THE latest community news from Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Services

HOLY Cross: Mass at 6pm on Saturday with Bishop Edwin;St Mary Magdalene: Mass at 11am with Bishop Edwin;St Michael’s: Morning service at 9.30am;St David’s: Morning service at 11am;Manod Orthodox: Third and Sixth Canonical Hours at 10am followed by the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom;Calfaria: Eifion Jones, Ffestiniog 2pm;Carmel: Tony Eastwood;Bowydd: Rev E Owen, morning; Rev C Prew, evening;Bethesda: Dennis Davies;Bethel, Ffestiniog: Rev Anita Ephraim.

Poetry

THE April meeting of the local Poetry and Creative Writing Group will be held next Tuesday between 10.30am and noon at the Bridge Cafe.

MANY senior readers will have memories of 21 Church Street being the venue for the Empire Cinema and later a squash club. Now, its present owner has made a planning application to change the use of the building to include a café with external seating area, a five-bedroom bunkhouse with associated facilities, a self contained three-bedroom living unit, with structural alterations including part demolition of the existing building shop front alterations and creation of parking space. There was no objection to this application from the town council nor was there for other applications which include: 1, A waste transfer station to accept and process inert materials at Llechwedd Quarry; 2, For a non-maternal amendment following another grant to include a maintenance gap in between the extension and adjacent property at 2 Glandwr Terrace; 3 Retrospective application to revert an existing residential dwelling into its original form of two seperate residential dwellings at 12 Glanypwll.

Advice

ON Monday mornings between 10.30am and 1pm a representative of the Citizens Advice Bureau will be present at the library ready give any relevant advice and no appointments are needed to attend.

Volunteer

AFTER 15 years as an unpaid volunteer for Age Concern Cymru, Mona Williams of Maenofferen Street and formerly of Llain y Maen has retired having held a weekly session at the WI before the charity opened their shop just off the High Street. Mona has enjoyed her years raising money for this cause and she thanks all who have supported it over the years.

Damage

STORM Doris left a trail of damage at the park as many Leylandii trees were blown down causing damage to the fence and the gate near the bowling green the tarmac and kerb near the tennis court and damage to one of the swings at the children’s playground. These trees and three other such trees which were likely to fall in the future were cut up and the logs were to be offered to the public.

Race

THE annual Ras y Moelwyn fell race will be held on Saturday, 8 April, and this year the runners will be setting off at 2pm and on their 10-mile, 2,800 ascent of the Moelwyn range to Dolawel the Bro Ffestiniog Rugby ground. Registration for the event will be open on site from 9am and there will also be a junior race off at 2.15pm. This year the Hebog Harriers are very much involved in the organising this popular event together with the Blaenau Amateurs FC.

Band

THE Oakeley Band, conducted by John G Jones, took part in the recent section of the Welsh Regional competition where eight bands were competing. The Oakeley were placed second behind the winners RAF St Athan with Gwaun Cae Geurwen third. As a result of this event the Oakeley and RAF St Athan have now qualified to compete in the UK national finals to be held in Cheltenham on 16 September.

Clwb Merched

CAFODD aelodau’r Clwb Merched noson difyr yn y llyfrgell yng ngh-wmni Nia Gruffudd o Gaernarfon ac Aled Wyn Jones o Fangor nos Fawrth. Darllenodd Nia ddau o fywgraffriadau sef detholiad o lyfr Gareth Lewis Hogyn o’r Felin, llyfr Dai Jones, Llanilar, a detholiad o ddwy nofel. Arweiniod Aled yr aelodau i fyd y we ar hyn mae y llyfrgelloedd yn ei gynnig i bobl trwy’r cyfrwng hwn. Roedd yn noson adysgiadol a diddorol dros ben.Cymdeithas HanesAR ddechrau cyfarfod diwethaf Cymdeithas Hanes ar nos Fercher, 15 Mawrth, cyflwynodd y llywydd, Robin Davies, ein gwr gwadd, Rhys Mwyn, fel person amryddawn a thalentog oedd drwy ei waith yn cyflwyno hanes Cymru i’r bobl. Testun y ddarlith oedd “Cloddio diweddar yng nghestyll un o dywysogion Gwynedd - Carndochan.”Dechreuodd drwy ddangos rhestr o gestyll tywysogion Gwynedd fel Carndochan, Castell y Bere, Dolwyddelan, Dolbadarn, Dolforwyn a Chricieth. Cestyll oedd rhain wedi eu codi gan y tywysogion ac nid gan Edward 1 o Loegr. Mae yna ychydig o ddadlau pwy gododd Carndochan unai Llywelyn ap Gruffudd neu Llywelyn ab Iorwerth ac nid oedd “carbon dating” o’r safle fawr o gymorth achos yr oedd y canlyniad yn disgyn rhwng teyrnasiad y ddau. Yn sicr mae presenoldeb twr siâp D yng Ngharndochan yn profi mae un o dywysogion Gwynedd oedd yn gyfrifol am yr adeiladu.Nid oes yna fawr o wybodaeth am Garndochan ond yn y dair blynedd ddiwethaf wrth gloddio yn yr ad-feilion cafodd yr archaeolegwyr hyd i fynedfa’r castell. Diddorol iawn oedd clywed Rhys yn disgrifio gwaith yr archaeo-legwyr fel yr oeddynt yn tyllu, yn cofnodi yn union lleoliad bob peth, yn sicrhau ar y diwedd fod y cerrig yn cael eu rhoi yn ôl yn union yr un lle a’u bod nhw’n cael eu amddiffyn rhag rhew wrth i’r tyllu ddod i ben. Wrth ddarganfod y fynedfa daeth yn amlwg fod tua wyth troedfedd o sbwriel wedi cwympo ar ben y fynedfa a thynnu i lawr y bwa oedd ar ei phen. Yr oedd nifer fawr o mortar gwael yno a’r teimlad oedd fod yr adeilad heb gael ei godi o safon uchel - “cowbois Bala” tybiodd Rhys oedd yn gyfrifol am hyn, Nid oedd o erioed meddai wedi gweithio mor galed yn clirio rwbel yn ei waith fel archaeolegydd. Yng ngwaelod yr adfail daethant o hyd i nifer o hoelion oedd yn amlwg wedi cael eu defnyddio efo’r trawstiau. Hefyd cawsant hyd i “coin” ac wedi ymholi darganfod mae Jeton Nuremberg o’r 16 ganrif oedd.Yr oedd yn ddarlith mor ddiddorol a chafodd Rhys drafferth i’w gorffen achos y llu o gwestiynau a daflwyd ato gan y gynulleidfa. Talwyd y diolchiadau ffurfiol gan Bill Jones gan ddweud ei fod wedi gweithio efo Rhys mewn aml i safle fel Cwm Pen Amnen a Chymorthin ac ei fod wedi dysgu llawer ganddo.Cynhelir y cyfarfod nesaf ar 19 Ebrill pryd y disgwyliwn John Elfed Jones a’i destun “Trwy Lwc.”

Gallery

THE Maenofferen Gallery hosts an exhibition of various paintings by Roland George and admission is free during the library’s opening hours.