THE latest community news from Llanidloes.

Cymdeithas Hanes

THERE was an excellent attendance at the January meeting, for the annual Welsh lecture in the programme. The guest speaker was Eirwen James, Llanio, and her topic was ‘Merched y Gerddi’, the history of young girls from these areas who walked the 200 miles and more to London and Kent to work in the gardens and fields at Harvest time. They would travel in the company of the Drovers, taking their cattle etc to the fairs at Barnet and Smithfield’s, and would carry a stock of woollen stockings in large baskets on their backs to sell in London, continuing to knit more stockings during their journey. Having arrived at London, they would attend the Welsh Chapels, in the hope of finding some contacts in order to gain employment. Girls were preferred to pick fruit, as their hands were more delicate than boys’. At the end of the fruit season they would return home, having earned considerably more than they would have done in their native counties.Some girls even gained employment in the grander houses, perhaps never to return home again.Eirwen quoted many verses and rhymes that had been composed by local bards, referring to the girls travelling to London. This trend seems to have dwindled from the middle of the 19th century, but it was not long before Welshmen – and many of them from Ceredigion - turning their eyes again towards London, this time to sell milk.Selwyn Walters, chairman, thanked Eirwen for a very enjoyable and informative evening, and also thanked Sian Jones for her simultaneous translation for non-Welsh speakers.The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 21 February, 7.30pm at the Old Hall of the University T St D, when Dr Pete Davies, Alltyblaca, will be giving a talk on 19th Century Photography in North Wales.

Music Club

GRAHAM Trew and Susi Morrow (baritone and piano) perform at 2.30pm on Sunday, 5 February, at Ffarmers Village Hall. Two children free with a paying adult.

St Peter‘s Church

FRIDAY, 3 February: Monthly Christian Aid Lunch, church hall 12pm till 1.30pm. Sunday, 5 February: 8am - Holy Communion in English; 10.30am - Family Service - bilingual.

Ramblers

ON Saturday, 14 January, 17 members of Lampeter and District Ramblers were led by Ann Phillips and Gwyneth Alban on a six-mile forest walk starting from Llanllawddog church in the parish of Llanllawddog, Carmarthenshire.The walk started with a short talk by the organisers regarding the history of the church and the route that would be taken. We were very grateful to the church wardens and members for allowing us to park in the church car park and also for opening up the beautiful church for us to see.Llanllawddog church dates from the 12th century and is dedicated to St Llawddog, a 6th century saint who was a miracle worker and whose saint’s day is at the beginning of January. The existing building dates from 1850 with some evidence of a previous structure built in 1725. Attached to the wall of the graveyard is a circular structure said to be a “pound” or “ffald” which was used for housing animals and which dates from the 18th or early 19th century. This is a grade 11 listed structure and there is only one other in Car-marthenshire. The inside of the church is beautiful with an interesting hexagonal font and stained glass windows.From the church a path was taken through the forestry to the north of the church, some of which is on the old Roman road called the Sarn Helen, according to some experts. Our route took us through the forestry above Llanllawddog and up to the windmills of Bryn Llewellyn where they are in the process of installing new turbines. As we descended again to make our way back to the church we could see the lush green valley beneath and then we passed Llyn Llanllawddog on our left before arriving back. The weather was dry for us and we all had an enjoyable walk.

Noddfa

BRAF oedd gweld dros 100 yn bresennol yn Oedfa Nadolig yr Ysgol Sul eleni - y gynulleidfa fwyaf a welwyd yn Noddfa ers amser maith. Teimlwyd naws hyfryd yr Wyl wrth deithio tua Bethlehem mewn pennill a chân yng nghwmni 27 o’r plant a’r bobl ifanc ynghyd â 7 o’r mamau. Roedd cymeriadau drama’r geni i gyd yn serennu ac fe’u portreadw-yd fel a ganlyn: Mair - Grace, Joseff - Efan, Gwr y Llety - Sion Ifan, Bugeiliaid - Tudur, Rhun, Trystan Bryn, Trystan Wyn, Ifan, Cai ac Es-ther, Doethion - Cerys Angharad, Ffion a Gwenllian, Angel-Darcey, Herod-Elan. Unwyd y traddodiadol a’r cyfoes gyda’r gwisgoedd lliwgar yn ychwanegu at fwynhad y gynul-leidfa. Hefyd cyfoethogwyd yr oedfa ymhellach wrth wrando ar ddarl-leniadau, gweddiau, unawdau a grwpiau canu amrywiol gan y bobol ifanc a’r mamau. Cafwyd chwerthin iach wrth wrando ar gyflwyniad o’r darn ‘Y Cwrdd Diaconiaid’ gan Mererid Hopwood sydd yn llawn hiw-mor ac yn seiliedig ar broblemau iechyd a diogelwch wrth lwyfannu drama’r geni ond sydd hefyd â neges bwysig ac amserol ar ddi-wedd y gerdd. Fe’n swynwyd fel arfer gan gyfraniad y plant lleiaf ar gân a phob un ohonynt yn amlwg wrth eu bodd yn dathlu’r geni mewn ffordd mor naturiol a brwdfrydig gan ddod â gwên i wynebau pawb. Yr organyddes oedd Delyth gydag Elan yn cynorthwyo ac yn cyfeilio i’r plant roedd Alwena, Sioned a Janet.Soniodd ein gweinidog y Parch Jill Tomos mai profiad hyfryd oedd bod yn bresennol a thalodd deyrnged uchel i bawb am roi o’u gorau wrth ein tywys at y preseb ym Methlehem, i’r rhieni am bob cefnogaeth, i Derek a John Elfyn am baratoi’r llwyfan ac i Janet am ei pharatoadau trylwyr yn ôl ei harfer. Fel gwerthfawrogiad o’i gwaith diflino ar hyd y flwyddyn cyflwynwyd iddi roddion gan Ffion a Gwenllian. Ymatebodd Janet trwy ddiolch yn fawr iawn i bawb yn gysylltiedig â’r Ysgol Sul am eu caredigwydd, eu cydweithrediad a’u teyrngarwch. Ar ddiwedd yr oedfa clywyd cnoc wrth ddrws y festri ac roedd pawb yn falch o weld Sion Corn wedi galw heibio. Bu’n brysur iawn yn dosbarthu llond sach o anrhegion. Hefyd derbyniodd y plant roddion o ffrwythau oddi wrth Alun ac Eifion Williams; diolchwyd iddynt am eu haelioni eleni eto. Daeth prynhawn bendithiol a phleserus iawn i ben gyda phawb yn ymuno mewn tê parti ardderchog wedi ei drefnu gan Llinos a’r rhieni.

Clwb Rotari

Ymwelodd Jack Guy â’r Clwb Roteri i roi cyflwyniad am ei brofiadau ar gwrs arweinwyr Rotari a gynhaliwyd ym Mannau Brycheiniog. Llwyddodd Jack, sy’n disgybl yn Ysgol Bro Pedr, i gael ei noddi gan y Clwb Rotari i ddilyn cwrs RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award). Bu ar gwrs wythnos o hyd gydag eraill i ddatblygu ei sgiliau arweinyddol trwy ymgymryd gyda gwahanol weithgareddau, yn cynnwys canwio, dringo mynyddoedd ac archwilio ogofau! Cafwyd noson difyr yn ei gwmni ar nos Lun, 9 Ionawr, yn Y Llew Du ac mae’r clwb yn falch iddo fwynhau ac elwa o ddilyn y cwrs. Os oes eraill gyda diddordeb mewn derbyn nawdd i ddilyn cwrs tebyg, gwahoddir i chi i gysylltu â Pauline Roberts-Jones, ysgrifennydd (ebost: [email protected]) neu Kevin Sivyer, llywydd (ebost: [email protected])

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