In August Bangor club members and friends joined together for a lovely evening at Jenny’s house to enjoy pizza and prosecco whilst raising money for President Gudrun’s charity – Women’s Aid. A fantastic total of £1,000 was raised. Many thanks to Jenny for kindly hosting the event and also to Vicki for her delicious desserts! It was lovely to get together and see our friends again after such a long time and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the way home.

On a sunny June evening several of our club members met up on Bangor Garth Pier for a walk, a chat and a bit of food and drink. Garth Pier is the second longest pier in Wales and the 9th longest in the country (470m). It was opened in 1896 by Baron Penrhyn. In 1971 ownership was transferred to Arfon Borough Council who were going to demolish it but Bangor City Council were able to save it and obtain a Grade II listing for the structure, with the planning officer considering it one of the three finest surviving piers in Great Britain. Restoration work was needed and it was reopened in 1988 by the 7th Marquess of Anglesey. More restoration work was needed from 2018 and it was reopened completely this year. It has been very popular for recreation with all the restrictions of the

The Jafuta Foundation is a non-profit organisation focused on helping humans and animals alike by creating and maintaining equilibrium between community, wildlife and conservation, education and culture. So explained Gail Van Jaarsveldt, founder of the Jafuta Foundation which is based in the Hwange West region of Zimbabwe near Victora Falls. It was set up in 2013 and has three full-time workers. Their first project was the Girls Dignity program where reusable sanitary pads were made in rural schools and communities. The Biogas project saves women and children walking miles to collect firewood; every home has a cow and the manure decomposes in small polytunnels giving off methane, which is then piped into the huts for cooking. They also have projects to provide clean water to villagers and also waterholes in national parks to encourage lions and elephants to stay nearby rather than ruining the villagers’

We recently had a talk by Colin Keyse from Ffarm Moelyci which is one of the UK’s first community owned farms and pioneered the idea that community ownership can play a part in how farming both grows good food and nurtures strong communities. In 2018, after a long period of uncertainty, the farm was sold on the open market to a consortium Ymlaen Moelyci. This consortium brings together charities and charitable incorporated organisations, private individuals, philanthropists, farmers and other businesses. Colin explained that Moelyci is a safe, neutral ground, experimenting with ideas for sustainable farming and living. There is a donkey sanctuary, allotments and also a forty-seat barn with Wifi and audio-visual which is available for groups that come and visit. They have a shop and cafe on the premises and everyone is welcome. See their website for more information about the valuable work they

Our first speaker in May was Kristina Spindler of the Outward-Bound Trust, which was founded in 1941 by Kurt Hohm, who had founded Gordonstoun School earlier. The Trust is currently the largest outdoor education charity in the country and 85% of the children it accommodates at one of its seven centres are from disadvantaged backgrounds. Its aim is to empower young people and they can take over 25,000 children each year. However, last year they could only take 14,000 due to Covid restrictions. The Trust requires £5 million annually to continue and raises a lot of this from charity events. Kristina mentioned that, at present, there is a large gender gap in instructors and therefore they are presently running a dedicated Women’s outdoor leadership course. She said what a positive effect the courses had on youngsters and that they sometimes changed their attitudes quite substantially.

Beverley and Kelly, Fundraisers from Ty Gobaith Hospice joined us at our Zoom meeting in April and updated us on how they are coping during the Covid pandemic. Tŷ Gobaith is just outside Conwy with stunning views across the estuary. It offers peace and tranquillity to the children and families who visit and is sensitive to the needs of the local population, many of whom speak Welsh as a first language. There are four children’s bedrooms and three parents/family rooms. There is a multi-sensory room, young adult lounge, playroom, therapy room, kitchen and dining room and a parents’ lounge. The Snowflake suite enables families to stay close to their child after they have died and before the funeral. Amazingly, they have managed to remain open to provide support and counselling for families requiring their services. It has been a very challenging time financially for them