THE latest community news from Blaenau Ffestiniog

Y Gymdeithas Hanes

DECHREUWYD tymor newydd y Gymdeithas Hanes gyda sgwrs gan un o’i hoelion wyth; testun Steffan ab Owain oedd hanes baricsod y chwareli.

Gyda chynifer yn cael eu cyflogi yn y chwareli ganrif a hanner yn ôl, yr oedd llawer iawn o ddynion yn teithio o bell i ddod i fyw yn ’Stiniog yn ystod yr wythnos waith, gan fynd adref dros y Sul.

Eglurodd Steffan sut yr oedd tai pwrpasol wedi eu codi ar eu cyfer – rhai ohonynt yng nghanol y chwareli eu hunain megis yng Nghwmorthin, Rhiw Bach, a chwarel Holland ac eraill yn nhref y Blaenau.

Fel y gellid tybio, yr oedd amgylchiadau byw yn y baricsod yn eithaf cyntefig a chlywyd am adroddiad a gynhaliwyd i’r safonau glendid ynddynt yn 1893.

Adroddodd yr arolygwr (Griffith John Williams - awdur Hanes Plwyf Ffestiniog) bod tua 350 yn byw mewn baricsod yn y Blaenau ar y pryd.

Yr oedd problem ynglyn â glendid ynddynt, gyda phedwar dyn yn rhannu un ystafell ran amlaf ac yn cysgu, bwyta ac ymlacio yn yr un lle.

Yn dilyn yr adroddiad hon, gosododd y Bwrdd Lleol uchafswm ar faint a allai aros mewn unrhyw dy.

Yr oedd llawer o gwyno am y chwain a geid yn y gwlâu ac adroddodd Steff sawl stori ffraeth amdanynt.

Adroddodd hefyd am drefniadau dyddiol y dynion megis eu bwyd, a threfniadau glanhau a chynhesu y tai a sut y cyflogid rhywrai i forol am hynny.

Clywyd hefyd am drefniadau i gynnig addysg i’r gweithwyr yn y baricsod – megis gwersi darllen, rhifyddeg a gwersi gyda’r modiwlator.

Dangoswyd llun hanesyddol a dynnwyd o’r tu mewn i un o’r baricsod gan Griffith J Williams yn 1893 a hefyd lluniau a dynnodd Steffan ei hun o olion y baricsod o gwmpas y dref a’r chwareli.

Diolchwyd i Steff am ei sgwrs ddiddorol ac addysgiadol gan Dafydd Lloyd Williams. Cadeiriwyd y noson gan Peter V Jones, llywydd newydd y gymdeithas.

Vivian Parry Williams fydd y siaradwr y mis nesaf a bydd yn rhoi tipyn o hanes cynnar trigolion Cwm Cynfal ar 21 Chwefror.

Services

HOLY Cross: Mass at 6pm on Saturday with Fr Shaji Funnati.

St Mary Magdalene: Mass at 11am with Fr Shaji Funnati.

St Michael’s: Morning service at 9.30am.

St David’s: Morning service at 11am.

Manod Orthodox: Third and Sixth Canonical Hours at 10am follow by Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom.

Carmel: Aeron Hughes.

Bowydd: Rev Ioan Gruffydd.

Bethesda: Oedfa Gartref 10yb.

Bethel, Ffestiniog: Elfed Lewis.

Clwb Cerdded

TAITH nesaf aelodau Clwb Cerdded Stiniog fydd dydd Sul i Rhiannedd Llyn a gofynnir iddynt fod ger Ty Gorsaf am 9yb; mae esgidiau cryf, dillad addas a phecyn o fwyd yn hanfodol i’r daith.

Rugby

HAVING scored two tries for the Wales Women’s Rugby side in a friendly match against Ireland at Ystrad Mynach local player Jess Kavanagh Williams was a member of the side that beat Scotland in the first of the 6 nations competition which was played at Colwyn Bay on Friday evening and she went over for the first try of the match.

Clubs

GWYNEDD Council is contacting every community and town councils that would be affected by a decision not to run the Youth Clubs in the county and they are interested to hear the views/interests of communities and councils in establishing different arrangements for running Youth Clubs in the future in a situation where Gwynedd would no longer run Youth Clubs.

Session

FREE sessions delivered by Citizens Online and Gwynedd Council through Digital Gwynedd which helps local people use the internet are held between 10am and noon on Mondays at the local library.

Schools

IN the latest schools colouring code ratings the local Manod, Maenofferen and the Eifion Wyn school at Trawsfynydd were rewarded with a green (top) category.

Bro Cynfal and Ysgol y Moelwyn were given a yellow and Tanygrisiau school an amber.

Precept

THE Town Council has set a precept of £200,000 for 2018/2019 which means a tax of £114.78 per year on Band D an increase of 50p per week.

There is a possibility that the council will take over the running of the Diffwys public toilets soon instead of making a contribution to keeping them open throughout the year as present.

Also the council is to set aside funding for the Gwyl Cerdd Dant 2018 which will be held here in November as well as the Gwyl Llechi, Gwyl Nadolig and also a contribution towards employing a coach for Rygbi Bro Bach.

Tractors Bro ‘Stiniog

AR 22 Hydref 2017, gwnaeth criw Tractors Bro ‘Stiniog gynnal eu taith tractors cyntaf, drwy gychwyn a gorffen ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog.

Cynhaliwyd y daith er cof am John (Bont) Roberts, gyda’r elw’n mynd at ymchwil Canser Cymru. Cafwyd ‘brochure’ ei greu gyda enwau busnesau lleol, diwydiannau cludo ag ati.

Yn ogystal cafodd ocsiwn ei chynnal gyda rhoddion gan nifer o fusnesau ac unigolion lleol. Hefyd rhoddwyd cyfraniadau gan llawer un arall oedd eisiau cyfrannu i’r achos. Yn ogystal, codwyd arian ar y diwrnod wrth i rai dalu mynediad i’r daith ei hun. Y swm a godwyd oedd £3,830. Cyflwynwyd y siec i Lee Campell o Ymchwil Canser Cymru.

Fel criw, ddiolchwn i bawb a gyfrannodd mewn gwahanol ffyrdd ac a roddodd eu hamser yn paratoi’r daith. Diolch am yr holl gefnogaeth ar y diwrnod, i bawb gymerodd ran ac i’r rhai oedd wedi ein cefnogi. Diolch yn fawr iawn i deulu John am eu cymorth a’u caredigrwydd i wneud y diwrnod yn bosib ac yn llwyddiant.

Ffestiniog Railway

OUR much-loved ‘Queens of the Hill’, Hunslet ‘Ladies’ Linda and Blanche are 125 years old this year and the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways are throwing a party!

Their centenary was marked on the Ffestiniog R in legendary style in 1993 with over a hundred siblings of all shapes and sizes coming over to play.

A lot has changed in their world since then, with many more Hunslet restorations and repatriations, along with a few replicas to share the fun.

The event on 22-24 June will feature a super-intensive and varied timetable, sojourns over the Welsh Highland Railway, exhausting shunting in Minffordd Yard, opportunities to drive locos, historic re-enactments and much more.

It is the aim that this Great Little Gathering is the biggest assembly of Hunslet locomotives – from far and near – since the manufacturer itself closed.

Donations

FOLLOWING their Making a Difference initiative where customers purchase special products at their store, McColl’s on Church Street has raised a sum of £450 which they have donated locally with £200 to Cylch Meithrin, £150 to the Bro Ffestiniog Rugby Juniors and £100 to the Blaenau Sovereign Morris Dancers.

Donations

FFESTINIOG Town Council has donated £150 to the Clwb Nofio PBP and £25 to the Meirionnydd Young Farmers Club.

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