: Addysg

A Guest Blog from the Cutting Edge Textiles Group: Showcasing Our Work at St Fagans National Museum of History

Monica Dennis, Cutting Edge Group, 13 Mai 2025

After a year (2024) of creating incredible St Fagan’s inspired textile and mixed media art Cutting Edge members gathered at the Gweithdy Gallery, St Fagans National Museum of History on 25th & 26th April to exhibit their work and to provide craft and sewing activities for visitors in celebration of Global Intergenerational Week. And what an awesome two days it was!

Visitors were delighted to be able to view the exhibits close up and to read the workbooks describing how the project developed over time. They were also delighted that they could join in the various activities and we received lots of feedback over the two days, both in conversation and the Visitors Book. Here's a taste of what people said:

“As a fellow quilter and textile artist it is lovely to go out and see everyone’s work. Congratulations." Lesley , Higham Quilters, Gloucester
“Very impressive to see such a stunning piece of local inspiration and imaginative work” Byron family
“Fabulous exhibition. Well done all. Thank you for making us feel so welcome“ Sue & Vicki
 
The children tried out most things from colouring to stamping and sewing, which seemed to be a crowd pleaser. After colouring a picture on fabric many were eager to have a go at sewing and soon became hooked!
One little girl drew a large letter E on a textile square and began sewing it. She was disappointed to be dragged away half way though, but took some threads to finish it at home. However, later in the day she reappeared to pick up some more thread as she had run out of one of the colours. She must have found a little corner on her travels around the grounds to continue her sewing!
The adults enjoyed the sewing too!
The group from Pontadawe stitch group thoroughly enjoyed making brooches and owls:
“What a wonderful exhibition, so inspiring. Thank you for my owl/penguin. I love him! You are all a lovely bunch. Diolch yn fawr I chi gyd“!" Glenda , Stitch Pontadawe. 
“What a lovely event. Thanks for the brooch kit. I really enjoyed making it. All lovely friendly people” Dawn

Plenty of owls appeared thanks to Carol. They were so popular that she had to go home on Friday evening to prepare more!
“Thank you Carol for helping me make my owl!.

There was some great colouring and sketching going on. Pat's little leather bound sketch books were as popular as Carol’s owls. Not surprising as they were a fabulous little gift to take home.
“Lovely day out with lots of great crafts, the children really enjoyed themselves. Thank you so much"

The Cutting Edge members weren’t shy of immersing themselves in the activities either. They thoroughly enjoyed chatting to visitors too as it was an opportunity to pass on tips, advise and direct them to resources. One visitor was planning to repair altar cloths and was delighted to be introduced to another visitor who could help her find the braids that she needed.
Some feedback from the Cutting Edge group members: 
“I enjoyed the afternoon. A lovely way to spend it. I loved looking at the exhibits again and had fun stamping!” Sally
“It was a fun day with so much interest and appreciation… met some lovely people, some commenting that they were inspired to try something creative themselves and very polite children who all said thank you for helping them. Loved it” Ella.
“What a lovely time spent today meeting visitors who were so interested in our groups work. So many were amazed at the range of different textile / art skills exhibited.  My favourite moment though is the young boy in the photo above who was determined to stitch around his daffodils before leaving . So good to have had the opportunity to encourage the youngsters."  Liz
“Such a great couple of days and so many people leaving inspired to carry on stitching." Eleri

The Monopoly quilt was popular and a number of suggestions were made for a permanent home for it, though many were of the view that it should stay at St Fagans.
“Fantastic range of work and skills. Really enjoyed the whole exhibition especially the Monopoly quilt." Lesley, Rhoose
Carol’s stitched family tree project was also popular. Carol was overwhelmed by the repose she received. As a result the seeds of a workshop are now forming!

Over the two days we welcomed over 650 visitors who came from near and far, some as far as the Netherlands!
Two Dutch ladies who visited wanted to buy pieces of our art work. When we asked what they were interested in they pointed to Dianne’s postcard and Monica’s Thomas the Taylor post card. The cards were gifted to the ladies and addresses were swapped with a promise from Monica and Dianne that they would post them a fabric postcard too!
A brilliant two days enjoyed by both visitors and Cutting Edge members alike. 

A huge thank you to:
St Fagan’s staff member Loveday who went above and beyond to make sure that we had everything we needed. She even joined in and helped when we were very busy, which was really appreciated!
Jan’s husband Alan for taking photos for us. They are a fabulous addition to our album!
And an enormous thank you to all our amazing Cutting Edge members for their inspired pieces of work and dedication to make the two day event at St Fagans such a memorable occasion. You are all stars!

We held the event during Global Intergenerational Week which fell at the end of the Easter holiday. It certainly ticked all the boxes for intergenerational engagement as both children and adults went away happy and more confident with the new skills they had acquired.

“Fabulous exhibition and lovely to see the skills on show. Lovely initiative and great for children of all ages to experience”!
"Fantastisch!" Lia, the Netherlands
“Superb inspiring exhibition. I enjoyed the diversity too – patterns, stitch, water colours. Also enjoyed the hands-on activities. Relaxing and fun.” Gwynedd
“Such an excellent event, with wonderful pieces of work to admire and inspire! So kind and generous to supply everything for the intergenerational projects we did” Caroline
“Excellent exhibition. Lovely talented ladies”

Following the event, we were delighted to receive the image of the event sent by Mike who is a member of the St Fagans Sketching Group. He visited on the Saturday and sat quietly in the corner sketching the scene before him. He thought our work, like his, was amazing:
“I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition of members work from the Cutting Edge Textile Group at St Fagans. It was a beautiful day, and the event was very popular with families enjoying the last of the Easter holidays. There were lots of fun activities for children and adults. I was encouraged to visit the Cutting Edge Textile group exhibition to see what they do by a member of the CE group who attends the St Fagans Sketching Group. The answer is a lot and to a very high standard too! Everyone was so kind in sharing their work. I have got loads of ideas and tried to capture the event in my sketchbook” Instagram @mikelinewalker

End note:
Monica posted a fabric postcard to one of the Dutch women who visited our exhibition and surprisingly it arrived before she returned home to the Netherlands! This is the email Monica received from Thea:
“Dear Monica,
It was a surprise to find that the card you sent me has arrived already when I came home from my holiday tour through Wales. 
It was very nice to meet you at the exhibition and that I was allowed to make a choice out of the cards you had made. All in all it was a very inspiring exhibition and I enjoyed it very much.
The cards I will show tomorrow to the members of the quilt club I join and I am sure they will love them as well. I still have to find a nice place to put them. It will be in my house or in my school where I will enjoy looking at them, but I am not sure yet.
Best wishes, also to the other members of the Cutting Edge Textile Group
Thea“

To find out more about the Cutting Edge Group please visit: Cutting Edge | Sharing textiles knowledge, ideas and skills

Blog ar gyfer Wythnos Ymwybyddiaeth Iechyd Meddwl: Gŵyl Caru Eich Lles Meddwl yn Amgueddfa Cymru

Loveday Williams , 12 Mai 2025

Dathlu lles meddwl cadarnhaol drwy ymgysylltu â threftadaeth, creadigrwydd a chymuned ar Ddiwrnod Santes Dwynwen:

Ar 25 Ionawr 2025, dathlodd Amgueddfa Cymru Ddiwrnod Santes Dwynwen, sef diwrnod Nawddsant Cariad Cymru, gyda gŵyl i ddathlu lles meddwl cadarnhaol gyda chefnogaeth creadigrwydd, treftadaeth a chymuned. 

Ar draws ein saith amgueddfa, cynhaliwyd gwahanol weithgareddau a pherfformiadau, a ddyluniwyd i ddileu straen, gwella hwyliau a helpu pobl i ymdopi â heriau bob dydd. Roedd y rhain yn cynnwys gweithdai celfyddydau creadigol a ysbrydolwyd gan ein casgliadau, datganiadau cerddoriaeth, perfformiadau côr, sesiynau blasu gwaith gof a gweithdai barddoniaeth. Yn ogystal â hyn, fe wnaethon ni hefyd gynnal marchnadoedd gwybodaeth yn Sain Ffagan a Big Pit lle gallai sefydliadau sy’n cynnig gwasanaethau i gefnogi lles pobl ymgysylltu â’r cyhoedd a rhannu gwybodaeth a chyngor. 

Sain Ffagan

Yn Sain Ffagan fe wnaethon ni groesawu Côr Cymunedol Sally’s Angels a buon nhw’n canu ar y Llwyfan Cymunedol yng nghyntedd yr amgueddfa wrth i ymwelwyr gyrraedd yn y bore. Yn dilyn hyn cafwyd perfformiadau ar safle Capel Pen-rhiw a Sefydliad y Gweithwyr Oakdale yn ddiweddarach yn y dydd. Perfformiodd y côr amrywiaeth o ganeuon yn Gymraeg ac yn Saesneg, gan gynnwys perfformiad twymgalon o’r gân fythol boblogaidd, Calon Lân. Ymatebodd ymwelwyr yn dda iawn i’r awyrgylch hapus a gwresog a gafwyd gan y côr drwy gydol y dydd. Diolch i holl aelodau gwych y côr a helpodd i’w wneud yn ddigwyddiad mor arbennig. 

Cynhaliwyd marchnad stondinau gwybodaeth yn y prif gyntedd hefyd, gyda sawl sefydliad yn cynnal gweithgareddau crefft galw heibio, fel addurno fframiau cardfwrdd siâp calon. Roedd y gweithgareddau yma’n boblogaidd iawn gyda phlant ac oedolion fel ei gilydd ac yn galluogi’r sefydliadau partner i siarad ag ymwelwyr am eu gwasanaethau yn fwy manwl wrth i bobl dreulio amser ar y stondinau yn cymryd rhan yn y gweithgareddau crefft oedd ar gael. Roedd wyth stondin i gyd, yn cynnwys Canolfan Ganser Felindre, Oasis Caerdydd, Prosiect Hapus (Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru), grŵp cymorth dementia Memory Jar, Mudiad Meithrin/Cymraeg i Blant, Gwasanaeth Ambiwlans Cymru a Platfform – yr elusen iechyd meddwl, yn ogystal â stondin gan yr Amgueddfa yn hyrwyddo rhaglen Iechyd a Lles Amgueddfa Cymru, yn enwedig y Prosiect Amgueddfeydd yn Ysbrydoli Atgofion

Rydyn ni’n amcangyfrif bod y farchnad wedi ymgysylltu â thua 165 o bobl drwy gydol y dydd.

Yn ystod y dydd cynhaliwyd gweithgareddau amrywiol yn Sain Ffagan gyda’r nod o ddarparu amgylchedd ymlaciol i fwynhau ac ymgysylltu â chasgliadau’r amgueddfa mewn ffordd greadigol. Roedd y rhain yn cynnwys gweithdai crefft gwlân a gwehyddu gan ddefnyddio ein hatgynhyrchiadau o wyddiau llaw o’r Oes Haearn, teithiau cerdded myfyriol ym myd natur yn archwilio gofodau tu allan, fflora a ffawna’r amgueddfa, a gweithdy creu Llwy Garu bapur eich hun wedi’i hysbrydoli gan y casgliad Llwyau Caru yn oriel Gweithdy, wedi’i gynnal gan yr artist Nia Skyrme.

Roedd y gweithdai gwehyddu lle roedd pobl yn gallu creu eu nod llyfr gwlân eu hunain i fynd adref gyda nhw yn boblogaidd iawn. Roedd yr adborth yn gadarnhaol iawn gyda llawer o bobl yn dweud pa mor ymlaciol a myfyriol oedd y gweithgaredd iddyn nhw a pha mor hyfryd oedd hi i wneud rhywbeth drostyn nhw eu hunain wrth dreulio amser gyda theulu a ffrindiau. Dywedodd llawer o rieni a gymerodd ran yn y sesiwn pa mor hyfryd oedd hi i wneud rhywbeth y gallen nhw roi cynnig arno eu hunain, gyda’u plant, gan ddysgu sgil newydd a mwynhau’r broses greadigol gyda’i gilydd. Roedd y plant a gymerodd ran i’w gweld yn canolbwyntio ac yn y mwynhau’r gweithdai ac yn gadael yn falch iawn gyda’u llyfrnodau gwlanog! 

Soniodd y bobl a gymerodd ran ar y teithiau natur myfyriol pa mor ymlaciol a heddychlon oedd y profiad iddyn nhw, a’u bod hefyd yn gweld y teithiau’n ddiddorol ac yn llawn gwybodaeth. Rhannodd Ian Daniel, a arweiniodd y teithiau cerdded, dechnegau meddwlgarwch gyda phobl i fynd gyda nhw a’u defnyddio yn eu bywydau bob dydd, yn ogystal â ffeithiau diddorol am y fflora a’r ffawna ar eu taith gerdded. 

Cafodd yr artist Nia Skyrme, a fu’n arwain y gweithgaredd Llwy Garu yn y Gweithdy, brynhawn prysur iawn gydag o leiaf 95 o bobl yn galw draw i gymryd rhan yn ystod y sesiwn. Gwnaeth y cyfranogwyr lwyau caru papur hardd yn cynrychioli beth oedd yn bwysig iddyn nhw, wedi’u hysbrydoli gan yr arddangosfa hyfryd yn oriel Gweithdy drws nesaf i’r sesiwn. 

Roedd teuluoedd â phlant hŷn yn gallu cymryd rhan yn y gweithgaredd celf hygyrch yma gyda’i gilydd, ac roedd rhieni plant ifanc iawn yn gallu mwynhau gweithgaredd creadigol yn heddychlon tra roedd eu babanod yn cysgu. Roedd hi’n ffordd hyfryd o annog ymwelwyr i gysylltu â’r casgliadau mewn ffordd wahanol; roedd yr adborth yn gadarnhaol iawn.

Roedd y tywydd yn hyfryd ar 25 Ionawr. Roedd yr haul yn gwenu drwy’r dydd, gan ddenu llawer o ymwelwyr i Sain Ffagan – llawer mwy nag y bydden ni’n ei ddisgwyl fel arfer ar ddiwedd mis Ionawr. Rhoddodd hyn hwb mawr i’r ŵyl a chaniatáu i ni hyrwyddo ‘amgueddfeydd er lles’ i gynulleidfa eang.

Big Pit

Yn Big Pit roedd amrywiaeth o weithgareddau i’w harchebu a gweithgareddau galw heibio. 

Drwy gydol y dydd, bu Len Howell, sydd â dros 50 mlynedd o brofiad o weithio fel gof mewn pwll glo, yn arwain sesiynau gwaith gof yn yr efail yn Big Pit. Bwriad rhain oedd helpu dynion i ymdopi â straen drwy gymryd rhan mewn gweithgaredd corfforol a ‘tharo’r einion yn galed’. Gydag arweiniad, roedd y cyfranogwyr yn gallu gweithio gyda dur poeth a gwneud calon fach i fynd adref gyda nhw. 

Arweiniodd y bardd Patrick Jones weithdai ‘Ysgrifennu er Lles’ er mwyn ceisio curo diflastod mis Ionawr. Drwy weithdy hwyliog ac ysgafn o ddarllen, gwrando a thrafod cerddi, bu cyfranogwyr hefyd yn cymryd rhan mewn ymarferion ysgrifennu a gynlluniwyd i godi hwyliau. Dywedodd pob un o’r cyfranogwyr fod lefel eu bodlonrwydd a’u hapusrwydd wedi codi erbyn diwedd y gweithdy, ac roedd pawb yn hapus i rannu eu meddyliau a’u teimladau mewn ffilm fer a wnaed ar y diwrnod.

Cymerodd teuluoedd ran mewn gweithgaredd ‘Creu Llwy Garu’, a dysgu am y gwahanol symbolau ac ystyron, cyn dylunio a chreu eu llwy eu hunain. Rhoddodd y gweithgaredd difyr yma gyfle i bobl ymlacio a sgwrsio ag arweinwyr y gweithdai, a manteisiodd llawer o bobl ar y cyfle hefyd i wisgo gwisgoedd mwyngloddio yn erbyn cefnlen hanesyddol, wrth archwilio’r thema ‘Cynefin’. 

Daeth nifer o sefydliadau sy’n gallu helpu gyda lles meddwl cadarnhaol a chyfeirio pobl at ragor o wybodaeth i’r farchnad ar y diwrnod. 

Cafodd Andy’s Man Club, grŵp cerdded Take a Stroll Torfaen, Sport in Mind, Torfaen Talks CIC, Cymdeithas Alzheimer’s Cymru ac Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru i gyd gyfleoedd i ymgysylltu â’r cyhoedd a hyrwyddo’r cymorth, y cyngor a’r arweiniad maen nhw’n eu darparu. Fe wnaeth yr ymwelwyr fwynhau chwarae tenis bwrdd ar y bwrdd a ddarparwyd gan Sport in Mind (ac ambell i dwrnamaint mwy difrifol). Llwyddodd Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru i annog sefydliadau i gofrestru fel cefnogwyr Hapus.

Amgueddfa Wlân Cymru 

Yn Amgueddfa Wlân Cymru, gwahoddwyd ymwelwyr i fachu paned, codi cacen gri siâp calon a gwrando ar alawon melfedaidd y delynores Delyth Jenkins. Perfformiodd Delyth drwy gydol y dydd, a rhoddodd ymdeimlad o dawelwch a llonyddwch i’r Amgueddfa. Roedd yr ymwelwyr yn ei gwerthfawrogi’n fawr. 

Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd

Yn Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd achubwyd ar y cyfle i dreialu ein Llwybr Celf Meddyliol sydd newydd ei ddatblygu. Mae Louise Rogers, un o’n hwyluswyr yn y tîm Dysgu wedi treulio amser dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf yn datblygu’r adnoddau ar gyfer y llwybr hunan-arweiniol a gwahoddiad i brofi’r orielau celf mewn ffordd fyfyriol. Ar y diwrnod, arweiniodd Louise ddau lwybr myfyriol, gan annog cyfranogwyr i edrych ar gelf o safbwynt myfyriol yn unig, heb bwysau, ac i fwynhau’r gelfyddyd syml o ‘edrych’.

Yn ôl ymchwil, mae’r rhan fwyaf o bobl yn edrych ar waith celf am tua saith eiliad, ond roedd y sesiwn yn annog pobl i gymryd mwy o amser i edrych ac amsugno’r hyn roedden nhw’n ei weld, yn lle rhuthro drwy’r orielau. Arweiniodd hyn at ddarganfod mwy o fanylion ym mhob darn o waith, ac roedd defnyddio’r synhwyrau a’r dychymyg yn galluogi pobl i ddelweddu straeon posib am y gweithiau celf. Roedd hwn yn brofiad newydd i’r holl gyfranogwyr, ac fe wnaeth pawb ymlacio i’w ffordd eu hunain o ryngweithio â’r gelfyddyd. Rydyn ni’n gobeithio y bydd adnoddau fel y rhain yn annog pobl i edrych ar yr orielau fel gofod diogel ac anfeirniadol i gael seibiant o’u harferion dyddiol prysur, ac i fwynhau eiliadau o dawelwch.

Diolch i’n holl sefydliadau partner anhygoel, aelodau hyfryd Côr Sally’s Angels, arweinwyr y gweithdai gwych a phawb a ddaeth i gymryd rhan. Fydden ni ddim wedi gallu ei wneud hebddoch chi. 

Dywedodd y bobl a ddaeth i’r digwyddiadau yn y gwahanol amgueddfeydd eu bod yn gwerthfawrogi gallu galw heibio i sesiynau yn rhad ac am ddim, gan gael gwared ar y straen o ddifyrru plant yn ystod cyfnod ariannol anodd.

Diolch yn arbennig i Brosiect Hapus Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru am gefnogi’r ŵyl gyda chyllid, gan ein galluogi i gynnig mwy o gyfleoedd a gweithio gyda’r gweithwyr creadigol llawrydd a helpodd i wneud y digwyddiad yn gymaint o lwyddiant. Dilynwch y ddolen i ddarganfod mwy am Brosiect Hapus a chofrestru fel cefnogwr. 

Diolch hefyd i holl staff yr amgueddfa a gefnogodd y digwyddiad, arwain sesiynau a helpu gyda’r gwaith trefnu ar y diwrnod. 

Fel gwaddol i’r ŵyl, rydyn ni wedi cynhyrchu cyfres o ffilmiau byrion sy’n cael eu lansio yn ystod Wythnos Ymwybyddiaeth Iechyd Meddwl. Diolch i Glyn Roberts a Tom Maloney am weithio i greu cofnod o’r holl weithgareddau bendigedig a’r eiliadau hyfryd a rannwyd yn ystod y dydd. Rydyn ni’n edrych ymlaen at rannu’r canlyniadau! 

Byddwn hefyd yn gweithio ar ddatblygu adnoddau meddwlgarwch mewn cydweithrediad â Meddwlgarwch Cymru ar gyfer ein hamgueddfeydd, yn ogystal â chroesawu pobl greadigol llawrydd i gyflwyno gweithdai lles sy’n ystyriol o ddementia wedi’u hysbrydoli gan ein casgliadau. Cadwch lygad am ragor o fanylion. 

Penny Dacey, 28 Mawrth 2025

Weather Data for January

Penny Dacey, 5 Chwefror 2025

Hi Bulb Buddies,

Thank you for all the weather data you have entered to the website so far. Please try to get all your data uploaded this week, as The Edina Trust will be using it to predict when our plants might flower!

I have seen my first daffodil in bloom this week! This feels very early. Have any of you seen any early signs of spring? Please let me know what you've seen and how your plants are doing when you share your comments this week. Do any of your plants have flower buds forming yet? You can use resources on the website to help prepare for taking flower records: Step 5: Keeping flower records (January - March)

Are you taking part in the BulbCast competition this year? If so, you could take video footage of your plants at different stages to use in your entry. I can't wait to see what you come up with. Remember to read the supporting resources that outline how the task can be structured so that everyone has a role to play: Bulbcast competition

January saw some dramatic weather, and this was reflected in your weather comments (see these below). Lots of you reported school closures, powerful winds, low temperatures and some reported snow and frost! Many of you were impacted by Storm Eowyn on the 24th of the month. This was the fifth named storm this storm season (September-August) and the first red warning for wind in 2025. Wind speeds of over 90mph were recorded in parts of Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, and a 100mph gust was recorded in Drumalbin, Lanarkshire!

Days after storm Eowyn, storm Herminia reached the UK bringing heavy rain to parts of England and Wales. Some of you may have wondered why the storm names jumped from E to H! This is because storm Herminia had already been named by the Spanish Meteorological Service before it reached us. The next storm named by the UK will be Storm Floris! More information on named storms can be found here: Weathering the Storm

January Weather Summary

> January’s temperatures were colder than usual. All four nations recorded below-average temperatures, making it a chilly start to the year. 

A fascinating fact for our Spring Bulb scientists: what we now consider a "cold" January would have been considered average in the past. The 1961-1990 January mean temperature was 3°C (the average for this year), while today’s 1991-2020 average is 3.9°C (making this year 0.9°C bellow the average). This highlights how climate patterns are shifting over time!

> Rainfall was mixed across the country. Southern England experienced above-average rainfall, while Scotland and Northern Ireland were much drier than usual.

> Despite the cold and stormy spells, January turned out to be one of the sunniest on record! The UK saw 61.8 hours of sunshine, making it the fifth sunniest January since records began in 1910. 

A fascinating fact for our Spring Bulb scientists: four of the five sunniest Januarys have all occurred in the 21st century (that's since January 2001).

Keep up the great work observing and recording your data Bulb Buddies!

Professor Plant

Comments from schools:

Storm and School Closures

Irvinestown Primary School: School was closed on Friday due to the red weather warning.
Professor Plant: It’s always best to stay safe during severe weather! I hope you were able to check on your plants when you returned.

Logan Primary School: We were not at school on Friday due to the storm.
Professor Plant: I hope you and your plants were safe from the storm. Did you notice any changes in your garden when you returned?

Scarva Primary School: We had to close on Friday because of Storm Eowyn and a red weather warning so we could not record weather data.
Professor Plant: Storms can be very disruptive! I appreciate you keeping track of the data when possible.

St Mary’s Primary – Maguiresbridge:We were unable to get a reading on Friday as the school was off with the storm (Eowyn). We have lost some plants and pots because they have been lifted with the wind.
Professor Plant: Oh no! I’m sorry to hear about the damage. Hopefully, you can replant some bulbs, and they’ll still have a chance to grow!

Meldrum Primary School: Bad storm on Friday, could not get any data.
Professor Plant: That’s understandable! I hope your plants weren’t damaged. Did you notice any effects on your garden afterward?

St John’s Primary: No weather recorded for Friday 24th as school was closed due to the storm.
Professor Plant: That’s okay! It’s always important to stay safe in bad weather.

Wellshot Primary School: School was closed on Friday because of the storm.
Professor Plant: I hope the storm didn’t cause too much damage to your plants!

Langbank Primary School: Our school was closed on Friday because of Storm Eowyn so we did not get the weather data.
Professor Plant: I appreciate you updating me despite the closure. Well done for staying safe during the storm. 

Ysgol Porth Y Felin: We had a big storm last night.
Professor Plant: I hope your plants made it through safely! Storms can bring a lot of rain, which can be helpful or harmful depending on how strong the wind is.

Stanford in the Vale Primary: We had Storm Eowyn on Friday.
Professor Plant: I hope you and your plants were okay! Did you notice any changes when you came back to school?

Ysgol Gymraeg Morswyn: Dim cofnod ar dydd Gwener oherwydd fod yr ysgol ar gau oherwydd Storm Eowyn. (No record on Friday because the school was closed due to Storm Eowyn.)
Professor Plant: Diolch am roi gwybod i mi. Mae'n bwysig cadw'n ddiogel yn ystod stormydd. (Thanks for letting me know. It is important to stay safe during storms.)


Cold and Icy Weather

Doonfoot Primary School: It was freezing.
Professor Plant: Sounds like a chilly week! Did you notice frost on the ground or your plants?

Ysgol Tycroes: This week has been very cold. We have had snow and most mornings have been very frosty. The temperature has been as low as -1°C.
Professor Plant: Frosty mornings can be beautiful but challenging for plants! Well done for braving the cold to get your readings!

Pil Primary School: The weather has been very cold this week.
Professor Plant: Cold weather can slow plant growth. I wonder if you’ll see a change once it warms up! 

Cornist Park C.P: “There is a lot of snow and it is very cold, it feels like -1 degrees.” “We have had snow, rain, sleet, and hail, the wind is making it feel like -1 degrees.” “Today the hail has frozen the roads and they are icy, it is very cold.” “The ice on the path and road is very slippy, it is cold.” “We have ice and it is very cold, the wind makes it feel like -5 degrees.”

Professor Plant: Thank you all for sharing your weather comments. It sounds like quite a chilly week with the snow and icy conditions! Make sure to stay safe and warm everyone, and well done for collecting your weather readings in these cold temperatures!

Stanford in the Vale Primary: Very cold and the ice has settled in.

Professor Plant: Stay careful on those icy paths! It’s important to stay safe in these conditions. 

Bwlchgwyn Primary School: Lots of snow and ice covering our rain gauge all week.

Professor Plant: It sounds like you've had quite a bit of snow! Remember to bring your rain gauge inside for the snow to melt. Do you think the reading will be higher or lower once the snow has melted? 

Meldrum Primary School: A lot of rain and snow at the start of the week and pretty cold throughout the week.

Professor Plant: Rain and snow can sometimes create difficult conditions, but it’s a good opportunity to observe how the weather affects both the plants and the surroundings. Well done Bulb Buddies. 


Observations of Rain and Wet Conditions

Gavinburn Primary School: Normal weather for this time of year.
Professor Plant: It’s great that you are noticing seasonal patterns! Do you think this will help predict when your plants will flower?

Cornist Park C.P: It has been very cold and lots of rain this week. Our plants must feel cold.
Professor Plant: Plants can be quite hardy in the cold! They’ll start growing faster once it warms up.

Ysgol Porth Y Felin: Very wet.
Professor Plant: Lots of rain can help plants grow, but too much might cause waterlogging. Keep an eye on them!

Stanford in the Vale Primary: A lotta rain this week, mate.
Professor Plant: Rainy weeks can be great for plant growth! Did you see any changes in your garden, mateys?


Plant Growth and Gardening Observations

Ysgol Tycroes: All of our bulbs have sprouted stems and leaves. We have been learning about what a plant needs to grow strong and how a plant makes its own food called photosynthesis.
Professor Plant: That’s fantastic! Photosynthesis is key to plant survival. I’m excited to hear how your plants continue to grow.

Ysgol Pennant: Roedden ni wedi plannu yr planhigyn oedd wedi chwythu ffwrdd ar y dydd mawrth. (We replanted the plant that had blown away on Tuesday.)
Professor Plant: Gwaith da! Gobeithio bydd y planhigyn yn parhau i dyfu. (Well done! I hope the plant continues to grow.)

Bwlchgwyn Primary School: We can see some sprouts opening.
Professor Plant: That’s wonderful! Your plants are making great progress. Keep watching for their next stage of growth.

St Mary’s Primary – Maguiresbridge: We have noticed that the bulbs have all started to sprout.
Professor Plant: That’s exciting news! Keep an eye on your bulbs, they are on their way to flowering.

Henllys Church in Wales: Plants coming through.
Professor Plant: Great to hear! Keep monitoring them for new growth.

Langbank Primary School: Most of the pots/bulbs are starting to grow
Professor Plant: Fantastic news! Keep an eye on them!

Ysgol Tycroes: Nearly all of our bulbs now have shoots coming out of them.

Professor Plant: Wonderful news about the bulbs! Keep up the good work!

Ysgol Llanddulas: Some of our bulbs have grown a lot. No flowers still.

Professor Plant: That’s fantastic progress! Bulbs are getting ready to bloom, but sometimes they take a little more time to flower. Keep observing them, and I’m sure you’ll see the flowers soon enough.


Data Collection

St Joseph's Cathedral: We are very sorry that we have forgotten to record these past weeks. Once again, we are deeply sorry for the inconvenience that we have made for your research.
Professor Plant: That’s okay! Thank you for letting me know. Keeping records is a great habit, and I appreciate your efforts.

Ysgol Llanddulas: I did this on Monday because we had a new teacher on Friday, and they did not know how to log us on.
Professor Plant: No worries! It’s great that you caught up with the data.

Roaring Reptiles - Ysgol Llanddulas:We did not get weather records on Friday because our school shut due to a burst water pipe.
Professor Plant: That sounds like an unexpected event! I hope everything was fixed quickly.

Ysgol Porth Y Felin: We had no school on Monday and then 2 snow days.
Professor Plant: Snow days are always exciting! Did you notice any effects on your plants afterward?

Weather Data for December

Penny Dacey, 22 Ionawr 2025

Hello Bulb Buddies,

We hope you’re enjoying taking part in the Spring Bulbs for Schools Investigation. This project helps us all learn more about how the weather affects the growth of plants—and your observations play a key role!

As part of the project, please remember to upload your weather data to the Amgueddfa Cymru website. By uploading the data collected so far, we can use it to predict when our plants might flower. It’s exciting to think that your contributions will be part of a bigger picture encompassing schools from across the UK. Your data is really important to us, so please upload everything you’ve documented so far by the end of January!

A Month of Wild Weather

Let’s take a moment to look at the weather from December. It was an eventful month, and this has had an impact on our gardens and bulbs. Here’s a quick weather overview:

- Storm Darragh (6th–8th December) brought heavy rain and severe gales (wind), especially to Wales and southwest England. It was the fourth named storm of the season, and it caused disruption from damaging winds and a lot of rainfall. A rare red weather warning was issued during this multi-hazard event.

- After Storm Darragh, the weather calmed and we saw colder conditions, with frost and freezing fog, especially in Scotland.

- December overall was milder (warmer) than average, with a provisional mean temperature 2.0°C above the long-term average. This made it one of the warmest Decembers on record! 

- Rainfall was also above average. Flooding occurred in parts of northwest England and Scotland on the 30th and 31st due to heavy rain.

- It was a dull month, meaning there was less sunshine than average (a total of only 24.3 hours of sunshine!)

What Does This Mean for Our Spring Bulbs?

All this rain and mild weather might mean that our bulbs could flower a bit earlier than expected! It’s important to keep measuring and recording your data to see how the conditions in your area compare to others across the UK.

A Few Tips for Uploading Your Data:

- Double-check your rainfall and temperature measurements before uploading.

- Add any interesting comments about what you’ve noticed in your garden - has the weather affected your bulbs?

- Don’t forget to upload your data weekly to the Amgueddfa Cymru website so that we can all track the progress together.

Looking Ahead

Remember to look out for early signs of spring and share these either with your comments, by email or on X/Twitter. We’re expecting more growth from our plants throughout January, so remember to keep a close eye on them.

Happy investigating!

Professor Plant

December's comments:

Bulb Growth Observations:

Langbank Primary School: Most of the pots/bulbs are starting to grow.
Professor Plant: Fantastic news! Your bulbs are waking up, spring must be just around the corner. 

Ysgol Tycroes: Nearly all of our bulbs now have shoots coming out of them.
Professor Plant: Well done! Shoots are a sign that your bulbs are healthy and happy. Keep observing for any changes.

Ysgol Llanddulas: Some of our bulbs have grown a lot. No flowers still.
Professor Plant: That’s perfectly normal. Flowers take time, so keep visiting your plants to see how they grow!

Henllys Church in Wales School: It felt a lot colder than it was this week, and our bulbs are trying to push through the soil.
Professor Plant: Bulbs are incredibly resilient! Even in cold weather, they’ll keep growing. Great observation!

Bwlchgwyn Primary School: Most of our plants have shoots now. We think they are mostly the daffodils pushing through.
Professor Plant: Spot on! Daffodils tend to grow quickly this time of year. It will be interesting to see if the crocus grow later but bloom first!

Langbank Primary School: We spotted signs of growth in some of our pots today and 2 of the bulbs planted in the ground.
Professor Plant: Brilliant! It’s exciting to see both potted and planted bulbs thriving. Well done for watching them!

Clonalig Primary School: Lots of bulbs are beginning to shoot up, and the mystery bulbs’ shoots are well up.
Professor Plant: How exciting! Mystery bulbs add a layer of fun and soon, you might be able to tell what they are. Keep observing closely.

St John The Baptist Primary School Portadown: We noticed some of our plants have some green shoots appearing.
Professor Plant: That’s excellent news! Green shoots are the first step towards a beautiful display. Keep up the good work!


Cold Weather and Ice:

Cornist Park C.P: There is a lot of snow, and it is very cold. The wind makes it feel like -1 degrees.
Professor Plant: Brrr! The snow can make things challenging for plants, but your bulbs are hardy and will continue growing underground. It's interesting how we feel the weather, some days feel colder to us even when the temperatures the same. This can be for reasons like wind chill, humidity, and sunlight.

Stanford in the Vale Primary School: Very cold, and the ice has settled in.
Professor Plant: It’s amazing how bulbs can survive icy weather. I hope you are all staying warm too!

Bwlchgwyn Primary School: Lots of snow and ice covering our rain gauge all week.
Professor Plant: Snow and ice can be tricky for measuring rainfall. It's fun to bring the rain gauge inside and take the reading after the ice has melted. 

Pil Primary School: There was hardly any rainfall this week, and it was very cold.
Professor Plant: Cold, dry weather is tough, but it’s good to see you’re keeping up with observations. Well done!

Ysgol Tycroes: It felt really cold this week.
Professor Plant: It can feel extra cold in winter, but your bulbs are well-equipped to handle the chill. Make sure you wrap up warm when going outside to take your readings.


Rain and Storms:

Scotstoun Primary School: The rain gauge has been full for some time now - it has been full due to torrential rainfall in December.
Professor Plant: Good observation. Remember to empty your rain gauge after taking each days reading!

Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Primary School: Monday 6th January includes rainfall from over Christmas. Snowfall on the night of 3rd January melted.
Professor Plant: Melting snow often adds to your rainfall measurements. Great work noting the context, it’s very helpful!

Rhayader Primary: Over 50mm of rainfall after the weekend, with Storm Darragh. No temperature readings as school was shut due to no electric after the storm.
Professor Plant: That sounds like a wild week! Storm Darragh brought lots of rain, well done for recording what you could. Thank you for sharing the impact that the storm had on your school. 

Ysgol Pentreuchaf: Yr ysgol ar gau Dydd Llun, dim trydan yna yn dilyn Storm Darragh.
Professor Plant: Storm Darragh caused so much disruption. Diolch for keeping up with your records despite the challenges!

Ysgol Gymraeg Morswyn: 7-8/12/24 - Storm Darragh.
Professor Plant: Storm Darragh made quite an impact! Thank you for noting the storm in your comments.

St Mary’s Primary School - Newry: There was lots of rainfall collected on Monday because of Storm Darragh.
Professor Plant: Great job recording after the storm. That rainfall will help hydrate the bulbs in the soil.

Ysgol Porth Y Felin: There was a storm—that is why there is no record for some days.
Professor Plant: Storms make recording tricky, especially big storms that might cause school closures. You’ve done well to note the circumstances—thank you!


General Weather Observations:

Cornist Park C.P: Today it is cloudy and dark. It is damp and cold.
Professor Plant: Cloudy and damp conditions can be tough, but bulbs still grow under the soil. Well done for getting outside and monitoring!

Meldrum Primary School: Not as much rainfall this week as previous weeks, but there is still a general amount of rainfall.
Professor Plant: Great observation. A balance of rain is important for bulbs, they’ll appreciate the moisture in the soil.

Pil Primary School: There has been lots of rain on Thursday. I got wet reading the temperature and rainfall this week.
Professor Plant: Thank you for your dedication! Your readings are invaluable - great work braving the rain.

Mountain Lane School: Storm Darragh on Fri/Sat.
Professor Plant: Thank you for recording such significant weather events. 


Holiday or School Events:

Stanford in the Vale Primary School: It was hot during the first 3 days but then it got a bit colder. Also, Merry Christmas!
Professor Plant:  Hope you had a Merry Christmas too! Thank you for your weather observations. 

Wellshot Primary School: All of our school Christmas shows and parties took over the first few days, but we made sure to update the last 2 days.
Professor Plant: Great teamwork! Balancing festivities and science is impressive, well done!

Mountain Lane School: Nadolig Llawen.
Professor Plant: I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas too! 

Ysgol Porth Y Felin Christmas holidays/yay!
Professor Plant: Thank you for keeping your weather records up to date right up to the holidays!