Writing For Radio – An Introduction by Libby Allison
Posted: 8th April 2010
Held at Llanfyllin Youth and Community Centre
6th/7th February and 6th/7th Match 2010
The course was held on two weekends with a break in the middle in which to go away and write our scripts. It is accredited by Aberystwyth University and leads to 10 credits at level 1 towards a Higher Certificate in Creative Writing. It was also financially subsidised by the University.
The course covered developing characters, pace, setting the scene, sound effects and layout and presentation of a finished script.
After listening to some excerpts of radio dramas and some exercises in the use of language and characterisation we set about writing a short drama in small groups. Luckily the group I was in worked well together and we seemed to be on the same wavelength. At the end of the first weekend we had our plot and then had the intervening four weeks to work as a group to produce a finished play. In the intervening period we also had to produce an individual drama of 5 minutes duration. Both of these were acted out at over the second weekend. After which we would make any alterations to our individual plays that resulted from group feedback. I had been thinking about trying my hand at writing drama for some time and was delighted to have this opportunity to gain some insight and experience in the process. Having completed the course, I now feel inspired and equipped to do this.
There were 10 of us on the course and we all came away feeling very positive. Some are discussing the possibility further courses with the tutor. Course members came from the Llanfyllin area, Newtown, Welshpool, Wallasey and Cardiff.
I would like to put my new found skills to use by collaborating with some of the group to produce an evening of radio entertainment. Each dramatist would use local people to act and produce sound effects. Although the course was aimed at writing for radio I feel that many of the skills and techniques learnt are readily transferable to writing for the stage and could be of use in future local productions.
Thank you to Arts Connection for their help with a training grant and also in arranging the venue.
Welsh communities recognised by UN for making poverty history
Posted: 1st March 2010
Three Welsh and three African communities will be honoured this St. David’s Day with the award of a United Nations Gold Star for their contribution towards making poverty history, building friendships and broadening horizons between Wales and Africa.
The volunteer-run community partnerships - between Hay-on-Wye in Powys and Timbuktu in Mali, Llanfyllin in Montgomeryshire and Kamuli in Northern Uganda, and Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taff and Mbale in Eastern Uganda – are supported by the Wales Africa Community Links project of the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), with funding from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Wales for Africa scheme.
While their projects may sound like achievements of great international agencies, these links are rooted in friendship between ordinary people in Welsh and African communities who are exchanging skills, knowledge and understanding.
The UN Gold Star Awards event at the Senedd celebrates the achievements of volunteers and community groups who are building Wales’ relations with the world, in pursuit of sustainable development and overcoming poverty and injustice.
The awards, which will be presented by First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones AM and guest UN Representative, Ms Berta Pesti, were assessed by an independent panel of international development experts with the endorsement of the UN. Five awards will be presented to three communities for their impact on youth, health, livelihoods and the environment in the communities involved:
- Llanfyllin and Kamuli, Uganda – UN Youth Gold Star
- Hay-on-Wye and Timbuktu, Mali – UN Health Gold Star
- Hay-on-Wye and Timbuktu, Mali – UN Livelihoods Gold Star
- Pontypridd and Mbale - UN Livelihoods Gold Star
- Pontypridd and Mbale - UN Environment Gold Star
Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales, said: “It is fitting that on this our tenth St. David’s Day since devolution, we’re celebrating Wales’ achievements as an outward looking, confident nation; a nation of strong communities, learning from others - and making a difference in the world that would make St. David proud. It is humbling to see the innovation of these Wales-Africa community links, and the support they have from the Welsh people, and I hope to reflect this support through strengthening our Wales-Africa programme over the year ahead, towards a ‘new decade’ of Welsh internationalism.”
Dolen Ffermio’s input:
Dolen Ffermio’s Gold Star Award is for their work in particular on the Kumi Orphan Project, the School Exchange Programme and the Photo Diary Project.
The Kumi Orphan Project provides goats, laying hens and orange tree seedlings to young orphans within the families who have taken them in, together with training in how to care for them. This not only improves their diet but they are able to sell surplus produce to buy their school uniform and pay for their secondary school fees and other essentials. This helps to keep them in school and gives them skills and security for their future. Older orphans are given specialised training so that they can train and supervise the younger orphans, which gives them increased confidence and improves their life chances.
The School Exchange Programme is funded by the British Council’s Reciprocal Visit Grant and has helped to forge strong links between Busoga and Llanfyllin High Schools, Kamuli Boys’ and Llanfechain Primary Schools and Reverend Nayenga and Llansanffraid Primary Schools. In November 2008 three Ugandan teachers came over for a most enjoyable and successful exchange visit and three Welsh teachers paid their return trip the following February, which was equally enlightening and rewarding. In October 2009 Barbara Maycock took a group of Llanfyllin High School sixth formers to Uganda – accompanied by 13 desk top computers which they helped to install in the link schools and are of great benefit to pupils and staff alike.
The Photo Diary Project is led by Cordelia Weedon, a professional photographer from Llanfyllin, and Emmanuel Maraka of Kumi and has proved to be very rewarding in both Wales and Uganda. The aim is to enable youngsters to capture insights into their lives from their own perspective and to share their experiences with each other through the photo diaries which they have produced. The Gold Star Programme funded Emmanuel’s visit to Wales in November 2008 to start the Project here and Arts Connection funded Llanfechain and Llansanffraid Primary Schools to take part. In October 2009 Cordelia made a visit to Uganda to continue the Project there and has returned with a large number of inspiring photo diary projects which are in display in the Arts Connection building in Llanfyllin.
All of these links are enriching the lives of children, young people and the whole community in both countries and Dolen Ffermio is building on them to encourage further links between Montgomeryshire and Kumi and Kamuli in Eastern Uganda.
Canolfan Hydggen Bro Dyfi, Machynlleth Commission
Posted: 1st May 2009
Stan Jankwowski carried out workshops with local groups in Machynlleth and created a copper dragon which you can see on the front of Canolfan Hyddgen.
The project was made possible due to funding from Powys County Council’s Community Focused Schools initiative and was facilitated by us.
Canolfan Hydggen Bro Dyfi, Machynlleth Commission
Posted: 9th February 2009
Pippa Taylor, a sculptor from Machynlleth has been leading wood carving workshops with local community groups, the youth club and sixth formers all around Machynlleth. All the groups contributed to the wooden mural, which depicts the tree of learning and is on permanent display outside the entrance to the Bro Dyfi Post 16 Training Centre.
The project was made possible due to funding from Powys County Council’s Community Focused Schools initiative and was facilitated by us.
Maes-y-Dre Commission
Posted: 17th January 2009
Ingrid Maugham has been working at Maes-y-Dre School in Welshpool to create a mural for the entrance way. People from the local community and from the schools Maes-y-Dre, Oldford, Ardwyn and Gungrog were all involved in creating the themes and ideas for the mural. This was a partnership project with Community Focused Schools.
Storytelling Workshops in North Powys with Mair Tomos Ifans
Posted: 24th July 2008
I visited nine primary schools in North Powys - Llanfair Caereinion, Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant, Llanerfyl, Pennant- Penybontfawr, Pontrobert, Llanfihangel yng Ngwynfa, Efyrnwy – Llanwyddyn, Y Banw – Llangadfan and Llanfyllin.
In general Welsh was the medium of the storytelling and workshop sessions – apart from a few sessions where English medium classes were part of the project. e.g. Ysgol Llanfair Caereinion and Llanfyllin. The size of the schools was very varied as was the language medium. Each school had its own requirements and I did my best to work within those needs.
I had the opportunity to work with each year within many of the schools e.g. Efyrnwy, Llangadfan and Pennant – a morning session with Key Stage 1 and an afternoon session with Key Stage 2 or vice versa. In Llanrhaeadr y Mochnant I worked only with the children from the Welsh medium stream – but the English medium pupils came to see a showing of their work telling the tale of Branwen. In Llanfyllin and Llanfair Caereinion two year five classes were chosen – one Welsh medium and one English medium – and both classes had a half day workshop. In Llanerfyl I worked throughout the day with Key Stage 2 – working with them in a variety of locations – the classroom, the playing field, the garden. I also worked with the whole school outside in the garden at Llanfihangel. In Ponrobert I had the opportunity to work with the children in their local park which was a lovely experience. I enjoyed the variety that each school visit gave to me and the creative processes and challenges that were created as I adapted the work to meet the various circumstances.
I told a variety of tales including Branwen, Cantre’r Gwaelod, Melangell, Y Dyfrgi Coch (The Red Otter), Y Delyn Aur ( The Golden Harp ) , Idris Gawr, Gelert, Dyn Gwyrdd y Gwernan ( The Green Man of the Gwernan ), Haul Llanfabon , Owain Glyndwr and Huw Sele and Blodeuwedd; but also I learnt a number of new tales from the pupils and the teachers including Gwiber Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant, the frog/toad of Llanwddyn and Llanerfyl’s version of their Gwiber. I played a number of airs on the harp eg Cader Idris, Gwyr Harlech, Pwt ar y Bys and taught the children to sing a few songs including Ar lan y Mor , Clychau Aberdyfi ( The Bells of Aberdyfi ) and Hwb Hawen Cadi Ha. With the youngest of the children I sang many well know Nursery Rhymes.
I would usually tell a tale e.g. Branwen or Cantre’r Gwaleod or Y Delyn Aur and then create a drama/story workshop based on the tale and then repeat the tale with the children depicting it through various character based work and movement. If there was time left at the end of the session I would share more tales with the children and they would share some of theirs with me.
The children’s reaction was very heartening at all the schools, and their enthusiasm infectious; sometimes I would be enjoying myself so much that I and the children would forget that it was break or dinner time! The memory of one or two of the children will remain with me for a long time – the little boy at Ysgol Pennant who was practically on my knees because he wanted to be as close as possible to the story; the English medium children in Ysgol Llanfair Caereinion who were rather reluctant to react at the beginning of the session but who left with ‘Thank you – that was cool’; a group of boisterous boys at Ysgol Llanfyllin who created a remarkable dance for the Feast Scene in Cantre’r Gwaelod; the broad smile of one or two very shy children as they first felt the harp strings under their fingers. Enjoyable experiences.
I was warmly welcomed at all the schools; I did not feel like an outsider anywhere. A big thank you to all the schools and to Arts Connections Powys for the opportunity. I hope that we can work together again in the future.
Exhibition
Posted: 23rd April 2007
Arts Connection have organised an exhibition for 28th April in the Youth & Community Centre, Llanfyllin from 11am-4pm. The work being exhibited is the culmination of a variety of arts projects that happened with a wide range of organsations based in Llanfyllin.
Charity Status
Posted: 11th January 2007
Arts Connection is currently considering becoming a Charity. This decision will be made by the 30th January which will bring Arts Connection into a new phase and an exciting future.
