WALES AND THE MARCHES

Our Region currently has 6 Members, 44 Associate Members, and about 70 Friends, supporters, and those who come to events.

There is currently one Family Group in the Region, the Black Mountains Family Group, with membership extending from Swansea in the west to Bromyard in the east. This group meets monthly, currently either via Zoom or face-to-face.

Post Codes in this Region:
CF, HR, LD, LL, NP, SA, SY

HOW WE WORK IN THIS REGION

The Region of Wales and the Marches is a successor to Iona Cymru. We try to hold two or three gatherings each year. The purpose of our gatherings is to enable ‘Community’ to take on tangible shape, in different parts of our area. Thus meetings have been held in Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Bangor, Shrewsbury, Abergavenny, and Llanidloes.

Gatherings always include Iona Worship, plus topics such as Environmental Destruction, Sustainable Food, meetings with Leaders, Columbatide, Women Religion and Identity in Wales, and the poetry of RS Thomas.

KEY PARTNERS AND NETWORKS IN THIS REGION

The Family Group makes use of the Llangasty (Llangorse Lake) Retreat House from time to time. We have also used the Mascall Centre in Ludlow, and Old Chapel Farm in Llanidloes.

FUTURE EVENTS

Our most recent regional gathering was in late October at the wonderful Gladstone’s Library in Flintshire.

The topic was Racism, on which we were ably led by Prof Robert Moore of Liverpool University (a Community Associate Member), and Rev Yousouf Gooljary, Community Member and convenor of the Community’s Combatting Racism CCN.  There was a mixture of a small number attending on site, and a similarly small number joining on line.  Here’s part of a response from one attender:

“Thank you again for your involvement with the day at Gladstone library. It was very thought provoking….Robert and Yousouf helped me to sort through some of my prejudices in this regard, which I should do regularly. This is sometimes painful! Always meeting people face to face makes such a difference as to how I feel about them instead of making wrong headed assumptions.”

There are as yet no plans for our next Regional meeting, whether on site or on-line, but watch this space.

CONTACT US

Allyson Taylor or Francis Buxton:
[email protected]