THE latest community news from Aberystwyth
Côr Meibion
Côr Meibion Aberystwyth provided the entertainment for the final evening of Menter Aberystwyth’s summer programme on the Bandstand, on Sunday, 3 September.
The choir sang a medley of songs in Welsh and English from its repertoire, starting with Gweddi Affricanaidd – an adaptation for male choirs of South Africa’s national anthem, Nkosi Sikelele. The choir’s musical director, Alwyn Evans – himself a distinguished tenor soloist – sang Llwybr yr Wyddfa and My Little Welsh Home.
The two-hour concert was well attended, and the audience was invited to join the choir in singing a number of well-known hymns including Calon Lân and Cwm Rhondda. The accompanist was Elenid Thomas, and the compère for the evening was Hywel Wyn Jones.
The choir’s next engagement will be a joint concert with Côr Meibion Dyfi (of which Alwyn Evans is also the MD), at Tabernacl, Machynlleth on Friday, 3 November.
Côr Meibion Aberystwyth is actively seeking new members to its ranks, and anyone with an interest in being part of the choir would be most welcome, and should contact the secretary, Hywel Wyn Jones on 01974 202980, or by e-mail on [email protected]. Weekly rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings (7.0 pm) at Aberystwyth Rugby Club, and prospective choristers, and indeed members of the public, are very welcome to attend.
Cylch Cinio
Cafodd cyfarfod cyntaf y tymor newydd o’r Cylch Cinio ei gynnal ar nos Wener, 8 Medi yng Ngwesty’r Richmond. Estynwyd croeso i bawb gan y cadeirydd newydd, sef John Davies (neu John Betws fel mae pawb yn ei adnabod). Braf oedd gweld cynifer o aelodau hen a newydd. Gwnaeth bawb fwynhau pryd blasus iawn o fwyd gyda Richard a’i staff yn y Richmond.
Y gwr gwadd ar y noson oedd bachgen lleol o Bontrhydygroes, sef y ffarmwr a’r cyflwynydd Ifan Jones Evans. Cafwyd sgwrs hynod o ddifyr a diddorol gan Ifan, yn adrodd hanes ei yrfa mor belled gan ddechrau gyda ei fagwraeth yng nghefn gwlad yn ardal y Bont.
Roedd y cyfleoedd a’r profiadau gafodd fel aelod o Glwb Ffermwyr Ifanc Trisant yn allweddol yn ei ddatblygiad i’w yrfa heddiw.
Ar ôl treulio tair blynedd hapus yng Ngholeg y Drindod a dychwelyd adref i ffermio, daeth y cynnig cyntaf yn myd y cyfryngau ac i weithio fel rhedwr i gwmni John Watkin, Apollo.
Yn dilyn galwad i gymryd rhan mewn prawf sgrin, daeth nifer o gyfleoedd i gyflwynio. Yn gyntaf ar raglen Mosgito ar S4C ac erbyn hyn mae yn wyneb cyfarwydd iawn ar S4C a phleser yw gwrando arno ar ei sioe ar Radio Cymru.
Diddorol oedd gweld eitemau a ddaeth gydag ef ar y noson a chlywed storïau yn dilyn y rhaglen Y Porthmon ar S4C. Dafydd Davies o Landdewi Brefi oedd y crefftwr a wnaeth y ffôn fugail. Fflur Edwards, merch is-gadeirydd y cylch cinio, sef Dr Richard Edwards, oedd wedi gwneud a chynllunio y siaced wlân roedd Ifan yn ei gwisgo ar y rhaglen. Mae’r cylch yn dymuno pob llwyddiant i Ifan i’r dyfodol.
Estynwyd diolch ar ran y Cylch i Ifan gan Lewis Owen. Enillwyd y raffl gan Geoff Davies. Braf oedd cael cwmni Aled Bebb o Goginan yn ôl yn y cylch. Gwnaeth y cadeirydd ar ran yr aelodau estyn dymuniadau gorau i Dilwyn Jones o Dalybont (cyn gadeirydd) a’i wraig Carys wrth iddynt symud i Gaerdydd. Bu Dilwyn yn aelod selog a gweithgar iawn yn y cylch a bydd gweld ei eisiau yn fawr.
Cytunodd yr aelodau i roi cymorth i Parêd Gwyl Ddewi unwaith eto gyda’r gwaith o stiwardio, gan ei fod yn ddigwyddiad pwysig yn Aberystwyth.
Bydd cyfarod nesaf y cylch ym Mhlas Antaron ar nos Wener, 13 Hydref am 7.30yh gyda’r Athro Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones fel siaradwr gwadd. Edrychir ymlaen at noson ddifyr arall. Croeso cynnes i aelodau newydd.
Choral Society
September is now nearly halfway through and choristers’ long summer break is coming to an end with weekly rehearsals for the forthcoming Christmas Concert due to get under way in the Old Hall, Old College at 7.30pm on Tuesday, 26 September.
The work, to be performed in the Great Hall of the Arts Centre in December, will be The Mozart Requiem.
This is a great favourite of choral societies with much memorable music and, having been performed by the society on several occasions over the years, is a work familiar to many of the longer serving choristers.
It is also a wonderful introduction to the joys of singing in a big choral society.
Conductor David Russell Hulme and the committee would like to see chorister numbers getting back into the 70s and the 80s.
To this end fliers and posters seeking new choristers have been distributed widely by choristers in recent weeks, and new choristers in all four voices will be very warmly welcomed in the Old Hall Old College at the first rehearsals for the new session.
The society operates a no auditions policy and further information is available from the chairman, June Wilson on [email protected] or 07852 188184
Beekeepers Association
With Autumn upon us, the beekeeping season is drawing to an end with beekeepers now concentrating on feeding their bees and getting them ready for the long winter ahead.
The association continues to thrive as can easily be seen in the association’s autumn newsletter which has recently come out.
Featured in it are illustrated articles on the visits paid over the summer to member’s apiaries, and the Wildlife Trust South and west Wales’s Cwm Cletwr nature reserve.
The latter visit was led by Richard Spencer who, besides having first rate knowledge of the wildlife in the reserve, is also a beekeeper with some hives there. Thus a fascinating afternoon ensued!
The association also took a stand to Talybont Show at the end of August and in addition visited the National Botanic Garden of Wales where they enjoyed a visit to the bee garden and a talk by Lynda Christie, the chief beekeeper at the gardens.
The next meeting of the Association will be on Tuesday, 17 October and will be the Annual Honey Show.
This gets underway at 6pm in the Waunfawr Community Hall and full details of the classes are given in the newsletter.
Further information on the association and its activities, is available from the secretary, Ann Ovens on 01970 832359.
Aberystwyth 50+ Forum
The Aberystwyth 50+ Forum has had a busy summer.
At the end of June, members went to the St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff.
Although it was a long way to go just for the day, stops for cake and coffee on the way there and a meal on the way back helped to break up the journey and make it a very enjoyable trip overall.
At the end of July, Sue Darnbrook (strategic director for care and protection and lifestyle at Ceredigion Council), together with colleagues, gave a presentation to the forum on the services available for older people in Ceredigion.
It proved to be an interesting and lively meeting with the issue of the closure of Bodlondeb figuring prominently in the question and answer session at the end.
For the forum’s August outing, there was a well-attended trip to the National Botanical Gardens outside Carmarthen.
Again cake and coffee featured prominently both on the way there and at the gardens, while fish and chips in Aberaeron made for a very pleasant end to the day.
The Aberystwyth 50+ Forum was set up to inform and give older people a voice on issues that affect them and to provide them with interesting activities which lead to social interaction and help to reduce social isolation.
The forum meets on the last Wednesday of alternate months with an activity or trip in the intervening months.
It is currently funded by the National Lottery Awards for All fund.
The next meeting will be at 2pm on Wednesday, 27 September, in St Paul’s Methodist Centre, Queen’s Road, Aberystwyth, when Glan Davies of Welsh Hearts will talk about the work of the charity and will show members how to use a defibrillator.
If you are over 50 and would like to join the forum, please come along to the meeting on 27 September, or contact the chairman, Mair Benjamin, on 01970 615854. Croeso i bawb. All welcome.
Starlings Aberystwyth
STARLINGS Aberystwyth is a Sports and Social Club based at Plascrug Leisure Centre, arranging taster sessions in a wide variety of sports.
The aim of these taster sessions is to give members a chance to choose which sport they may like to take up on a regular basis as a means of improving or sustaining their fitness in a congenial manner.
Steve Jones, community liaison officer for Ceredigion Active encouraged the group to take on the All Wales Pedometer Challenge back in March 2017.
Since then, 30 members have used their pedometers and have regularly sent in their total steps to our co-ordinators, (Glenda Roberts or Kath Phillips) and have virtually walked to the top of Snowdon, or to St Brieuc as a group.
The places visited include Santiago de Compostela as well as the Canadian Rockies and they have finally virtually visited New Zealand South Island.
The advantages to members of the pedometer challenge have been great to see!
People have reported on how much fitter they feel as they are challenged to walk just a little further each week.
Members are taking far more notice of how far they walk and can compare their total with the previous day/week.
All this is helping with a wide range of health conditions from depression to arthritis which must be beneficial to all.
Congratulations go to all participants on the 24th week of the challenge as they draw it to a close for the winter after virtually walking 8,044 miles and around one third of the distance around the world at the equator.
Members who have sent in totals for each of the 24 weeks and deserve special mention are Glenda Roberts, Jeff Thomas, Doreen Haggar, Maureen Lane and John Lane.
They look forward to restarting the challenge by walking along the Great Wall of China.
If you’re a member of a club, society or group, send your news to [email protected]