Croeso i’r cylchlythyr.
Welcome to A Word From Wales- the weekly newsletter for the Welsh Disapora wherever they may be in the world. Taking a look at some different stories from Wales over the past week.In this edition, the merits of talking rather than shopping, a meeting with a campaigner involved with the Post Office Scandal and using Valentines’s Day to warm people’s hearts towards the Welsh Language.
Talking together as a cure for isolation
A community venture re-inventing the art of talking together has proved a big success in one of Wales’s valley towns.
The “Talk-In” Shop on the High Street in Merthyr has attracted hundreds of users since its inception back in September 2022.
The initial six month project comes to an end this month.
But with other projects planned for Conwy and Blaenau Gwent later this summer, it’s hoped the idea can spread all over Wales in due course
“There has been an incredible response to the Talk-In Shop in Merthyr” said co-ordinator Yvonne Murphy.
“People have been telling us that this is the only real community space where people can come together to chat and engage with each other in the town’’ she said.
“It’s been so gratifying to see three generations of people using the space to meet up with each other and socialize.”
“And people are saying it’s so nice to be able to visit a shop without having to spend any money inside as well!”
The project was designed to tackle the problem of social isolation and also to allow different local creatives to make free use of the space to exhibit their work and engage with local people.
The Talk-In Shop has also initiated a democracy project targeting young people between 16 and 26 to try and engage them in the democratic process and then talk about democracy with other local people.
With the intention of creating more active and engaged local citizens aware of the democratic process locally and wider afield.
It’s a grass-roots initiative which is sorely needed in this age of social isolation and it’s great to see Merthyr Tudful leading the way with this.
“My dream would be to have a Talk-In Shop in every town in Wales” said Yvonne Murphy.
Elinor Shaikh( third from right) on her visit to Wales this week. Yours truly second from left.
Post Office Campaigner comes to Wales
A campaigner who has been very active in researching into the Post Office Scandal paid a visit to Wales this week.
Elinor Shaikh has undertaken a huge amount of research into the Post Office Scandal, making use of several Freedom of Information requests to unearth a raft of new evidence about the whole saga.
Her interest in the whole matter was ignited when her local sub-postmaster in the Guilford area was falsely accused of stealing money from the Post Office.
El has taken a particular interest in the history of Noel Thomas( also pictured)- the Ynys Mon sub-postmaster wrongly imprisoned as part of the whole saga-and has subsequently become friendly with the whole Thomas family.
And over the weekend, as part of a visit to see her father who lives locally, she met up with them at the Sea Shanty Restaurant at Trearddur on Ynys Mon.
A Word from Wales was fortunate enough to be invited along as well as I happen to be the ghostwriter of “Llythyr Noel”- which will tell the story of what happened to Noel Thomas, and his long fight to prove his innocence.
It was a privilege for me to meet up with Elinor, who has been such a passionate and eloquent advocate for individuals such as Noel Thomas and others caught up in such a monumental injustice.
Although El is not a Welsh-speaker, she has also been very supportive of my efforts with the book and she will be in attendance at the launch of “Llythyr Noel” in April.
She is also helping with the process of finding a publisher for the English-language version of the book, which will published later this year.
This book will be an updated version of the Welsh language original, taking into account some of the additional evidence which is coming to light during the on-going Public Inquiry into the Post Office Scandal.
A day to love the language as well
With it being Valentine’s Day today( February 13) many people’s attentions have been turning to love.
And with more light reaching us every day by now, today is also a reminder that Spring is on its way which is bound to make the heart pump faster.
But some have been using Valentine’s Day to remind people of the need to love the Welsh language as well.
This meme- such a powerful visual tool in today’s society- has been circulating in Wales today.
The poster reads “ A nation without a language = a nation without a heart”.
The work of promoting the language should be a 365 day a year project of course, but it is useful sometimes to be able to piggyback on particular days in the calendar as well.
As the message can then reach people in unfamiliar and unexpected ways and make them think about love in a different context.
And really how can you ever talk about love in Wales without also mentioning our love for Cymraeg!
Iaith y nefoedd as we say here….
A dyna ni am wythnos arall.
We’ll see you next week.
Aled