THE latest community news from Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Services

BETHEL, Ffestiniog - Rev Anita Ephraim.

Bethesda - Eifion Jones.

Bowydd - Elfed Lewis.

Carmel - Rev R W Gruffydd, 2pm.

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 Fr Shaji Punnati.

Holy Cross - Mass at 6pm with Fr Shaji Punnati.

Library

BETWEEN 10am and 1pm a representative of the Citizens Advice Bureau will be at the library ready to deal with relevant matters one might have and between 3.45pm and 4.45pm there will be a Fun Book Club there for Years 3 and 4 with space for just 12 to attend.

Youth Clubs

GWYNEDD Council has contacted Blaenau Ffestiniog Town Council stating that they are interested to hear its views on establishing different arrangements for running youth clubs in the future.

Having discussed the issue, the local council is to write to Gwynedd Council stating that it is felt that Gwynedd Council has not considered the serious impact on the young people of this area when deciding on their options.

Young people on the street with nothing to do are missing the opportunity to socialise and the opportunities that come from attending a youth club on a regular basis.

The Blaenau Town Council is willing to make a generous contribution towards the cost of paying the youth club’s rent but not ready to take responsibility for employing a leader and a vice leader.

Bowls

WITH the new bowling season just weeks away the Blaenau Bowling Club is reminding its members to attend the Club’s Annual Meeting which is being held at The Park next Tuesday, 20 March at 6.30pm.

Buses

THERE has been many complaints locally about bus times that are currently causing great problems after a company has lost its agreement with Gwynedd Council.

In the meantime the town council is to write to Gwynedd Council asking them to confirm that the service will be returned to a full service when they have set the new agreements with bus companies.

Manod

TOWN Council has accepted a quote of £13,100 before VAT from the Playquest company for recycled plastic equipment for the Manod playing field instead of the decaying timber ones and the price includes the safety mats and the installation of the equipment.

Camera Club

LINDA Bell from the Mold Camera Club was the judge for the local club’s Digimania Competition where members entered five images on different themes and which was won by Iona O’Neill with Rachel Williams second and in joint third place were Tom Dodd, Ian O’Neill, Juliet Dover.

Last week members visited the Caernarfon Club for an inter club competition with the Blaenau Club winning both the print and projected images sections and the judge was Dave Flitcroft from Beaumaris.

Quotes

FOUR companies had been asked to give a quote to the town council for the price of installing a fence around Cae Baltic to ensure the safety of the children when playing there and information has now been given that T D Plant Hire has sent a quote of £4,650 plus VAT for the work and the council has accepted the quote.

History Society

MAUREEN Jones presided over the Bro Ffestiniog History Society meeting held last Thursday at he Ganolfan and introduced the guest speaker Clive Hudson who gave an interesting and illustrated talk with a display of reconstructed Otzi equipment on “Otzi- the 5,000-year-old frozen Alpine Iceman - a window on our local Prehistory”.

Clwb Cerdded

TAITH i’r Ysgwrn, Trawsfynydd fydd gan aelodau Clwb Cerdded Stiniog ddydd Sul yma a gofynnir i’r aelodau fod ger Ty Gorsaf am 9yb; mae esgidiau cryf, dillad addas a phecyn o fwyd yn hanfodol i’r daith.

Y Gymdeithas Hanes

CLYWED hanes trigolion pen uchaf Cwm Cynfal a wnaeth aelodau y Gymdeithas Hanes yn eu cyfarfod mis Chwefror.

Y siaradwr oedd Vivian Parry.

Archaeology SocietyAT the latest society talk, Rhys Mwyn gave a bilingual insight into examining a Roman site in Caernarfon.All Roman finds so far in the town of Caernarfon have occurred between the Afon Seiont, Afon Cadfan and the Menai Strait (Culfor Menai) but during a talk he gave at the Black Boy Inn in the town a member of the audience brought in a box of pottery shards. Many people have various collections of finds but this was unusual – it was from the west bank of the Seiont, an area which has yet to display any Roman artefacts or buildings.Gwynedd Archaeological Trust were informed and thought that the area warranted investigation as it looked an ideal site for a villa, so a small team was put together to carry out an excavation. According to 1817 maps “Elen’s Causeway” was shown implying a bridge of sorts but the later construction of the Slate Quays have now obliterated any trace of the causeway.Field-walking was the first order of the day to see what ploughing over the years had brought to the surface. Pottery shards were picked up but at a ratio of 1 roman date to 100 Buckleyware (1700-1800s).A geophysics survey was carried out but was very disappointing. A test pit was put in but by the end of the first day more disappointment with a line of only three blocks was discovered. On the second day the pit was deepened but soon reached the natural soil. This only confirmed what had been realised on day one – no Roman villa.Overall little of Roman descent was found. The next talk on the society’s 2018 programme will be on Thursday, 15 March, at 7pm at the Day Centre, Y Ganolfan. The guest speaker will be Dr Dafydd Gwyn who will speak on Industrial Archaeology via Plas Tan-y-bwlchThe talk will be in English.For more information contact press officer Mel Thomas via e-mail: [email protected]If you’re a member of a club, society or group, send your news to [email protected]