The Publishing Committee of the Glyn News would like to thank all those who have given a donation to the newsletter. The Committee is extremely grateful for all these donations, which will enable the committee to go forward with confidence from the strong support they have received.
Is there anyone who would be interested in joining the Committee? We would be very pleased to see you at our next Committee Meeting (or indeed at any meeting) on 16 July. Please give it a thought and contact Mrs Rona Bates on 718354 for details.
Diolch yn fawr pawb

A united bi-lingual service for Christian Aid was held at Seion Chapel, Glyn Ceiriog on Sunday, 11 May was led by the Rev'd Glyn Jones. The guest speaker was the Rev'd Hugh G. Jones, Rhos; also taking part were representatives from all the chapels and churches in the Valley. The accompanist was Mr Aneuryn Davies.
House to House Collection £2,011.00
United Service £140.00
Simple Lunch £97.50
Weston Rhyn Chapel £54.00
Christian Centre Sales £320.00
£2,622.50

to be held at the Golden Pheasant Hotel, LLwynmawr on Sunday 31st August 2008 .
Admission is £2.50 per head, Children free.
We hope to attract up to 200 exhibits which will include Steam traction engines, motorcycles, cars, tractors and stationary engines.
If any local charity or good cause wishes to bring a stand/stall we will be pleased to accomodate them (subject to space available).
Anybody wanting more information tel: 01691 678274 or 01691 780267.
Or come along to one of our meetings in the Pheasant on the second Tuesday of every month at approx 8.00pm .

As I was passing through the village of Pantfodog I saw and photographed the War Memorial. The lettering on examination was found to be in need of some attention, may I suggest that an application for a grant to renew the lettering on this memorial be made by a local organization from the War Memorial Trust, 4 Lower Belgrave Street , London SW1W 0LA . All that is required is for said local organization to make a formal application and follow the instructions, all help is provided by them. There can be many ways of renewing the lettering, the most easy way is to have a slate tablet of suitable size and thickness to allow the details of each soldier to be inscribe, the names may then be highlighted with a suitable paint in an appropriate colour. Your sincerely , S. J. Clark

Dymuna Alura, Edie, Colin, Teresa, Maria a Carl ddatgan diolch am bob arwydd o gydymdeimlad, y cardiau, galwadau ffon a dderbyniasant yn eu profedigaeth o golli eu hannwyl Caroline, yn ddim ond 39 mlwydd oed. Diolch am y rhoddion er cof ac hefyd y presenoldeb yn yr angladd, ac anfonwyd dros 900 punt i Apel Ty Gobaith.
Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Alura, Edie, Colin, Teresa, Maria and Carl would like to thank everyone for their kindness and sympathy and all the cards and phone calls received following the loss of their beloved Caroline at only 39 years of age. Thank you also for the attendance at the funeral, the donations of which raised over £900 for Hope House.
Thank you very much.

The Annual Eisteddfod was held at the Ceiriog Memorial Institute on Saturday, 10 May, the Guest Day President was Cllr Aled Roberts, Leader of Wrexham County Borough Council.
The adjudicators were: music , Mrs Iona Jones, Moelfre, Llansilin; recitation and literacy , Mrs Dorothy Jones, Llangwm; art , Mrs Margaret Roberts, Glyn Ceiriog; the accompanist was Miss Bethan Jones, Bala and the translator was Mr Graham Edwards, Glyn Ceiriog; the c ompères were: Mr Idris Davies, Mr Richard Jones and Mr David W. Davies.
The number of competitors exceeded all expectations and who all performed to a very high standard.
Winners in each competition were:
Solo competitions: Nursery and Reception, Erin Aled, Llanuwchlyn. Years 1 and 2, Iwan Rhys Lewis, Llanrhaeadr. Years 3 and 4, Catrin Davies, Glyn Ceiriog. Years 5 and 6. Dyfan Breeze, Llansilin. Solo for those in Secondary School: Heidi Breeze, Llansilin. Folk Song, year 6 and under, Dyfan Breeze. Folk Song for those in Secondary School, Heidi Breeze.
Cerdd Dant, under 8, Huw Jones, Rhos. Under 10, Elain Wyn, Llanfihangel yng Ngwynfa. Under 12, Dyfan Breeze. Cerdd Dant for those in Secondary School, Heidi Breeze. Singing Party, Ysgol Cynddelw. Duet, under 12, Osain and Elin, Rhos. Duet for those in Secondary School, Llio and Catrin, Glyn Ceiriog.
Music Competitions: Musical Instrument other than piano, Year 6 and under, Osian Rhys Roberts, Rhos. For those in Secondary School, Catrin Williams.
Piano Solo, Year 6 and under, Osian Rhys Roberts. For those in Secondary School, Llio Davies, Glyn Ceiriog.
Recitation Competitions: Nursery and Reception, Erin Aled, Llanuwchlyn. Years 1 and 2, Iwan Rhys Lewis, Llanrhaeadr. Years 3 and 4, Catrin Davies, Glyn Ceiriog. Years 5 and 6, Dyfan Breeze, Llansilin. Sketch for Primary Schools, Ysgol Cynddelw. Choral Speaking for Primary Schools, Ysgol Cynddelw.
Welsh Learners Competitions: Recitation for Years 5 and 6, Georgina Lewis, Chirk. Recitation Party, Ysgol Cynddelw.
Prose Competitions: Years 3 and 4, Taliesin Boswell, Glyn Ceigiog. Years 5 and 6, Ffion Mitchell, Glyn Ceiriog. For Secondary School, Portrait of a Welshwoman or Woman, Llio Davies, Glyn Ceiriog.
Handwriting Competitions: Years 1 and 2, Geraint, Ysgol Cynddelw. Years 3 and 4, Holly Jones, Ysgol Cynddelw and Taliesin Boswell, equal first. Years 5 and 6, Ffion Mitchell, Ysgol Cynddelw.
Art Competitions: Nursery and Reception, Millie Loosemore, Ysgol Cynddelw. Years 1 and 2, Frankie Lloyd, Ysgol Cynddelw. Years 3 and 4, Sam West and Elain Wyn, equal first. Years 5 and 6, Charlene Davies and William Ellis Thomas, equal first.

A Question of Motive
My Pastorate extends over the border into England , as I have a chapel in Weston Rhyn. Some of my members live in Gobowen. One day I had taken a member home, and I stopped at the railway crossing close to the Railway Station. As we waited in the line of cars, the driver next to us suddenly turned round, and headed in the opposite direction.
I turned to my member and said with some righteous indignation, "Look at that guy. He's so impatient, he doesn't want to wait like the rest of us". As soon as I said those words, the man, camera in hand, hopped from his car to take pictures of the oncoming train. I had judged his motives, and I was dead wrong,
Although we can observe behaviour and outward appearance, only God can see what's in the heart. This is one reason we all need the Word of God so desperately. Hebrews 4:12 says, "The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,piercing even the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." When we find ourselves ready to judge another person's motives, let's pause and remember, only God can see the heart, and only His word can expose its motives. Our responsibility is to let the Lord and His Word convict us about our own hearts.
The Bible is a lamp from God,
A sword of truth and light;
It searches heart and soul and mind,
And helps us know what's right. Bosch
Let us remember that people will be judged by the way God sees them not by the way we see them.
Have a blessed time, by keeping our eyes on the Lord.
Your friend in Christ, Glyn
Rev R Glyn Jones, Bryn Glas, Glyn Ceiriog, Llangollen , LL20 7EU . Tel 01691 718086, m 07760 328752

I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you about our wonderful 60th anniversary of Leonard Cheshire and say a big thank you to all the people who came along to entertain, display and generally share the day with us. I could list them but the list would be too long, but I will say that we have a great pool of talent in our area and there should be a lot of proud parents of the children of 'the Quick Step School of Dancing' plus of course Weston Rhyn Choir and our own local fire service from Chirk, who found time for us yet again and this time I actually stayed dry as they did not turn the hose on me. The big and little children enjoyed the Helicopter, period fire engines, bikes and of course the Regiment of Wales Drum Corps in the Busby's and Red uniforms playing their pipe and drums again and melting in the sun. Our day was so spectacular and The Residents had a wonderful time. Thank you.
I have had a visit from Ed at Cadbury's and the Lads are coming along again to do some work for us so we hope they are going to erect a Gazebo and paint it plus a load of other stuff, bless your hearts lads and I'll make sure there is some of that special banana bread to go with your cups of tea's.
Regards to everyone Di & Diane.

The Spring Fair which was held on Saturday, 13th May raised over £470 and the Church Committee wishes to thank all those who contributed to and bought from the various stalls. In addition to raising much needed funds the event in the church provides a welcome opportunity to sit and have a chat in peaceful surroundings with a cup of coffee and a biscuit (or two). So don't miss the next time for chatting, the Christmas Gift Fair on 22 November!

We are privileged to have a pair of Spotted Flycatcher’s nesting in Llanarmon DC village. These birds are on the RSPB red alert list. They are very tiny birds that migrate all the way from Africa . They favour a nest box from which they can see out.
This makes them vulnerable to predators such as the Grey squirrel.
In 2006 twice squirrels foiled their efforts, and to our knowledge none nested here in 2007.
Their survival depends on so many chance happenings—a suitably wild area of territory with older trees, the right weather, undisturbed suitable breeding places, a lack of predators and a plentiful supply of insects.
Tidy, pruned and suburbanized gardens, and gardens that are disturbed during the nesting season, result in limited nesting sites and fewer insects. (Imagine Llanarmon without the song of the birds?)
So put away those clippers and allow yourselves to enjoy the wildness!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the inhabitants of Llanarmon DC could help to take the Spotted Flycatcher off the red alert list?

Dymuna Eunwyn Davies ddiolch i bawb am eu dymuriadau da yn ystod ei arhosiad yn y ysbyty yn ddiwedfar.
Thank you all very much

Shirley and Arwel wish to thank everyone for all their support and generosity shown to us over the past few weeks. Once again, thank you.

Kit Levin wishes to thank relatives, friends and neighbours for the numerous cards and gifts received on the occasion of her 95 th Birthday. Also many thanks to Mike and his staff at The Glyn Valley Hotel for the excellent catering and service, at the dinner party, which all the guests enjoyed.

The family of the late Dei Hughes (Office) would like to thank everyone for their kind expressions of sympathy, cards, letters of condolence and donations in his memory shared between Neuadd Goffa Ceiriog and Diabetes Cymru.
Diolch yn fawr iawn

One of the birds I have a particular soft spot for, regardless of their bad press, are crows. Before moving to the Glyn I knew the same pair for twenty years, saw them bringing up a family year after year and because they were so used to my dog and myself, I saw small, intimate parts of their lives that normally go unseen. These highly intelligent and long lived birds pair for life, which can be 45 to 55 years. Their youngsters remain with the parents until the following spring, indeed I have seen them gathering material for the parent birds to refurbish the family home for the next generation!
Our nearest pair’s young left the nest during the third week of May, and as is usual spent their first week or so on the ground behaving like the cartoon character Road Runner! I assume they flutter up to roost as the foxes would otherwise make use of them, but it’s something I have not seen. At this stage the parents seem to have stopped feeding them but the young certainly watch their elders carefully to determine fruitful foraging grounds. One of them has noticed the blue tits on the fat balls at my bird feeding station and succeeds in hanging from it to get a few beaks full.
The local buzzards have also been successful and their young can be seen flying overhead or roosting at the top of trees. At this time I don’t know how many this year, but previously they have raised three regularly. This is very good for such a large predatory bird, which indicates that they are a very mature and experienced pair.
Let us hope for a better summer than last, our butterflies and bats need it!
Tom Baker, Hyfrydle, Hen Ffordd, Dolywern Tel. 712835

A local Para Dressage rider has been nominated by the BEF ( Dressage governing body) to receive funding through Sportsaid to become a Lloyds TSB Local Hero.
Lorna Lee from Pontfadog was already riding and competing when she started at Ysgol Pontfadog aged five. She has gone on to represent Wales and G.B. at international level gaining gold and silver medals in past years. This year she has been invited to ride as a G.B. rider at a 3 star 3 day Para International Competition at Hartpury College in July. Good luck Lorna.
George & Dot Lee.

The second Berwyn Festival held in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog over the weekend of the 17 May, was a huge success despite the weather. It was well attended and from the feedback we had, came across as an interesting and varied event with a lovely, friendly atmosphere. There were two nights of excellent music and wonderful workshops run by Cloudstreet for the 3 valley schools culminating in a fun ‘Polypipe’ concert on the Saturday afternoon before performances by young and local musicians.
The food fair was a great success and the craft fair on the Sunday added an extra dimension to the Festival.
The three day Art Exhibition, workshops and demonstrations showed the wealth of talent in the region and our thanks go to all those involved. Visitors enjoyed being able to wander around the village to visit the various Art venues and then on up past the school to see Diana Baur’s ‘Inside Out’ project with sculptures and art works in the gardens around Nant-y-Glog. We asked the visitors to vote on the Artwork and the peoples choice was Helen Crossley of Pontfadog.
The stars of the show were undoubtedly the children of the valley with their fantastic tiles, created with the river as their inspiration, in workshops run by Vikki Reynolds. The three winners will be announced on the 26 June. A huge thank you to Vikki for all her time spent in putting together the whole project and display and to her husband’s business Vanguard Cleaning for sponsoring it.
Our thanks and gratitude also goes to our sponsors—the Arts Council of Wales, the Chirk and Ceiriog Valley Partnership, The Hand at Llanarmon and the West Arms Hotel.
Finally through the raffle and donations £200 was raised for the Myanmar-Burma Cyclone Appeal.
Berwyn Festival Committee

Tom Baker says in the June 2008 newsletter that people living in cities do not know what they are missing. Not so! My father was evacuated to Glyn Ceriog for the period of WW2. He and his friend built a small dam (a line of stones really) part way across the River Ceriog, the remains of which could still be seen as recently as the 1980’s. Remarkable when you think that they were two such little boys. He recalls his time in the valley with enormous fondness.
Each year, for as long as I can remember, we have visited the valley to check on 'Dad’s Dam'. We always used to stop for lunch at the Golden Pheasant, and the highlight of my day would be to go and see the Minah bird (I am probably showing my age now). A few weeks ago, we went for lunch at The Hand, a place where Mum and Dad stay for a few days each year. The day was cold, overcast and windy, but the beauty of the Valley still shone through. Fields of sheep and lambs; horses perched, limpet like, on the side of the hills; the rushing, crystal clear water of the river; and the peace despite what looked like a motorbike convention, made for a lovely afternoon. I really do not think that I appreciated the Valley when I was a child. I do now, and I hope that it does not change too much because it is perfect as it is.
Suzanne Jones

A reunion of those ex-pupils who attended the school at Nantyr which closed in 1959, was held at 'The Oak', Glyn Ceiriog on Friday, 23 May. Among those attending were two ladies who had taught there, and one lady who had been a pupil and later on, caretaker and the cook. Some had travelled long distances to attend the reunion. Following a buffet lunch, several of those present travelled to Nantyr to see the school as it is at present, and were given a warm welcome by the wardens. The school is now an Outdoor Education Centre run by Wrexham County Borough Council. A booklet was available for all present, giving a brief history of the school, dating back to 1911, and showing several photographs, which had been compiled by Mr Meirion Davies. The reunion had been organized by Mrs Llinos Kilfoil.

A concert given by the George Formby Society was held at the Ceiriog Memorial Institute n Thursday, 24 April. This was not well attended, which was a pity, as all those present thoroughly enjoyed listening to the old George Formby songs, accompanied by the ukulele. Proceeds were for the Institute

A recent Cake Stall held in front of the Glyn valley Hotel and organized by the local branch, raised over £220 for the NSPCC

Actors from Clwyd Theatre Cymru for Young People presented, 'Tales from Small Nations' at the Canolfan Ceiriog Centre on Saturday, 26 April. This excellent production was supported by the Arts Council of Wales in partnership with WCBC. The next performance at the Centre will be the 'Family Theatre Fun' entitled, 'Keep on Moving'—suitable for all members of the family. This will take place on Tuesday evening, 10 th June.

Mrs Mary Evans welcomed the group to her home for their Annual Meeting on 1 st May. Tributes were paid to the late Mrs Marian Roberts who had been a member of the group since it was formed in 1979, and its first chairman. Apologies were received from several members. After reading the 2007 minutes and the correspondence recently received, it was noted that the new Area Manager is Michelle Limb, who will cover South Cheshire , Shropshire and North Wales . The treasurer, Mrs Gaynor Jones gave the financial report for the year ending 31 st January 2008 , showing that £937.57 had been sent to the headquarters at Newport . This included coffee morning receipts, donations and money collected from goblets placed in business premises in the Valley. Thanks were expressed to everyone for their support. All the officers agreed to continue and invitation is extended for anyone interested to joint the group. Arrangements were made for the forthcoming Coffee Morning and Sale to be held at the Ceiriog Memorial Institute on Saturday, 19 July at 10.30 am when there will be a variety of stalls, a big raffle and refreshments as usual. Members were asked to think of a special way to celebrate next year, after thirty years of contributing to Cancer Research in the Ceiriog valley.

A meeting of the management committee took place in the Islwyn Ffowc Elis room, on 6 th May and was presided over by the chairman. New members, Clwyd Davies and Dafydd Morris were warmly welcomed. The estimate for cleaning the Saint David painting, a copy of the one in the Central Lobby of the Houses of Parliament was accepted and it is hoped that the work will soon be completed. Tenders will be invited for some outdoor work which needs to be completed. Members will meet at the beginning of June, to place the books in their places. Final arrangements were made for the fund raising stall to be held at the Carnival on 7 th June.

The Partnership was formed over ten years ago to promote the interests of the community and sustainable tourism projects, and ensure that the valley retains its outstanding landscape and character. Current members represent hoteliers, tourism operators, farmers and small businesses, Chirk Town Council and local Community Councils, and the Partnership itself is supported by Wrexham County Borough Council.
One of the first projects of the Partnership was to produce the Walks leaflets covering the Valley, which you will no doubt be familiar with. Other successful projects include the creation of the Ceiriog, Cycle Route and Ceiriog Valley Way , and a number of local information leaflets. From the on-going sale of these leaflets a number of local initiatives have been helped financially. These included grants towards the installation of the CCTV camera on Chirk Station; water-collection system at the Garth Organic Community Garden ; support towards both the Berwyn Festival and Glyn Valley Tramway initiatives, and a familiarisation visit of the Wales Tour Guides Association.
Non-financial collaboration has helped to ensure the continued opening of the public toilets in Llanarmon DC, the provision of the telephone box by Chirk Station, bus stop signs and 'white on brown' tourisms signs to guide people into the Valley.
Membership of the Partnership is open to anyone interested, individuals or businesses, and is currently only £10 per year per household or per business and meetings are presently held on a three-monthly basis at various locations throughout the Valley. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 17 June, at 10.45 am at The Hand Hotel, Chirk.
If you would like to become a member of the Partnership or would like any further information please contact Pam Hughes, treasurer on 01691 718398 or the Secretary, Mrs Francis Harrison, 01691 778170.

I would like to take a few minutes to thank Mr and Mrs Connor for all their enduring support that they give to our school, Ysgol Pontfadog.
Since they arrived at the Post Office, Phil and Mandy have taken it upon themselves to run a summer holiday art competition for the children each year, with lovely prizes and a certificate for the first, second and third prize winners. The children love the competition and can't wait to see their works of art displayed prominently in the Post Office window!
The Post Office window is also regularly used by the school to promote school events, and as a display for ongoing school projects to help us raise local awareness.
As you know, fund raising raffles are a regular feature of the school, and Phil and Mandy have sold literally hundreds of pounds worth of tickets to their loyal customers at the shop on behalf of the school—we would never have managed to reach such a vast number of people to sell our tickets to without this support.
Mandy is currently helping us with our Centenary Celebrations by having a themed window display for the school at the Post Office, this is all done with real positive spirit, and we thank you Phil and Mandy!
Catrin Jones
on behalf of Ysgol Pontfadog PTA

At last the warmer weather has arrived and the sweet coconut scent of gorse is wafting around The Garth Hillside Organic garden. The salvaged glass windows and fleece that have been warming the vegetable beds and protecting them from frost can at last be removed. This is the busiest time of year, beds are prepared covering them with site made compost, young tender plants carefully nurtured, and many more seeds need to be sown.
Not that the cooler months left volunteers with little to do. Shorter days, longer tea breaks, huddling in the shed during showers yes, but still much was achieved: fruit trees were planted, more raised beds created, steps and a dry stone wall built and a colourful dogwood fence woven by children. A rainwater harvesting system was built using a slopping roof and containers capable of storing 10,000 litres of water, an essential resource for thirsty plants and dirty volunteers!
Refuge from snow and hail was taken in project co-ordinator Judith's house where ideas were exchanged, plans hatched and a constitution written up.
Tom Adams, local countryside craftsman, gave volunteers a valuable lesson in grafting apple trees using varieties suitable to the local climate. As a result the garden has a small collection of saplings waiting to be planted out.
Wrexham Council's Biodiversity Officer Emma Broad visited to give advice. She commented that the garden was 'excellent' with its coppicing, log piles, compost heaps and wild flowers and had already enhanced the biodiversity of the hillside.
The first anniversary of the project was celebrated in March with a weekend gathering of volunteers at the garden. This was a time for taking stock of how much had been achieved in just one year, how the effects of all the volunteers and supporters had realized this beautiful, productive garden. Apart from money raised by a sponsored walk for tools and a welcome grant from The Chirk and Ceiriog Valley Partnership towards the water harvester, the garden has been created from volunteer labour and mostly reclaimed materials. It's difficult to refuse the unwanted sheds, greenhouses, oak beams and picnic tables that give a ramshackle appearance to the lower part of the garden where they wait to be used. They are part of the vision however and the time will come when they are given their place.
In return for their labour volunteers take home produce, in early Spring this was leeks, lettuce, rocket, cabbage, spinach and an abundance of purple sprouting broccoli. Summer crops to look forward to include numerous salad ingredients, onions, courgettes, beans, potatoes and carrots.
Vegetables are not the only harvest though, fresh air, wonderful views, an opportunity to share existing and learn new skills, with a welcoming friendly atmosphere combine to make the experience an uplifting one.
Some of you might have seen us with stall at the Berwyn Festival, we will also be at the One Planet event, Wrexham, on 15 th June and the Llangollen Fringe Festival Environmental day, 26 th July.
If you are interested in visiting or becoming a volunteer all abilities and ages are welcome/Croeso i bawb. Contact Judith on 01691 718127.
Lisa Ridley, volunteer

27 June
25 July
22 August
26 September
24 October
28 November