Menter Caerffili Officer reaches final of Learner of the Year 2010  Menter Caerffili staff and Management Committee would like to congratulate Helen Price, our Digital Heritage Office, on her success in this year's Welsh Learner of the Year competition in the National Eisteddfod in Blaenau Gwent & the Heads of the Valleys. Although Helen was not the overall winner, we are very proud of her in reaching the final round with only 3 other learners, when 26 had competed in the first round.
Helen has been a hard working member of the Menter Caerffili team for the last two years, running our Digital Heritage Project. She has worked with a number of local people creating digital stories which record various elements of our local heritage.
She has also made a wider contribution to Menter Caerffili's work, and as an experience learner herself she organised a Welsh Learners day as part of Adult Learners' Week in May this year. In addition, she makes a large contribution to our activities and our work in general.
Originally from Blackwood, Helen has been attending Welsh classes for 6 years. After 2 years in Night classes, Helen decided to leave her job in Cardiff in order to concentrate on learning Welsh an to spend more time with her son Dafydd. She then followed "Uwch" classes and studied for her Welsh A level. The fact that she is now working through the medium of Welsh every day here with us in Menter Caerffili, is a reflection of her success. Congratulations to you Helen!
13/08/2010
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Ffiliffest - Menter Caerffili's Welsh Festival  Over 1,600 visitors came to Menter Caerffili's new Welsh Festival, Ffiliffest, this weekend. The event took over a year of planning & preparation, and was very successful, with hot sunny weather for the whole weekend.
On Owain Glyndŵr playint field, the celebrations started on Saturday morning with a special address from the Caerffili County Borough Mayer, Councillor James Fussell. He said that it was high time for the county to have a Welsh language Festival, and he hopes that tFfiliffest will continue for many years. The audience were then entertained by Triawd and also by local Welsh schools, including Ysgol Bro Allta, and the young children from Ysgol Penalltau. At the end of the afternoon, Martyn Geraint came along to amuse the children. There was also a variety of arts activities for children, and a visit from Pontllanfraith's Monkey Mania Clown.
Dance was Sunday's theme, with Dawnswyr Nantgarw performing with Ysgol y Castell's folk dancers. The children of Machen Dance Academy and local Street Dancers put on an outstanding performance. There was a circus skills workshop along with performances by Circus Funksters. Sali Mali & Fireman Sam also joined in the fun dancing the "Macarena" with volunteers from Caerffili County's Community radio station - Voice Radio. Siloh Christian Centre's Band were there singing traditional songs & hymns, and the Festival was rounded off with an excellent performance by Cwm Ni Choir.
In addition to these performaces, there was a variety of craft stalls, and local food producers in the Marquee and around the site, including a choice of ethnic foods such as Indian food by Samosaco, Lebanese food by Falafel Wales, and also Persian food. For the more traditional palette a selection of pies and pasties were available, not forgetting the lovely cakes from Merched y Wawr!
Everyone at Menter Caerffili is very grateful to all the volunteers that helped to make Ffiliffest a success, and especially to Voice Radio's volunteers. Thank you also to all the visitors that came along to support us. We are already making preparations for Ffiliffest 2011 and look forward to seeing you again!
Click here to see all the photographs from Ffiliffest
28/06/2010
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Could you......?  Pyramid clubs are special clubs that have been developed for children in primary schools who are quiet, shy, suffer from lack of confidence and find it difficult to make friends.
The clubs run for an hour and a half after school and include various activities such as cooking, circle time, art & craft and lots more!!!
Do you speak Welsh and would like to volunteer?
You will receive:
Free training
The experience of working with children
Chance to raise confidence
Make new friends
Opportunities for a new career.
For more information or to register your interest, contact Rhiannon Tucker 01443 820913
11/08/2010
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From Gelligaer to Capel Gwladys  We had perfect walking weather on Saturday for our trip in Gelligaer. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and due to the volcano in Eyjafjallajoekull there were no aeroplane trails either!
The trip started from St. Catwg’s Church, a very historical site, which is now a medieval church. The Church is dedicated to St. Catwg, the eldest son of King Gwynllyw of Gwynllwg and St, Gwladys, daughter of King Brychan of Brecheiniog.
Ben Jones led the trip, and we went past the Roman site then on across the common to Capel Gwladys, where Ben told us the story of St. Gwladys. Apparently, her husband Gwynllyw Filwr was a pirate. He snatched Gwladys from her father’s court after he refused to allow them to marry. Years later, Gwynllyw turned to God and built a hermitage in Newport, on the site where St Woolos Cathedral now stands. After a while, Gwladys moved to Bassaleg before herself moving to a hermitage in Gelligaer which was named Capel Gwladys.
By the time we returned to Gelligaer Church, everyone had worked up an appetite, so we went along to the Hollybush Inn in Nelson to enjoy a tasty meal to finish off this excellent trip.
20/04/2010
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