Ardd y Pentref – Village Garden

Mae Pwyllgor Lles Llangrannog wedi dechrau ar y gwaith o adnewyddu Gardd y Pentre sydd wedi’i lleoli rhwng capel Bancyfelin a rhaeadr Y Gerwn.

Dyn ni eisoes wedi codi dros £2,000 ac wedi derbyn grant gan Gyngor Sir Ceredigion i gefnogi’r gwaith. Ein nod yw codi £8000 a’n gobaith yw cael eich help chi i wireddu’r freuddwyd hon.

Cafodd cynllun yr ardd ei greu gan Gail Robinson, person lleol sy’n arbenigo mewn gerddi. Roedd hyn yn dilyn ymgynghoriad ymhlith aelodau o’r gymuned. Teifi Landscaping sy’n gwneud y gwaith. Bydd llinellau o farddoniaeth Cranogwen yn cael eu hymgorffori yn y llawr carreg newydd. Yn y cynllun hefyd, gallwch weld mynedfa newydd mwy diogel a lleoedd i blannu planhigion o bob math.

Crewyd yr ardd yn 19…., ac yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwetha mae’r ardd wedi cael ei chynnal gan nifer o arddwyr ac adeiladwyr lleol. Bydd y cynllun newydd yn cadw rhai agweddau o’r ardd wreiddiol fel y waliau llechi ond bydd y datblygiad newydd yn lleoliad perffaith ar gyfer cerflun Cranogwen, ein harwres leol. Dyn ni’n gweithio mewn cydweithrediad â Thîm Prosiect Cymunedol Cranogwen a Monumental Welsh Women.

Y gobaith hefyd yw casglu digon o arian i ddarparu byrddau gwybodaeth am fywyd a gwaith Cranogwen a hefyd dathlu gwaith caled nifer o bentrefwyr yn yr ardd dros y blynyddoedd.

Llangrannog Welfare Committee have begun work on renovating the beloved Village Garden, located between Banc-y-Felin chapel and Y Gerwn waterfall.

We have already raised over £2,000 and have won a grant from Ceredigion County Council to support the work. We aim to raise another £8,000 and hope you can help us realise this dream.

The garden design shown was created by local garden expert Gail Robinson following consultation with community members. Work is being done by Teifi Landscaping. The design incorporates some of Cranogwen’s poetry, which will be set into the new stone floor. The plan shows a new, safer entrance, new planters and space for hardy, annual plants.

Built in the early 1900s, the garden has been further developed and maintained by successive local gardeners and builders. The new design aims to preserve aspects of the garden such as the original slate walls, and build on it to provide a perfect site for a statue of Cranogwen, our local heroine. We are working in partnership with the Cranogwen Community Monument team and Monumental Welsh Women to bring this idea to life.

We also hope to have enough money to provide information boards to illustrate Cranogwen’s life and importance, as well as celebrate the hard work of many villagers in the garden over the years.

Ffynon Fair

Ffynon Fair (St Mary’s Well) in Llangrannog is situated just up the road from the churchyard on the right hand side. The site is owned by the Llangrannog Welfare Committee, and we have long thought to do something with it. When we were approached by James Stewart and well expert Phil Cope, we were delighted to plan to uncover the well.

llangrannog well

The first work party got going on 15 May, followed by more clearing the next week. Enjoy some of the photos and the water test results; more information to follow. If you would like to get involved, email info@llangrannog.org.uk.

PDF file: Ffynon Fair Project Overview

FIRST WATER TEST from Llangrannog Well
Sunday 15 May 2022

This is a fairly basic first test, but gives an interesting (and mostly positive) analysis of the (surprisingly clean in the circumstances) water

Total Hardness        50mg per litre (low)

Free Chlorine           0mg per litre

Iron                             0mg per litre

Copper                       0mg per litre

Lead                            0mg per litre (good news)

Nitrate                       10mg per litre

Nitrite                        0mg per litre

Bromide                    6mg per litre

Total Chlorine          0mg per litre

Fluoride                     0mg per litre

Cyanuric Acid           0mg per litre

Carbonate                 80mg per litre

Total Alkalinity        80mg per litre

pH                                6.4 (7-8.4 is good)

  1. Ffynon Fair (notes from a Welfare Committee meeting with James and Phil)

Welcome to Phil Cope (author of The Living Wells of Wales) and James Stewart to discuss Ffynon Fair.

James’s mother grew up in Llangrannog at the rectory; his grandfather was the rector. His mother had an interest in the well and James would like to pay for Phil to do a consultancy in memory of his mother.

Phil believes this well has national significance.

Two phases are anticipated

  • An examination of the meanings of well springs
  • Phil offers a talk giving an intro to holy wells in general and FF and its possibilities to encourage support
  • Determine what we know already about FF
  • The naming(s) of wells (Welsh to Christianisation) ­– 50% have ended up becoming Lady Well or St Mary’s Well
  • We should look at it in the context of all the others in the village – Penfynnon/Bywell
  • Ownership and source of the water
  • Importance of education esp. with children as a part of climate conerns. Part of plans on what the well’s future should be. Community involvement.
  • Cranogwen’s poem Y Fynnon
  • Well-dressing and well-guarding
  • Initial exploration, cleaning and assessment of site
  • Dyfed Archeaelogical Trust are interested; water test
  • Further community meeting to show progress and designs for the future
  • Press and publicising online etc.
  • Budget and funding applications for Phase 2
  • Phase 2 – Delivery. Buildling a new well, seating, surrounding, interpretation panel, direction signs etc.
  • Well launch and possible festival
  • Publication – TV, radio, papers etc.
  • Links with other sites e.g. Carantek/Crantock/Irish site

Ian ap Dewi remembers being taken after Sunday School to drink the well water, and that it was known as Carannog’s Well. Speaking to John MO and Ian would be very useful.

Mary and June Sylvester would have some information.

Lowri Williams as director of Gwersyll yr Urdd

Boco and others of the Beechey family.

It was noted that some drainage work was done on the field and the spring does not flow as it used to. DAT could help here.

We can begin asking for stories and photos, but should hold forth on the physical work.

We are not bound by the rules of Cadw etc. so we can marry this with our own creative contribution to the development of the life of this well by buildling on what has gone before. What does this mean to us today; how is it relevant (e.g. ecology, water, climate etc.)?

Gather ideas of local artists, craftspeople, wall-builders, historians etc.

Within 12 months of agreement – could be done by September 2022. First open meeting could be Feb 2022. March school work. April cleanup. July 2nd meeting. Report Sept 22.

Plans etc. Early 2023. 2023 phase 2. Project completed May 2024.

Heritage Lottery Fund will be very keen especially as we have not had money from them before. This will not be a very expensive project.

Talwrn Cranogwen

Dydd Mawrth, 8 Mawrth, 2022 | 19:30 – 21:00
Neuadd Pontgarreg

I ddathlu Diwrnod Rhyngwladol y Merched cynhelir Talwrn arbennig yn Neuadd Pontgarreg.

Pa ffordd well o gydnabod llwyddiant ein harwres Cranogwen? Y ferch gynta’ erioed i ennill gwobr farddonol yn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol ac un oedd yn annog merched eraill i ddarllen ac ysgrifennu.
Y Meuryn gwadd yw Mererid Hopwood a’r ddau dîm fydd yn ymryson yw Tîm Crannog V Merched Hawen. Idris Reynolds fydd y Capten ar fwrdd Tîm Crannog a Mari George fydd yn llywio Merched Hawen.

Dewch draw am noson arbennig. Mi fydd Radio Cymru yn recordio’r noson ar gyfer ei darlledu.

To celebrate International Women’s Day a Welsh language poetry evening will be held at Neuadd Pontgarreg. A fitting tribute to Cranogwen the first female to win a poetry prize at the National Eisteddfod. Radio Cymru will be recording the competition for broadcast.

Mae’r cerflunydd Sebastien Boyesen wedi ei gomisiynu i greu cerflun ffigurol o Sarah Jane Rees, a oedd yn cael ei hadnabod wrth ei henw barddol Cranogwen, fydd yn cael ei osod yn Llangrannog, gorllewin Cymru.

Datganiad i’r Wasg : 1.12.21

Mae ymgyrch Monumental Welsh Women (MWW) mewn partneriaeth â mudiad Cerflun Cymunedol Cranogwen Community Monument (CCCCM), is-grwp o Bwyllgor Lles Llanrannog yn falch iawn i gyhoeddi y byddant yn gweithio gyda’r cerflunydd clodwiw Sebastien Boyesen i greu cerflun ffigurol maint person o Sarah Jane Rees (1839 – 1916), a oedd yn cael ei hadnabod yn fwy aml wrth ei henw barddol sef Cranogwen. Dyma’r trydydd cerflun i’w gomisiynu gan MWW o ‘fenyw go iawn’.

 

Ganwyd Cranogwen ym mhlwyf Llangrannog yn 1839. Morwr, athrawes, bardd, newyddiadurwraig, pregethwraig ac ymgyrchydd; gwelwyd hi ar restr fer Merched Mawreddog oherwydd iddi arloesi yn y meysydd yma, sy’n fwy trawiadol byth wrth ystyried y cyfnod bu’n byw ynddo. Ceir bywgraffiad byr ohoni ar wefan Merched Mawreddog

 

Y cerflunydd Sebastien Boyesen, a fu’n gyfrifol am ddarparu’r cerflun o Sant Carannog i’r gymuned, bydd yn bwrw ymlaen gyda’r comisiwn mawreddog hwn. Fel cerflunydd cyfoes sy’n byw ac yn gweithio yn Llangrannog, mae gan Boyesen bortffolio eang o phrofiad helaeth o ddylunio a gosod gwaith celf cyhoeddus ledled y Deyrnas Unedig. Roedd Boyesen wedi creu argraff ar MWW gyda’i ymchwil bersonol ystyriol ar sut i gynrychioli Cranogwen mewn cyd-destun hanesyddol, cymdeithasol a gweledol, ynghyd a’i brofiad a’i allu i ddatblygu cerflun ffigurol addas fel cofeb parhaol o bwys i Cranogwen.

 

Mi fydd y cerflun hir ddisgwyliedig yn cael ei leoli yng nghanol Llangrannog, gyferbyn â ble claddwyd Sarah Jane Rees ym mynwent yr Eglwys. Bydd y ceflun yn coffáu bywyd anhygoel Cranogwen a’i chyrhaeddiadau niferus er gwaethaf y gwrthwynebiad eang yn erbyn menywod yn gweithio y tu allan i’r cartref a’r cyfleoedd cyfyngedig oedd ar gael iddynt ar ddiwedd y 19eg a dechrau’r 20fed ganrif. Mae Boyesen a’r cyfranwyr niferus i’r prosiect wedi bachu ar y cyfle i greu gwaith cyfoes ystyriol i ddathlu Cranogwen a’i bywyd anhygoel.

 

I gydnabod Cranogwen, a fu’n annog talentau menywod eraill ymhlith cyflawniadau amrywiol ei gyrfa, mae MWW wedi creu partneriaeth gyda Lisa Evans, Cyfarwyddwr Rhaglen y radd anrhydedd mewn Cerflunio yn Ysgol Gelf Caerfyrddin, Coleg Sir Gâr, i ddyfarnu mentoriaeth â thâl am flwyddyn i gerflunydd benywaidd addawol i weithio gyda Boyesen ar y comisiwn hwn. Gan ddechrau yn Rhagfyr 2021, mae’r rhaglen unigryw yma wedi ei chynllunio i ddarparu cefnogaeth i gerflunydd benywaidd yn y cyfnod rhwng addysg a bywyd proffesiynol. Wrth weithio gyda Boyesen ar y comisiwn hwn, mi fydd yr egin gerflunydd yn derbyn arweiniad proffesiynol a phrofiad go iawn wrth ddatblygu ei hymarfer drwy weithio ar gomisiwn byw fydd i’w weld mewn lle cyhoeddus.

 

Mae’n fraint cyhoeddi y bydd Keziah Ferguson yn derbyn y cyfle ar ôl graddio o Goleg Sir Gâr. Yn ddiweddar mae Keziah wedi arddangos angerdd ac uchelgais i ddatblygu ei gyrfa fel cerflunydd. Meddai Keziah

“Mae’n anrhydedd i fod yn rhan o’r prosiect yma a chael y cyfle i ddathlu gwaddol Cranogwen. Ar ôl cael croeso cynnes yn Llangrannog, rwyf yn hynod o gyffrous i ddechrau gweitho gyda Seb a’r tîm.”

 

Dywedodd Helen Molyneux o Monumental Welsh Women,

“Rydym wrth ein boddau i fedru cyhoeddi comisiynu ein trydydd cerflun o fenyw Gymreig go iawn. Roedd Cranogwen yn fenyw ysbrydoledig ac ymledodd ei henw da a’i dylanwad nid yn unig ledled Cymru ond yn rhyngwladol, ar adeg pan yn anaml y byddai llawer o ferched yn gadael eu pentrefi genedigol . Hwn fydd y trydydd cerflun wedi ei gomisiynu gan y prosiect Monumental Welsh Women i ddathlu cyflawniadau arwresau cudd Cymru – y menywod y mae eu cyfraniadau i fywyd a diwylliant Cymru wedi cael eu hanwybyddu i raddau helaeth oherwydd y cyfnod y cawsant eu geni ynddo. Y cerflun cyntaf yw o brifathrawes ddu gyntaf Cymru, Betty Campbell, a gafodd ei ddadorchuddio yng Nghaerdydd ym mis Medi. Bydd yr ail, o Elaine Morgan, y damcaniaethwr a’r dramodydd esblygiadol, yn cael ei ddadorchuddio yn Mountain Ash yn yr hydref.

 

Ychwanegodd Anne-Marie Bollen, aelod o CCCCM,

“Ein nod yw dathlu uchelgais a llwyddiant ein harwres leol arloesol Cranogwen a choffáu ei bywyd a’i chyflawniadau i ysbrydoli cenedlaethau’r dyfodol.”

 

Nododd Sebastien Boyesen am y comisiwn,

“Mae cael fy nghomisiynu i greu cerflun Cranogwen yn anrhydedd ac yn fraint ac yn rhywbeth y byddaf yn ei ystyried yn uchafbwynt fy ngyrfa. Edrychaf ymlaen at ddatblygu’r gwaith gyda’n tîm anhygoel gan gynnwys gweithio gyda Keziah fel egin cerflunydd, a gobeithio y gallaf ad-dalu’r ymddiriedaeth a roddwyd ynof trwy greu gwaddol rhyfeddol i’r pentref a’r gymuned ehangach sy’n dathlu cyflawniadau menyw ysbrydoledig o Gymru.”

 

Os hoffech wybod mwy am y prosiect neu gyfrannu ato croeso i chi ymweld â thudalen Cerflun Cymunedol Cranogwen Community Momument.

 

-DIWEDD-

 

Nodiadau i’r Golygydd

 

Sebastien Boyesen, Cerflunydd :

Mae Sebastien Boyesen wedi gweithio fel arlunydd a dylunydd ers dros dri deg pump o flynyddoedd. Mae e wedi ymrwymo i greu gweithiau celf sy’n benodol i le o fewn datblygiadau newydd a chynlluniau adfywio. Ei arfer yw archwilio cymunedau a’u tirwedd, gan dynnu sylw at y berthynas rhwng unigolion, cymdeithas a’u cofebion. Gan ddefnyddio ystod amrywiol o dechnegau cerfluniol, mae ei waith bob amser yn sensitif i’w amgylchedd ac yn aml wedi’i greu yn sgil ymgysylltu gyda’r cymunedau sy’n byw ac yn gweithio yn agos at leoliad ei weithiau celf.

 

Mae Boyesen yn byw yn Llangrannong, gorllewin Cymru ac wedi gweithio ar sawl prosiect cerfluniol lle-benodol gan gynnwys Gwarcheidwad a gomisiynwyd i goffáu hanner canmlwyddiant trychineb mwyngloddio 1960 yn Six Bells a hawliodd fywydau 45 o ddynion. Mae’r cerflun anhygoel yn sefyll 20 metr uwchben safle’r hen lofa lle digwyddodd y drasiedi ac mae’n deyrnged addas i’r dynion sydd â’u henwau wedi’u torri i’r paneli o gwmpas y gofeb. Mae’r Dyn Siartredig 7.2m wedi’i wneud o ddur gwrthstaen a’r Llusern wedi’i leoli yn y Coed Duon a This Little Piggy a Chofeb y Llynges Fasnachol yng Nghasnewydd ond yn ambell enghraifft o’i waith.

 

 

Monumental Welsh Women :

Sefydliad nid er elw yw Monumental Welsh Women sy’n ymroddedig i gydnabod cyfraniad menywod i hanes a bywyd Cymru. Ar hyn o bryd un cerflun o Gymraes go iawn sydd yng Nghymru – dim ond un! – ers dadorchuddio Betty Campbell ym mis Medi. Rydym yn gweithio i newid hyn. Ein cenhadaeth yw codi 5 cerflun yn anrhydeddu 5 o Cymraes mewn 5 lleoliad gwahanol o amgylch Cymru mewn 5 mlynedd. Mae’n her enfawr. Gellir gweld proffiliau’r 5 merch gyntaf yr ydym am eu coffáu, a gwybodaeth am ein hymgyrch, ar ein gwefan www.monumentalwelshwomen.org.  Dyma nhw:

 

Cranogwen

Betty Campbell

Arglwyddes Rhondda

Elaine Morgan

Elizabeth Andrews

 

Mae Monumental Welsh Women yn gweithio mewn partneriaeth âg ymgynghorwyr celf a churadu annibynnol Studio Response, sy’n comisiynu gweithiau unigryw sy’n ymateb i safleoedd yn y parth cyhoeddus.

 

Cerflun Cymunedol Cranogwen Community Monument :

Mae Cerflun Cymunedol Cranogwen Community Monument (CCCCM) yn is-grŵp o Bwyllgor Lles Llangrannog Welfare Committee yn Llangrannog.

Keziah a Seb

Sculptor Sebastien Boyesen commissioned to create figurative sculpture of Sarah Jane Rees, known by her bardic name Cranogwen in Llangrannog, west Wales.

Press Release 1.12.21

Sebastien Boyesen in his workshop

The Monumental Welsh Women (MWW) statue campaign, in partnership with Cerflun Cymunedol Cranogwen Community Monument (CCCCM), a sub-group of Pwyllgor Lles Llangrannog Welfare Committee are pleased to announce that we will be working with acclaimed sculptor Sebastien Boyesen to create a life-size figurative sculpture of Sarah Jane Rees (1839-1916), known by her bardic name of Cranogwen, who is the third statue commissioned by MWW of a ‘real Welsh woman’.

Cranogwen was born in the parish of Llangrannog in 1839. Mariner, teacher, poet, journalist, preacher, campaigner; her many achievements, made more exceptional by the era in which she lived, saw her shortlisted as one of Wales’s Hidden Heroines. A short biography can be seen on the Hidden Heroines website.

Sculptor Sebastien Boyesen,who provided the community with their beloved St Carannog sculpture, will take forward this prestigious commission. As a contemporary sculptor who lives and works in Llangrannog, Boyesen has a vast portfolio of designing and implementing figurative public artwork across the UK. MWW were extremely impressed with Boyesen’s considered personal research into the historic, social and aesthetic representation of Cranogwen, and his experience and ability to develop a befitting figurative sculpture as an important permanent memorial to Cranogwen.

A site for the long-anticipated sculpture has been sourced in the centre of Llangrannog near the church where Sarah Jane Rees is buried. The sculpture will commemorate Cranogwen’s extraordinary life and her many and varied achievements, made despite the widespread sentiment against women working outside the home and with the limited opportunities available to them in the late 19th and early 20th century. Boyesen and the many contributors towards the project have already embraced the opportunity to create a considered contemporary work to celebrate Cranogwen and her incredible life.

In recognition of Cranogwen, who among other career achievements encouraged the talents of other women, MWW have partnered with Lisa Evans, Programme Director of the degree honours programme in Sculpture at Carmarthen School of Art, Coleg Sir Gâr, to award a paid menteeship for one year to an emerging post-graduate female sculptor from Coleg Sir Gâr to work with Boyesen on this commission. Starting in December 2021, this unique programme is designed to provide support for a female emerging sculptor during the period between education and professional life. Through working with Boyesen on the Cranogwen commission, the awardee will benefit by receiving professional guidance and hands on experience in the development of their practice through working on a live commission in the public realm.

 We are extremely pleased to announce that the menteeship has been awarded to Keziah Ferguson, who having recently graduated from Coleg Sir Gâr has demonstrated passion and ambition in continuing her career as professional sculptor. Keziah said,

“I feel incredibly privileged to be involved in the project, to honour the legacy of

Cranogwen. The warm reception I received in Llangrannog has made me doubly excited to start work with Seb and the team.”

Helen Molyneux from Monumental Welsh Women said,

“We are delighted to be able to announce the commissioning of our project’s third statue of a real Welsh woman.  Cranogwen was an inspirational woman whose reputation and influence spread not just across Wales but internationally, at a time when many women rarely left villages they were born in. This will be the third statue commissioned by the Monumental Welsh Women project to celebrate the achievements of Wales’ hidden heroines – the women whose contributions to Welsh life and culture have been largely overlooked because of the era they were born in. The first statue was of Wales’s first black head teacher, Betty Campbell, that was unveiled in Cardiff in September. The second, of Elaine Morgan the evolutionary theorist and dramatist, will be unveiled in Mountain Ash in the autumn.

Anne-Marie Bollen, member of CCCCM, said,

“We aim to celebrate the ambition and success of our pioneering local heroine Cranogwen and to commemorate her life and achievements to inspire future generations.”

Sebastien Boyesen has said of the commission,

“Being commissioned to create the statue of Cranogwen is both an honour and privilege and is something I would consider to be a highlight of my career. I look forward to developing the work with our amazing team including working with Keziah as an emerging sculptor mentee, and hope that I can repay the trust placed in me by creating a wonderful legacy for the village and wider community that celebrates the achievements of an inspirational Welsh woman.”

Those wishing to learn more about the project or donate to the cause are encouraged to visit the Cerflun Cymunedol Cranogwen Community Monument page.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors.

Sculptor Sebastien Boyesen:

Sebastien Boyesen has worked as an artist and designer for over thirty-five years. Committed to creating place-specific artworks within new developments and regeneration schemes. His practice explores communities and their landscapes, often highlighting the relationship between individuals, society, and their memorials. Using a diverse range of sculptural techniques, his work is always sensitive to its environment and is often born from engagement with the communities who live and work near to his sited artworks.

The Guardian of the Valleys, South Wales

Boyesen lives in Llangrannong, west Wales and has worked on several place-specific sculptural works including Guardian, who was commissioned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1960 mining disaster in Six Bells that claimed the lives of 45 men. The amazing 20 metre sculpture towers over the site of the former colliery where the tragedy occurred and is a fitting tribute to the men whose names are cut into panels wrapped around the memorial. A 7.2m Chartist Man made of stainless steel and the Lantern both sited in Blackwood and This Little Piggy and the Merchant Navy Memorial in Newport to name a few.

Sarah Jane Rees – Cranogwen, text by Professor Jane Aaron:

“Better known by her bardic name of Cranogwen, Sarah Jane Rees was a pioneer in many fields – from poetry to journalism. She defied all the suffocating restrictions of Victorian womanhood to enjoy a ground-breaking career rich in experiences, achievement and adventure. Her first claim to fame was as a master mariner. From the time she was a little girl in Llangrannog, Cranogwen was determined to live a less conventional life. Her parents wanted her to be a dressmaker, but she persuaded her sea captain father to take her on board ship. For two years she worked as a sailor on cargo ships between Wales and France before returning to London and Liverpool to further her nautical education.

She gained her master mariner’s certificate – a qualification that allowed her to command a ship in any part of the world. Back in West Wales – overcoming opposition to the appointment of a woman – she became a head-teacher at 21, educating the children of the village, and taught navigation and seamanship to local young men. Many men who would later go on to sail and captain ships across the world’s oceans were trained by Sarah Jane Rees at this small school on the coast of Ceredigion.

In 1865 her writing skills turned her into an instant Welsh celebrity as she became the first woman to win a poetry prize at the National Eisteddfod – beating the major male Welsh poets of the day, Islwyn and Ceiriog. Writing under the name of Cranogwen, her winning poem Y Fodrwy Briodasal – The Wedding Ring – was a moving satire on the married woman’s destiny, using the wedding ring as a recurring symbol.

She went on to be one of the most popular poets in Wales, winning more eisteddfod prizes and exploring themes from Welsh patriotism to shipwrecks. Her first collection of around 40 poems was published in 1870. And in 1879 she became the first woman to edit a Welsh-language women’s magazine – Y Frythones, a role she relished for 13 years. Packed with stories, poems and features, it campaigned for girls’ education and even had a problem page.

As an editor, Cranogwen also encouraged the talents of other women. Several of the female writers she gave a platform to in Y Frythones went on to successful literary careers.

Cranogwen was brilliant with the spoken as well as the written word. At a time when public speaking by women was frowned upon, she embarked on a career as a lecturer, Temperance campaigner and preacher – travelling across America twice. She often faced considerable opposition from male preachers when she took to the pulpit but was hugely popular with audiences who warmed to her vivid use of language and compelling delivery.

Temperance was an important issue for Cranogwen. She saw the impact of alcoholic excess on family life in much the same way we would view the dangers of drug abuse today. In 1901 she founded Undeb Dirwestol Merched y De (South Wales Women’s Temperance Union). By the time of her death in 1916 there were 140 branches throughout South Wales. One of her most progressive ideas was a refuge for young women. And while she didn’t live to see this dream of a house for homeless girls built, the shelter Llety Cranogwen was opened in her memory in Tonypandy in 1922.

So many pioneering achievements for a woman born 180 years ago.”

Professor Jane Aaron, who is currently writing a biography of Cranogwen, is a member of the Cranogwen Art Steering Group, and will be invaluable in terms of supporting the appointed artist with regards information on Cranogwen’s life and times.

Monumental Welsh Women:

Monumental Welsh Women is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to recognising the contribution of women to the history and life of Wales. There is currently one statue of real Welsh women in Wales – one! – since the unveiling of Betty Campbell in September. We are working to change this. Our mission is to erect 5 statues honouring 5 Welsh women in 5 different locations around Wales in 5 years. It’s a huge challenge.  The profiles of the first 5 women we want to commemorate, and information on our campaign, can be found on our website www.monumentalwelshwomen.org. They are:

Cranogwen

Betty Campbell

Lady Rhondda

Elaine Morgan

Elizabeth Andrews

Monumental Welsh Women works in partnership with independent art and curating consultancy Studio Response, who commission unique site responsive works in the public realm.

CCCCM:

Cerflun Cymunedol Cranogwen Community Monument (CCCCM) is a sub-group of the Pwyllgor Lles Llangrannog Welfare Committee in Llangrannog.

Community Orchard – Perllan Cymunedol

At the beginning of last year we were trying to think of something to uplift folks and enhance the environment, a permanent addition to our village that can benefit everyone and the wildlife.

One of our villagers had the great idea of a Community Orchard so all could enjoy the Spring blossom and share the fruit in the Autumn and those with green fingers can help plant and maintain the trees.

We would like to plant about 20 trees, Welsh Heritage fruit trees where possible and these will be mixed with Cherry trees and hopefully some young grafted trees from local stock.

If you would like to support us in establishing our orchard any contributions would be fantastic (on average 1 tree, stake and guard = £25.00) but any amount we would be very grateful for.

Diolch yn fawr – Many thanks, and happy scrumping to all! Any planting will take place when appropriate and safe to do so.

UPDATE: Thank you all so far in supporting this project. We’ve decided to change our target as many more people would like to contribute. Our plan was to eventually site some benches and have name/information plates for all the trees. We will now use the rest of the monies for those purposes. Diolch yn fawr iawn.