THE latest community news from Aberystwyth

Christian Aid

IN THE Aberystwyth area, many churches and chapels support the work of Christian Aid, and the monthly Bread and Cheese frugal lunches provide an opportunity for these both to meet together and to raise funds for the work of Christian Aid throughout the year.

The April one of these was on Monday, 9 April and was hosted by St Padarn’s and as a result the sum of over £135 was raised for a national charity which raises funds for people in need throughout the world irrespective of race, creed or religion.

The local committee met later in the month, to finalise details for the local programme of events planned for 13 to 19 May, National Christian Aid Week. These include collections by members of churches and chapels, and coffee evenings and coffee mornings.

Monday, 14 May sees the monthly Bread and Cheese lunch at St Paul’s Methodist Centre from noon till 1.30pm. It will start with a short service to mark the beginning of the week. All are welcome.

From 21 to 25 May there will be a Christian Aid shop in the vestry of Seion, Baker Street.

Further information on the work of Aberystwyth Christian Aid is available from Rev Adrian Williams, the local Christian Aid secretary on 01970 12500.

Horticultural Society

THIS YEAR is the Cardiganshire Horticultural Society’s 50th anniversary year and a number of special events have been organised to celebrate it.

The first of these was the annual plant sale in Llanfarian Village Hall on the afternoon of Saturday, 21 April. This was very well supported and a very good selection of plants from members’ gardens, greenhouses and conservatories was on offer with plenty of tea and cake to be enjoyed as well!

The Spring 50th Anniversary edition of Spadework, the Society’s Journal was also out, with some very good reports and news of the society’s activities.

The next event will be the 50th Anniversary Celebrity Public Lecture on the evening of Tuesday, 8 May in the Old Hall, Old College when the speaker will be the eminent forensic ecologist, botanist and palynologist, professor Patricia Wiltshire who will be speaking on ‘How plants, fungi, animals and soils help solve crimes’. The lecture starts at 7.30pm, but there will be complimentary drinks served from 7pm and admission is £10 (£8 to CHS members.)

The lecture is followed by the first of five very special summer outings which have been organised over the season. This will be on Wednesday, 16 May, and takes the society into the Shropshire Hills AONB, to visit Millichope Park and the associated Viola nursery, plus Mynd Hardy Plants.

A warm welcome is extended to anyone interested in gardening and horticulture, to take part in these activities, and more information can be obtained from the chairman, Jan Eldridge on 01970 828949, and from the society’s website.

Wildlife Trust

THERE was no monthly evening meeting of the North Ceredigion Section of the Wildlife Trust South and West Wales in April as the university was closed for Easter.

At the March meeting, members had been enthralled by an illustrated talk by well known mid-Wales naturalist Tony Cross. Tony is no stranger to the section on account of his tremendous work in the conservation of the red kite, but for the March meeting, his topic was the conservation of the chough with which he had also been involved for many years.

The May meeting of the section will be the AGM on Monday, 14 May at 7pm in lecture theatre C22in the Huw Owen Building on the Penglais Campus.

Section AGM’s are by tradition short and most of the meeting will be devoted to contributions from members which will cover a variety of interesting topics. All are welcome, and more information is available on the section’s activities from the secretary, David Purdon, on 01970 871012.

Europe Day

ABERYSTWYTH University and the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) will mark Europe Day on Wednesday, 9 May with an exhibition of marine research at Aberystwyth bandstand.

Open to the public between 10am and 2pm, the exhibition will feature four major research projects Ecostructure, Bluefish, CHERISH and Acclimatize.

In all, the projects have attracted €18m of European Union funding provided by the European Regional Development Fund Ireland Wales Cooperation Programme 2014-2020 irelandwales.eu and are jointly run by partner organisations in Wales and Ireland.

The projects seek to address pressing questions designed to help coastal communities of west Wales and south east Ireland adapt to the impacts of climate change affecting the Irish Sea and adjacent areas.

Liz Humphreys from the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University said: “The four projects are designed to build on the strengths and economic potential of the Irish Sea coastal economies to produce sustainable prosperity and growth, and each of these projects involve trans-national working with partners in Ireland as well as close collaboration with key agencies in Wales.”

To find out more, visit the exhibition at the Bandstand at Aberystwyth between 10am and 2pm on Wednesday, 9 May.

Aberystwyth and District Floral Society

SOCIETY chairman Pat welcomed Jane Pugh, who couldn’t attend last month due to the snow and congratulated Donald Morgan and Jayne Solomon on gaining a silver award at the RHS London Orchid Show with their title ‘Colour my world’.

The winners of the 200 club for April were Margaret Davies, Trawscoed, first; Pat Edwards, Aberystwyth, second; and Enid Humphreys, Blaenpennal, third.

Jane’s title for the evening was ‘Special Place or Places’ and to start she took us on a journey to far away Barbados to the World Flower show which she attended in 2017.

Using a tall slender metal vase under the title ‘Idyllic Dawn’ she added long twigs and florist ruscus across the top of the vase with fatsia japonica leaves for contrast. Dried palm leaves, choisia tenata and yukka leaves were then placed upright to give height, liatrus for contrast and lovely yellow roses grouped together made a statement in this lovely arrangement.

Secondly , she took us on a spring walk, where she expertly placed various foliage, of vibernum, ivy, choisia tenata as a base on a large wreath ring. To this she added in groups, mini sol daffodils from Cornwall, red tulips, rainbow coloured tulips, solidago, muscari, daffodils and purple statice to create a beautiful arrangement to depict spring.

On then to Monet’s lily garden in France, where Jane interpereted an arrangement which she thought Monet himself would have approved of and would have wanted to paint.

Off again we went to Walcott Woods, a favourite place, where rhododendrons are aplenty at certain times of the year.

Last but not least was her window box where she placed an array of different flowers and foliage, a felicia plant to the side, then the foliage of flowering pieris, heather, conifer and ivy, and adding flowers in the form of tall white stocks in lines, lilac anastasia, purple liatris, purple statice, pale pink lisianthus, lilac lisianthus and eringium (sea holly).

Throughout the evening she regaled members with stories about her life while so easily arranging the foliage and flowers.

The winners of the members’ competitions were presented with their trophies, Jayne Solomon for the Advanced, Beti Wyn Davies for Intermediate, and Jane Walton for Novice.

The next meeting at Llanfarian Village Hall will be on Tuesday, 15 May at 7.30pm when Sioned Hughes will be the guest demonstrator with her title of ‘Turning over a new Leaf’.

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