On October 1^st, as the trees start to change to the colours of Autumn

Twenty ladies of Ynysfach WI travelled to Lampeter for a day of culinary delights along with seasonal flowers and fun

Mr Gareth Richards, well known for being a Chef and for Flower Arranging, and who is much in demand

Treated us to a day to remember with every little detail meticulously planned

There was a welcome morning coffee and tea, and mini welsh cakes when we arrived

Before we moved to the ‘demo’ room, Gareth’s fully equipped kitchen of the very best kind

He was so entertaining, so personable, and gave us lots of tips to think about

He was truly an expert in his craft, and a clever sociable speaker of that there is no doubt

We then sat down to a meal we saw him cooking and that he had prepared for us

All themed around Autumn, which he made look so easy, with the minimum of fuss!!

It was tasty and nutritious, well presented and three-courses of a feast

Gareth even served us as a waiter, showing that his sense of duty never ceased

It was a delightful day and Gareth’s versatility was very special to see

Thanks again from the Ynysfach WI to a gentleman who has a gift for entertaining that comes to him easily

The day ended with tea and cakes before we boarded the bus for the journey homeward bound

An interesting experience offered by Gareth Richards and family, and surely one that they can be proud to have found!

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Photographs & Poem by an Ynysfach WI Member

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The Referees for the Tournament were supplied by the ‘SWANSEA CITY AFC FOUNDATION’ which is a charitable arm of the Swans that strives to inspire and engage people from all backgrounds from across South West Wales. The Foundation has been working at the heart of the community for the last 15 years.

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We previously reported that the ‘Men’s Shed’ members had provided a bench in memory of Mr Paul Morgan, so the following photographs were taken at Ynysfach Primary School the same day as the above football tournament.

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Photographs provided by Lucy LeMesurier and Hugh Lewis

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In April 2025, Mr Paul Morgan, Headteacher at Ynysfach Primary
School, sadly passed away having lost his brave and courageous battle
against cancer.

As many of you may know, Mr Morgan had workedg at Ynysfach for
twelve years, first as Deputy Head and then as Headteacher from 2018.
During this time, he taught, nurtured and supported pupils from
Resolven and Clun, built a fantastic, hardworking, dedicated family of
staff and governors and created close bonds with the community. As
well as being a strong leader, staff always appreciated Mr Morgan’s
friendship, kindness and wicked sense of humour and will continue to
maintain his positivity, passion and pride for the work that he did.

In memory of Mr Morgan, staff at Ynysfach approached Resolven Men’s
Shed to ask if they could build a memorial bench for Mr Morgan which
would include planters that pupils could plant with colourful flowers.

The photograph shows all the ‘Man Shed’ members: Dewi Williams, Alun Williams, Lyn Davies, Ryan Davies, Keith Evans, Dave Pink, Richard Williams, Paul Roberts, Michael Robert Coulter, Jeff Pritchard and Paul Minton

The bench has now been built at the top of the yard, and a memorial plaque
is due to be added. Blaengwrach Primary School have very kindly given
Ynysfach a beautiful olive tree to plant in memory of Mr Morgan, plus
shrubs have been kindly donated by Tom’s Nurseries and Garden
Centre in Cadoxton.

In addition, to remember their football loving headteacher, Ynysfach Primary will be hosting an annual ‘Paul Morgan Football tournament’ for their cluster family of schools. The first of these is due to take place on Friday September 26th.

This is the same day as a

MACMILLAN Cancer Support Coffee Morning held at
Ynysfach Primary School Hall between 9.30 – 10.30am

where tea, coffee and cakes will be available. Ynysfach hope to welcome as many people to this coffee morning as possible – parents, friends and members of the community – so that they can raise as much money as they can in memory of Mr Morgan.

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Thanks to Mrs Groth for some of the above information.

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