As the days lengthened and the flowers started to bloom, GwyrddNi communities across Gwynedd were alive with activity during our Gwanwyn (Spring) season. It was a period filled with opportunities to connect, learn, and take local action on climate and nature.
Here are just some highlights from Gwanwyn GwyrddNi:
🫙Making ‘picalili’, sauerkraut and fizzy carrot sticks: in Dyffryn Ogwen, Claire Mace taught us how to turn cabbage and carrots into a healthy, long-lasting snack with her Fermentation & Pickling Workshop. Meanwhile, at Y Cwt Piclo in Dyffryn Nantlle – which grew out of conversations about what to do with excess produce and aims to reduce food waste – we learnt how to make Piccalilly!
🌎Steve Eaves introduced us to Eco-linguistics: Steve’s work brings together a passion for protecting the natural world with a strong desire to protect the Welsh language and culture, and shows how a different worldview can be discovered through the window of every language. We reflected on how many words to do with family connections and the land have been lost in both Welsh and in English. How many words for plants, for example, did your great-grandmother know compared to you? And what happens to our relationship with the land when these words are lost?
🌳Carwyn Graves, Elinor Gwynn and Gerallt Pennant’s discussion of Yr Iaith yn y Tir (The Language in the Land): This talk, held at Caffi Yr Orsaf, Penygroes, facilitated a discussion on the relationship between language and landscape – and the cafe was full to the brim!
🌿Planting vegetables with Gardd Nant: Participants joined the community garden in Talysarn to get their hands in the soil and get ready for the summer. Gardd Nant is behind Talysarn Community Centre and they are keen for volunteers to join – contact garddnant@yahoo.com for information!
We also had plenty of fun planting and gardening at Gardd Ffrancon, Bethesda; Yr Ardd Wyllt, Penygroes, and Gerddi Maes-y-Plas and Gardd Newydd, Blaenau Ffestiniog/Manod. Learn more about food projects you can get involved with here.
🫖Paned i’r Blaned launched across our five areas: A comfortable space for people to come together and discuss environmental issues through the medium of Welsh, welcoming learners and offering a chance to practice the language while expanding your vocabulary.
We held our first Paned i’r Blaned in Pwllheli, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llanberis, while continuing the ones that started in January in Bethesda, and trialling a climate-themed edition of Clwb Clebran in Penygroes.
Engaging talks in Pwllheli Library by R Gareth Wyn Jones, Rhys Williams + Siôn Williams: On the 3rd of April, R Gareth Wyn Jones, Bangor University, author of Energy and Power – Our Perilous Obsessions and Energy – the Great Driver gave us a fascinating talk about the limitations of our energy system and what we can do differently.
We were joined again on the 16th by Sîon Williams, a local fisherman, and Rhys Williams, and agricultural consultant, to hear first hand how climate change is affecting their work and what we they are doing differently in our discussion: Agriculture, the Sea, and Biodiversity.
🍕Sharing seeds and pizza at the Pen Llŷn Seed Bank: An Open Day at the Seed Bank in Llangwnadl offered seed swapping, talks, and pizza made with vegetables from the garden.
📽️Ffilm night – River: We had a great turnout in Llanberis for the screening of River (2021), a “cinematic and musical odyssey” that explores the remarkable relationship between humans and rivers.
🪡Repair cafes: Several repair cafes were held in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Penygroes and Bethel – with a guest workshop in Bethel on the 13th of April on Visible Mending – how to creatively fix your clothes while working the ‘fix’ into the design!
🐰We also partnered with many organisations such as Snowdonia Society, Ffiws, and Ffrindiau Pwllheli to support a number of collaborative events.
The energy and enthusiasm shown during Gwanwyn GwyrddNi was inspiring. From deepening our connection to the land through language and stories to practical steps like growing food, reducing waste, and supporting biodiversity, our communities are showing us the power of local climate action.
Stay tuned for Haf GwyrddNi, which will take place between July 19th – August 3rd!
GwyrddNi is a community-based, community-led climate action movement that brings people together in five areas of Gwynedd to discuss, share and act locally to tackle climate change.
Whether you want to help out from time to time with community gardening or you’re able get more deeply involved with one of our many projects, get in touch! We are supporting groups to create more vibrant, resilient communities, focusing on areas like energy, transport, housing, food, waste, nature and sharing skills and resources.