WNS is wishing you a Happy Easter / God Påske

To all WNS members & friends,

Wishing you a Happy Easter / God Påske in spite of these challenging times. We hope that everyone is keeping safe and well with adequate food supplies and other essentials.
 
It would be great if we could use these WNS newsletters to keep each other company, and to share some of our news about things we’ve been doing to keep our spirits up, including activities with a Norwegian twist.

I’m pleased to be the guest writer of this first Lockdown Newsletter as it gives me the chance to share with you how much Mum (Mary) and I have been enjoying the daily YouTube videos by the well-known Norwegian knitting designers Arne and Carlos. They have been in quarantine in their home in Valdres, Norway for several weeks now, and have organised a daily Knitalong to support their family of fellow knitters across the world. Each day they issue a new design on their blog to knit (or crochet or cross-stitch) and later on they will show how to join the knitted squares.
You don’t have to be a knitter to enjoy their videos – their understated humour and general outlook on life is just brilliant, and we often learn things about Norwegian life and culture.
And, as Arne and Carlos frequently remind us: Remember, you may be isolated, but you are not alone!

You can find the Knitalong patterns and links to their Youtube channel on their blog https://arnecarlos.com/blog/

As Easter is here, Tyra has also suggested that we could share some stories about our Easter experiences past and present, including traditions from Norway.

So please keep in touch, and stay safe and well. We look forward to the time when we can all meet again for a coffee afternoon at the Norwegian Church!

Karen Allen
ka.allen@btinternet.com / contact@welshnorwegian.org

NB. This newsletter will be posted to members who are not on email, so we make sure all WNS members are supported during the lockdown. If anyone would like any help with accessing the Arne and Carlos knitting patterns, please let us know. Or if you would just like a chat with a committee member in Norwegian (or English), don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Update on the Norwegian Church

Back in December, Huw Thomas, Leader of Cardiff Council, wrote to WNS indicating that they were willing to explore a Community Asset Transfer of the Norwegian Church. This would effectively mean transferring the charity to become independent again, as opposed to being under the wing of Cardiff Council. Members will be aware that WNS campaigned persistently during 2019 to save the Norwegian Church from the council’s plans to lease the building to a commercial tenant. So this message from Huw Thomas was long overdue.

However, we are required to show that any new arrangements for the Norwegian Church would be sustainable in the long run, and so we have to raise funds for a feasibility study. We anticipate this will cost approximately £8000.
At the end of February, WNS submitted an application to the Architectural Heritage Fund for a grant which can provide up to 50% of the costs, i.e. £4000. So now we have to raise the remaining £4000. With the current national coronavirus emergency, there are many arts and cultural organisations in difficulties, and members of the WNS working group have been discussing how best to go about raising the necessary funds, especially with so many other good causes calling for public support. We would very much like to hear from anyone who has any thoughts and suggestions on this subject; not just the fundraising aspect, but about what we should do next.

In early March, we had a follow-up letter from Huw Thomas which seemed a bit more negative (before the coronavirus crisis had fully erupted). At the time we sent our reply, the full implications of coronavirus were becoming clear and we asked for WNS to be consulted about what will happen to the Norwegian Church during the crisis. We have not yet had a reply to this. We appreciate the council is under extreme pressure at the moment, but we are not prepared to stand by and let the Norwegian Church be a casualty of the crisis. The building is closed, of course, but it isn’t clear what costs the charity (Norwegian Church Preservation Trust) will still incur during the lockdown.