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.

Report of meeting with officers of Ceredigion County Council,
Llangrannog Sea Front, Tuesday 5th June 2007 11am

Present: Councillor Ian ap Dewi, Hywel Raw Rees (Estates Dept), Richard Edwards (Technical Services, Coastal Defence), Rachel Thomas
(Traffic Management), Richard Thomas (Chair, Llangrannog Welfare Committee),
Roy Tarbutt (Treasurer, Llangrannog Welfare Committee), Mike Rutherford (Pentre Arms), Julia Palfreyman (Caffi'r Patio), Jayne Arrow and Debbie Mossman (The Beach Hut cafe)

Purpose:
1. To discuss with Ceredigion's officers the community's concerns relating to sea defences, traffic congestion and management and related issues
2. To outline some of the community's ideas for dealing with these concerns

3. To look for ways of developing and funding a composite plan for the village.

Summary of Discussion

1. Sea Defences: Those present described to the officers the extent of the damage suffered by the sea wall/highway this winter. The officers were shown photographs of the seafront during a typical storm and high tide, and they asked for copies to be sent electronically to Council office so that they could be circulated to various departments. The officers were informed that, although temporary repairs were made to parts of the sea wall last winter, there were still large areas under the road that remained undermined. Further collapses are inevitable in the coming winters, threatening the highway and its underlying sewers, and also properties adjoining the highway. Officers were urged to press for a complete renewal of the sea wall/highway,  perhaps along the lines of the Council's own 1995 proposal, which incorporated a promenade. A case should be made for grant funding for
such a project.

2. Traffic Congestion and Management: Officers were told of the atrocious and dangerous traffic conditions during the busy holiday season. Buses, Lorries and cars are forced to make difficult and
dangerous manoeuvres in order to turn round to leave the village, and these manoeuvres are mostly carried out close to the main pedestrian access to the beach.
  The most satisfactory solution to this problem would be for at least part of the Ship car park to be acquired in order to create a proper set-down and turning area. It was hoped that the officers would
look into the possibility of grant-funding for such a project. The frequent buses from Gwersyll yr Urdd would also be able to use the set-down area, instead of having to manoeuvre in the congested
highway. In addition, parking for the disabled could be catered for in the car park - an essential qualification for Blue Flag Status.

3. Park and Ride Scheme

The 1995 Council plan incorporated a Park and Ride scheme from the Council car park to the sea front. It was suggested that by charging for the use of the car park (free at present) and with limited additional funding, such a scheme could be made to work during the
busy holiday season. However, it was stressed that imposing a parking fee without the benefit of a Park and Ride would simply add to the congestion on the sea front.

4. Residents' Parking
Many residents do not have parking facilities, and officers were asked to consider providing parking for residents only, initially within the "1 hour" parking areas, but possibly in the Ship car park
should this ever become Council Property.

5. Footpath from Top Car Park
The possibility of opening a footpath from the Top Car Park, over the stream and through the woods to the lower village, was also discussed.

Undertakings
Mr Hywel Raw Rees agreed to hold discussions with Mr Alan Lewis, the Economic Development Officer, who would be asked to inform and bring together all those departments that would be involved in drawing up proposals, plans, costings, grant applications etc. Councillor Ian ap Dewi would continue to press the community's case, and would provide feedback via the Community Council and Welfare Committee.
The Welfare Committee would keep the larger community informed and involved via its published minutes, and would help organise public meetings where appropriate.
Councillor Ian ap Dewi would consider calling a public meting to discuss the possibility of a Park and Ride scheme, after further discussions with the Community Council and local businesses.

Roy Tarbutt

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.
 

A new Community Centre for Llangrannog ? Canolfan Crannog

The transfer of Capel Crannog to the newly formed charity Canolfan Crannog is making slow progress. When there is a worthwhile and positive move, a public meeting will be held so that the future of the Centre can be discussed.

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.  

 It is a pleasure to welcome Dan and Llyr to the Ship Inn and we wish them well in their new venture. They have continued with the tradition of holding the over 60's Christmas Dinner in the pub, and the Ship will remain the centre for music events during the summer months .A welsh Learner's Group meets in the pub for practice twice a month.  

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:

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

This site was last updated Tuesday, 15 July 2008