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Llangrannog is a small village in which a lot happens, and the village
community is one which tries to look after the wellbeing of its members.
There are now several organisations and clubs working towards the general
welfare of the village or towards specific targets, and it is hoped that
this Newsletter will help to highlight some of their ambitions and
achievements.
The Welfare Committee
After some 60
years, the Welfare Committee is still going strong and in recent years has
given birth to two sub-committees, the Fireworks Committee and the
Millennium Fund.
Most villagers
know about the more obvious things that the Welfare Committee does, like
looking after the village gardens, arranging events on the beach and
in local venues, arranging public meetings when important issues arise, and
supporting other village organisations. What is less well known is all the
behind-the-scenes work that the committee does, especially in putting
pressure on local councils and utility companies to act in our best
interests.
With Thanks to
Martin Greig for sending us copies of the Minutes.
Pwyllgor Lles Llangrannog Welfare Committee
Minutes of a Meeting on Thursday 10 June 2010 at 7.30 p.m. in The Caban
1.
Present
Sara Beechey, Deio Evans, Martin Greig (Secretary), Anne Greig (acting as
Clerk), Cynyr Ifan, Ricky Rowsell, Roy Tarbutt (Treasurer), Aneirin Thomas
(Chair)
Teleri
Davies, representative from CAVO.
2.
Apologies
Don Jones, Sioned Jones, Gari Jones, Paul Dawes, Ceindeg Haf
3.
Legal Status of the Committee
3.1.
Teleri Davies spoke of CAVO's role supporting charities and
community groups in Ceredigion, and then addressed the issue of the
Committee's status. At the moment committee members have personal liability
on behalf of the group, whereas in a CLG (limited company) the group would
have a legal identity as a whole, not as individuals, and the group is
protected as long as it acts in good faith. Becoming a company involves
registering with Companies House (fee £20), with some paperwork, a redraft
of the constitution and articles of memorandum. A CIC (Community Interest
Company) is further restricted by the involvement of the CIC regulator. In
practice the major difference between a CLG and a CIC would be that in the
event of winding up any assets must be passed on to another
community-oriented group; at present there are only about 4 CICs in
Ceredigion. A CIC registers at Companies House, and sends annual reports to
the CIC regulator. A possible alternative structure might be as a Charitable
Incorporated Organisation, but this is a new and unknown quantity at the
present. Teleri stressed that the easiest option to start with is as a CLG,
which is by far the more popular choice. She noted that a CIC is sometimes
not recognised for grant status, but as far as liability is concerned CLG
and CICs are similar. Conversion from CLG to CIC is possible.
3.2.
At the moment, liability for
e.g. the Fireworks lies with the individual members of the committee and
there is a need for more protection. Roy had contacted the insurance
company and the per incident amount for which we are insured is £5m; it is
in the area of insurance and liability that we would benefit by being a CLG
or CIC. Would insurance companies view us differently? A question for the
insurance company. The initial cost involved is £20 and there are small
annual costs involved. Registration documents look complicated but aren't
and for the articles of memorandum the Charity Commission have a template
for completing.
3.3.
Teleri was thanked for her contribution and left at 8.00 p.m.
4.
Minutes of meeting on Thursday 13 May
4.1.
The minutes were approved and signed
1.1.
Matters arising not noted on the Agenda
a)
(6.7) Summer raffle
– 6 prizes are promised so far and 10 needed. Roy asked if he can get 10
prizes can he go ahead and get the tickets. Agreed.
b)
(6.8) Carantec
– Martin and Anne are going together, with a picture paid for by the
Committee. Martin could find no umbrella group covering twinning between
Brittany and Wales.
5.
Matters arising from the Minutes
5.1.
(3.2.d) Gŵyl ´Nôl a ´Mla'n. Cynyr reported. Most things
are now organised, with stalls and entertainment, and music throughout the
day. The Ship's car park will be closed as the scale of things will be
bigger, including trampoline, bouncy castle and stalls. There will be more
choirs than last year, and Gai Toms is headlining.
a)
Parking will be in the free car park on the day, but the
provision of a shuttle is dependant on the availability of the Urdd Centre
mini-bus for loan; we would have to provide drivers. Deio suggested that
Ceredigion might have a bus available for a park and ride system. He said he
would look into it. The grass in the car park would need cutting before the
day (including the stinging nettles) and Aneirin will ask Pob to do this.
b)
The Duck Race will take place at 3 p.m., and at some point in
the afternoon there will be a waiter race (Sara in charge). The Rowing
Club are intending to put on a coconut shy, and there may be an Aunt Sally
hiding away in Pontgarreg School. There will be some story-telling on the
beach, kite building, circus skills.
5.2.
(6.2) Park and Ride. A minibus has been secured from
Ceredigion starting on Friday 10th July and running for 8 weeks and 3 days
until early September. We still have to register a route which takes 56
days but due to the fact that the inspection of the bus had been delayed it
hadn't been possible to register the route yet.
(6.5) House and street names. Although there were a couple of
typos in the letter the original will go out if it has already been
photocopied. It was read to the Community Council this week and everyone
was happy with it. Every house in Llangrannog should receive a copy of the
letter, and if the response is positive it could be rolled out to Pontgarreg
and elsewhere. It was agreed to send a copy of the letter to Dr. Rhodri
Morgan, the Culture and Heritage secretary in Ceredigion
a)
The possibility of a welcome pack (including this letter) for
houses that are sold was raised and approved in principle.
6.
Any other business
6.1.
Roy asked for agreement to pay the insurance. Approved.
6.2.
Roy said that in the toilet in the top car park the door
between the men's and ladies no longer exists and the light pull in the
ladies no longer works.
6.3.
As far as a change of status is concerned, there needs to be
discussion by the committee (in July) before having a public meeting (as
requested at the AGM). The public meeting can be in September at the same
time as the fireworks' committee will be joining the welfare committee to
brief them on the fireworks evening, including health and safety issues.
6.4.
Aneirin was congratulated on his new appointment with
Carmarthen County Council.
6.5.
6.6.
Next meeting will be in the back room of the Ship unless
otherwise notified, on July 8th.
6.7.
No other business, the meeting closed at 8.35.
Millennium Fund - St Crannog
Project
The fund was
set up in order to raise money for a project that would encourage the
community to celebrate its history and culture. To date, the funds stands at
£16,000, and we are hopeful that our grant bid to Ceredigion County Council
will match this amount and the project will then start. The project will
involve creating a semi - circular seating area made of slate. Within this
area will be a circular mosaic depicting the history and traditions of our
village, and with a life-sized bronze statue of St Crannog at its centre.
The entire project will eventually form the focal point of a circular way -
marked walk around the village.
Llangrannog Community Choir
Everyone has
the ability to sing, and the right to sing: they provide the opportunity. To
join Llangrannog Community Choir you don't need to read music or have an
audition. They work with all voices and the repertoire (drawn from classical
,folk and world music) is taught orally by supportive, enthusiastic and
qualified teacher, Lou Laurens.
They perform
locally and also join up with other choirs for national events such as Karl
Jenkins 'The Traveller' premiered in 2004.
This year they
hope to 'Sing for Water' in a massed choir performance on London's South
Bank.
the little arts school
The students
of the 'little arts school' began the New Year with a project on 'Marine
Life' Commissioned by Ceredigion Coast and Countryside, the children will
design and make 6 glazed ceramic panels that will be sited in the village.
Further on in
the year they will be starting a photography and film project based on our
local history and folk-lore. They look forward to working hand in hand with
local people to develop the project during the coming year.
Youth Club - Aelwyd Hawen
Aelwyd Hawen
is a club for young people where they get a chance to take part in a
variety of activities through the medium of Welsh. They meet on Friday
evenings at the Pontgarreg Memorial Hall from 6.30 6o 8.00. They are looking
foe volunteers who can come to demonstrate various skills and to share their
experiences with the young people.
Pubs, Cafes and Shop
These are essential to the
social well-being of the village, and they far more than just fulfil
their various commercial roles.
The Pentre Arms offers an after-match venue for the various
village football teams, and the pub runs pool and darts teams. More
details about the football teams can be found elsewhere in this
Newsletter.
The two cafe's play an
important part in the social life of the village. The Beach Hut
has hosted several events for the Welfare Committee, including an
extremely successful fund raiser for Macmillan Cancer Care. Recently
they have started a very lively Friday morning coffee club - see
elsewhere in this News letter for details. On the other side of the
stream, the Patio Cafe is also a popular meeting place for locals
as well as visitors, and has hosted a series of successful Art
Exhibitions, which it is hoped will continue.
The Village Shop
stays open throughout the quiet winter months as well as during the
hectic holiday season, a tremendous service to the community. Messages
are left at the shop, holiday-makers collect their keys from there,
money is raised for local and national charities, and in fact the shop
is very much at the hub of the community.
Crannog Football Club.
The Football Club are
having another successful season, with the first team hoping to retain
and win further honours in cup and league competitions. The second team
and Ladies team are doing well, with the latter hoping to win trophies
by the end of the season. The Mini Minors have a full programme ahead of
them and are playing with great enthusiasm. Recently the men have formed
an over-40s team, and managed to narrowly beat the Ladies in a charity
match over the Christmas period. However, the condition of the Crannog
pitch at Pontgarreg is a cause for great concern and at the moment is
unplayable. The club is looking for a temporary pitch until the new one
at Pontgarreg has been resurfaced or the new pitch at Gwersyll Yr Urdd
is ready to be played on.
Coffee Club
Friday mornings have taken
on a new lease of life at the Beach Hut over the winter. Regular Coffee
Morning give the local people the opportunity to get together, enjoy a
coffee and try their hand at a range of activities.... From arts and
Crafts, to music and cookery, each week they attempt, under the guidance
of group members to try something new! The Christmas cakes and Holly
Wreaths were a great success...the charcoal drawing hilarious and the
paper Mache messy! There will be future gigs as Jerry, their local
musical guru, has agreed to teach some guitar basics, and as the
watercolour lessons progress, they may be able to exhibit some
masterpieces this summer. A monthly programme of walks is also being
organised in support of members of the group, who will be taking part in
the London moon walk in June. It is a moonlit 27 mile walk around the
London Marathon Course to raise money for Cancer Relief. More details
will follow ....
Play Group - Cylch Ti a Fi
The Cylch Ti a Fi is aimed
at parents/carers and their children from birth to school age. They
offer the opportunity to share play experiences with their children and
to socialise with other parents and carers.
The group meets at
Pontgarreg Memorial Hall on Tuesday mornings between 9.00 and 11.30.
Nursery School - Cylch Meithrin
Pontgarreg
The Cylch Meithrin is for
children aged two until school age. Activities are arranged for the
children by the cylch leader and assistant. The children are offered a
variety of learning experiences in the medium of Welsh through play and
so gives an ideal grounding to children from both English and Welsh
speaking homes before they go to school.
Children with special
needs are welcome in the cylch and all activities are available to them:
an additional member of staff can be arranged if necessary.
The group meets at
Pontgarreg Memorial Hall on a Monday and Wednesday morning between 9.00
and 11.30 a.m.
St Carannog's Church
As one of the four
churches in the combined group, with Penbryn, Llandisiliogogo and
Blaencelyn, they celebrated a memorable Christmastide with a portrayal
of the Nativity by the children of the Sunday School with their story
Babwshca, followed by refreshments in the Hall through the kind support
of the Welfare Committee. The celebrations were further blessed with a
celebration at St Michael's Church of the ancient devotion of Plygain
with members of Cymdeithas Ceredigion. Since the beginning of the New
Year, at St Carannog, they have endeavoured to unify all the Sunday
Services to one time, and since their initiative to set the devotions at
11.00 each Sunday morning, the venture appears to be successful. They
have met together as a combined church family at Blaencelyn and later
joined for lunch at the New Inn, Brynhoffnant. They will seek to further
broaden their outreach and associations with the Community and locality
as the year goes on
Urdd Camp - Gwersyll yr Urdd
The Urdd camp has been an
integral part of the daily life of the Llangrannog area since 1932. We
hope that the employment, facilities and extra income which are provided
by the Gwersyll are a boost to the local economy and culture. The recent
developments have ensured that we have some of the best facilities
available in a country area, and urge everyone to take advantage of what
the Gwersyll offers:
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Syr Ifan Leisure
Centre: The new centre is home to several clubs throughout the year,
and we hope that the Fitness Suite will open shortly.
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Ski Slope: The ski
slope is open to the public every Monday to Thursday from 5.00 till 9.00
and on Sundays from 2.00 till 5.00pm.
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Swimming: The pool
is open to the public every Thursday from 5.00 till 6.30 pm and 6.30
till 8.00pm., as well as on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from
9.00 to 10.30pm.
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Parties and Meetings:
They offer special packages for parties and meetings. At the moment
the Centre is home to an Arts course.
Llangrannog Boating and Angling
Association
The club has had an eventful
year, having had a number of fundraising activities to pay for a new
tractor, its maintenance, insurance, etc. A beach barbecue took place on a
couple of occasions and a few fishing competitions were arranged - with
thanks to the local companies that helped sponsor these events. The fishing
competitions provided entertainment value if nothing else!
The club committee meets on
the last Sunday of every month in the Pentre Arms at 1400 hours. Anyone
interested in joining the club or using the slipway please come along to the
meetings for further information.
Local ladies have shown an
interest in re-forming a Longboat team. They are in the process of gathering
information and are planning a way forward.
Welsh Classes
Welsh classes are held every
Tuesday during term time in the Church Vestry in Llangrannog. There is a
first year group at 11.30 - 1.00, and a second year group at 10.00 - 11.30.
Learners can join at any point. Other courses are also available locally -
different times, venues, pace and level.
CYD Group
A group where Welsh
learners of all levels can meet and practice their Welsh with supportive
Welsh speakers in an informal atmosphere. They meet on the first and
third Wednesday of every month at 7.30 in the Ship. A warm welcome to
learners and Welsh speakers to join at any time.
Welsh Language Society
A campaigning group for
the Welsh Language which meets in the Pentre Arms at least once a month.
Merched y Wawr
Merched y Wawr meets once
or twice a month between September and May in Pontgarreg Memorial Hall.
As well as meetings with invited speakers, during the last year they
went on visits to a play, an opera, a pantomime, Christmas and
Gwyl Dewi dinners, and held a Welsh learner's evening and concert. All
activities are through the medium of Welsh. A warm welcome to new
members.
Sixty Plus
The group for over 60s
meets on the first Wednesday of every month from 2pm onwards in
Pontgarreg Memorial Hall, generally having invited speakers on a wide
range of topics. A warm welcome to new members.
W.I. Pontgarreg
The Women's Institute
meets on the first and third Thursday of every month at 7.30pm, in
Pontgarreg Memorial Hall, generally with an invited speaker once a
month. New members are very welcome.
Short Mat Bowls
This group meets every
Tuesday afternoon from 2pm onwards in Pontgarreg Memorial Hall (except
during school half terms and some dates during Summer holiday periods),
and plays occasional friendly matches with other groups. New members are
welcome.
Dyffryn Clettwr Riding Club
A club for enthusiastic
riders, for fun and social activities connected with horses. Weekly
rallies in the Llangrannog area.
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