Meet the Gŵyl y Gweilch guest speakers for 2024.
To book your free tickets please click here.
Kenneth Brassil
Saturday 10 August 11:00-12:00 From Glaslyn to Cnicht (Welsh)
Sunday 11 August 11:00-12:00 From Glaslyn to Cnicht (English)
Early days in Abergele, where as a Geography and Geology teacher at Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan Kenneth inspired a generation of rock and fossil collectors. University training in Geology, Micropalaeontology and Archaeology during the 1970s. Returned to Clwyd as a field archaeologist excavating Palaeolithic caves, Bronze Age burials and Iron Age hillforts. Joined Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum of Wales as a curator and educationalist. Retired back north, fortunate to still be exploring.
Twm Elias
Saturday 10 August 12:30-13:30 Glaslyn Wildlife and History… and a story or two (Welsh)
Twm has been interested in nature from a very young age. He grew up on a hill farm in the Clynnog area, which contained many different habitats, and therefore a rich variety of wildlife. He loved watching nature programmes on TV, and every Friday afternoon, weather permitting, his teacher, Miss Hughes, used to take the children to walk local paths or to look for shells and crabs and marvel at the variety of stones on the seashore.
He was fortunate enough to get a job with Snowdonia National Park, organising and running wildlife courses at Plas Tan y Bwlch, Maentwrog, taking children and adults out for walks to introduce them to the richness of our wildlife and the history of the countryside. He also got the opportunity to contribute to radio and television programmes, and to contribute to magazines and publish books etc, on these subjects, which was a great opportunity for him to share his interest with people throughout Wales and beyond.
Huw Dafydd Jones
Saturday 10 August 14:00-15:00 Birds in Tradition and Folklore (Welsh)
Sunday 11 August 12:30-13:30 Birds in Tradition and Folklore (English)
Born and bred in Bangor, Huw spent all of his working life, since 1972, teaching Mathematics and Physics at Ysgol Ardudwy in Harlech. For a few of those years he was appointed head of the Middle School. Now retired, his interest in all things ‘nature’ began in the primary school when he contributed weekly to the school’s nature table. The shores of afon Menai and the beaches of Anglesey then featured strongly when he was at secondary school especially when he bought his first pair of binoculars. At present, Huw is the treasurer for Cymdeithas Ted Breeze Jones.
His Gŵyl y Gweilch presentation is based on a thesis submitted by his late son, Rhodri Dafydd, as part of his degree at Aberystwyth University.
Sophie-lee Williams
Sunday 11 August 14:00-15:00 Eagle Reintroduction in Wales: Restoring White-tailed Eagles to South East Wales and the Severn Estuary (English)
Sophie-Lee is a raptor biologist whose research is informing plans to reintroduce these magnificent birds to wild Wales. She completed a PhD researching the feasibility of restoring native-eagles at Cardiff University and is working with the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, and Gwent Wildlife Trust. Using this research bids for the return of White-tailed Eagles to South-east Wales are currently on-going.
Dr Tim Mackrill
Saturday 10 August 15:30-16:30 The Phenomenon of Osprey Migration (English)
Sunday 11 August 15:30-16:30 The White-tailed Eagle Reintroduction Project (English)
Dr Tim Mackrill leads the work of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation in England. He completed a PhD on Osprey migration at the University of Leicester and managed the Rutland Osprey Project for more than ten years. He has written three books on Ospreys, including one recently published for the Poyser series. He is also the founder of the Osprey Leadership Foundation, a charity that works with young people in different countries on the Osprey’s migratory flyway to inspire and enable the next generation of conservation leaders.
Book your free tickets for Gŵyl y Gweilch here.