From the London Welsh Trust and Association at

Grays Inn Roadwww.londonwelsh.org

LWCLMai/May 2012 • Rhif/Issue 63 £2.00

l

Cylchgrawn Cymry LlundainThe magazine of the London Welsh

Philip Madoc tribute P13

2 LWCLl O’R GANOLFAN/FROM THE CENTRE

The London Welsh Centre is on the move.Our new Chief Executive Rhian Jones andher team are taking the Centre forwardwith new ideas, publicity and above all hardwork. In the last three months we stagedour first “St David’s Day Festival”, a seriesof successful Six Nations days, a SwanseaCity supporters’ evening, a photographexhibition, a Welsh student gig and built onour Welsh teaching programme. IainRichards as Cultural Development Officeris coordinating these activities into acoherent cultural programme that willevolve to serve the full range of interestswithin the London Welsh community. As this programme developsRhian and Iain are doing a great job building our reputation as ahigh-profile Welsh venue in London and they deserve our fullsupport. Please contact Iain with ideas for cultural events you wouldlike to see at the Centre, and keep up-to-date atwww.londowelsh.org.uk, on Facebook (search Canolfan CymryLlundain) and on Twitter @LondonWelshCCLL.

Rhian has recently faced a particular challenge caused by theretirement of two valuable members of staff. Aleine Kearsley andIola Bilson have given many years of loyal service to the Centre andon behalf of the Trustees I want to thank them as they begin theirretirement. New faces at the Centre will do their best to replace Iolaand Aleine so please make the new staff members feel welcome.

There will be a great opportunity to meet all the staff and thevolunteers involved in the running of the Centre at the AGM on 11thJune 2012. This year, as in 2011, we will be celebrating theachievements of the past twelve months. If you would like tonominate individuals or groups for special recognition for theirservice to the Centre this year, please send a short email or letter toRhian or myself at the Centre. We continue to look for more

support at an Officerand Trustee level. Ifyou are interested inhelping the Centreby becoming aTrustee at thisimportant time inthe Centre’s history,please do get intouch.

The AGM willalso focus oncompleting somevery importantbehind-the-sceneswork at the Centre,

namely, delivering a constitution that cansupport our ambitious plans. At the meetingthe Trustees will be proposing importantchanges that will reshape the organisationsthat make up the “Centre” (the London WelshTrust, the London Welsh Association and theLondon Welsh Association Club) to makethem more transparent and user-friendly.

The fact that the Centre has threeorganisations based within it will surprisemany and very few of those that know theyexist have a clear understanding of thegovernance structure of the Centre. Ourstructure is costing us money in lost gift aid,

and leaves the Centre potentially exposed to regulatory andoperational difficulties as our procedures are overtaken bytechnological developments and recent charity and companylegislation. Moreover, we need to attract new skills and input at aTrustee level. The current over-complicated constitutiondiscourages new faces simply because they do not have the time totrawl through a library of paperwork to understand their role. Wehope to address both these issues by updating the constitution withchanges that will be proposed at the AGM.

The changes will not result in any immediate modifications tothe look of the Centre. Over time however we are confident that thechanges will equip the Centre with a constitution that will allow usto expand our activities, strengthen our governance and grow andprosper for decades to come. We have taken independent legaladvice and are proposing the changes as the right balance ofefficiency, transparency and good governance. You will be able tosee the details of the proposed changes on our website in duecourse. On behalf of the Trustees I encourage you to support themat the AGM.

One of the reasons for changing the constitution is to allow theCentre to claim gift aid on the entire amount of your membershipsubscriptions. This change will be a cost-free boost to the Centre’sincome but will require the account into which subscriptions arepaid (and therefore standing orders) to be changed. We will alsoreview the membership structure to ensure that we are deliveringthe right options for users and supporters to help maintain a Welshcultural presence in London. I will write separately to explain therelevant changes in advance of the AGM. On behalf of the Trustees,thanks again for your continuing support and patience through thisperiod of great change and great excitement for the London WelshCentre.

Alex Meredith, Chairman

Send any feedback on any aspect of the Centre totourdekaz@yahoo.co.uk, or find me on Twitter: @admeredith,Facebook or Linkedin.

LWCLl - The Magazine of the London Welsh

Published by The London Welsh Association. 157 Grays Inn Road, London WCIX 8UE. Telephone: 020 7837 3722 www.cymryllundain.org.uk / www.londonwelsh.org.ukEDITORIAL TEAM: Eirlys Bebb, Theo Brueton, Rita Clark,David Daniel, Gordon Roberts, Bob Trevor and Gethin Williams.DESIGN SUPPORT: Taliesin Communications.ADVERTISING: Rita Clark. PRINTED BY: Y LolfaEditorial contributions may be sent to the addressabove or, preferably, emailed to Rita@ritaclark.co.ukAdvertisers may also contact Rita Clark Views expressed in this publication must not be takenas necessarily representing those of the London WelshAssociation. The London Welsh Trust is a Registered Charity. Thisstatement is given to support any advertisement whichappears in the columns of London Welsh Magazine fromtime to time in the name of the Trust and deemed, interms of the Act, to be fundraising.

Reshaping ‘the trinity’ - new constitutionwill deliver strength for growth

Front cover picture: London Welsh President Huw Edwards and Philip Madoc. See page 13. Photo by John Downing. Copy from contributors and advertisers is required by July 1 for inclusion in the next issue.

Aleine, Alex and Iola

O’R GANOLFAN/FROM THE CENTRE LWCLl 3

Upping the tempo - London Welsh Sessions bring psychedelic rock to the CentreA great start to the new season of The London Welsh Sessions incollaboration with Huw Stevens. Filmed by BBC Wales, asubstantial crowd was treated to a fine lineup consisting ofharpist/singer/songwriter Georgia Ruth Williams from Aberystwyth,and indie/psychedelic rock band Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog.

Georgia says that she took up the harp in order to avoid violinlessons, but the fiddle’s loss is our gain! Hardly looking old enoughto be allowed in the bar, and backed with great empathy by theCowbois’ rhythm section, she treated us to a full hourof her songs on the subject of the strangeness ofrelationships, with a voice of exceptional purity thatconjured up visions of Sandy Denny and AlisonKrauss. Her unusual and beautiful chord voicings onthe harp are very guitaristic, and meshed beautifullywith the electric backing – a very difficult feat to pulloff. The audience was spellbound, and you couldhave heard the proverbial pin drop during her set –wonderful stuff!

It’s been a while since the Cowbois last paid us avisit, and it was interesting to see how the band hasdeveloped since then. Brothers Iwan, Aled andDafydd Hughes, with guitarist Llyr “Tonto” Pari andrecently-added member Branwen “Sbrings” Williamson keyboards and vocals, are a noticeably tighter andmore assured outfit after another year’s-worth ofgigs. Their set started off fairly low-key but builtsteadily as the evening progressed, and definitely hitanother level when bassman Aled switchedinstruments and contributed fiery lead guitar lines ontheir rockier material. The consensus in the audiencewas that their set would have profited from a couplemore up-tempo songs, but nevertheless they reached

a satisfying climax of controlled psychedelic mayhem, amplyjustifying their position as headlining act.

Altogether it was a fine start to the new season of gigs, andmany thanks to Huw Stevens, Robert Jones and new CulturalOfficer Iain Richards for getting it underway with a bang. The nextLondon Welsh Sessions is on Friday 11th May – put it in your diariesnow!

Mitch Palmer

Photo: Caroline Derry

Youth choir entertains ahead of Urdd Eisteddfod challengeThe London branch of the Urdd choir, Côr yr Aelwyd entertained themasses at the London Welsh Centre bar in the St David’s dayconcert and sing-along.

The choir performed a set, including some of the pieces theywould sing at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Jewin later in the month, and

then led the crowd in a series of patriotic and rousing hymns,including Cwm Rhondda, Calon Lân and Gwahoddiad.

Two particular highlights were the entire rendition of Hymns andArias (very timely given the previous weekend’s result at Twickers)and a unique version of Oes Gafr Eto.

Côr yr Aelwyd sing on St David’s Day at the Centre.

Dysgu Cymraeg? Learning Welsh?Saturday, 16 June 2012, 9.30 am - 5pm

The London Welsh Centre, 157-163 Gray's Inn Road WC1X 8UE

£30 for the entire day, which includes sandwich lunch, tea, coffee andbiscuits, or £25 without lunch. We offer a variety of courses suitable to yourlevel, including complete beginners. Classes will run at levels where there issufficient demand so to avoid disappointment please register in good time!

The deadline for registration is June 1.

Further information and registration forms are available fromcymraeg.llundain@gmail.com or by contacting Danielle Mercy at 020 8427

0173. Join us on Facebook: Welsh Learners London / Dysgwyr Cymraeg Llundain.

Croeso i ddysgwyr o bob safon, gan gynnwys dechreuwyr newydd. Dysgwch a mwynhewch yr iaith hynaf ym Mhrydain mewn awyrgylch

gyfeillgar gyda thiwtoriaid profiadol. P'un ai ydych yn siaradwr profiadol neuar fin dechrau, byddwch yn gallu datblygu eich sgiliau cyfathrebu a gwneud

ffrindiau newydd.

4 LWCLl O’R GANOLFAN/FROM THE CENTRE

Dear all,We are all taking a momentto catch our breath at theLondon Welsh Centre aftera busy few months.

Spring has sprung andwith it a real wave ofoptimism, helped in nosmall measure by thesuccess of our national rugby team and a series of events tocelebrate St David’s day.

We have welcomed hundreds of people to the Centre over thepast couple of months. Many are old friends but also so manynew faces, with countless opportunities to show off all that’sgreat about the Centre.

Some of the recent highlights are included in the magazine.Special thanks go to Brace’s bakery, South Wales, who donatedWelsh cakes for our St David’s Open Day.

We welcomed over 200 people on 1 March and some of theCentre’s longest standing members were featured in an article inthe Camden New Journal.

However, it’s not just about short-term gains and one-offevents. We are committed to the longer-term vision, which iswhy we are investing so much time and effort into our lettingsbusiness. Ensuring a healthy return on our daytime commercialactivities is key to the future of the Centre and we are calling onmembers and supporters to become London Welsh Centreambassadors.

Please get involved in any way you can - by helping out withthe daily running of the Centre or letting others know how greatit is to come here. We are attending the National Eisteddfod inthe Vale of Glamorgan from August 4 – 11 and enthusiastic anddynamic volunteers are needed to help on the stand. Please letme know if you would like to lend a hand.

We hope our Spring programme of events has a littlesomething for everyone. Please keep on visiting the website forupdates and further details of all developments.

With this wave of optimism comes a reality check and anappreciation that there are many challenges ahead. We have afantastic old building here on Grays Inn Road, but it does requiresubstantial upkeep, which involves time and money.

I cannot sign off without paying tribute to two stalwarts ofthe London Welsh Centre. Iola Bilson and Aleine Kearsley whohave both retired as administrators. Their contribution over theyears is of Olympic-sized proportions. Thank you both for all yourhard work and commitment to the cause.

Enjoy reading the magazine, thanks to all who make it happen.Hwyl!Rhianrhian@lwcentre.demon.co.uk / 0207 837 3722 /www.londonwelsh.org

It’s a marathon, not a sprint – now searchis on for more to carry baton

Annwyl bawb,Mae wedi bod yn gyfnod prysur yng Nghanolfan CymryLlundain felly mae hwn yn gyfle i ni gyd gymryd rhyw saib bach.

Mae’r Gwanwyn wedi dyfod gyda chwa o awyr iach. Yn sicrmae llwyddiant y tîm rygbi cenedlaethol a digwyddiadau iddathlu Gŵyl Ddewi wedi cyfrannu at y teimlad cadarnhaolhynny.

Rydym wedi croesawu cannoedd o bobl i’r Ganolfan dros ymisoedd diwethaf. Mae llawer ohonynt yn hen ffrindiau ondgwelsom gynifer o wynebau newydd hefyd a bu hyn yn gyfle ifrolio pob dim sy’n wych am y Ganolfan.

Mae sawl rheswm i fod yn hapus. Mae rhai o’ruchafbwyntiau diweddar wedi eu cynnwys yn y cylchgrawn.Rhoddwn ddiolch arbennig i bopty Brace’s yn Ne Cymru aroddodd pice ar y maen am ddim i ni ar gyfer ein DiwrnodAgored ar Fawrth 1af. Daeth dros 200 o bobl yma ar ddyddGŵyl Dewi a rhoddwyd sylw i rai o hoelion wyth y Ganolfanmewn erthygl yn y Camden New Journal (mae hwn i’w weldmewn ffrâm ar hysbysfwrdd y Ganolfan erbyn hyn).

Ond nid buddion tymor-byr a digwyddiadau unigol yw einunig ffocws. Rydym yn ymroi i’r weledigaeth tymor-hir, a dynapam rydym yn buddsoddi cymaint o amser ac ymdrech yn einbusnes llogi ystafelloedd. Mae sicrhau elw iachus ar eingweithgareddau masnachol dyddiol yn allweddol i ddyfodol yGanolfan.

Rydym yn galw ar aelodau a chefnogwyr i fod ynllysgenhadon Canolfan Cymry Llundain a mae manylion ar sut iwneud hyn ar ein gwefan. Chwaraewch ran ym mha bynnagffordd y gallwch; drwy helpu gyda materion o ddydd i ddyddneu yn syml trwy roi gwybod i eraill sut brofiad gwych yw bodyn rhan o’r Ganolfan. Rydym yn mynychu’r EisteddfodGenedlaethol ym Mro Morgannwg rhwng Awst 4ydd – 11fed acrydym yn edrych am wirfoddolwyr brwdfrydig a deinamig i’ncynorthwyo ar y stondin. Rhowch wybod os hoffech roi helpllaw.

Gobeithiwn bod ein rhaglen ar gyfer y Gwanwyn yn cynnigrhywbeth at ddant pawb. Cofiwch ymweld gyda’n gwefan ynrheolaidd er mwyn cael y manylion diweddaraf.

Tra’n mwynhau’r holl bethau cadarnhaol sydd yn digwyddar hyn o bryd, rhaid wynebu’r gwirionedd a chydnabod bodsawl her yn ein hwynebu hefyd. Mae gennym hen adeiladgwych ar Grays Inn Road, ond sydd ag angen tipyn o waithcynnal a chadw, a hynny yn golygu amser ac arian. Gwnawn eingorau i ddarparu lleoliad sy’n ddiogel ac yn groesawgar i’n staff,aelodau ac ymwelwyr.

Ni allaf orffen heb dalu teyrnged i ddwy o ffyddloniaidCanolfan Cymry Llundain, Iola Bilson ac Aleine Kearsley , ahynny ar achlysur eu hymddeoliad ar ddiwedd mis Mawrth.Mae eu cyfraniad dros y blynyddoedd wedi bod yn anferthol.Diolch i’r ddwy ohonoch am eich gwaith caled a’ch ymroddiadtuag at yr achos. Mwynhewch y cylchgrawn, a diolch i bawbsy’n cyfrannu at ei lwyddiant.Hwyl!Rhian

O’R GANOLFAN/FROM THE CENTRE LWCLl 5

Room hire at the London Welsh CentreGreat rates. Spot-on location. Warm Welcome.

www.londonwelsh.org

Llongyfarchiadau - CongratulationsTo Rev Peter Dewi Richards and his bride Mair on theirmarriage at Castle Street Chapel in the spring. Priodas Dda i chieich Dau.

To Richard and Delyth Rowlands (Clapham) on celebratingtheir Ruby wedding.

To Elian Evans (Clapham) on the arrival of anothergreat-grandaughter, Isla Ann.

To Colin (Past LWT Chairman) and Prydwen Jones, on thebirth of another grandson, Walter Alwyn, a brother for HenryTomos.

Our Sincere Sympathy is offered to Margaret Davies, formerly of the Drama group, on the death ofher mother Mrs Olive McColl who was an active member ofthe London Welsh Association.

We also remember the family and friends of WendyHalden in their grief at Wendy’s death, and especially herhusband Howard. Wendy was well known to members of theLondon Welsh Association because of her long association withthe Gwalia Male Voice Choir.

She was a member of the renowned Bach Choir and washead of music at the Ellen Wilkinson school in Acton. Wendymaintained her friendships forever and so it is not surprisingthat these friends came from far and wide to her funeral at StIlltyd’s Church in Pembrey. God bless you Wendy. Bendith Arnoch i Gyd

Best Wishes To a number of our members and friends who have undergonehospital treatment.

Sian Busby who with Rita Clark was responsible fororganising the wonderful exhibition of the History of the Welshin London which was on display over St. Davids Day.

Margaret Jones ( Borough Chapel ) and to Shan Jones(London Welsh Chorale ) who has had to undergo majorsurgery while struggling with the news of the death of hersister Tegwen’s husband in New York.Brysiwch Wella yn Fuan

From Hairspray to Lion,Witch and Wardrobe –Centre is first choice fortheatre and TVThere’s no such thing as a normal day at the London WelshCentre. Take the other week. The cast of the Lion, the Witch andthe Wardrobe were busy rehearsing in the Main Hall – only takinga break to carry in an 8 foot prosthetic lion from a delivery vanoutside.

Aberystwyth Arts Centre were auditioning for the musical‘Hairspray’ in the lower hall, hence the crowds of nervous lookingperformers gathered in our comfortable lounge area.

There was a one-to-one business mentoring session takingplace in the peace and quiet of Room A. And in the bar, journalistand commentator Eddie Butler and the BBC Sports Wales crewwere filming a documentary about the history of the Welsh in theOlympics.

In fact, in recent months, the London Welsh Centre hasappeared on Channel 4 news and on National TV in Azerbaijan!

For further details of hiring rooms at the London WelshCentre, please visit www.londonwelsh.org/room-hireSpecial discounted rates for London Welsh Centre members!

Sports journalist and commentator Eddie Butler receives a warm welcome whilstfilming at the London Welsh Centre recently

Centre team welcomes youngmedicThe London Welsh Centre has appointed Abdul Rahyead aspart-time Administrative Assistant. Abdul lives locally with hisfamily and has close ties with Cardiff. He is a first year medicalstudent and will be focussing on the financial administration ofthe Centre’s activities.

We welcome Abdul to the London Welsh Centre family andwish him all the best in his new role.

The Gwalia has had some interesting and varied engagements over the pastcouple of months, singing at a stag do, a radio show, the Millennium Stadiumand a wedding.

The Stag do was held in the cellar of a pub in Soho called the Sun and 13Cantons. The Stag was a Welshman, known as “belly”! He was true to hisnickname and was dressed in a lurid red one-piece suit with a balloon tomake his belly look even bigger than it was.

It was the day of the England v Wales Six Nations tie and we had beeninvited to stay and watch the game with them after we’d sung.

The stag party joined with the choir in singing several Welsh songs andSwing Low Sweet Chariot (I should mention here that half the stag party wereEnglish!) A very enjoyable afternoon was made particularly pleasant byWales’s victory over England! Many thanks are due to our compère MarkBevan who dealt extremely well with an ever so slightly drunken audience!

On St. David’s Day, the choir were invited to sing on the Robert Elmsshow for BBC Radio London. We had a quick rehearsal in the corridor in

BBC Broadcasting House, which was much appreciated by some of thestaff! Then we were invited into a small studio where Robert Elms waspresenting his live programme. Both Alex Meredith and our guestconductor Haydn James were briefly interviewed about the London WelshCentre and the Gwalia. We then proceeded to sing Calon Lan and CwmRhondda. The studio was very cramped with a low ceiling, but we gave agood account of ourselves and had a very enjoyable day.

On 17 March, the Gwalia were privileged to join three other choirs – CôrCantorion Colin Jones, the Rhos MVC and Dinas Bran Ensemble – in singingon the pitch at the Millennium Stadium at the Grand Slam match betweenWales and France. As Musical Director of the Welsh RFU, Haydn James wasof course conducting us. Tom Jones was there to help us sing Delilahtogether with Barry Mason, joint composer of the song. It was an exhilaratingexperience to sing at the Millennium Stadium and our day was then madecomplete by Wales’s victory over France, so the Gwalia now joins that selectgroup of choirs who can claim to have sung on the pitch at a Welsh GrandSlam!

It was a truly memorable day and we thank Haydn for inviting theGwalia to take part. The following week, the Gwalia sang at a weddingreception in at Wotton House in Dorking, Surrey. We sang a number oftraditional Welsh numbers and as the bridegroom was from Liverpool and agreat Liverpool FC fan, we also sang You’ll never walk alone. The guests werevery appreciative and we retired to a local hostelry for a traditionalpost-concert knees-up.

For details of our forthcoming engagements over the next few months,please see our website at: www.gwaliamalevoicechoir.org.uk.

David Hurlbut

6 LWCLl CORAU/CHOIRS

From Soho stag night to the Millenium Stadium – Gwalia entertains

World Premiere for Joseph Parry’s long lost Te DeumChoraleIn March, the Chorale continued its 30th Anniversary Season with anunusually early spring concert performed in the wonderful surroundingsof St Clement Danes Church in the Strand as part of the BrandenburgSpring Choral Festival.

We are busy rehearsing two summer events. Firstly, over theDiamond Jubilee weekend, we will be in Pontypridd to give a concert atSt Catherine’s Church on 2 June.

This is a charity concert to celebrate 125 years of the GlamorganMission to the Deaf in Pontypridd.

And secondly the Chorale is preparing a world première. On 14 Julyat St Giles Cripplegate we will sing Joseph Parry’s newly discovered TeDeum. Parry composed some of Wales’ best-known and best-loved

hymn tunes, popular to this day. It is a significant event for Welsh musicto find a previously unknown work by a major Welsh composer and weare delighted to have the opportunity to give it its first ever performance.We are pleased to announce that the concert will be dedicated to Ken tomark his 80th birthday this year. The role of the Narrator will beperformed by Martin, Lord Thomas of Gresford, our Honorary President.We are grateful to Tŷ Cerdd, the Centre for Welsh Music based at theMillennium Centre in Cardiff, for their support for this concert.

There will be more in the next edition of the magazine of our plansto hold an evening in October this year dedicated to Joseph Parry toshare more of this important musical story with the London Welshcommunity.

Lynne Tew

Photo: Reb

ecca

Hea

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Cor Gwalia Grand Slam

Wendy JonesWe begin on a sad note to tell you of the death of Wendy Jonesnee Halden who passed away in March. Wendy was the Gwalia’saccompanist for many years and then became our conductor in1981 until she stepped down from the role 15 years later. Sheretired to live in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire. Wendy was anexcellent musician and led the Gwalia to victory at the NationalEisteddfod in 1986. We would like to extend our deepestsympathy to her widower Howard and all her family.

DIGWYDDIADAU/EVENTS LWCLl 7

Most modern politicians spend several years of low-profile grindat the party coalface before climbing the hierarchy atWestminster. Peter Hain’s journey has been far more colourful.So it was with great pleasure that we welcomed one of the mostinfluential characters in Welsh public affairs to the London WelshCentre to discuss hiscontroversial autobiography“Outside In” and to hear moreabout the stories andpersonalities that feature in it.

One character that appearsin the book needed no furtherintroduction. Few at the Centrewould have been aware thatGwalia bass, Bob Trevor, wasinvolved in Peter’s attempts todisrupt the 1969 Springbokrugby tour of England andWales. Peter described theclandestine operations requiredto mobilise protestors againstthe best efforts of the police andright wing political lobbies.Ultimately it was a successfulcampaign leading to an early end to the Springbok tour and thecancellation of the following year’s cricket tour, arguably Peter’sfinest hour.

The Seventies were not always triumphant however. Peterrecalled how a letter bomb mercifully failed to explode in 1972,followed by the court-room drama of a conspiracy trial. Hisdifficulties at the hands of the South African secret serviceculminated with a farcical attempt to frame him for a bankrobbery in Putney in 1976. Peter gave the impression that he hadmoved on and forgiven those responsible for his treatment duringthis time, including elements of the British media. This contrastedmarkedly with Peter’s approach to the coverage of the ElectoralCommission investigation and his subsequent resignation fromthe Cabinet following his deputy leadership bid in 2007. Whereasthe attacks on his politics in the seventies and eighties were asource of strength, being scape-goated by his political enemiesduring the expenses scandal will not be forgotten. Thecontroversy surrounding comments in the book about a judicialappointment in Northern Ireland had not surfaced at the time.The arcane case now being brought by the attorney general looksset to add another episode to Peter’s extraordinary series of legalscuffles.

Peter spoke candidly about his time as Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland, and the challenges posed in trying to bring Rev

Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams/Martin McGuinness together ingovernment. Tales of Ian Paisley’s birthday party and GerryAdams’ penchant for horticulture flowed, though perhaps themost surprising revelation of the evening was MartinMcGuinness’ love of cricket.

Peter also needed conflictresolution skills in his role asMinister for Africa, for Europe inthe Foreign Office andparticipating in a Cabinetcontaining Tony Blair andGordon Brown. In describing theCabinet meetings of that timehe discussed the decision to goto war with Iraq. Petermaintained that he stillconsiders the Cabinet to havemade the correct decision giventhe facts available at the time,admitting that the call hereceived from Nelson Mandelato criticise the decision shortlyafterwards was a uniqueopportunity for reflection.

Inevitably Wales and devolution were popular topics for thequestions from the floor. Peter confirmed that one of hisproudest political achievements had been the Government ofWales Act 2006 that would eventually lead to greater powers forthe Welsh Assembly. He expressed doubts as to the likelihood ofScotland choosing independence in the short term, sounding acautionary note as to how independence would be received byEuropean nations trying to preserve their federal structuresagainst the pulls from separatist regions.

Peter Hain’s career has been an unusually varied journey sofar, spanning continents and engaging in the full spectrum ofleft-wing politics. To hear him discussing it in person wasenthralling. As his book and recollections confirmed, the captureof the Neath parliamentary seat in 1991 marked the end of themost radical phase of his career and the beginning of a moretypical political journey, punctuated by personal battles,bureaucratic frustrations and shaped by an overriding survivalinstinct. Peter explained that his philosophy is to try to be an“all-or-something person, not an all-or-nothing person”. It is thispragmatism that has kept Peter at the top of politics for overtwenty years, and though it has taken him that long to visit theCentre, after such an engaging discussion, we hope to welcomehim back to Gray’s Inn Road very soon.

Alex Meredith

Shadow Secretary for Wales, his anti-apartheidcampaign and the London Welsh informant…An Audience with Peter Hain

Henry RichardBrynhawn Sul, Ebrill 1 2012, Sul y Blodau daeth cynulliad teilwngynghyd wrth fedd Cymro amlwg ym mynwent Abney Park, StokeNewington. Pwrpas y cyfarfod oedd dathlu daucanmlwyddiant geniHenry Richard yn Nhregaron ar 3 Ebrill 1812. Daeth pawb yno at ei fedd,nid yn unig i ddathlu ei eni, ond i werthfawrogi gwaith ei fywyd.

Anrhydeddwyd y cwmni gan bresenoldeb Llefarydd CyngorHackney, y Cynghorydd Susan Fajana Thomas. Cafwyd anerchiadau byrgan Diane Abbott, Aelod Seneddol yr ardal, yr hanesydd, yr ArglwyddKenneth Morgan o Aberdyfi, a Bruce Kent, yr ymgyrchydd drosheddwch yn ein bywyd a’n byd cyfoes. Arweiniwyd defod y cofio gan yParchg. Peter Dewi Richards. Clywsom am yrfa, ymgyrchoedd acegwyddorion Apostol Heddwch a’r Aelod Seneddol dros Gymru. Cofiwydam gyfraniad y dyn hynod yma i’w genedl, i fywyd cyhoeddus crefyddola chymdeithasol yn Llundain ac yn rhyngwladol. Gosodwyd cennin Pedrar y bedd gan Rhian Medi, cyn i bawb ymuno i ganu Calon Lân. Wedi’rcyfarfod hapus yn yr heulwen, cafwyd lluniaeth ysgafn i bawb ynneuadd eglwys gyfagos, Eglwys y Santes Fair, Stoke Newington.

Cymanfa’r PasgSefydlwyd Cymanfa’r Pasg gan Fethodistiaid Calfinaidd ymhlith yCymry yn Llundain yn y flwyddyn 1812. Yn y blynyddoedd diweddar,cynhaliwyd cyfarfodydd ar ddydd Gwener y Groglith yn eglwysi Jewin aLewisham. Gyda chau’r achos yn Lewisham, trosglwyddwyd oedfa’rhwyr i gapel Clapham Junction. Er bod dadlau ymhlith haneswyr arresymau penodol sefydlu’r cyrddau gwreiddiol, maent wedi denu’rffyddloniaid i’r addoliad dros y canrifoedd. Ceir cofnod am bresenoldeb

di-dor William Lloyd, Crosby Row am gyfnod o 59 o flynyddoedd. MrsLlinos Morris, Llywydd Cylch Llundain, oedd yn arwain cwrdd ar DdyddGwener y Groglith eleni a’r Parchg. Peter Dewi Richards a bregethoddyn y ddau gyfarfod, gyda’r Parchg. Richard Brunt yn gweinyddu’rcymundeb a ddilynodd y bregeth yn Jewin a’r Parchg. Vaughan Joneswrth yr organ.

Yn y dyddiau cynnar, cyrddau enwadol i’r Presbyteriaid yn unig oeddCymanfa’r Pasg (cynhaliwyd Cymanfa Bregethu’r Annibynwyr ynLlundain ar y Sulgwyn). Pleser yw cofnodi presenoldeb Presbyteriaid,Annibynwyr a Bedyddwyr ynghyd yng nghymanfa’r Pasg yn Jewin eleni!

John Samuel

8 LWCLl DIGWYDDIADAU/EVENTS

Llun

: Joh

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Anthony Williams, Peter Dewi Richards, Richard Brunt a Llinos Morris

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Bruce Kent, Diane Abbott MP, Lord Kenneth Morgan

Rhian Medi prepares the daffodils, Abney park

Dau ddaucanmlwyddiant mewn wythnos

The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held mainly inLondon, but the spirit of the Olympic ideal has been embracedwholeheartedly throughout the British Isles, and especially by theWelsh.

A male choir of 500 voices drawn from the five continents hasbeen put together by the London Welsh Male Voice Choir for aunique concert at the Royal Festival Hall, three weeks before theopening ceremony of the 2012 Games with the world premiere of AHero’s Journey, a work commissioned specially from Karl Jenkins.

Bryn Terfel, the world’s best bass/baritone, whose celebration ofWelsh heritage is a major highlight of this year’s Festival of theWorld at the Southbank Centre heads an all-star line up.

The concept of the Wales Choir of the World was awarded thecoveted Inspire Mark by the London Olympics two years ago, andhas recently received financial backing from the Welsh Government.

The Wales Choir of the World will take place at the Royal Festival

Hall at 2.00 pm on Saturday 7 July2012. Tickets at £25, £20, £15 and£10 are available from the FestivalHall box office, tel. no. 0844 8750073 or internetticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk

Tickets for the biennialMassed Male Voices concert atthe Royal Albert Hall on 13October, are also now on sale.Ticket application forms may be printed from the Choir’s website, orobtained directly from the Choir by post.

The Festival MD/Conductor will be Edward-Rhys Harry, withAnnabel Thwaite as pianist and Robert Nicholls as organist. Theguest soloists will be Rhian Lois (soprano) and Wyn Davies (tenor),and Frank Lincoln will compère the evening.

The concert will feature “The Hero’s Journey”, a composition byKarl Jenkins with words by Grahame Davies for Male Voice and BrassBand. Commissioned by the London Welsh Male Voice Choir, it willbe performed at the Royal Albert Hall for the first time. Theparticipating male choirs will be from Builth, Cirencester, Dunvant,Epsom, Glasgow, Maesteg, Mynyddislwyn, Neath, Tâf ,Tregaron,Trelawnyd and Waun Ddyfal – and of course LWMVC.

O’R GANOLFAN/FROM THE CENTRE LWCLl 9

Wales Choir of the World

Bryn Terfel, Karl Jenkins and 500 international voices – what a combination!

Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, Guardian,Independent, The Times, Sunday Times

Special offer for LWCmembers to see ‘One Man,Two Guvnors’London Welsh Centremembers can redeem a freeglass of wine and acomplimentary programmewhen they buy a top priceticket to see the smash-hitshow One Man, TwoGuvnors starring Welshleading man Owain Arthur.

Theatre Royal Haymarket

The National Theatre’s award-winning production is aglorious celebration of British comedy. Richard Bean’s play isa unique, laugh-out-loud mix of satire, songs, slapstick andglittering one-liners.

‘Comic perfection. What are you waiting for? Book now!’Daily Telegraph, March 2012

To redeem, simply call the box office on 0845 481 1870 andquote ‘WELSH OFFER’ Top price ticket £55. £1 restoration levy included in price.Offer valid on Monday – Thursday performances 10 April –31 May 2012. BOOK NOW to avoid disappointment! www.onemantwoguvnors.com

New exhibition takes itsown place in history…The new display detailing the history of the Welsh in Londonhas exceeded all expectations and has found a permanentsetting in the foyer – attracting attention from visitors andmembers alike.

“I’ve always thought that we needed something in thebuilding about what we - the London Welsh - are about,” saidLWC’s Sian Busby.

“Our history is very interesting and offers a fascinatinginsight into overlooked areas of British social history, as well asthe forgotten history of London.”

Designer - Zara McKenzie at HKD - has won praise for herwork, on the project with Sian and Rita Clark, whose expertknowledge of the history of the London Welsh community andthe Association was indispensable.

“It’s been wonderful to hear such positive feedback frommembers and other users of the Centre, and I hope that thedisplay is just the beginning of a resurgence of interest in ourstory both within the Centre and out into the widercommunity,” Sian added.

Sian Busby

10 LWCLl O’R GANOLFAN/FROM THE CENTRE

Fresh insights into reckless bankingsector – BBC’s RobertPeston ‘entertains’Despite heavy rain, the LWC main hall was packed as BBC BusinessEditor, Robert Peston, gave his considered opinion on the fragilestate of the global economy. He shared fascinating insights into howrecklessly things have been managed - and disturbingly continue tobe managed! - by the banks, hedge fund managers, traders,regulating authorities and successive governments, both here andabroad.

Some of his proscriptions, particularly those to do with theEurozone, were very dispiriting, but he was cautiously optimisticabout the UK’s chances of surviving the next few years - albeit withminimal growth.

He was also not as hard on the banks, shareholders, traders andhedge fund managers as one might expect, laying much of theblame at the door of those charged with keeping an eye on greedyprofiteers.

LWA President, and Robert’s colleague on BBC News, HuwEdwards, facilitated the evening with his characteristic charm andintelligence, and there were many fascinating questions from thevery well-informed audience.

The evening was interesting and convivial, and there was a realbuzz about the Centre both before and afterwards.

The talk was a fund-raiser for the London Welsh Chorale -Robert’s wife and one of his sons having both sung with the choirover the past few years.

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Robert Peston

Singing on – youngstersjoin the ranks of LondonMale Voice ChoirLWMVCDuring the last few months the LWMVC has benefitted by the influxof new choristers and many of these are in their 20s and this bodeswell for the long term prospects of the Choir. We look forward tothese choristers coming “on stream” over the next few months.

Sadly, however we have experienced a few deaths associatedwith the Choir over the last two months. The death of our President,Philip Madoc is covered elsewhere in this magazine, and here we justreport that during his two-year presidential tenure he attendedmost of the Choir’s monthly concerts in London and the South East.

The death of Jack Barrah-Lowis on 2 April was after a long battleagainst cancer and intensive chemotherapy treatment. Jack wasfrom Glynneath and had been a LWMVC chorister for 12 years, andwas involved in organising the Choir’s tour to the Italian Riviera in2002.

Along with the late Keith Roberts and Dewi Thomas, Jack wasone those who initiated the formation of the LW Rugby Club MVCin 2003, and which had a successful tour to New Zealand in 2005.Jack was a strong supporter and patron of the LW RFC, and was thisyear its deputy president. Our thoughts are with Jack’s wife, Esperia,at this time.

Howard Jones died on Easter Monday, 11 April, after beingadmitted to hospital earlier in the day. Howard joined the Choir in1973 and left in 2010 after he and Pat moved to live in King’s Lynn,and thus was a member for 37 years.

During those years the Choir befitted tremendously fromHoward’s administrative skills – being the Choir’s Secretary for 23 ofthose years and also 20 years as a member of the Choir’s FestivalSubcommittee, including 10 years as Ticket Secretary. Our thoughtsand sympathies go out to his wife, Pat, and to his mother, in theirbereavement.

Choir of the WorldBryn Terfel, Karl Jenkins and 500

international voices – what acombination!

The Choir of the World will take place at the Royal FestivalHall at 2.00 pm on Saturday 7 July 2012. Tickets at £25, £20,£15 and £10 are available from the Festival Hall box office,

tel. no. 0844 875 0073 or Internet - ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk

What’s onFor the latest updates on all the activities at The London Welsh Centre turn to back page.

DIGWYDDIADAU/EVENTS LWCLl 11

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London Welsh Chorale at rehearsals

What’s on and WhereInterested in artists from Wales performing across a wide range ofgenres? Here are some dates for your diaries, see also London Welshevents on page 16.

May11-14 – Crafts Council UK fair at Saatchi Gallery; incl. Rhuthin Gallery,

ceramics and textiles by 7 artists including Catrin Howell12 – Glass Pear (Yestyn Griffiths)The Ballyhoo, New Oxford St14 – Richard James, Halfmoon Putney, Lower Richmond Road SW1517 – Crimea 10th Anniversary Show, album launch, Union Chapel N119 – LWMVC in Maidstone25 – The School at Borderline, Orange Yard, Charing X Road27 – Funeral for a Friend, Slam Dunk Festival, University of

Hertfordshire,30 – Islet, Cargo, Rivington Street, Shoreditch EC2

June1 –Marina and the Diamonds supporting Coldplay, Ash, at Emirates

Stadium1 – Rebecca Jade album launch, Monkey Bar, Stoke Newington High

Street N161 – Something Personal, 100 Club, Oxford St -TBC1 – The Victorian English Gentlemens Club, The Garage, Highbury

Corner N5 1RD2 – Huw Stephens, Field Day 2012 Victoria Park2 –Weird Naked Indian, Dublin Castle, Camden NW1 7AN4 – Among Brothers, Rooftop Park, Bootstrap, Ashwin Street, Dalston

E8 3DL7 – Among Brothers, Barfly, NW3 2BL7 – 4pm Julie Murphy, 7pm Cerys Matthews with Fflur Dafydd, at

Hay Festival

7 – Paper Aeroplanes (with Fossil Collective), Ballyhoo, New Oxford St

8 – Huw Stephens’ London Welsh Session at LWC12 – The School, Queen of Hoxton, 1 Curtain Rd EC213 – Bright Light Bright Light, City Arts & Music Project, City Road

EC114 – Future of the Left at XOYO17 – Discover Welsh in a day at the City Lit30 -1 July – Julie Murphy + Fernhill, Beyond The Border: Wales’

International Festival of Storytelling, St Donat’s Castle30 – Race Horses, Hop Farm Festival, Kent

July1 – Gruff Rhys at Hop Farm Festival, Kent 1 – Tom Jones at the Apollo, Hammersmith4-7 – Bryn Terfel’s Brynfest at Royal Festival Hall, see

http://ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/festivals-series/brynfest

6 – Huw Stephens’ London Welsh Session at LWC6 – 5.30 Huw Warren - Brynfest, Clore Ballroom, RFH6 – 7.30 Gruff Rhys Brynfest, Royal Festival Hall7 – 4pm Bryn Terfel’s Big Sing on the outdoor terraces at RFH7 – Cate Le Bon with Brian Jonestown Massacre, Empire Shepherd’s

Bush8 – Something Personal, Kilburn Festival13 – Kids in Glass Houses. Hard Rock Calling, Hyde Park21 – Kids in Glass Houses at Redfest festival, Redhill, Surrey21 – Paper Aeroplanes in Folkfest 2012, The Bedford, Bedford Hill,

SW12 9HD21-22 – 9bach and Black Arm Band (Australia) sing “Mother Tongue”

at BT River of Music 22 – Straight Lines, Redfest festival, Redhill, Surrey

Commonwealth Carnivalfor the Diamond JubileeThe London Welsh Male Voice Choir and Cor MeibionGwalia have been invited to sing in Westminster Hall atthe Palace of Westminster on July 2, participating in TheCommonwealth Carnival of Music.The concert will featurechoirs totalling more than 400 singers from theCommonwealth, all of whom will be participating in theLlangollen Eisteddfod - the London Welsh choirs willprovide a Welsh finale to a spectacular pageant which willbe the parliamentary contribution to the Queen’sDiamond Jubilee celebrations.

The choirs will be conducted by Dr Haydn James,previously Musical Director of LWMVC and currentlyMusical Director for The Welsh Rugby Union, andaccompanied by Anita D’Attellis.

12 LWCLl CORAU/CHOIRS

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LWRFC Choristers at Cardiff City Hall with MD Michael Wyn Jones and Wales bedecked pianist Anita D’Attellis.

LWRFC Choir ReportWhile Wales have been busy winning another Grand Slam theLondon Welsh Rugby Club Choir has been doing its bit in support,performing two concerts with a strong rugby focus in a period ofunprecedented activity.

The chance to resurrect an old tradition was the highlight of abusy few months, with a fantastic night of song on the eve of theEngland game at Twickenham held to a sell out audience at OldDeer Park.

Crowd favourites Boycezone lent their support on the night, andthere was live coverage of the choir over that famous weekend onboth BBC Radio Five Live and S4C.

That night came hot on the heels of another day to remember inCardiff a week earlier, warming up an enthusiastic audience in thecapital’s City Hall ahead of the Scotland game. Another wonderfulvenue was perfect inspiration for the choir and the travelling Welshsupporters, and set things up nicely for yet another strongperformance by the rugby team on the pitch.

Away from rugby, St David’s Day was typically busy, thehighlight of the day being the choir’s now-regular appearance at theNaval Club in the heart of London’s Mayfair. It was a great chance torun through the choir’s growing repertoire, as was the day atRichmond Golf Club in front of a Welsh-oriented audience.

Finally the choir was asked to represent Wales in a UK-themedpageant at ExCel London, alongside Scottish pipers, a military brassband, Irish dancers… and London’s Pearly Kings and Queens. In a

hard-working performance the audience were treated to the verybest our country has to offer and, as with the Grand Slam, the choirled from the front.

The choir has never been busier, and take their music to theinternational stage once again with a tour of the Alps aroundGeneva, before getting back into rehearsals ahead of another hecticsummer. Foremost in their thoughts, however, will be one of thechoir’s founders, Jack Lowis, who sadly passed away recently.

It was in 2003, that Jack, together with a few like-mindedpeople, saw the possibility of taking a small choir to New Zealand atthe same time as the British and Irish Lions tour of 2005. What wasoriginally conceived as no more than an ad-hoc social group ofabout ten singers soon grew into the London Welsh Rugby ClubChoir, a fully rehearsed choir of over forty with John Dawes asfigurehead. Instead of the original concept of a few songs in bars andrugby clubs the choir were soon performing to packed audiences insuch places as the Auckland Town Hall, Wellington Cathedral and TePapa Museum, culminating in an appearance on the New Zealandedition of Top of the Pops.

Jack was President of London Welsh Rugby Club in the 1996/97season before accepting the post of Deputy President when JohnDawes took over the role in 1998. At his funeral a combined choirwas conducted by Jack’s great friend Owain Arwel Hughes, a fittingtribute to one of the great London Welshmen. We extend ourcondolences to his wife Esperia at this time.

Steve McGrath

Boycezone give Rugby choir television spot

Room hire – great rates – flexible options – central locationFor more information contact The London Welsh Centre 020 7837 3722www.londonwelsh.org

These words were part of a tribute to Philip Madoc by WynCalvin, who had been friends with the actor for fifty years. PhilipMadoc died peacefully in his sleep after a short illness on 5 Marchat the age of 77 after a long career on stage and screen.

Wyn was of course referring to Philip’s greatest characterroles – the title role in the BBC drama The Life and Times of DavidLloyd George, and ‘that’cameo appearance in the TVsitcom Dad’s Army as aGerman U-Boat commanderand the “Don’t tell him, Pike”incident.

Philip Madoc was born inMerthyr Tydfil, and went toCyfarthfa Castle GrammarSchool. He studied languagesat the University of Walesand the University of Viennabefore concentrating onacting and attending theRoyal Academy of DramaticArts.

He appeared in countlessclassic television showsincluding Doctor Who,Porridge, The Goodies, TheAvengers, Brother Cadfael,the detective series ‘A Mindto Kill’, and of course Dad’sArmy. On stage he playedIago, Othello and Dr Faustwith the Royal ShakespeareCompany.

His portrayal of David Lloyd George in the 1981 series by BBCWales, attracted huge audiences. It has never been bettered.

Philip spoke seven languages fluently, including Russian andSwedish and with a working knowledge of Huron Indian, Hindiand Mandarin. With his fine voice and its deep Welsh tone he wasinvariably cast as the villain, always played with great relish. Hewas honoured with a fellowship from the Royal Welsh College ofMusic and Drama in 1994.

A strong supporter and frequent attendee at the LondonWelsh Centre he was vice president of the LW Trust for most ofthe last 20 years and the flag at the Centre was flown athalf-mast to mark the sad news of his death.

In his tribute, Alex Meredith, LWT chairman, said “For me hispoignant impromptu appearance at the Centre for the GleisionBenefit Concert will be a cherished memory.

“I know from predecessors that this performance was just oneexample of Philip’s commitment as a Vice-President of the

London Welsh Trust and a great supporter of our work at theCentre. He will be very sorely missed.”

Huw Edwards, LWT President, said: “Philip was a greatambassador for Wales, for the London Welsh community, and forthe London Welsh Male Voice Choir in particular. He was a hugelytalented man: a gifted actor, an able linguist, an energetic

promoter of Wales on theworld stage.

Philip Madoc was electedvice president of the LondonWelsh Male Voice Choir in2002, and became the Choir’spresident when Cliff Morganstood down. During that timehe attended most of theChoir’s concerts in Londonand the Home Counties,proudly wearing his ‘chain ofoffice’.

Keith Warren, LWMVCchairman, who visited Philipin hospital in the days leadingup to his death, said: “He wasdetermined to ‘beat’ theproblem and did not wantanyone to know about itoutside his immediate family.He remained a brave ‘fighter’,a man of remarkable courageand stamina, especially in thelast few months. Let us saluteour late President - a verybrave man”.

Edward-Rhys Harry, LWMVC Musical Director, London WelshMale Voice Choir said, “I shall never forget the twinkle in PhilipMadoc’s eyes as he tried to usher me into a private reception justbefore a Choir performance I was directing. ‘Now come on, I don’twant you to miss out’ he said to me. We both laughed becausewe both knew it meant that he, Philip, was the one who didn’twant to ‘miss out’ on the social aspect of his role with the Choir.”

Philip leaves an empty space at London Welsh Centrefunctions, and we extend his children, Rhys and Lowri, and therest of the family our deepest condolences at this time. The lossto his family is acute.

We will miss him too. Gethin Williams

A Memorial Service for Philip will take place on Tuesday, 15 May,2012 at 2.30 pm at St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, 31 HenriettaStreet, London, WC2E 8NA.

MARWOLAETHAU/OBITUARIES LWCLl 13

“How splendid to be remembered for something so serious and something so funny”

Photo: John Downing

14 LWCLl CHWARAEON/SPORT

London Welsh have qualified for the Championship Semi Finals for thethird year running.

General supporter opinion is that the team is not performing aswell as last year, but, with no really stand out performer in the league,promotion is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Welsh continue to blow hot and cold throughout the course ofevery match. In their first play off pool game, the first half was allNottingham, before Welsh scored 3 tries in what the club websitedescribed as ‘a rampant nine minute spell’ in the second half.

After admirably holding Bristol to a draw, away at the MemorialGround, they then let in 3 tries before half time at home to Doncaster.Welsh again turned the game around in the second half, partly throughan intercept try by new recruit, Nick Scott, on loan from Bath. And onthe road the following week, Doncaster were this time easily accountedfor, Welsh scoring 5 tries, including a Nick Scott hat trick.

Last Sunday, at home to Bristol in front of the Sky TV cameras, in ablistering first quarter, Welsh squandered 4 scoring chances throughpoor handling or support.

Bristol then proceeded to demolish the Welsh via scrum and drivingmaul, advancing to a 20 – 3 lead through 2 penalty tries.

Two late Welsh tries however, from driving runs by Tonganinternationals Vili Ma’asi and Hudson Tonga’uiha, gave Welsh a losingbonus point and a

place in the semi finals. There remains an away game against Nottingham before a two leg

semi final on Monday,7 May, and Sunday 13 May. The final will beplayed over consecutive Wednesdays, May 23 and 30.

Such dates are not easily found on the RFU website, and until thecompletion of the last pool fixture we won’t know our opponents orwhich game is at home.

Who’d be a rugby supporter in this commercial, professional era? Of the semi finalists, only Bristol and London Welsh are submitting

to a RFU facilities audit to substantiate their commercial suitability forpromotion to the Premiership. Managing Director, John Taylor, in aninterview with the London Welsh Magazine, explained that the

terms and conditions were not as black and white as often quotedin the press. There is constant dialogue rather than timescales set instone. Any premiership team must have a 10,000 capacity stadium attheir disposal, but ‘primacy of tenure’ is not a requirement, merely theability to play games as per schedule. To achieve this, London Welshare negotiating to have a choice of 3 possible grounds available for nextseason’s fixtures. Mr Taylor wouldn’t be drawn on which stadia thesemight be.

Long term options include the sharing with Brentford FC of the longawaited Hounslow Community Stadium under the Chiswick flyover, orthe development of an area within the greater Old Deer Park. TheCrown Estate landlords appear to be becoming more sympathetic tochange, less heritage and more community oriented in their demands.

With the lease running out in 2016, serious discussions are alreadyon going between the various partners.

The good news is that the cost and time requirements for building amodular stadium have decreased substantially in recent years, and

London Welsh, with an expansion of their board to provide both newmanagement skills and investment, look in better shape to handlepromotion.

John Taylor argues that it would be financial suicide to enterinto new contractual agreements prior to winning thechampionship, but if the latter were achieved on May, stand asidefor extremely rapid action.

Peter Daniels

London Welsh rugby reach semis for thirdconsecutive year and avoid financial suicide

London Welsh RFC • Old Deer Park • 187 Kew RoadRichmond • Surrey • TW9 2AZ

www.london-welsh.co.uk

LONDON WELSHFAMILY RUGBY FROM £10Ring 020 8940 2368 for sponsorship,

hospitality & match information

Dan George scores against Doncaster in the play-0ffs.

Photo: Dav

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Huw Jenkins and Chris Coleman

Photo: Dav

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O’R GANOLFAN/FROM THE CENTRE LWCLl 15

The London Welsh Centre recently played host to an eveningheld by the Swansea City FC Supporters Trust.

Held upstairs in the bar area of the Centre, Swans fans got aunique and intimate chance to hear the thoughts of ManagerBrendan Rodgers, Chairman Huw Jenkins and Wales ManagerChris Coleman – himself, an ex-Swans player. BBC Sport Walesfilmed the evening, airing the programme the following Friday.

In Swansea’s most successful season for nearly 30 years, itwas fitting that the Supporters Trust chose the Centre to be the

host venue for its London Event. Both Brendan Rodgers and ChrisColeman spent considerable time with the Centre’s staff RhianJones and Iain Richards - with the Wales Manager evenentrusting Rhian with his car keys while he spoke!

The evening was a resounding success and if the Swans do goon and achieve their goal of retaining Premiership status, theSupporters Trust hope to return to the Centre next season tostage another event. We wish them well!

Iain Richards, Cultural Development Officer

Life-saving surgery for the London Welsh harp?Those who have been following the saga of the restoration of theClub’s harp, will remember that it was about to be re-strung.Regular calls to Alan Harbour’s harp workshop established thathe had serviced the instrument, was having to do some work tobring various bits of mechanism into line, and had begun puttingthe new strings on.

During our penultimate conversation with him, he said allwas going well, and he strummed a few strings for us over thephone. A week or so went by and then we received a phone callfrom Rhian saying Alan Harbour wanted to get in touch - someproblem with the harp; Our hearts sank.

The shocking news was that the harp had ‘exploded’ onemorning; the only good news was that it hadn’t damaged any ofthe surrounding instruments, which could easily have happened.The 150-year-old animal glue holding part of the frame togetherjust ‘gave up the ghost’ under the 1.5-ton tension of the newstrings. He could probably fix it up cosmetically for auction as adecorative item.... We told him to do nothing until we had comeover to see it, hopefully together with sculptor Mark Jones whohad spent so much of his time and skill on crafting and fitting thenew soundboard.

We went to the workshop together with Mark, and Alanshowed us the split where the sound chamber had separatedfrom the base. Alan repeated his previous suggestion that theinstrument should be tacked back together and put to auction asan ornament, which we agreed to seriously consider. He thoughtit a pity it wasn’t insured....but his repair cost would be £3000,while it might raise £2000 in a Bonhams’ sale.

However, after returning home Mark had a long think aboutit, and then called us the same evening. He said that havingcome this far with the restoration, and having inspected thedamage, his opinion as a craftsman was that there were noinsurmountable problems that would prevent him making astrong repair that would render the instrument playable.

He convinced us that this was worth a try, so with AlanHarbour’s agreement we returned the harp to Mark’s studio, andtwo days later Mark came up with a plan of action to repair andindeed strengthen the damaged area, to which we agreed. So, asthis goes to press, Mark is performing some skilful surgery on ourelderly patient. The story is far from over….!

David Johnson & Mitch Palmer

Swans share secrets of success at the Centre

Who’s doing what, and whereEvents at the London Welsh Centre11 May Huw Stephens presents… The London Welsh

Sessions. Free gig showcasing Welsh bands.Doors open at 7pm

21 May The Business Network. The aim of this event isto connect people who have an interest in rugbyto help each other in business. Free event. From7.30pm

8 June Huw Stephens presents… The London WelshSessions. Free gig showcasing Welsh bands.Doors open at 7pm

16 June Cwrs Dwys Cymraeg. All day Welsh course.16June Cymry Llundain Showcase – find out about

the various London Welsh organisations andhow you can get involved. 12.30pm – 2pm in thelounge

25 June Clwb Darllen / Welsh book club – in the bar.7.30pm

29 June SKRUM/SOS Kit Aid event. Details TBC6 July Huw Stephens presents… The London Welsh

Sessions. Free gig showcasing Welsh bands.Doors open at 7pm

16 July The Mary Ward Centre Players perform atheatrical extravaganza at the Centre. Matineeand evening performances. TBC

21 July Diwrnod y Cardis – 3pm-5pm in the lounge4-11 August Visit the London Welsh Centre stand at the

National Eisteddfod in the Vale ofGlamorgan. Let us know if you would like tovolunteer. Dewch i’n gweld yn y Brifwyl ym MroMorgannwg!

3 September The Business Network. The aim of this event isto connect people who have an interest in rugbyto help each other in business. Free event. From7.30pm

Dates throughout 2012 TBC – Clebran – a social gathering forwomen of all ages and backgrounds.For details of all events at the London Welsh Centre, please visit ourwebsite: www.londonwelsh.org

London Welsh Male Voice ChoirMusical Director: Edward-Rhys Harry.Accompanist: Annabel Thwaite.19 May All Saints Church, Maidstone, Kent.9 June Oxford Town Hall.7 July Royal Festival Hall, London Southbank.Choir rehearsals are held from 7.30 – 9.30 every Thursday eveningat the London Welsh Centre, 157, Gray’s Inn Road. All visitors andpotential new choristers are always welcome.For more information, please see our up-to-date website at:www.londonwelshmvc.org

London Welsh Rugby Male Voice ChoirMusical Director: Michael Wyn Jones.Accompanist: Anita D’Attellis.26 May Egham, Surrey3 June Thonon-les-Bains, Alps4 June Seytoux Church, St Jean D’Alups15 Sept Marshfield S. GlosFor more information about the Choir, it’s Sunday rehearsal datesand other activities, please see our up-to-date website at:www.thelondonwelshrugbyclubchoir.org

Gwalia Male ChoirMusical Director – Janet Haney2 June Millennium Stadium, Wales v Barbarians1 July Charity event, Enfield2 July Commonwealth Carnival of Music with

LWMVC at Westminster HallChoir rehearsals are held from 7.30 – 9.30 p.m. every Wednesday atthe London Welsh Centre, 157, Gray’s Inn Road. All visitors &potential new members always welcome.For more information, please see our website at:http://www.gwaliamalevoicechoir.org.uk

London Branch of the Welsh Family History Societies12 May Huw Edwards: London’s Welsh Chapels8 September Brian Swann: DNA and Welsh Family History3 November Richard Suggett: Witchcraft in WalesMeetings during 2012 will be held at 2 pm at Borough WelshCongregational Chapel, 90 Southwark Bridge Road, London SE10EX. Anyone with an interest in Welsh family history is verywelcome to join us. Details of meetings can be found on the branch websitewww.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wlslbfhs/ or by contacting theSecretary, Anne Jones, on 0208 925 4000, e-mailannee.jones@ntlworld.com

Honourable Society of CymmrodorionPresident: Prys Morgan, DL MA, DPhil, FSA, FRHistS.Please note that unless indicated otherwise, all lectures aredelivered at: The Medical Society of London, 11 Chandos Street,Cavendish Square, London W1G 9EB, at 6.30pm.13 Mehefin CYFRAITH, CARCHAR A CHASTELL:HYNT A

HANES LLAWYSGRIF GYRREITHIOLDr Sara Elin Roberts, Ysgol y Gyfraith, PrifysgolBangor, Adrian Morgan, Aelod o’r Cyngor yn yGadair

6 Awst Pabell y Cymdeithasau, am 1.30 yhMaes yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol ‘OLIONTRAED RHYDDID’: GEORGE CADOGANMORGAN A CHWYMP Y BASTILLE ProfessorPrys Morgan yn y Gadair

For details of further meetings consult the Honourable Society’swebsite www.cymmrodorion.org

London Welsh ChoraleMusical Director: Edward-Rhys Harry.2 June at 7:30 pm Concert in aid of the Glamorgan

mission to the Deaf. St Catherine’s ChurchPontypridd

4 July at 7:30 pm 30th Anniversary Concert St.Giles' Cripplegate, Fore Street, Barbican, LondonEC2Y 8DA

10 October Joseph Parry Evening at the London WelshCentre

Choir rehearsals are held form 7.15 – 9.30 pm every Tuesday at theLondon Welsh Centre, 157, Gray’s Inn Road. All visitors andpotential new members are always welcome. For more information,or if you are interested in joining the choir please see our Website:www.londonwelshchorale.org.uk or e-mail:info@londonwelshchorale.org.ukThe London Welsh Camerata, drawn from the main Choralemembership, is a small group performing regularly at weddings, andspecial occasions of all kinds. If you would like to find out moreabout the Camerata, to discuss repertoire, or to make a booking,please contact Rhiannon Hughes:Camerata@londonwelshchorale.org.uk

www.londonwelsh.org