THE latest community news from Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Services

CARMEL - United chapels service with the Rev Tecwyn Ifan, 10am; Manod Orthodox - Third and Sixth Canonical Hours at 10am, followed by Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom; St David’s - Morning service at 11am; St Michael’s - Morning service at 9.30am; St Mary Magdalene - Mass at 11am with the Bishop Edwin; Holy Cross - Mass at 6pm on Saturday with the Bishop Edwin.

Choir

ON FRIDAY evening the Moelwyn Choir conducted by Sylvia Ann Jones and accompanist Wenna Francis Jones were in concert at Betws y Coed with Gareth Griffiths the compere, and on Saturday evening at the Waterloo Hotel, Betws y Coed. The members enjoyed their annual dinner.

The mixed choir will give their pre-Christmas concert on Sunday at 7.30pm at Bowydd Chapel, where they will be joined by Ysgol Bro Hedd Wyn, Trawsfynydd and Cerys Hughes on the flugel horn. Proceeds of the concert will be donated to the Gwyl Cerdd Dant committee which is hosting the event in 2018.

Poetry

THE Poetry and Creative Writing Group’s December meeting will be held on Tuesday, 6 December between 10.30am and noon at the Bridge Café.

Cymdeithas y Gorlan

CYNHELIR cyfarfod nesaf yng Nghapel Bowydd am 7yh pryd fydd Geraint a Nerys Roberts yn rhoi naws Nadoligaidd.

Gallery

THE Maenofferen Gallery hosts an exhibition by the Craft Group’s learners led by Stephen Owen. Admission is free during the library’s opening hours.

Clwb Cerdded

TAITH nesaf dydd Sul, 4 Rhagfyr fydd i Wybrnant a Phenmachno. Cyfarfod yn Nhy Gorsaf am 9yb ac mae esgidiau cryf, dillad addas a phecyn o fwyd yn hanfodol ar gyfer y daith.

Defibrillator

WITH no A&E facilities in the town there are concerns over where to access a defibrillator in an emergency.

There are some located at various sites, but the chamber of trade and tourism is worried that these sites are not known to them and the public, and with this in mind, John Whitehead of the Bryn Elltyd Guest House, Tanygrisiau, has agreed to find out more on this topic and hopefully a list of their sites will be known and on show locally.

Darts

FOR the third time, local darts player Heber Thomas won the Gwynedd Super League Darts Singles competition at the Wellmans Club, Llangefni last week.

Sefydliad y Merched

CROESAWODD y llywydd Nancy Evans yr aelodau i’r cyfarfod misol. Atgoffwyd yr aelodau am y diwrnod ym Mhlas Tanybwlch ar 1 Rhagfyr pryd fydd y pwytho yn y bore, cinio Nadolig, cwis a chanu, carolau a phaned a mins pei cyn troi am adref.

Cafwyd adroddiad blynyddol gan Bet Jones, ysgrifennydd, Margaret Jones, gofalwr y clwb arian a Valmai Hughes, y trysorydd. Cafwyd cwis gan y llywydd a’r enillwyr oedd Dilys Willams a Linda Jones. Darpariwyd lluniaeth gan Meinir Humphrys, Valmai Hughes a Valerie Davies.

Enillwyd y clwb 100 gan Delyth Hughes, Maenofferen a raffl gan Margaret Williams, Llan.

Mis nesaf fydd y cinio Nadolig ar nos Fawrth, 6 Rhagfyr ym Mhlas Tanybwlch a bydd cyfarod cyntaf y flwyddyn newydd ar nos Fawrth, 24 Ionawr. Mae croeso i aelodau newydd i ymuno yn adeilad Rhodfa Wynne am 7yh.

Cymdeithas Hanes

CYNHALIWYD cyfarfod olaf y flwyddyn ar nos Fercher, 16 Tachwedd gyda Geraint Vaughan Jones yn sôn am Stiniog a’r Rhyfel Mawr.

Wrth gyflwyno’r darlithydd teimlodd y llywydd, Robin Davies, fod yr amseriad yn addas oherwydd agosrwydd Sul y Cofio yn lle cael y ddarlith ym mis Medi fel y trefnwyd yn wreiddiol.

Yn dilyn cais gan y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol, penderfynwyd ceisio cael gwybodaeth a hanesion gan deuluoedd yr ardal am eu hannwyliaid a fu yn ymladd yn y Rhyfel Mawr.

Defnyddiodd Geraint ffeithiau o Gasgliad y Werin, enw’r cynllun hwn, i baratoi ei ddarlith.

Ymddiheurodd ei fod am ddechrau efo hanes ei deulu, oherwydd lladdwyd ei daid cyn i’r rhyfel ddod i ben.

Enwodd rhai a gollodd berthnasau fel Parch Phillips o Llan a gollodd ei fab, hefyd clywsom hanes Richard Parry yn ei lythyrau i ffrind yn yr Unol Daleithiau yn sôn am yr ymladd a sut y cafodd ei glwyfo.

Cafodd Geraint lawer o’i ffeithiau oddi wrth waith beirdd, yn enwedig yn Nhanygrisiau, oedd yn cymryd rhan yn Eisteddfodau Carmel a Bethel.

Atgoffwyd am y rhai na chafodd ddod adre wrth weld sleidiau o fynwentydd mawr y rhyfel fel Tyne Cot a Thiepfal. Gwelwyd hefyd y bordiau neu blaciau oedd yn arfer bod ar wal yn yr Ysbyty Goffa yn cynnwys enwau 353 o feibion yr ardal a ddisgynnodd yn y gyflafan. Yr oedd yn amlwg o’r sylwadau ar y diwedd fod y gynulleidfa wedi gwerthfawrogi ymchwil Geraint.

Talwyd y diolchiadau swyddogol gan Dafydd Roberts a bwysleisiodd y gwaith enfawr mae Geraint wedi ac yn dal i wneud ynglyn ag amddiffyn ein hysbyty.

Bydd y gymdeithas yn ailddechrau ar 18 Ionawr gyda Steffan ab Owain yn sôn am hanes cynnar Rheilffordd Ffestiniog.

Cylch y Moelwyn

A PUB quiz will be held in the King’s Head on Sunday afternoon, 11 December, at 5.30pm organised by the local branch of the British Heart Foundation to raise funds.

The money raised will help promote research into heart diseases and to help those who suffer from the disease. Everyone is welcome.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, 9 January at 6pm at Cylch yr Efail (Seren), for anyone who is interested in helping to further the work of the British Heart Foundation in this locality.

Y Dref Werdd

A COMMUNITY action group, recently recognised at a national awards ceremony, is hoping to tackle the problem of alien plants in Meirionnydd.

Following Y Dref Werdd’s success at the Keep Wales Tidy awards in the ‘Rivers and Coast’ category last week, the group has arranged a week of activities concentrating on its other project in the area, rhododendrons.

The group has already conducted rhododendron clearing at one site in the area during the last year, having cleared and treated an area covering 2.9 acres in Tanygrisiau.

The group is now working at a site on Llechwedd’s premises and is inviting people within the area to volunteer with them. From 5 to 9 December, the group has arranged a whole week of clearing rhododendrons as part of their lottery-funded project.

Rhododendron ponticum is an invasive species that was introduced in the 1800s by Victorian estate owners who enjoyed the flowering plants in bloom. However, if left untreated or unhindered it can spread at an alarming rate and has a detrimental effect on both animals and plant life.

Its dense foliage blocks sunlight, stopping plants from utilising the benefits of the sun’s rays, which in turn has a knock-on effect on animals, resulting in decreasing rates of biodiversity. Rhododendrons also act as hosts for a fungus called phytophthora ramorum, which causes Sudden Oak Death.

Snowdonia National Park currently has numerous projects ongoing that are aimed at restricting rhododendron growth in order to conserve native wildlife.

Volunteers intend to meet at 10am by the Hen Blas, Llechwedd, and expect to finish around 3.30pm but volunteers may come and go as they please.

On the day the group of volunteers advise people to bring suitable clothing and footwear as the terrain can be slippery underfoot. Volunteers can expect a free lunch including a free ‘Quarry Tour’, if you have any dietary requirements please contact beforehand.Any participants under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

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