NEWS

A series of events are being held during Remembrance Week 2018, from Sunday 4^th November until the 11^th.  These events are a culmination of the unique work that has been undertaken during the year.  A year ago, Criccieth Town Council was awarded a £10,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (The First World War, yesterday and today) for a project to Commemorate Criccieth’s Contribution in partnership with Ysgol Treferthyr, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor and Criccieth Memorial Hall. Criccieth has a unique heritage in regards to the First World War. The Memorial Hall is a testament to 49 local individuals who fought and died, and many of the families and descendants of these individuals still live in or near Criccieth today and have many stories and records.  Criccieth was also home to David Lloyd George, Prime Minister during the First World War, and during his time in No 10 Downing Street many Welsh speakers from Criccieth worked there and many of their families and descendants still live in Criccieth and the area today and have stories and unique memories which are not to be seen in the usual history books.

The week begins with the opening of an exhibition by Liz Saville-Roberts M.P. at 3 p.m. on Sunday 4^th November.  The exhibition will then be open every day during the week from 11 a.m. until 3.p.m.

In addition to sharing the outcomes of the project work the Remembrance Week events also include:

• A unique opportunity on the evening of Wednesday 7th in Criccieth Memorial Hall to remember those lost in the war in the company of the stars of “Hedd Wyn” (Huw Garmon, Judith Humphries, Ceri Cunnington, Llio Silyn, Grey Evans)-  some of whom will be meeting up for the first time since filming to share their experiences of being part of this Oscar nominated film (1992): a stirring story of  the poet Ellis Evans, from Trawsfynydd who was posthumously awarded the National Eisteddfod of Wales chair at Birkenhead in 1917 after failing to return from the 1^st World War trenches.
• On Friday 9^th, the Friends of the Lloyd George Museum, have organised a lecture on Welsh Art in WW1. At the outbreak of the Great War, Wales was a hub of world capitalism, exporting coal, slate, steel and manufactured goods to all points of the globe. Welsh-born artists, like Augustus John and Christopher Williams, were famous and much in demand, throughout the United Kingdom. As the war escalated, they and their contemporaries were confronted with the horrors of the first modern, industrialised conflict to be fought on a continental scale. They produced some of the most memorable images of a war to end all wars.
• The Lloyd George Museum will be open on Saturday 10^th and Twm Morys will recite Lloyd George’s speech announcing the end of the war.
• On Sunday 11^th there will be a series of events at Criccieth Memorial Hall following the Remembrance Service in the morning:
  • A concert of specially composed music by bassist and composer David Heyes commemorating the end of the Great War.  Contemplative in nature, with a sense of loss, but also of hope for the future.
  • Performances of works by the children of Ysgol Treferthyr, Gwyneth Glyn and Twm Morys, readings of letters sent to family and friends from local soldiers and war-time songs by the Starlight Players and members from the University of the Third Age.
• The week will end with a Beacon of Light Ceremony on the prom in Criccieth.

Councillor Elizabeth George, Chair of Criccieth Town Council said: “It has been an exciting year to be part of this project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.  This has given the area’s children and young people an opportunity to research into the history and the effect the First World War had on the area, with an emphasis on peace and reflection. This grant has provided an opportunity to collaborate with partners and well-known specialists in a broad range of areas to realise the aims of this exciting project, which would otherwise not have been possible.”

Richard Bellamy, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Wales, said: “The impact of the First World War was far reaching, touching every corner of the UK. Through our dedicated grants programme, created to commemorate the Centenary, we have helped communities remember and pay tribute to those involved. It is particularly important that young people know about the key role Wales played in the war, and this project in Criccieth has put more people in touch with the town’s past and the valuable contribution its residents made 100 years ago.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further information, images and interviews please contact Councillor Elizabeth George, Criccieth Town Council, on elizabethgeorge61@hotmail.com or 07976 898793 or Dr Catrin Jones, Clerk to the Council on 07780886512, clerccriccieth@gmail.com.

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