THE latest community news from Cardigan.

U3A

JANUARY’s monthly meeting kicked off the new year with an inspirational talk by Meinir Lewis of Welsh Hearts.

This wholly Welsh charity uses every penny for the benefit of projects and the people of Wales by placing defibrillators in communities, delivering CPR training and holding heart-screening events.

Here in Wales, cardiovascular disease accounts for one third of all deaths. This is higher than most Western European countries.

Some 8,000 cardiac arrests happen outside hospital each year in Wales. CPR and/or a defibrillator, must be administered within the first four minutes and the chance of survival drops to three per cent within 10 minutes, after which survival is unlikely. A defibrillator can deliver an electric shock to a casualty in cardiac arrest to help restart the system. Welsh Hearts help people learn CPR, and the use of a defibrillator, which go hand-in-hand in helping the successful survival of a sufferer.The meeting was treated to a demonstration of a defibrillator in action, and told that no harm, or benefit, would come to anyone, who had the device administered to their person if they weren’t suffering from a cardiovascular event.To put a defibrillator in your community will cost £1,500. Welsh Hearts helps by contributing to the cost, but the community, or organisation, then takes responsibility for the day to day care of their own defibrillator. This spring, Welsh Hearts will be holding a fundraising campaign, #lovemyheart, by hold-ing Wales’ Biggest Tea Party.To continue holding more heart screening sessions, funding is needed for this vital and worthwhile Welsh charity.Cardigan U3A’s next meeting is on Thursday, 23 February, in the Catholic Church Hall, North Road.Dr Alan Goodman will give a talk entitled ‘DNA – Where do I come from Mummy?’New members are welcome and the meeting starts at 2pm.

Cymdeithas Aberteifi Society

AT the general meeting held at Fishermans Rest, on Tuesday, 31 January, there was much enthusiasm among those present for the society’s proposed projects.With the help of funding, CAS hope to improve the finger posts and information boards which can be found around the town – some need repair, some replacing and one or two new ones are still to be placed.Plans are underway to digitalise the priceless knowledge and research of trustee Father Seamus Cunnane, and the society is working with NLW and RCAHM to develop a virtual 3D map of Medieval Cardigan. CAS is one of the many voices wanting the return of the summer carnival and is willing to front its organisation. There are plans to have a photographic exhibition using the myriad of local collections.There was a suggestion to develop a Faith Tour of local churches and chapels and to revive all or part of the ancient Medieval Pilgrims Way stretching from Bardsey Island to St Davids which passes through Ceredigion and indeed through Cardigan via Feidr Fair, Pwll Hai and Gloster Row.If you are interested in the town, its past, present and future, join the society at the next meeting in Fishermans Rest on Tuesday, 28 February, at 7.30pm when Father Cunnane will give a presentation entitled The Changing Face of Cardigan since Medieval Times. Such a talk is truly not to be missed.The society’s website – [email protected]/* */!function(t,e,r,n,c,a,p){try{t=document.currentScript||function(){for(t=document.getElementsByTagName('script'),e=t.length;e--;)if(t[e].getAttribute('data-cfhash'))return t[e]}();if(t&&(c=t.previousSibling)){p=t.parentNode;if(a=c.getAttribute('data-cfemail')){for(e=',r='0x'+a.substr(0,2)|0,n=2;a.length-n;n+=2)e+='%'+('0'+('0x'+a.substr(n,2)^r).toString(16)).slice(-2);p.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(decodeURIComponent(e)),c)}p.removeChild(t)}}catch(u){}}()/* */ – offers updates on the group’s activities.