The latest group of Norwegian students to spend an academic year at Cardiff and Vale College have arrived in the capital from Cardiff’s twin region of Vestland – the new county surrounding the west-coast port city of Bergen.
Society treasurer Thomas Husøy joined the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Cardiff & the Lady Mayoress, Cllr Graham Hinchey & Mrs Anne Hincheyat, to welcome them at an event at Cardiff Castle.
We wish the visiting students hjertelig velkommen and hope they enjoy their year making friends and memories in Wales.
When I was given the address at which our midsummer BBQ was to be held, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The address was the house where my uncle’s family had lived and farmed for generations.
My uncle married into our family so he has no Norwegian connections, but his wife, my father’s sister, had a Norwegian grandfather. Sadly none of his grandchildren met him because he lost his life in 1915 when his ship hit a mine off Flamborough Head.
But I digress.
The farm once belonged to the Stevens family.
In the 1939 register, Ernest was farming. He was known around the UK for breeding and judging Ryland sheep.
Prior to that, in the 1911 census, William and his wife Lydia, together with their 4 children, including Ernest and Ethel (born 1904), my uncle’s mother, were living there. William was in charge of the farm.
In the 1901 census William was married to Margaret (who sadly died) and was a bus proprietor, but, obviously, when his father died he took over the farm.
William’s father was John Stevens, born 1828 at the Lizard, Cornwall. I was surprised at this revelation. We know that there was a great deal of “unofficial” emigration between Devon and south Wales as boats plied their trade regularly, but to travel from Cornwall, by sea, presumably, and to end up farming in Gower… that’s a new one on me.
When I showed my research to the lady who now owns the house she said that she found it quite spooky! But I hope I have helped her to learn a little more about the generations who lived there before her.
Since 1996 a group of Norwegian sixth form students has been coming to Cardiff to experience life and education in Wales.
This year, the group was smaller due to covid but this didn’t impact on the quality of the experience for the students. All of the nine students had a terrific time. They made great friends and enjoyed many opportunities to engage in sporting and cultural activities.
The group comes from the county of Vestland, which is twinned with Cardiff. They studied a wide range of A Level subjects at Cardiff and the Vale College whilst also studying Norwegian (which is a compulsory element of their education).
On Friday 10th June, the group came together with teachers, and the leadership team from Cardiff and the Vale College, friends, their host families and some family members from Norway to say farewell.
What a lovely evening it was! The celebration took place at Dosbarth restaurant situated on the fifth floor of the main Cardiff and Vale College building. It has stunning views over Cardiff and Penarth. The dinner was a lovely blend of Welsh and Norwegian dishes. The group was honoured with the presence of the new Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Graham Hinchey and his wife the Lady Mayoress, Anne Hinchey. It was a delight to have the company of Lisbeth Sjursen from Vestland Fylkeskommune who manages the educational exchange programme.
The Lord Mayor and some of the guests and Ivan Westley (Cardiff and Vale College Leader for the programme) gave lovely speeches about students and their successful academic year in Wales. The students themselves produced a slide show to celebrate the special moments of their year abroad.
Each of the nine students felt they had benefited from their year abroad. For Karoline Byrkne ‘meeting so many beautiful and amazing people has made my stay truly special and memorable.
For Nora Mowinck ‘the best part of my stay has been my amazing and beautiful friends. My host family is absolutely amazing and I have made memories I will never forget’. Ine Arntsdatter Leinum-Johnson said ‘the best part of my stay was getting to know new people, both from Norway and wales. Also getting to know a new culture and learning how to live in a different country and culture has been amazing.’
For Sara Børve ‘the best part of my stay has been the football and my friends. I have made memories and had the best year of my life.’
For Nathalie Liklefjære-Tertnæs the highlights were ‘getting to know new people through college and football, and all the things we’ve experienced such as the rugby, jubilee celebrations and football games’.
For Sebastian Birkeland the only boy in the group he found that ‘ the best part was getting to experience a completely different culture and learning about Britain and its history. I feel I have learnt a lot the past year and have become properly integrated into British culture.’
It was great to hear how much they all enjoyed and benefited from the experience.
We wish them all good luck in their exams and careers and hope that they will act as ambassadors for Cardiff and Wales on their return to Norway.
We are deeply saddened to report the sad but peaceful passing of our dear friend Karen Allen yesterday, 8 May 2022.
Karen was the former administrator of the Norwegian Church and a huge champion of the campaign to save it for the community. She was one of the most dedicated, passionate, warm, lovely and knowledgeable colleagues and inspired many of us. We will miss her dearly.
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
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 to share the sad news that Ebba Lovering, one of our founder members, passed away on Tuesday 26th January 2021, with her family by her side.
Ebba’s contribution to the Welsh Norwegian Society and the Norwegian Church in Cardiff was exceptional. She will be sorely missed by many of us, not just for all her voluntary work, but for her great warmth, kindness and good company.
We send Shuna, Neil and all the family our heartfelt condolences.
Here is the article about the 25th anniversary and Ebba, from the Autumn 2020 magazine:
This mini concert is a part of Festival of Light and Friendship 2020 which has happened due to a cooperation between Cardiff Council, the Norwegian Church preservation Trust, the new Vestland County region in Norway and the Welsh Norwegian Society.
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.
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.
Photo taken December 2019 at the 150th celebrations by Bjarte Brask Eriksen of Hordaland
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.’
Note to editors: Queries regarding the Feasibility Study can be addressed to Gareth Kiddie of GKA Community Regeneration Consultancy – email: gareth@gka.org.uk
![](https://welshnorwegian.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/966d0-christmastree.jpg" alt="Christmas tree.jpg")
