Learners’ Night
On Wednesday 18 July, Eglwys y Santes Fair in Aberystwyth was bursting at the seams. For a number of years now, the church has hosted an evening of Welsh entertainment for students on Aberystwyth University’s Intensive Summer Course for Welsh Learners. This year was no exception. After a few words of welcome from Felicity Roberts, head tutor of the Summer Course, the reins were handed over to Professor Jamie Medhurst, one of the churchwardens.
Photo: Menna Evans
An hour of varied entertainment with musical items was provided by Côr Gloria (a choir formed from members of churches in the Aberystwyth Ministry Area:, harpist Delyth Evans (Telynores Mynach, and conductor of Côr Gloria), and Lona Jones, who introduced the audience to cerdd dant with a rendition of Cymru by J. R. Jones.
There were entertaining conversations with two learners from the Ministry Area – Siân Hiscott and Lorena Troughton – who were asked about their motivation for learning Welsh, their personal background and their Christian faith.
It was a pleasure to welcome the special guest, the Mayor of Aberystwyth, Councillor Maldwyn Pryse, who had travelled all the way from Llanelli to attend the event. He shared his memories of worshipping at Eglwys y Santes Fair with his grandmother, and also about the importance of the Bible in Welsh life.
With Cwm Rhondda to start proceedings and Calon Lân to round things off, there was an opportunity for everyone to sing to their heart’s content.
No such evening would be complete without refreshments, and we offer heartfelt thanks to the members of the church, led by Barbara Davies, for making sure the tables were laden with tea, coffee and delicious cakes!
The evening is an important part of the calendar at Eglwys y Santes Fair. It’s an opportunity to introduce a Welsh culture to new speakers and Welsh learners but also to share our faith with others and introduce them to the church. Interestingly, some of the learners attended the morning service on the following Sunday, while some also joined our Sunday evensong service via Zoom.
We look forward to the 2025 Learners’ Night!