NEWYDDION

Darparwyd yr eitem hon i Cymru’n Cofio Wales Remembers 1914-1918 yn Saesneg yn unig.

SWANSEA is set to turn open spaces, gardens, parks and school playing fields into a sea of poppies to commemorate the outbreak of World War 1.

Families, school-children and local communities will have the chance to pay their own tribute to the millions who fought and died in the first of the 20th century’s great conflicts.

Swansea Council will be playing its part by creating three commemorative fields of poppies at the Civic Centre, Guildhall and at the Cenotaph. And it will be helping communities do their bit giving away poppy seeds to schools and residents to support them in the simple tribute to those who died.

The Council’s efforts have been welcomed by Swansea Royal British Legion President Charles Penny, who said:

“It is a great idea and a very simple but moving way in which we can all play our part to remember. The Legion will be doing the same thing ourselves. The poppy has become the symbol not just of World War 1 but of remembrance too. If you ask any child what they know about the Royal British Legion, for example, and they will tell you it’s the Poppy Appeal.”

Iwan Davies, Head of Culture and Tourism at Swansea Council, said:

“Poppies flower about two to three months after they’re planted and our hope is to encourage local people to plant them so they flower in early August at the time of the centenary of the outbreak of war.

We know schools are already planning their own ways of commemorating 1914 and we’ll be offering them a share of our stocks of poppy seeds for their own fields of remembrance. Our plan is to support local communities to remember the centenary in their own way.

Families will have the chance to plant poppies in their own gardens or even window boxes because along with the seeds we’ll be offering advice on the best way to get the most out of them.”

The packs will include information about Swansea’s role in the war, a step by step guide on how to plant, how to care for the poppies along with safety advice that might need to be considered.

Distribution of free packs of seeds will begin in the spring and the Council will also be developing web pages so residents can find out about other ways to join in the centenary commemorations.

Mr Davies said:

“The city is coming together as a community to commemorate this pivotal event which affected so many in the city during, after and still to this day.”

Remembrance

THE COUNCIL is arranging a series of events across the city to remember 1914 this year.

Events include exhibitions from Swansea Museum and the West Glamorgan Archives Service,  concerts from Swansea Male Choir, poetry at the Dylan Thomas Centre and book readings from Swansea Libraries, just to name a few.