Mair Williams's blog

Zombies are quite frightening fictional creatures.  Dead people who have been brought back to life, but lose any of their old humanity. Popular in horror and fantasy genre works, they are often depicted attacking and eating human beings. Taking advantage of this fascination with the Zombie phenomana is the Zombie Infection company. They have decided to bring the TSS (Turbine Steam Ship) Duke of Lancaster back to life so that visitors can encounter the undead. The former passenger ferry used to sail between Heysham and Belfast in the 50s and 60s.

Welsh language will be the focus of a special event at the beginning of October with a Welsh in the Workplace Fair. This is Ceredigion’s first ‘Welsh in the Workplace’ Fair and the aim will be to encourage and support businesses who want to increase bilingual provision in their daily work. This is part of the work being undertaken by officers of Cered: Menter Iaith Ceredigion’s Welsh in the Workplace who are promoting and assisting businesses in the Mid Wales county of Ceredigion (Sir Ceredigion) to benefit from the use of Welsh in their business.

Natural Resources Wales (Welsh: Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) is a Welsh Government sponsored body that manages the natural resources of Wales. It aims to pursue sustainable management of these natural resources. There has been a joint three year long campaign by  Animal Aid and the League Against Cruel Sports against National Resources Wales (NRW) leasing public land for shooting. They presented a 12,700 signature petition calling for an end to the practice.

Despite clear objections from the Welsh public, 100,000 signing petitions against it, demonstrations and the matter being the subject of a forced debate in the Welsh Assembly. It has now been revealed that energy company EDF has confirmed it has started to dump mud from the Hinkley Point nuclear power station in the Severn Estuary off Cardiff. 

Yesterday was the anniversary of a significant event in Welsh history. On September 8, 1936 Saunders Lewis, Rev Lewis Valentine and D J Williams, a university lecturer, Baptist minister and school teacher, set fire to the partly built RAF aerodrome, near Pwllheli on the Llŷn Peninsula in north-western Wales. Welsh newspaper the Daily Post recounted the events of that day in an article yesterday. 

Further protests took place today in Cardiff against plans to dump 300,000 tonnes of mud off the South Wales coast that has been dredged from near the Hinkley Point nuclear power stations in England.  Hinkley Point A stopped producing electricity in 2000 after 35 years of operations and Hinkley Point B has been generating electricity since 1976. Now EDF plan to extract the mud and sediment with the aim of drilling six vertical shafts for the cooling water system for the new Hinkley Point C power station.

Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea (Abertawe) on 27th October 1914 and died at the age of 39. Although he died young he had achieved great popularity in his lifetime and continues to be regarded as one of the most important Welsh poets of the 20th century.  His works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion"; the 'play for voices' Under Milk Wood; and stories and radio broadcasts such as A Child's Christmas in Wales and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog. 

Constructed nearly 6000 years ago, some 1000 years before Stonehenge, Tinkinswood Burial Chamber - Siambr Gladdu Tinkinswood is an impressive Neolithic dolmen. A huge 40 ton capstone, thought to be the largest in Europe, covers a rectangular burial chamber with a dry stone wall forecourt.  When excavated the chamber held the bodies of over 50 individuals, along with broken pottery and worked flint. Originally it would have been covered by an earthen mound. It is located about a mile from St Nicholas (Sain Nicolas) in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales (Bro Morgannwg, De Cymru).

Deep in the Berwyn Mountains of Wales stands the beautiful church of Saint Melangell. There has been a church on this site for over 1200 years and parts of the present building date back to the 12th century. It stands in a round churchyard that was once a Bronze Age site and is surrounded by ancient yew trees estimated to be two thousand years old. In the chancel of the church stands the 12th Century shrine of Saint Melangell. The church also contains a 15th Century oak screen with carvings that tell the story of Melangell and Prince Brochwel.

The campaign for selection of a leader for Plaid Cymru – Party of Wales is now underway. The three candidates are all elected members of Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru - National Assembly for Wales. Rhun ap Iorwerth represents Ynys Môn, Adam Price represents Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, and Leanne Wood represents Rhondda.