Dear members and friends,

This newsletter is all about the May 17th celebrations 2021.

 

Monday 17th May, 7PM
Online celebration of 17. Mai / 17th May – Norway’s National Constitution Day
Email to let us know you are attending (free for members): contact@welshnorwegian.org

 

17. May / 17th May

As usual this time of year we are looking forward to 17th May! Unfortunately the Norwegian Church in Cardiff will not be reopening any time soon, so we have been working hard to make the online celebration something special.

It was such a joy last year, and this time we are better prepared. We already have quite a lineup ready to go including the official 17th May speech by Cato Syversen, live poetry readings and official greetings from Norway and Wales. Our highlight of the event will be a pre-recorded concert by Marita Lervik made at the Norwegian Church during the last lockdown. This concert has been made especially in celebration of our Welsh-Norwegian connection and cultural heritage (see below for info).  WNS is delighted to welcome our Scottish sister societies and the Anglo-Norse Society to join us as well.

Please send us a quick email to let us know you are joining the celebrations online (free for members): contact@welshnorwegian.org

St. Hans midsummer camp out will not be going ahead at its usual venue. We are very optimistic that both May 17th and St. Hans will go ahead face to face next year!

17th May concert

Marita Lervik is a soprano from Bergen, Norway, currently in the final year of her MMus degree at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

As a special treat for our members we have had a concert with Marita professionally recorded in the main room of the Norwegian Church in Cardiff.

Through the concert she explores the journey of the Norwegian seafarers who came to Wales, through music by Norwegian and Welsh composers. Accompanied by pianist Sharon Richards, this concert is recorded in the 151 year old Norwegian church in Cardiff, which served as place of worship for the Norwegian sailors and a home away from home. The programme is a musical representation of the seafarers’ journey starting in Norway, travelling past England and arriving in Wales.

It consists of a variety of classical pieces for voice and piano by Norwegian, Welsh and English composers.

Edvard Grieg:
 
Norge (Norway) Op. 58
1 Hjemkomst (Homeward)
2 Til Norge (To the Motherland)
3 Henrik Wergeland
4 Turisten (The Shepherdess)
5 Udvandreren (The Emigrant)
 
Roger Quilter: 
 
4 Songs of the Sea Op. 1
1 I have a Friend
2 The Sea-Bird
3 Moonlight
4 By the Sea
 
3 Songs of William Blake Op. 20
1 Dream Valley
2 The Wild Flower’s Song
3 Daybreak
 
Morfydd Owen:
 
Spring
 4 Flower Songs:
1 Daisy’s Song
2 Speedwell
3 To Violets
4 God Made a Lovely Garden

We are pleased to say that the Norwegian Church has a new flag and pennant!

The pennant flag will fly every day and the full national flag will be hoisted on special occasions, according to Norwegian Flag regulations.

Flag regulations in Norwegian: https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dep/ud/dep/norges-flagg-forskrift/id449230/
Flag regulations translated to English: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=no&tl=en&u=https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dep/ud/dep/norges-flagg-forskrift/id449230/

Both flags have been generously donated by a member of the public and the Welsh Norwegian Society. They were made by Red Dragon Flagmakers www.reddragonflagmakers.co.uk. They are a fantastic Welsh business and we can highly recommend them. The flags are really high quality, they were very knowledgeable and we received excellent customer service.

We have a magical Christmas treat for you!

Join us online this coming Sunday 29th November, to celebrate the lighting of the Christmas tree outside the Norwegian Church in Cardiff. This will be followed by a mini Christmas Concert by singer Marita Lervik, singing Norwegian traditional classics like Deilig er jorden and Stille natt.

In these difficult times, it’s uplifting to know there will once again be a Christmas tree with lights outside the Norwegian Church; some light in the darkness. This has happened as a result of cooperation between Cardiff Council, the Welsh Norwegian Society and the new Vestland County region in Norway.

Obviously, we can’t gather at the Norwegian Church this year, so Cardiff Council have kindly funded the production of a video to launch the lighting of the Christmas tree. The video will be launched at 5pm on Sunday 29th November, with guests watching from Norway and across the UK.

So join us this Sunday 29th November
The Welsh Norwegian Society will gather for a social event starting at 4.30pm, and then we will watch the launch of the tree lighting video together at 5pm.

After the tree lighting we hope you will stay on for a special treat! Singer Marita Lervik has recorded a mini Christmas Concert for us that will be accompanied by photos from previous WNS Christmas events.

Link to the event and further info will be sent by email to all paid members. We are aware that some of our members do not receive emails or find Zoom challenging to use, and we are sorry that these are our only options at present. If you would like help to set up Zoom on your computer or phone, please email one of our committee members or contact@welshnorwegian.org.

Please note: For safety reasons there will not a live event to light the tree on Sunday, to avoid crowds gathering at the Norwegian Church. Instead, the video will be pre-recorded and launched on Sunday. The Christmas tree will then remain lit through the festive period as a beacon of hope in Cardiff Bay.

To all WNS members & friends,

We are very excited to share with you this questionnaire, published by Gareth Kiddie who is conducting the feasibility study of The Norwegian Church in Cardiff. Please take 5 minutes to fill in the questionnaire and share it with anyone you know that has an interest in the building or Cardiff Bay.

Norwegian Church group invites public views on its future.

A number of organisations with an interest in the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay have come together to conduct a feasibility study regarding its future. Headed up by the Welsh Norwegian Society, the partnership is now seeking the views of the local community.

Tyra Oseng-Rees, Chair of the Society, explained what they were looking to achieve:
‘The Norwegian Church is an established charity run by the Cardiff Council. Earlier this year the Council gave their support to our proposal to conduct a feasibility study that would explore the future community use of the Church, and in June we commissioned an experienced consultant to conduct the study. Now we are at the stage where we would really like to find out what people think, most especially the residents of Butetown and The Bay, but everyone else that has an interest in the Norwegian Church in Cardiff and beyond.’

The Norwegian Church is an iconic landmark and one of the few remaining heritage buildings dating back to the heydays of Cardiff Docks and Tiger Bay. Built in 1868, it originally stood alongside the wharf at Bute East Dock, and was at that time clad with corrugated iron. For over 100 years the Church provided a place of sanctuary and a ‘home away from home’ not just to seamen from Norway, but the other Scandinavian countries

and Baltic States too. In 1987 the Church was carefully dismantled when the Bute Tunnels were being built and in 1991 building work began to reassemble the Church in its present position overlooking Cardiff Bay. Today the Church remains as much loved building and visitor attraction, but its future is uncertain.

Tyra further commented ‘We can see that it’s been a challenge for the Council to keep the charity going and to ensure that the Norwegian Church meets its objectives – which are largely concerned with maintaining the Church as a museum and public visitor attraction. We are therefore looking to explore all options for the future, and take a fresh approach to this challenge. Please help us by completing our short questionnaire survey and making your views known. Our priority is to ensure that the Church can be used and enjoyed by everybody for generations to come.’

The survey questionnaire is available online by clicking on this link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NorwegianChurch

ENDS

Note to editors: Queries regarding the Feasibility Study can be addressed to Gareth Kiddie of GKA Community Regeneration Consultancy – email: gareth@gka.org.uk

To all WNS members & friends,

Summer is here and we should have been celebrating St Hans this past Sunday with our annual midsummer BBQ garden party on Gower. Unfortunately, as with so many other events, this tradition had to be suspended for 2020.

That does not mean WNS is dormant. Virtual May 17th celebrations were a great success and we are planning more virtual meetups in the near future, the first one on July 8th. The work to save the Norwegian Church in Cardiff is gathering momentum following a successful funding campaign. Our online AGM is coming up, with important decisions to make that will dictate the future of our organisation.

May 17th / Syttende mai

Covid19 and social distancing has put a stick in the wheels of WNS activities just as much as everyone else, to the point we have had to be innovative and clever with how we engage with members, especially our annual event Syttende Mai / May 17th. 

As a committee we came to the collective idea that we could utilise Zoom and our online presence to offer something to all in some form of celebration and I think we can say that it was a complete success. It was a lot of hard work to figure out the logistics, but everyone who took part to plan and partake made it a short but entertaining evening where we were able to have people all over the country join from the comfort of their own homes, including several new members. In total about 40 members tuned in and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, showing that there is a thirst for WNS events, even when they are confined to a virtual experience.

Zoom social meetup.

Virtual coffee and cake, Wednesday July 8th at 7PM

After the resounding success of the virtual May 17th gathering, WNS wishes to continue using Zoom until we once again are safe to meet up in person. Limitations force innovation, also for WNS.

On Wednesday July 8th at 7PM we welcome all members to a virtual social meetup on Zoom. Like last time we have created an Eventbrite event for you to sign up. A Zoom link will be sent out per email before the event for you to join. But please remember to get a free “ticket” on Eventbrite as this is a necessary step for us to protect members’ privacy and you will not be able to take part otherwise.

Eventbrite link:  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-coffee-and-cake-on-zoom-tickets-111414257042

We do realise that meeting online can exclude some members or make it more challenging for them to take part. Unfortunately that is a challenge we face a lot these days. If you have any questions on how to install and use Zoom, please follow these instructions that we made for the May 17th event: INSTRUCTIONS

 

 

AGM Sunday Sept 20th at 2PM

Due to the uncertain situation and travel restrictions, the committee has that decided that this year’s AGM will also be held on Zoom, on Sunday September 20th at 2PM. This will give all our members the opportunity to take part, from near and far. Agenda will follow. As with the 17th of May and July 8th Social Zoom, an Eventbrite link with password will be sent out to members to join the AGM Zoom.

The use of Zoom has been a great success so far, allowing the WNS committee to remain functional and effective despite lockdown restrictions. We have decided to keep committee meetings on Zoom beyond lockdown and Covid19, to allow members from all over Wales to take an active role in the committee.

Annual Booklet 2020

As is tradition we have started compiling and designing the WNS 2020 Annual Booklet for our members. We e wish to invite all of you to share photos and personal stories relating to Norway, your connection to Norway, May 17th or other contributions you think may be suitable for our members to enjoy.

More info on this will be presented by our chair Tyra Oseng-Rees during the July 8th social Zoom. If you are unable to join us then, but have questions regarding this, please email us here: contact@welshnorwegian.org

 

 

Please make the most of your membership by taking an active part in Welsh Norwegian Society.

Welsh Norwegian Society (WNS) works to promote continuing close links between Wales and Norway. The Society organises special events and social functions with a Norwegian flavour. It encourages participation in cultural skills and activities related to Norwegian heritage. Without member contributions the Society would not be able to offer the range of activities it does – Syttende Mai, Juletrefest and St Hans celebrations. As a paying member you will be invited to attend these events, gain access to a vast library of Norwegian literature and receive regular news updates. Anyone with an interest in any aspect of Norwegian life, culture or heritage will be warmly welcomed.

 

by WNS Welsh Norwegian Society, Organizer

Thank you for helping towards the goal of keeping this Norwegian Church heritage alive, and the church building open to the public.

A special note for the 75th anniversary of VE Day
 
As we mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day this weekend, it’s an opportunity to remember all the Norwegian seafarers who passed through the Norwegian Seamen’s Church in Cardiff Docks, including the many who lost their lives in the war effort. During this time, the Norwegian Church became a lifeline for the seamen who were unable to return home to occupied Norway. The church performed vital welfare services including safe keeping of money which could later be returned to families, if men were lost at sea.
 
This photograph shows a wartime wedding at the Norwegian Church, attended by one of Norway’s most famous war heroes – Leif Andreas ‘Shetlands’ Larsen. He was the groom’s uncle, and can be seen on the left of the photo.
 
We, the Welsh Norwegian Society, are passionate about ensuring this important heritage is preserved at the Norwegian Church for present and future generations to appreciate.
Help us to fund the feasibility study that will find the best way of saving the Norwegian Church as a building for the people, not for commercial profit. Click here to go to the GoFundMe.