SEPTEMBER 2018

.

 CROESO YN ÔL 

2018/2019 President IVY PRICE

 Chelmsford and District Welsh Society was established in 1961. Membership is open to anyone with Welsh origin or connection and anyone with an interest in Welsh heritage and traditions. Monthly meetings are normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month in Chelmsford Cathedral Chapter House, 7pm for a 7.30pm start. The theme of the first meeting of the 2018/19 season on 26 September was Croeso Yn Ol, Welcome Back. The President for the season, Ivy Price, welcomed the large gathering of members new and old, and guests, and invited Deirdre Pembroke from SNAP, her chosen charity, to give a presentation. Snap is a Brentwood based charity which supports thousands of families with children and young people with special needs or disability. Official funding has been cut severely over past years and they rely heavily on charitable donations. This is the second time they have been chosen as the Welsh Society’s charity. Following a break for some delicious refreshments, and a chat after the summer break, Mike Price made his keenly anticipated  highly professional annual video presentation of the events at the annual eisteddfodau. The National Eisteddfod this year was held in Cardiff Bay and began with a Carnival of the Sea, with a blend of cultures reminiscent of the old Tiger Bay. The competitions in the Eisteddfod proper were held in the magnificent Millennium Centre and opened with a highly entertaining choral competition of all ages and professionalism. Mike highlighted the Cardiff Academy  Choir of junior schools and the winners, and the famous CF1 adult Choir. In one of the evening concerts the operatic baritone Bryn Terfel played the part of the narrator in a show about Paul Robeson, with an all ages cast. The Society donate the prizes for two of the competitions: Cai Fon Davies won the 16 to 19 boys solo and Glesni Rhys Jones won the 19 to 19 Girls solo. The young flautist Katie Bartels from Brentwood was a finalist in the Instrumental Blue Riband competition and Dafydd Wyn Jones, a nephew of  society member Gwil Williams was a finalist in the Blue Riband Voice competition. Mike also showed the wonderful Stellenbosch University Choir from South Africa, which won three of the competitions at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

DIERDRE PEMBROKE  explains the

aims of this year's lead charity, SNAP

MIKE PRICE compiler of this year's

Eistedfoddau Competitions

NEWS & ACTIVITIES in OCTOBER

On Sunday 21 October Chelmsford and District Welsh Society will celebrate the annual Harvest Songs of Praise with the congregation of St Michael and all Angels Church, Roxwell. Everyone is welcome to attend. The speaker at the next monthly meeting, held in Chelmsford Cathedral Chapter House at 7 pm for a 7.30 pm start on Wednesday 24 October, will be Elizabeth Jane Corbett, who is visiting from Australia. Her topic will be Midlife Crisis And Its Coincidences. The first fund raising/charity event of the 2018/19 season, a coffee morning hosted by Ann and Alan Simpson, raised £313. The main charity this year is SNAP, which is based in Brentwood. The next charity event will be a Sing Song With Fish And Chip Supper (and a glass of wine!), on Saturday 3 November at 7 pm for a 7.30 pm start at Radley Green Farm.