FUW Denbigh & Flint sponsor National Eisteddfod Chair
With the National Eisteddfod being held in Wrexham this August, it is a pleasure for the Denbigh and Flint branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales to present the Chair for the cultural festival.
The Chair and the Crown were presented to the Eisteddfod Executive Committee in a special ceremony in Wrexham on Tuesday 17 June, with officers from the FUW present, including Denbigh County Chair, Gwion Owen, and Flint Chair, Tim Faire.
The Chair was crafted by Gafyn Owen and his business partner Sean Nelson from MijMoj Design in their workshop in Flint. The wood from the Chair comes from the Erddig estate near Wrexham.
The chair incorporates four main themes that reflect the community and history of Wrexham - namely coal, football, aqueduct and breweries.
The back of the Chair reflects the arch of the Pontcysyllte aqueduct, while the upper part of the Chair takes inspiration from the shape of the roof of the Racecourse, the city's football ground. The Chair also pays tribute to a horrific accident at Gresford colliery in 1934 which killed 261 men. There is also reference to the historic breweries of the area.
The Chair is presented for an ‘awdl’ or collection of poems in strict metre, on more than one of the traditional measures, of no more than 250 lines, on the subject ‘Dinas’ (‘City’). The Eisteddfod Chairing ceremony will be held on Friday 8 August, with the financial prize being given by Coleg Cambria.
