CROESO i Gymdeithas Gymreig Chelmsford a'r cylch

WELCOME to the Chelmsford & District Welsh Society

Membership is open to anyone with Welsh origins or connections, or to anyone with an appreciation of Welsh heritage and traditions. There are currently over 90 members and we warmly welcome you to come and join us for one of our meetings.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

17th October 2021

SONGS of PRAISE 

at St Pauls Church Highwood at 3.00 p.m

POST CODE : CM1 3RQ

Highwood Road/Bullimers road roundabout junction off Greenbury Way

Parking is likley to be "Roadside"

If you can double up it woul probably be helpful.

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27th OCTOBER 2021

 AN EVENING with DAFYDD WYN JONES

at the CHAPTER HOUSE at 7.30p.m.

NEW MEMBERS

Propective New Members will be warmly welcomed at any of our meetings

Come along and meet us at the Chapter House. 

We have secured the use of the Cathedral car park in Waterloo Lane. 

The car park has raising bollards at the entrance/exit and a code number will be required to allow you to exit. This will be given during the meeting.

Membership forms will be available for 2021-2022 season at any meeting (See Carys Williams) and available to print off HERE on the website.

MEETING REPORT

SEPTEMBER 2021

CROESO YN ÔL

                    President, Gwil Williams                           The St Lukes represenative, Joanne Phillips

Croeso yn ol, Welcome back, is always the theme at the September monthly meeting. This year it had a very special resonance. The last monthly meeting was held  in February 2020, when the pandemic was gathering pace. The Gwyl Dewi Dinner and church service managed to squeeze in just before a rather delayed lockdown put an end to Liz Armishaw’s  term as President. The  annual pilgrimage to Wales and the June concert had to be cancelled; Trelawnyd  Male Voice Choir and the soloist Elin Manahan Thomas agreed to perform at the 2021 concert instead, but again the virus put a stop to that, and to Arthur Williams’s term as President. But…. Good News!...they will perform at the June concert in 2022!

On 22 September  2021 the Society was resurrected after a cruel enforced hibernation, with 53 of us meeting again  to sing Unwaith Eto’n Nghymru Annwyl, with a tear in many eyes. We were welcomed back by our new President Gwil Williams who thanked our wonderful Secretary Gwenno Pope for producing an interesting monthly newsletter  every month since the March 2020 lockdown, and those who contributed to the content;  this was instrumental in keeping the Society alive. Gwil invited the members to think about the five members  who had passed away during these difficult times: Edith Brown, Ron Jones, Don Moody, Stuart Roberts and Elfed Owen. Sue Almond was then installed as Vice president.

Gwil then spoke about the programme of events planned for the 2021/2022 season. Several of the monthly meetings had been arranged by members of the committee, Liz had persuaded the Trelawnyd Choir and the soloist Manahan Thomas to perform at the concert in Chelmsford Cathedral on Saturday 11 June; Kay Bright is arranging a trip to Wales on 10 April or 1 May, and invited those who are considering going on the trip to get in touch with her.

Gwil’s Charity for the year is St Luke’s Hospice, which is in Basildon and also covers Thurrock and Billericay, and he welcomed Joanne Phillips, an ambassador for the Hospice, who gave a moving presentation. In common with all hospices it relies on a massive annual injection of cash from it’s supporters in order to survive.

After an interval for cheese and wine, and a catching up “scwrs”, those who are interested in attending the Welsh classes were asked to make themselves known. Mike Price then showed a video of the singer Michael Ball visiting Wales, “The Land Of Song” in order to reconnect with his roots. His visit to Aberfan was particularly harrowing; his visit to Portmeirion, where he sang outdoors with a socially distancing Glanaethwy choir, was uplifting.

Then finally, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, sung with particular fervour, in the hope that the worst of the pandemic has passed.

Sina Williams & Brian Farmer draw the Raffle

Jim Armishaw

OCTOBER MEETING