CROESO i Gymdeithas Gymraeg Chelmsford a'r cylch

WELCOME to the Chelmsford & District Welsh Society

Unfortunately, our website has been out of action for over 3 months. Our webmaster, David Brown died suddenly in November 2021, leaving a huge gap in our Society. We will be attempting to update the website and keeping you informed of upcoming events.

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 80 members and we warmly welcome you to come and join us for one of our meetings at the Chapter House, which is located on Cathedral Walk, adjacent to the Chelmsford Cathedral.

Car Parking

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

The car park has rising 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.

St. David's Day Dinner

Our St. David's Day Dinner was an unqualified success with over 70 members attending. Our Guest Speaker, Father Gildas (Tad Gildas) gave us a fascinating insight into his role as a Roman Catholic Priest and entertained us with an array of amusing stories. Debs Allen Morgan, Meinir Wyn Davis and Rachel Bartels provided excellent entertainment for the evening.

The dinner was attended by the Mayor of Chelmsford, Cllr. Jude Deakin, together with her daughter Helen, the Mayoress. Many thanks to all members of the society's committee for their hard work in preparing for the event.

(Images of the evening can be found on the link to St. David's Day Dinner, March 2022).

March 23rd An Evening with Debra John

Debra John, an actress and storyteller from Swansea, specialises in period costume character performances. During the first half of her presentation, she gave us a fascinating insight into the experiences of different people during the First World War, one of which was Hedd Wyn, the Welsh poet who was killed in the Battle of Passchendaele and was posthumously awarded the bard's chair at the 1917 National Eisteddfod.  

During the second half of the evening, she took on the role of Amy Dillwyn, a Welsh novelist, businesswoman and social benefactor, who was born in Sketty, Swansea in 1845. From the 1870's to the early 1890's, she wrote 6 novels, her themes included feminism, social reform and the Rebecca Riots. Her unorthodox appearance and her habit of smoking cigars made her a well known figure in the Swansea area. 

Debra gave an outstanding performance, which was greatly appreciated by the audience at the Chapter House. 

Debra John

Charity Coffee Morning at Radley Green

April 6th 2022

For images of this event see the link on the left hand side of this page.

An Evening with Sir Emyr Jones Parry

April 27th 2022

Sir Emyr gave us a fascinating insight into the world of diplomacy over the last 40 years. He is a retired British diplomat who has represented the UK at the UN, NATO and the EU. A native Welsh speaker, he has also worked with the Welsh Assembly to review Wales's constitutional arrangements.

47 members enjoyed a superb evening, which included a lively question and answer session on recent international events.

Many thanks to Liz and Jim Armishaw for arranging the event.

From left to right: Lady Jones Parry, Sir Emyr Jones Parry, Liz Armishaw, Jim Armishaw

Annual Concert June 11th

Trelawnyd Male Voice Choir and Elin Manahan Thomas

For details see link on the left hand side of this page

Sad News

Jean Davies died on April 14th, just 3 weeks before her 89th birthday. Back in the 1960's Jean was one of the original founder members of the society and was an Honorary Vice President. She served on the society's committee and acted as Treasurer from 1979 to 1985. Her funeral will take place on May 19th at 3pm. at Chelmsford Crematorium, Writtle Road, Chelmsford CM1 3BL.

Iris Cerny, a new member from September 2021,has died recently. Iris was a retired Head Teacher who worked in the Basildon area for many years. 

Next Meeting - 'Memories' May 25th 

Liz, Clive, Janet and Brian will be recalling events and details from their respective careers.

Additions to the Website

If your check the tabs on the left hand side of this page, I have added the following:

* A link to the recent visit to the Wye Valley

* The Society's monthly newsletters from September 2021.