Gŵyl Gwenllian 2023 – Celebrating the Women of the Carneddau

Gŵyl Gwenllïan 2023 took place on 10th and 11th of June as a celebration of the women of the Carneddau. There was a full weekend of activities, with something to please everyone.

Saturday was a full day, with activities arranged in Canolfan Cefnfaes. In the borning, many families enjoyed an art session, run by Menna Thomas, with a tasty lunch provided for free by Hwb Ogwen volunteers. The Saturday afternoon programme brought in a crowd to listen to the interesting discussions and panels. The afternoon started with Rebecca Hardy-Griffith leading a panel discussion of three local artists - Anna Pritchard, Rhiannon Gwyn and Ann Catrin Evans, who spoke about the influence of their “cynefin” on their work. It was very interesting to see examples of the various art and textiles on show. A video of their recording can be viewed here.

To launch a new project between Partneriaeth Ogwen and the Carneddau Landscape Partnership - Lleisiau Lleol - a special video was shown to the audience of a discussion between famous local author Alys Conran and Meleri Davies in which Alys discussed her two novels and how her relationship with her “cynefin” has influenced her work. You can watch the video here.

Following an afternoon tea consisting of local produce from Cadwyn Ogwen producers, Angharad Tomos gave a very interesting talk discussing two of her most recent novels Castell Siwgr (Woven is the English translation) and Arlwy'r Sêr. A recording of her talk can be found here. To finish the afternoon, everyone enjoyed a very interesting conversation between award winning author Manon Steffan Ros and the poet Annes Glyn, where they discussed Manon’s work and how her upbringing in Dyffryn Ogwen has influenced her career and her life. You can enjoy this discussion here.

Luckily the sun shone on Sunday for a host of outdoor activities, which started off with a bike journey led by Elinor Elis-Williams. Gerddi Ffrancon hosted a family yoga session with Leisa Mererid based on her yoga books for children. In the afternoon, the Carneddau Landscape Partnership led a group on a walk up Moel Faban, discussing historical and natural aspects of the landscape. The group then had an opportunity to reflect on the beautiful scenery and capture their impressions using small hand looms.

To bring the festival to a close, Rev Sara Roberts led a short pilgrimage from the library of plants in Gerlan to the Llechid well, while reflecting on Saint Llechid and other important women in the history of the Carneddau.

Partneriaeth Ogwen would like to thank all of the groups, partners and volunteers who gave their time to make the festival a success, especially the Carneddau Landscape Partnership for sponsoring the festival.

Details

06/07/23