the speaker to lunch at the Pier Brasserie.

The next meeting will be the AGM in the National Library on Tuesday, 20 March, at 6.30pm, after which Bill Hines will speak on ‘Politicians, Princes and Prelates: More Rambles’ around the Hugh Owen Library Stacks.

Rotary Club

MEMBERS gave a warm welcome to this week’s speaker, Gwyneth Davies, head of the volunteering scheme at the National Library since 2012.

The scheme currently has 98 volunteers, drawn from a wide range of people from around the county, students, retired people and others wishing to acquire valuable skills to enhance their CVs.

They freely give their time to assist on a range of projects within NLW, as well as providing a meet and greet service to newcomers to the library.

Thr project as a whole has a number of partners in the health, education and local government sectors, giving volunteers the opportunity to gain an insight into different types of material.

They can become involved in the electronic transcription of a number of collections currently in the Library with the aim of making them more easily accessible to a wider audience.

Examples include the Guy Hughes Photographic Collection and Daybook, ITV Archives and the Geoff Charles Collection of Photographs, all of which contain film, photos and information relevant to both the local area and Wales more widely.

Material from these archives are being made available in a variety of formats to assist in reminiscence therapy with organisations assisting with dementia and care of the elderly, for example Living Memory/Atgof Byw and Crossroads Ceredigion.

Gwyneth mentioned one project specifically in which her team is involved and to which she was keen to secure additional support: The Cardiganshire Great War Military Tribunals Record.

These archives are unique within Wales as most county records of this nature were destroyed within a few years of the end of the Great War.

In only three other counties in the UK are similar archives held.

The current project is intended to transcribe and make available online the 10,000 documents contained in the archive, dealing with appeals against conscription into the armed services after 1916.

These were then considered by military tribunals at local, county and national levels.

As such they contain a valuable source of material relevant to social historians and descendants of those involved.

Gwyneth strongly suspects that the archive survived through the efforts of individuals responsible for setting up what was known as the ‘Comforts Fund’.

This sent supplies of clothing, food, tobacco otherwise unavailable and local news to soldiers from the Aberystwyth area serving in the Great War.

20 to 50 parcels were sent out each week in the latter years of the War and funds were so great that it was able to give support to local men on their return from fighting.

The name of Sergeant Major Fear keeps cropping up as a major organiser of this fund and it seems likely that much credit for the survival of the archive is due to him.

President Martin thanked Gwyneth for her excellent presentation and wished her every success with current and future projects.

Dyfed Archaeological Trust

THE Dyfed Archaeological Trust is hosting an Archaeology Day, celebrating the archaeology and heritage of south west Wales.

This day school will be held at the Morlan Centre in Aberystwyth on Saturday, 3 March from 10am to 4.30pm.

The event will showcase the richness of the region’s past through a series of presentations, exhibitions and discussions of recent archaeological research and investigation work in the area.

Some of the topics to be covered on the day include:

• Holy Wells of west Wales – Mike Ings, Dyfed Archaeological Trust

• Climate Change and Coastal Heritage in south-west Wales – Toby Driver and Dan Hunt, Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments for Wales

• Excavations at Llandysul – Charles Enright, Dyfed Archaeological Trust

• Layers in the Landscape: Deep mapping in Cardigan Bay – Erin Kavanagh and Martin Bates, University of Wales Trinity St David

• Metal Mining in Ceredigion, Fron Goch – Fran Murphy, Dyfed Archaeological Trust

• War Memorials for Mental Health – Will Rathouse, MIND Aberystwyth

• Recent prehistoric discoveries at Plas Gogerddan – Ken Murphy, Dyfed Archaeological Trust.

If you are a member of a local community heritage group or historical society and would like to present a poster showcasing your work at the event, please do contact us.

The day is open to anyone interested in heritage and archaeology but places are limited and booking is essential.

Attendance at the Archaeology Day is £5 and includes tea, coffee and biscuits.

Places must be booked in advance.

Please contact Jenna Smith by calling 01558 825995 or emailing [email protected] to book a place.

Cylch Cinio

DAETH nifer dda o aelodau ynghyd i gyfarfod mis Chwefror o’r Cylch Cinio i gymdeithasu ar noson dywyll oer o aeaf ac i brofi unwaith eto o groeso cynnes a bwyd maethlon Gwesty’r Richmond.

Roedd y siaradwr gwadd yn wyneb cyfarwydd ac yn annisgwyl braidd, ond wrth gyflwyno yr amryddawn Erwyd Howells, Capel Madog eglurodd y cadeirydd John Davies fod Erwyd yn garedig iawn wedi llanw bwlch.

Ar y funud olaf daeth neges ein gwestai yn methu â dod oherwydd salwch.

Cyflwynwyd Erwyd fel person oedd yn casau dau beth: dwr a gwleidyddiaeth, ond yn rhyfedd iawn, roedd agweddau o’r ddau yn nodwedd o gynnwys ei sgwrs.

Yn ei gyflwyniad dangosodd Erwyd i ni ddewis helaeth o ddarluniau cofiadwy o Nant-y-moch a hynny cyn i’r cwm gael ei foddi yn 1964.

Roedd y ffotograffau yn wir yn drysorau ac yn cynnwys nifer fawr o luniau o John a James James. preswylwyr y ffermdy a foddwyd er mwyn codi argae ar gyfer cynllun trydan-ddwr y Rheidol.

Roedd y delweddau yn ddrych o fywyd yn y llecyn diarffordd hwn ac yn rhoi darlun byw o gorchwylion fferm fynydd, yn ogystal â phwysigrwydd y diwylliant a chrefydd anghydfurfiol y cyfnod i’w bywyd o ddydd i ddydd.

Gwelwyd fel yr oedd ffordd o fyw, a fu unwaith yn nodweddiadol o fynyddir Cymru, wedi ei orfodi i ddod i ben yn gynnar.

Bu’r symud i lawr gwlad i fyw mewn byngalo yng Nghapel Dewi yn brofiad nad oedd modd i James a John allu dygymod ag e.

Roedd clywed yr hanes o enau bugail olaf llechweddau Pumlumon yn brofiad arbennig.

Un darn o wybodaeth oedd yn newydd i lawer ohonom oedd mai nid o enw’r mochyn y daeth Nant-y-moch i fod.

Llifeiriant o ddwr mynydd yw ‘moch’ ac yn ddios y mae hynny yn nodwedd amlwg ar dirlun yr ardal nodedig hon o ogledd Ceredigion.

Wrth ddiolch i Erwyd dywedodd John Williams bod gallu rhyfeddol gan bobl y mynydd i gofio ac er mor anghysbell ac mor unig oedd eu bywydau roeddent yn gwybod llawn gymaint, os nad mwy, na bobol llawr gwlad am newyddion y dydd a hynny mewn cyfnod cyn dyfod y dyfeisiadau cyfathrebu diweddaraf.

John Pryse oedd enillydd y raffl.

Braf oedd cael croesawu Eddie Jenkins, Llandre fel aelod newydd a chyflwynodd y cadeirydd ein cyfarchion i’r Cyng Gareth Davies, Llanbadarn Fawr sydd yn yr ysbyty.

Bydd aelodau’r Cylch eleni eto yn cynorthwyo i stiwardio yn y Parêd Gwyl Ddewi yn Aberystwyth ar 3 Mawrth, ac mae angen i bawb sy’n gwirfoddoli i roi eu henwau i Dafydd Evans cyn gynted â phosib.

Bydd ein cyfarfod nesaf ar nos Wener, 9 Mawrth, ac fel bob amser rydym yn falch o weld aelodau newydd yn ein mysg.

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