Get involved with SPAB Cymru / Dewch i gydweithio gyda SPAB Cymru

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09/06/2023
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SPAB
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Last year's Working Party at St Marys Church Caerau, Cardiff, prompted exciting discussions about the start of SPAB Cymru.

Thom Kinghorn-Evans, SPAB Guardian and Co-Chair of our Education & Training Committee, explains more...

The SPAB wishes to give extra support to those interested in its work throughout Wales. One of the ways this might be achieved would be to set up a new national branch, SPAB Cymru, and try to emulate the success of those in Scotland and Ireland.

As well as helping the Society to raise its profile and to fulfil its goals at grass roots level, I believe it will be a boost to its existing members by providing new ways to get involved. 

As with many initiatives, especially those so heavily reliant on volunteers, it can be a difficult to gain momentum. A few splutters and false starts can be expected, and it is fair to say we have already had a few, with Covid-19 being a big one. So it is with great pleasure that I can let you all now about the success of a Working Party that we undertook last year! 

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St Marys Church Caerau, Cardiff September 2022 

St Marys Church Caerau, Cardiff is a ruinous church on the site of an old iron age hillfort. It has long been neglected and subject to antisocial behaviour, but that is not to say it isn’t loved by the community that it served as recently as the 1960s.

In a joint venture with the CAER Heritage Project, we spent a few days with local volunteers from Caerau and Ely undertaking some vital masonry repairs to the tower, removing graffiti from the church walls and monuments, and installing protective soft capping to low level wall tops.

The lime mortar we used for the repairs was made from Blue Lias, kindly donated by Tarmac’s Aberthaw Quarry. The stone was burned at the St Fagans National Museum of History using much appreciated funding from Cadw.

We had a good turnout of volunteers at both the St Mary’s Working Party and the St Fagans’ lime burning events. Even more promisingly we managed to get a lot of interest from existing SPAB members who would like to become involved more in the future. 

This month (21-24 June), we're collaborating with Neath Port Talbot Council to repair historic mining buildings at Craig Gwadlus Country Park. You're very welcome to join us, find out more and book your free place here.

Would you like to get involved with the start of SPAB Cymru? Email to express your interest: cymru@spab.org.uk 

 

Words by Thom Kinghorn-Evans, SPAB Guardian and Co-Chair of the Education & Training Committee. 


Dewch i gydweithio gyda SPAB Cymru 

 
Fel y gwyddai rhai ohonoch eisoes, nod SPAB ydy cynnig cymorth ychwanegol i’r rheiny sy’n ymddiddori yn eu gwaith ledled Cymru. Un o’r ffyrdd gallwn fynd ati i gyflawni hyn ydy sefydlu cangen cenedlaethol newydd, SPAB Cymru, er mwyn ceisio efelychu llwyddiant y canghennau hynny yn yr Alban ac Iwerddon. Bydd hyn yn fodd o gynorthwyo’r Gymdeithas i hyrwyddo eu proffil a chyflawni eu nodau ar lawr gwlad, yn ogystal ag ennyn diddordeb eu haelodau presennol drwy gynnig ffyrdd newydd o ymwneud gyda’r gymdeithas. 

 

Yn debyg i lawer iawn o fentrau eraill, yn enwedig y rheiny sy’n dibynnu’n helaeth ar wirfoddolwyr, gallai fod yn dasg anodd ceisio bwrw iddi i fynd o nerth i nerth. Byddai anawsterau a thrafferthion yn anochel a rydan ni wedi gorfod mynd i’r afael gyda sawl un eisoes a dweud y gwir, yn enwedig Covid-19. Gan hynny, mae’n bleser mawr gen i roi gwybod ichi am lwyddiant Gweithgor y bu inni ei sefydlu’r llynedd!   

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Eglwys y Santes Fair, Caerdydd Medi 2022 

Mae Eglwys y Santes Fair, Caerau, Caerdydd yn eglwys adfeiliedig ar safle hen fryngaer o’r oes haearn. Mae wedi mynd yn angof ers amser maith erbyn hyn ac yn destun ymddygiad gwrthgymdeithasol. Fodd bynnag mae’r gymuned yr oedd yn ei gwasanaethu mor ddiweddar â’r 1960au yn meddwl y byd ohoni. Fel rhan o fenter ar y cyd â Phrosiect Treftadaeth CAER, bu inni dreulio rhai dyddiau gyda gwirfoddolwyr lleol o Gaerau a Threlái yn cyflawni gwaith atgyweirio hanfodol i’r tŵr, cael gwared ar y graffiti o waliau’r eglwys a’r henebion, a gosod gorchuddion amddiffynnol meddal am ben waliau lefel isel. Roedd y morter calch wnaethon ni ei ddefnyddio ar gyfer y gwaith adfer wedi’i wneud o Gerrig Calch Glas, a gafodd ei roddi’n garedig gan Chwarel Aberddawan Tarmac. Cafodd y cerrig eu llosgi yn Amgueddfa Werin Cymru Sain Ffagan gan ddefnyddio cyllid hollbwysig gan Cadw. Bu i lu o wirfoddolwyr ymuno gyda ni ar gyfer Gweithgor Y Santes Fair a digwyddiadau llosgi calch Sain Ffagan. At hyn, yn bwysicach oll bu inni lwyddo i ennyn diddordeb aelodau presennol SPAB a fyddai’n dymuno cydweithio mwy gyda ni yn y dyfodol. 

 

Os hoffech chi ein helpu i sefydlu SPAB Cymru, anfonwch e-bost at cymru@spab.org.uk 

 

Bydd cyfle ichi ddysgu sgiliau adeiladu treftadaeth gan arbenigwyr, gan gynnwys llosgi calch, morter calch, pwyntio a gwisgo cerrig wrth helpu i warchod adeilad mwyngloddio hanesyddol. Mae lleoedd am ddim yn gyfyngedig, gallwch ganfod mwy yma. 

 

 

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