Thursday 11 July 2013

EMBASSY GLYNDWR STATEMENT RE THE THREATENED CLOSURE OF CANOLFAN SENEDD - DY OWAIN GLYNDWR, MACHYNLETH.




Embassy Glyndŵr is saddened by the news that the Centre is under threat of closure but not in the least surprised. We have seen letters in the press complaining that the Centre had not been open when visitors tried to visit and we have personally witnessed this ourselves on numerous occasions when we have visited the town. Also, unless you are aware of the Centre’s existence you could pass on foot or in a car without being aware of its importance as a Centre; the ‘low key’ sign declaring the town’s important association with Owain Glyndŵr as one enters Machynlleth from the South is totally inadequate in regards to pointing out that this town is the Medieval Capital of Cymru, the seat of Parliament of the most important heroic figure and event in Cymric history -  and as far as we know, there are still no official illustrative interpretation boards in the town dedicated to this history, which, without doubt,  would be helpful in informing and whetting the appetite of visitors to visit the Centre to learn more.

 Embassy Glyndŵr has endeavoured to work with the Centre and the town Council since the year 2000, and the dawning of the 600th anniversary of the beginning of the Owain Glyndŵr War of Independence and It has been hard work trying to get the town and the Centre motivated to capitalise on this important history (which the town is so privileged to have) to regenerate the town and the whole area of Bro Dyfi. Out of total despair, we ourselves, with the cooperation of the Town Council and the Rugby Club, organised a five day ‘Gŵyl Coroni Glyndŵr' in June 2004 to celebrate and commemorate the setting up of the Independent Cymric Parliament and the crowning of Prince Owain Glyndŵr in that Parliament in June 1404. It was intended for this festival to be adopted by a local ‘Festival Committee’ which would work, totally independent of Embassy Glyndŵr, with the Senedd- Dŷ Owain Glyndŵr Centre and the Town Council to produce an annual ‘Dydd Coroni Glyndŵr Festival’ which would grow from strength to strength until it got as large as Tyndwal Day in the Isle of Man with invited representatives of councils attending from all over Cymru and the other Celtic countries and, towards this end, and with the aid of some of the town’s councillors and locals, we arranged a meeting and presented a PowerPoint show of all the possibilities that could be applied, both, for a successful annual Owain Glyndŵr Festival and for promoting the town as the Medieval Capital of Cymru – all to no avail, they just have not had enough interest or enthusiasm to get it together.

Also,  as part of our programme to reinstate the lost national treasures of Cymru, we organised for ‘Cleddyf y Genedl’ (Sword of the Nation) to be hand made by a Cymric Master blacksmith and to be presented to the town by the French Consul Madame Claude Rapport during the festivities of 2004. This sword which was a replica of the sword that was presented to Owain Glyndŵr at his Coronation by the King of France in June 1404, is now kept at the Canolfan Senedd-Dŷ Owain Glyndŵr Centre.

Following on 2004, we organised for a silver and gold plated replica of ‘ Owain Glyndŵr’s Crown’ to be produced, and in 2007, with the assistance of the Town Council, we organised a civic ceremony on Parliament Green so that the Crown could be officially transferred to the safe keeping of Cefn Caer, the medieval Hall House at Pennal. The Canolfan Senedd-Dŷ Glyndŵr officials were invited and were present at this ceremony and since 2007, Elfyn Rowlands, one of the owners of Cefn Caer and Embassy Glyndŵr have, on the 21 June annually, bought the crown to Machynlleth, to be at the head of a parade which goes to the Plas. There, the Crown is handed over to the Town Mayor by its Guardian Elfyn Rowlands and the town Mayor then, carrying the Crown, leads the parade to the Canolfan y Senedd-Dŷ where it is displayed to Machynlleth and the Cymric nation for the day. The Crown symbolises ‘Cymric Sovereignty’ and the point of this annual ceremony is to illustrate that as long as we have this ‘Crown of Owain Glyndŵr, our Cymric Sovereignty is still in tact. Again, this ceremony was meant to be the central focus of the aforementioned intended  annual ‘Gŵyl Coroni Owain Glyndŵr Festival which would, eventually, have placed Machynlleth on the Global map for Medieval Festivals had the concept been adopted by all concerned and had enough enthusiasm, imaginative creative ability and hard work been spent on it. .

Embassy Glyndŵr did not carry out this ceremony this year out of respect to the town and the parents of little April Jones who, we feel, need and deserve privacy in mourning a terrible tragedy that will forever leave a scar on the area and its population.

But, as was pointed out in this Summer issue of the International Magazine Planet, Machynlleth is a town spiralling into rising poverty and is in desperate need of regeneration so, the question begs to be asked, why can’t Machynlleth capitalise on the privileged association it has with Owain Glyndŵr, the most heroic and enigmatic figure in the whole of Cymric history, to regenerate the town? And why can’t the Committee of Canolfan Senedd-Dŷ  Owain Glyndŵr, who has been blessed with a wonderful building and at least £316,000 in public funding in the last two years already,  make an astounding success of the Centre in the same way that similar centres such as the Robert the Bruce in Bannockburn, the William Wallace Visitor Centre in Stirling and both the Athenry and Brian Born Heritage Centres in Ireland are able to do?

A small proportion of the blame must rest with the Town Council for their failure to publicise the all important Owain Glyndŵr history and association with their town as aforementioned in this statement. Another proportion of blame can rest at the door of ‘Cadw’ who, quite obviously have not advised or assisted the Centre on how to be innovative  and imaginative in attracting people to the Centre. Also Cadw have not publiced the existence of the Centre enough (if at all/) since the exhibition was opened by Alun Davies AM but, the brunt of the blame must rest with the Centre’s Committee members who, it seems, is content with leaving it to the exhibition as the only means to getting visitors in through the doors – that is, when the doors are open! Why have they not got Owain Glyndŵr associated events and activities taking place throughout the year?  They can not even erect flag posts outside the building and fly Owain Glyndŵr associated flags from these poles throughout the year to draw the attention of passers by to the Centre.

Henry Evans, the Chairman of the committee is hoping that Cadw will step in and ‘maintain’ the Centre, we would suggest that even if Cadw did so, it would be futile in regards to capitalising on the Owain Glyndŵr associated history in the town unless Cadw was prepared to accept Owain Glyndŵr as our greatest of national heroes rather than a ‘rebel’ - which they never will more than they would be prepared to accept the ‘Glyndŵr Crown’ as a symbol of our Sovereignty. They cannot because they are employed by the English state so, their Sovereignty is the English crown and seeing as the ‘Glyndŵr Crown is meant to be the central focus of  the major annual Gŵyl Coroni Owain Glyndŵr we have proposed as a means of regenerating Machynlleth, they are hardly going to physically or financially organise that are they?  So, ‘maintaining’ the Owain Glyndŵr Centre just so that the status quo can prevail would be a national scandal after all the public money that has already been given to the Centre and at a time when the National Assembly and Cadw have declined to buy Glyndŵr’s Old Parliament House in Dolgellau for a measly £55,000 in order to save and protect this other piece of Cymric heritage for the nation!

Embassy Glyndŵr believes that there is a more realistic alternative that can save the Centre and do a lot in regards to regenerating the town at the same time and that is for  the Centre Committee and The Town Council to really recognise the potential of  Owain Glyndŵr as their ‘Redeemer’ and seriously get together with the owners of Cefn Caer and any other local interested parties to form a strong and disciplined committee to organise the annual ‘Gŵyl Coroni Glyndŵr as proposed by Embassy Glyndŵr as far back as the year 2000. It should be noted that we did write a constitution for a local committee who had organised the festival, on a small scale in 2009 but, again, the passion, commitment and enthusiasm was lacking and that committee seems to have filtered out of existence after but one year.

Next year is the 660 anniversary of the birth of Owain Glyndŵr in 1354.  In this connection, Embassy Glyndŵr is ‘promoting’ this historic event as GLYNDŴR 660 – 1354 – 2014. Note, we are ‘only’ promoting the date in the hope that communities throughout Cymru will use the date as a launching pad for a three year commemorative programme that will lead to a 2016 conclusion on the platform of the MAB DAROGAN -  GLYNDŴR RETURNS 2016.  Birth is about rejuvenation and, in the concept of Owain Glyndŵr,  about the coming of our MAB DAROGAN – OUR REEDEMER. With imaginative use  of the concept and yes, a lot of enthusiasm and hard work, the Canolfan Senedd-Dŷ could really get ‘rejuvenated’ and they also, like Glyndŵr, can return victorious by 2016.

Embassy Glyndŵr is still happy to advise and assist in any practical way that Canolfan Senedd-Dŷ Glyndŵr or Machynlleth Town Council may deem necessary to see the suggestions in this report fulfilled.

Siân Ifan

CEO Embassy Glyndŵr.


PS:

Pobl Glyndwr, if you really want to see our Prince Owain Glyndwr return to Machynlleth and 21 Mehefin 1404 commemorated and celebrated in a truly fitting way annually. Then on and about 21 Mehefin 2014 as part of the G660 - 1354 Anniversary is the best time for us to relaunch what should be our greatest Patriotic Festival, now if you want to contribute in this great enterprise here is what you got to do rally to the support of Embassy Glyndwr and fully support all we are attempting on the G660 1354 - 2014 Platform and Vehicle towards a major patriotic revival with  MAB DAROGAN -  GLYNDŴR RETURNS 2016. Can you do that? If so, let us know and as important let us know what you can bring to the G660 Table also what contribution you might make to the relaunch of the annual Machynlleth Dydd y Senedd 21 Mehefin 'Troad y Rhod' Commemoration. See links below to inspire and motivate your potential contribution, further idetails on G660 to be released soon on, you will be informed via Newyddion Llysgenhadaeth Glyndwr blog as to when and where.