Courses ranging from foraging and poetry to photography and printing artwork will be held by The Strata Florida Trust between September and the end of the year.
Carys Aldous-Hughes, trust director, has worked tirelessly to bring new and interesting learning opportunities to Strata Florida, as well as bringing favourite courses back, which more advances possibilities.
“Whether you’re looking to try something completely new or to advance a skill, come along and join us,” says Carys, as she works with local experts and talented artists to share their enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge with all who wish to join them.
The famous Strata Florida Cistercian Abbey is located near Pontrhydfendigaid, between Devil’s Bridge and Tregaron.
Courses and events provide opportunities to bring new visitors to Strata Florida and experience its unique location, as the trust works to conserve existing buildings of historical significance and restore areas to their past splendour. Making all areas of the site accessible for all is the long term goal.
Dafydd Wyn Morgan is back on site for a fully booked course on ‘Photographing the Milk Way’ on the evenings of Friday and Saturday, September 6 and 7. The course will be returning next year and is one not to be missed.
There are spaces available for an Introduction to Night Photography course Dafydd is running on Friday and Saturday, November 1 and 2. This course has been highly successful in the past and needs to be booked in advance to avoid disappointment.
‘Mining in Ceredigion’ is a fascinating subject and talk on the history of this skill and way of life. This free, interactive event from 10am to 4pm on Wednesday, September 18 will include walks around the site to see the legacy of metal mining in this part of Wales and the historical impact it had on the land.
Suitable footwear and outdoor clothing will be required for the walks up to the Abbey Console mine.
On Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29, Strata Florida will be hosting its first ever ‘Walking Festival’ which will include a walk to the Pilgrim sculpture.
‘Autumn Foraging with Lucas Harley-Edwards’ will be the second of its kind this year, due to the success of the first one in the spring. The techniques, ethics and practises of foraging this area will be shared with plenty of opportunities to ask questions and gain first-hand experience.
‘Printing with Packaging with Marian Haf’ shares her expertise on creating art in a fun and friendly way, with stunning pieces for participants to take home.
This relaxed introduction to this skill uses household packaging and all materials and equipment will be provide. Participants can bring images for vision or inspiration.
The course runs from 10am to 4pm and participants are welcome to arrive earlier to gather ideas from the landscape, objects or wildlife of Strata Florida.
‘Barddoniaeth Ystrad Fflur with Professor Dafydd Johnston’ is the first course of its kind to be taught at Strata Florida. Taught in Welsh, it’s suitable for Welsh speakers and advanced learners.
The course discusses famous poetry connected to the site, from the Middle Ages with Gruffudd Gryg’s cywydd to the yew above the grave of Dafydd ap Gwilym, Guto Glyn’s praise poem to Abbot Rhys and Dafydd Nanmor’s description of the abbey church. There will also be modern poems from the likes of Hedd Wyn, T. Gwynn Jones and some of the works of the Ffair Rhos poets.
Saturday, November 23 sees another new course at Strata Florida, with the talented Jacqueline Yallop’s ‘Writing the Dark: Darkness as Inspiration for Creative Writing’. Budding writers and established authors will be able to learn and share ideas on creativity and how inspiration is gained from everywhere and everything.
The Strata Florida Trust will be hosting its second Christmas Carol Service in St Mary’s Church on the evening of Wednesday, December 4. If the evening is dry and mild, carols will be sung amongst the Abbey Ruins by torchlight, led by Choirs For Good, a non-for-profit organisation.
To register and find out more about courses, visit https://www.strataflorida.org.uk/courses-and-events.html
or contact the trust at info@strataflorida.org.uk .
The Strata Florida Trust is a member of MWT Cymru, the independent organisation representing around 550 tourism and hospitality businesses across Ceredigion, Powys and Southern Snowdonia.