THE latest community news from Blaenau Ffestiniog

Services

HOLY Cross – Mass at 6pm on Saturday and 11am on Sunday with Fr Shaji Punnati;

Manod Orthodox – Third and Sixth Canonical Hours at 10am followed by the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom;

St Michael’s and St David’s members will be attending a Bro Moelwyn area service at the Holy Trinity Church, Penrhyndeudraeth at 10.30am;

Bowydd – Rev Iwan Ll Jones;

Bethesda – Tom Williams;

Choir

THE Moelwyn Male Choir conducted by Sylvia Ann Jones and accompanist Wenna Francis Jones were in concert at Betws y Coed on Friday evening with Gareth Griffiths the compere.

They are there again this Friday evening where they will be recorded for a BBC Wales programme and they are to present a Wales Air Ambulance representative with a £1,000 cheque being the proceeds of the raffles the choir does for charity at their Betws y Coed concerts. The Brythoniaid Choir will be away this Thursday to Donegal in Ireland over this weekend for a choral event and returning home on Monday.

Camera club

THE camera club ended the season on a high point by winning the North Wales Photographic Association’s Inter Club Print Competition which was held at Craig y Don.

At the club’s annual general meeting the following officials were elected: president – Dilys Williams; chairman – Dewi Moelwyn Williams; vice chairman and programme secretary –Tom Dodd; secretary – Helen Kelly; treasurer – Stephen Jones; competition secretary – Ian O’Neill.

Peter Jepson was presented with the club’s photographer of the year trophy and its new season will start in September.

Bowls

THE Bowling Club were 7-5 winners home to Rhos Park B on Saturday in a North Wales League match, their winners being Adam Hyde, Martin and Jason Hughes, Stephen and R Elwyn Jones.

They gained an extra two points for a better aggregate. This Saturday they are away at Conway.

Clwb Cerdded

TAITH nesaf aelodau Clwb Cerdded Stiniog fydd dydd Sul yma i rhan 4 o Lwybr Llechi Eryri. Gofynnir iddynt fod ger T? Gorsaf am 9yb ac mae esgidiau cryf, dillad addas a phecyn o fwyd yn hanfodol i’r daith.

Darts

THE local men’s darts team have gained promotion to the Gwynedd Super League Division 1 even though they lost their final match of the season by 4-3 at Llanrwst.

Race

THIS year’s popular Moelwyn Fell Race will take place on Saturday, 25 May.

This year’s race will be part of the British Championship races and already some 300 runners have registered to take part in the race which will start at Diffwys Square and end at Dolawel rugby club. The organisers are the Hebog Club assisted by members of the Blaenau Amateurs FC .

Ffestiniog History

THE speaker at the last meeting of the winter was Steffan ab Owain, who showed members pictures of local shops and businesses around 100 years ago.

In 1801, the population of Blaenau Ffestiniog was around 700, but with the expansion of the slate quarries, by 1901 this had increased tenfold to 7,000. Some businesses sound quite unusual now, one example being an ‘American Shaving Saloon’, which was opened in 1910.

Steffan started with pictures of shops and a hotel that used to stand where the roundabout at the end of Church Street is now. One building that started as ‘Cocoa House Refreshment Rooms’, and has had other uses, is now the Welch Club.

Part of Eifion Stores, was once a Pork Shop owned by Mr H D Owen in the 1920s. There were two local papers printed in the town, and one produced postcards of the funeral procession of prominent townspeople.

At one time there was a department store where the Catholic Church is now, and a great choice of other shops for the many customers. Steffan was introduced and thanked by Peter Sidebotham.

The summer outing will be to the Maritime Museum in Porthmadog, on Thursday, 9t May, where membes will meet at 6pm. Afterwards they will have a meal at Spooners restaurant, at the Ffestiniog Railway, at 7.30pm (meal choices to be pre-booked). Any members who were not at the meeting, and would like to attend, please contact Iris as soon as possible.

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