Dates for your Diary

The next Llafur Day School is:

Celebrating the 90th Birthday of Ieuan Gwynedd Jones

A Day School on Victorian Wales

at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth

on Saturday 19 June 2010 10am-4pm

This event is organised with Ceredigion Historical Society

Rhaglen/Programme

10.00am Ryland Wallace, ‘Mere Slave Stuff’: The Emancipation of Women in Victorian Wales’

10.45am Coffi/Coffee

11.45am Russell Davies, Hapusrwydd, Hiwmor a Rhywioldeb y Cymry yn Oes Victoria* (The Happiness, Humour and Sexuality of the Welsh in the Age of Victoria)

12.00pm Geraint H Jenkins, Ieuan Gwynedd Jones: An Appreciation

12.45pm Cinio/Lunch (Bydd bwyty LlGC ar gael ar gyfer prydau ysgafn/ NLW restaurant will be open for light meals)

1.45pm Paul O’Leary, The Last ‘Invasion’ of Wales: The Salvation Army and Street Religion in the 1870s and 1880s

2.45pm Richard Ireland, White Gloves and Blue Books: Community and Crime in Nineteenth-Century Wales

3.30pm Tê/Tea

* Simultaneous translation will be available for this lecture

The event is FREE to attend and a warm welcome is extended to all.

To book your free place, please contact:
Siân Williams, Llafur Secretary,
c/o South Wales Miners’ Library, Swansea University, Hendrefoelan Campus, Gower Road, Swansea  SA2 7NB
Tel:       01792 518693
Email: s.f.williams@ swansea.ac.uk                                                                                                                       

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In early November 2007, Llafur, in conjunction with the Josef Herman Foundation, held a successful day school on the visual culture of modern south Wales. The event was held in the newly opened Waterfront Museum in Swansea and the location provided an exciting setting for a day of thought-provoking presentations. A full report of the event is in our online newsletter.

Llafur Website Launch

The Llafur website was launched at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay on 23rd January 2008. It was an enjoyable and relaxed event, helped by appropriately modest quantities of Llafur red.

Amongst the number of Assembly Members who visited the launch, special mention should be made of Christine Chapman, Leighton Andrews and Andrew Davies. Christine, who hosted the event, and welcomed all who were present, is a Llafur member who is undertaking her own historical research into women and the labour movement. It was very pleasing that Andrew, another Llafur member, who is currently Finance Minister in the Cabinet of the Welsh Assembly Government, was able to stay with us for the whole event. Leighton Andrews, the Deputy Minister for Regeneration, spoke of how he first became aware of Llafur as a history undergraduate in Bangor. His description of the Society caught its essence as well as anyone ever has. In describing its values, he talked about its generosity of spirit, the 'greater community' that it encapsulates, as well as its sense of popular democracy. He also talked about the way that regeneration can capture a sense of community spirit, and the economic potential of linking history and regeneration. This is a theme which the Society and Leighton could fruitfully develop further in future. Speaking on behalf of Llafur, Angela John, one of the Society's Vice Presidents reviewed the contribution that the Society had made over the last four decades. (Angela's talk is available elsewhere on this website.) Neil Evans, who was m.c for the evening, wrapped up the event talking about the Society's present and future.

With an Assembly in Cardiff, Llafur has another natural constituency with which to engage. Also, the website now provides an important outlet through which we can build towards the future, providing greater services to the membership and reaching out across Wales and the world…

On 1 March Llafur organised an event in Cardiff to consider CyMAL's early thoughts on the proposal in the Welsh Assembly Government's One Wales document, to 'establish an all-Wales Collection of People's History, backed by a permanent curatorial staff with responsibility for the promotion and development of the collection'. Linda Tomos, Head of CyMAL, presented a proposal for consideration by Llafur members.

Linda explained that they were seeking to create a permanent collection that would reflect the diversity of Wales through the story of ordinary people. Initial content could include stories of local communities, the role of women, sport and the experiences and contribution of migrants. Use of IT will be maximised to develop access to the collection online, including possibly through social networking sites, blogs, flicr, and through 'second life'. It would be interactive and would consciously seek to be appealing to younger people. The project would look to exploit old and new, whether existing oral history collections or through the digital stories currently being generated. She saw it as a potentially democratising approach.

The discussion was wide ranging, whether on the importance of events in history, the potential relationship between this initiative and activities in community and economic regeneration, or links to the heritage sector. Consideration was also given to how to extend current interest in family history to larger historical issues, the possibility of using 'health' as a theme, whether sport should be broadened to also include culture or leisure, and the use of languages. There was a lengthy discussion on how 'women' should be considered, possibly through work, as a part of a broader equalities agenda, which could also include sexual orientation, or as part of a wider 'gender' perspective. Attention was also paid to the large scope of the undertaking, that the resource should be indexed and searchable, and (amongst many others) copyright and permissions. Those present had no issues with the broad concept as outlined. A large number of potential sources, collaborators and media were suggested. Suggestions were made on work strands/themes and how accompanying methodologies could be structured. The (e/im) migration theme was endorsed.

Angela John, Llafur Vice President who opened the day, pointed out that the world becomes the community when using the web, and that we should be mindful of the audience when constructing a platform.

CyMAL is looking to develop sustainable partnerships, with a wide range of bodies and organisations, and hoped that Llafur would participate. Local history societies and the Welsh Women's Archive were also identified as important contributors.

Special thanks should go to Elin Jones who chaired the morning session in such an inspirational way for the maximum benefit, and enjoyment, of the 35 who took part.

Robert Owen and the Co-operative Movement in Wales
Pontypridd Museum
6 September 2008

Llafur organised a successful day school to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Robert Owen of Newtown, the ‘father of the Co-operative Movement’. 

40 people braved the weather, and were rewarded for their efforts with excellent papers from Brian Davies, Alun Burge, Roger Davies, Mervyn Wilson, and Chris Williams.

Sport, Gender and Society in Wales
SWALEC Stadium, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Saturday 1 November 2008

Honouring Ursula Masson

To honour Ursula's life and work, the Women's Archive of Wales and Llafur held a joint day-school at Swansea University on Saturday September 12th 2009.

There were contributions from friends and colleagues who worked with Ursula in her many different roles, as well as a unique opportunity to see the three films made by Ursula and the Swansea Women's History Group: Back of the Front Line; Smiling and Splendid Women; and Swansea Conchie Controversy.

'Milestones of Welsh Democracy': from Chartism to the National Assembly.

The Day School held on Sunday 8 November 20009 at the Senedd, Cardiff Bay marked the 170th anniversary of the South Wales Rising in 1839, the fact that in 1929 women were able to cast their vote for the first time, and 10 years of the National Assembly in Wales.