25th Anniversary of the restoration and reopening of Norwegian Church

On Saturday April 8th 2017 the Welsh Norwegian Society will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the saving and restoration of the Norwegian Sailor’s Church in Cardiff Bay. Crown Princess Martha Louise attended to perform the ceremonial opening of the church.


We will be celebrating the anniversary with a very ‘hyggelig’ afternoon of coffee and cakes where we will be joined by a special guest Terje Inderhaug and his wife visiting from Bergen. Terje was a student in Cardiff at the time of the fundraising appeal to save the church and took an active part in the process of finding enough money to dismantle the old and build the new church.

A trust was set up and together with the Norwegian Support Committee and Hordaland Kommune two hundred and fifty thousand pounds was raised between Norway and Wales to save the church.

Terje helped set up a link between Cardiff and Hordaland which has continued to this day. We are very proud that we were able to save the church and look forward to celebrating the 25th Anniversary of its reopening with Terje.

Membership of the Confederation of Scandinavian Societies


The Welsh Norwegian Society is proud to announce that it has obtained membership of CoScan the Confederation of Scandinavian Societies.

CoScan acts as a coordinating body for societies which work for cultural exchange between UK and Ireland on the one hand and the five Scandinavian countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway, on the other.

CoScan was founded in 1950 and is an autonomous non-profit making organisation funded by subscriptions from its affiliated member societies and individual members, by voluntary contributions and fund-raising activities.

CoScan comprises about 30 member societies, representing over 30,000 individuals, bringing together those with an interest or family roots in any of the five Nordic countries.

Their member societies cover a wide range of cultural and social topics, providing a network of advice, support and social contact.

Visit of Terje Inderhaug

Terje Inderhaug and his wife will be visiting the Welsh Norwegian Society on Saturday 8th April.

Terje played a key role in the saving and restoration of the Norwegian Church Arts Centre. Coming from Hordaland, Norway he helped secure funding of One Million Krone from the Hordaland Fylkeskommune in the late 1980’s to assist the Church in Cardiff.

Cardiff and Hordaland are now twinned and the relationship continues with ongoing support provided to the Norwegian Church Arts Centre.

The 8th April provides an opportunity for new and old members to gather at the Norwegian Church Arts Centre and enjoy some traditional Norwegian coffee and cake and meet with Terje and his family and express our thanks and continue to build the special bonds shared between Wales and Norway. Please see our events for further details.