Yn y gyfres yma o Straeon y Streic fe glywn ni am y gorau a gwaetha o fywyd yn ystod y flwyddyn a newidiodd fywydau glowyr, eu teuluoedd, yr heddlu a gwleidyddion wrth iddynt hel atgofion am beth oedd bywyd fel rhwng 84-85.

Mae Straeon y Streic yn rhan o arddangosfa Streic 84-85 Strike sydd i'w gweld yn Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd tan Ebrill 27 2025.

© Mike Thompson

Stephen Smith (cyn löwr, pwll y Maerdy)

Fi oedd un o’r prentisiaid olaf i ddechrau gyda’r Bwrdd Glo Cenedlaethol, a dyma fi’n beni lan yn gweithio ym mhwll y Maerdy. Roeddwn i braidd yn ddrwg yn yr ysgol, ac fe nes i ymgeisio i fod yn brentis nwy, telecom, pob math o bethau. Fi yw’r pumed genhedlaeth mewn teulu glofaol, ac fe ddilynais i yn ôl eu traed yn y diwedd. Fe enillais i brentisiaeth crefft glofa yn 17 oed, oedd yn eich paratoi chi i fod yn rheolwr yn y pen draw.

Fydda i byth yn anghofio’r diwrnod cyntaf dan ddaear. Roedd fy stumog i’n troi wrth i’r cawell ddisgyn lawr y siafft.

Roedden ni ar streic mwy neu lai bob blwyddyn ar ôl i fi ddechrau, fel arfer dros dâl ac amodau. Ond roedd Streic ‘84 yn wahanol. Y tro hyn roedden ni’n ymladd dros ein swyddi a dros y cymunedau glofaol.

Fi oedd un o’r rhai lwcus – doedd gen i ddim teulu i’w gadw ac roeddwn i’n dal i fyw adref. Gorfododd Dad i fi dalu rhent drwy’r streic – yn ôl fe, os oeddwn i am gefnogi dylsen i brofi caledi diffyg arian yn union fel pawb arall oedd ar streic.

Dyma ni’n pleidleisio i ddod mas ar y dydd Sul yn Neuadd y Gweithwyr y Maerdy. Roedd cyfryngau’r byd ar stepen y drws yn aros i weld os fydden ni’n cefnogi glowyr Swydd Efrog (yn Cortonwood ddechreuodd y streic). Ac fe bleidleision ni i fynd ar streic.

Dechreuon ni deithio i byllau eraill ac ymuno â llinellau piced i geisio atal y bois rhag mynd i’r gwaith a’u perswadio nhw i ymuno â ni. Yn aml, byddai’r heddlu yn ein troi ni nôl cyn cyrraedd – roeddwn i’n siŵr bod ein ffonau ni wedi tapio, achos doedd dim ffordd iddyn nhw wybod pa hewlydd bach fydden ni’n eu cymryd fel arall. Unwaith, dyma nhw’n ein stopio ni a bygwth arestio gyrrwr y bws os fyddai e’n mynd â ni ymhellach. Felly dyma ni’n gadael y bws ganol nos a cherdded drwy’r glaw mân i’r pyllau oedden ni fod i bicedu.

Cafodd deddf newydd ei chyflwyno – Deddf Tebbit – oedd yn gwahardd picedu mewn grwpiau o fwy na chwech. Weithiau bydden ni’n torri’r ddeddf! Yng Nglofa Newstead, pan dorron ni’r llinell, fe ddaliodd ryw goper fy mys i a’i blygu nôl, cyn plygu ‘mraich tu ôl i ‘nghefn. Wedyn daeth coper arall a ‘mhwnio i yn fy ysgwydd, cyn fy nhaflu i gefn fan heddlu. Fe ges i ‘nghymryd i’r stesion a’n rhoi mewn cell gyda llond llaw arall o’r pwll. Tua 3 y bore dyma fi’n cael fy nghymryd o’r gell a’n holi gan y CID, wnaeth ddechrau drwy holi ‘Wyt ti’n aelod o’r Blaid Gomiwnyddol? Wyt ti’n cefnogi Scargill?’ ac yn y blaen. Roedden ni mewn dros nos. Yn y bore dyma ni’n cael tafell o dost a rhywbeth oedd yn edrych fel te cyn cael ein hanfon i’r llys mewn gefynnau, oedd yn brofiad bychanol. Dywedodd yr Arolygydd Heddlu wrth y llys fod tua hanner cant o bobl, a taw fi oedd yr arweinydd wnaethon nhw’i dynnu allan o’r picedwyr. Celwydd oedd hyn.

Dyma nhw’n fy nghyhuddo i o Darfu ar yr Heddwch, a chyngor cyfreithiwr yr NUM oedd: ‘Pledia’n euog, neu byddan nhw’n mynd â ti bant. Bydd yr NUM yn dalu’r ddirwy.’ Roeddwn i’n dal yn fy arddegau, felly dilyn y cyngor wnes i a phledio’n euog, cyn i’r datganiadau gael eu darllen hyd yn oed. Dywedodd yr Ynad, tasen i’n ymddangos o’i flaen eto byddai’n fy anfon i’r ddalfa yn Risley (Grisley Risley oedd enw pobl ar y lle).

⁠Roedd e’n amser caled. Weithiau byddai’r heddlu yn cicio’n coesau a sathru ar ein traed, felly bydden ni’n gwisgo’n sgidiau gwaith i amddiffyn ein hunain. Unwaith, dechreuodd ryw goper fwrw ‘mhen i yn erbyn bonet car dro ar ôl tro. Roedd y wasg yno, a dyma fi’n gweiddi ‘Gobeithio byddwch chi’n gohebu ar hyn!’. ⁠ Ond roedd y wasg yn ein herbyn ni, ac yn ein paentio ni fel rhyw griw treisgar! Y wladwriaeth a’r heddlu oedd y criw treisgar, a dylai fod ymchwiliad i rôl y Llywodraeth yn y streic a thrais yr heddlu.

Roedden ni’n ymladd am flwyddyn gyfan – am ein swyddi, a dros ein cymunedau hefyd. Mae mynd dan ddaear yn adeiladu brawdoliaeth anhygoel o gryf, ac roedd pawb yn gefn i’w gilydd. Roedd e’n adeiladu cymeriad, a phawb yn yr un cwch – cyn, yn ystod, ac ar ôl y streic. Byddai pawb yn gweithio yn y Pwll, neu yn yr ardal, a’r effaith yn bellgyrhaeddol. ⁠ Fe ges i wahoddiad i siarad mewn digwyddiad codi arian yn Rhydychen. Dyma nhw’n codi lot fawr o arian i ni ac yn anfon parseli bwyd.

Yr unig beth dwi’n difaru, yw methu arbed ein swyddi, ein cymunedau, a’r diwydiannau ategol. Hynna, a phledio’n euog i darfu ar yr heddwch pan wnaeth yr heddlu ddweud celwydd. Roeddwn i’n ddieuog.

Yn y gyfres yma o Straeon y Streic fe glywn ni am y gorau a gwaetha o fywyd yn ystod y flwyddyn a newidiodd fywydau glowyr, eu teuluoedd, yr heddlu a gwleidyddion wrth iddynt hel atgofion am beth oedd bywyd fel rhwng 84-85.

Mae Straeon y Streic yn rhan o arddangosfa Streic 84-85 Strike sydd i'w gweld yn Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd tan Ebrill 27 2025.

© Imogen Young

Sian James, ymgyrchydd a gwleidydd.

Roeddwn i wedi priodi yn 16 oed, gyda dau o blant erbyn o’n i’n 20 oed, a gŵr oedd yn gweithio dan ddaear. O fewn dwy flynedd o ddechrau ei waith, roedd wedi pleidleisio i gefnogi Scargill ar gyfer yr NUM ac roedd y teulu cyfan yn ei gefnogi. Scargill oedd ein harweinydd, byddai’n brwydro ar ein rhan ac roedden ni’n hynod ffyddlon. Gwnaethon ni ddim petruso pan ddaeth y streic.

Fe safon ni’n gadarn. Byddech chi ddim yn croesi llinell biced. Doedd ein teulu ddim yn deall y rheiny oedd yn gwneud. Roedd pobl yn dweud, ‘wel, mae’n galed...’ ond sut wnes i bara ar £20 yr wythnos gyda dau o blant? Fe wnaethon ni wneud drwy drefnu ein hunain o fewn ein cymunedau. Nid jyst fi a fy nghymuned, ond miloedd o fenywod.

Doedd y realiti ddim yn hawdd: cuddio tu ôl i’r soffa rhag y dyn rhent. Clywed y fan hufen ia tu fas a dweud wrth fy merch nad oedd digon o arian. ⁠Byddai hi’n dweud wrth fy ngŵr i neidio i fyny ac i lawr. Byddai’n gallu clywed y newid yn ei boced. Roedd yn newid byd ar gyfer ein teulu.

Dim ond y pethau angenrheidiol fyddai’n cael eu prynu. Byddai dyled yn gysgod drosom ni, ond dim ni oedd yr unig bobl yn dioddef o hynny. Byddai pawb yn cymryd rhan faint bynnag y gallem ni. Aethon ni ati go iawn. Roedd trobwynt amlwg i mi. Ym mis Awst, dechreuodd Thatcher a MacGregor ddisgrifio ni fel ‘y gelyn yn ein mysg’. Doeddwn i ddim yn elyn i neb. Roedden ni jyst eisiau cadw ein cymunedau cariadus.

Roedden ni’n gwybod sut oedd e’n gweithio, sut oedd yn cael ei redeg.

Roeddwn i wedi synnu pa mor filwriaethus o’n i wedi dod. Y cyffro o gwrdd â menywod oedd yn brwydro ac yn meddwl fel fi, ochr yn ochr. Y peth ydy, allen nhw ddim cyffwrdd ni, ein diswyddo ni – gan nad oedden ni’n gweithio iddyn nhw.

Gwnaethon ni siarad ar lwyfannau ar hyd y lle. Swydd Nottingham, Swydd Derby. Roedd pawb wedi clywed stori’r dynion: roedden ni’n llais newydd. Trodd y sylw at sut oedd teuluoedd yn trefnu eu hunain. Adroddon ni stori’r menywod: rydyn ni yma gyda’n gilydd. Pan wnaethon ni ddechrau cael gwahoddiadau i siarad yn gyhoeddus, gwnaethon ni ddechrau gofyn am ychydig mwy. Fy rôl i oedd trefnu a chodi arian.

Roedd gennym ni rywfaint o reolau i’r grŵp cymorth.

• Roedd pob ceiniog o’r arian a godwyd yn mynd i’r pot.
• Roedd pawb yn cael yr un faint o’r pot. P’un a oedd ganddyn nhw blant neu ddim.
• Pe byddech chi’n troi fyny i’r cyfarfod prynhawn Sul, byddai’n rhaid i chi bleidleisio.

Yn y cyfrinfeydd, dim ond aelodau – y dynion – allai bleidleisio. Ond yn fwyaf sydyn, roedd galw am farn y menywod.

Ni oedd Grŵp Cymorth Glowyr Cymoedd Nedd, Dulais a Thawe. Roedd gennym ni ddeg ganolfan fwyd yn bwydo unrhyw faint rhwng 30 a channoedd o lowyr. Ond yn fuan, roedden ni’n bwydo dros fil o deuluoedd, am £8 y bag, erbyn yr adeg ddaethon ni i ben.

Gwnaeth yr holl beth drawsnewid fy mywyd. Pan ddaeth y grwpiau hoyw a lesbiaidd allan i gefnogi’r glowyr, daethon nhw â lefel hollol newydd o brofiad ac arbenigedd: roedden nhw’n bobl oedd wedi gorfod brwydro am gyfiawnder, roedden nhw wedi arfer. Ac fe wnaethon nhw ein helpu ni mewn ffyrdd anhygoel. Roedden nhw’n sosialwyr ac ymgyrchwyr da. Roedden nhw’n deall y system. Mae’r bobl wnaeth ein cefnogi ni o’r grwpiau hynny adeg hynny, yn dal yn ffrindiau i mi heddiw.

Dwi’n aml yn dweud: roedd fy streic i yn streic dda. Roeddwn i wedi dychryn ei fod am fynd yn ôl i sut yr oedd ynghynt, i fod yn onest. Ond fe es i’r Brifysgol, datblygu enw fel sylwebydd ar y cyfryngau ar S4C, gan fy mod yn siarad Cymraeg – dyna oedd iaith y dynion oedd yn gweithio dan ddaear. Fe es i ymlaen i weithio mewn materion cyhoeddus, yn gweithio i bob math o gwmnïau gan gynnwys yr Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol, Achub y Plant a Cymorth i Ferched Cymru cyn sefyll a chael fy ethol i Senedd y DU yn 2005.

Yn ystod y streic, ges i gyfle i siarad ag areithwyr, menywod ar streic fel fi ledled y wlad. Roedden ni gyd angen rhoi bwyd ar y bwrdd. Roedden ni gyd angen dal i fynd. Ond wir yr, wnes i gyfarfod cymaint o bobl hyfryd, menywod a dynion. Gofynnodd rhywun i Julia Gillard un tro beth oedd ei chyngor gorau ar gyfer ei wyres 14 oed. A’i hateb oedd: ‘Paid â gadael i neb dy ddistewi.’ A dyna’r peth. Mae menywod cegog yn newid y byd.

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?

1 Corinthians 12 introduces its readers to the lasting image of the fledging church as a physical body – each part with different but important roles to fulfil. This metaphor has endured for centuries, and is a challenging one for many Christians today, who struggle with things like hard denominational boundaries and tribal us/them attitudes. For Fr. Ruth, a queer priest in the Church in Wales (CiW), it has a similarly challenging but uplifting message. 

Ruth is a curate (trainee vicar) in the Islwyn Ministry Area in the Diocese of Monmouth, and she’s part of a team that looks after twelve different churches up and down the Gwent Valleys. She’s also bisexual, gender-non-conforming, and in a civil partnership with her spouse, Hannah. In addition to her ministry in the CiW, Ruth is one of four Pastoral Leaders of an ecumenical LGBTQ+ church in Cardiff called The Gathering. 

If that surprises you, that’s okay. But, despite what you may have been taught, queer people have always been a part of the life of the church. We have always been vicars, ministers, deacons, worship leaders, caretakers, congregants, youth group leaders. We are a part of the heritage and life of the church in a way that has, for too long, been overlooked and brushed aside.

The Anglican Church, in particular the Church of England, is undergoing a real reckoning at the moment over the issue of blessing same-sex marriages. The CiW has already had this conversation, and voted in 2021 to bless the marriages of same-sex couples. Whilst, for many, this does not go far enough, it is generally seen as a good first step, and it sets a precedent for other Anglican churches also having this discussion. It also puts those campaigning for marriage equality in a really good position for the Church in Wales to formally allow the sacramental celebration of marriage (hopefully) soon. The current position is bittersweet for many, though. As Fr. Ruth explained to me: “When the current legislation passed, that was a huge change for the Church in Wales. But I felt quite conflicted about it. In part, I am delighted that we can offer something to people for whom the church have been offering nothing. But, in part, it feels like a half-hearted step, where, what you're saying is ‘we're going to recognise that these relationships are good and holy and that God can bless them, but we're not willing to offer you the sacrament of marriage’. It feels theologically incomplete. And it's hurtful, as a queer person in a relationship, to know that the sacrament of marriage is withheld from us.”

It is still a huge deal, though, especially when you consider the length of Christian history that we were completely excluded from the public life of the church. We were still there, though, in closets and in the background, and I like to find queerness reflected in artwork throughout Christian history. It’s forever fascinating to me the ways in which artists, for hundreds of years, have been interpreting biblical stories in ways that we, as audience members and critics, can see the homoerotic. In this artwork, we can see ourselves reflected; here, in the shadow of gender transgression, there, in the hint towards homoeroticism. Indeed, for many artists throughout history, the only acceptable outlet for them to express their homoerotic desires was to displace them through artistic interpretations of ‘safe’ stories and figures – biblical scenes and characters. For example, artwork depicting the martyrdom of St. Sebastian is almost always homoerotic – after all, an attractive young man, mostly naked, is often depicted as being penetrated by arrows.

For Ruth, the ways in which she honours her place in the Church, and where she sees herself in the heritage of the church, is through the practise of the Eucharist. A useful image for her in thinking about the Eucharist is that of a human heart. “During the Eucharist, the church is like the chambers of the heart. It draws in that which needs nourishment. In the movement of the Eucharist, the nourishment is received, like blood going out to the lungs and coming back again, and then it's sent back out into the rest of its community.” So, when Jesus says, at the Last Supper, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19, NRSV), and we partake in this remembrance, we become a part of something bigger than us – an invisible string that stretches back centuries, connecting everyone across the world that’s ever remembered Jesus’ life in this way, like branches of a nervous system spanning time and space and holding us together. In this act of remembrance, “in becoming the body of Christ, all of the boundaries get blurry. So we become parts of a whole. That requires all of our differences.” It requires our differences in sexuality and gender identity, and how we interact with the world around us as embodied creatures. “As someone who the church historically would have said ‘we have no need of you’, I find it really, really heartening that those who still wish queer folks weren’t in ministry can't say ‘we have no need of you’. Because here we stand within the sacramental honours of the life of the church. You cannot say to me: I have no need of you. The challenging side is, I can't say to them I have no need of them either. We are brought together in that wholeness. And that wholeness is of God and so it's not up to us to say we have no need of one another.”

In a world full of divisive individualism, rituals like a Eucharist serve as an important reminder that we are a part of a much, much larger whole. The human body is an ecosystem of multitudinous grace, apathy, compassion and anger – never just one thing, always many interlinking feelings and experiences and beliefs. And, if a single human body is an ecosystem, how vast must the ecosystems of our societies be? Another word for Eucharist is Communion. This is the term that I grew up with in my faith tradition, and it holds both a special and fraught place in my heart because of it. The obvious reason behind it being called Communion is that it is through this ritual that we commune with God – we honour Jesus’ life and death, and are in communion with something greater than ourselves. But, through the connections and interconnections of this action, are we not also in communion with one another? Are we not then, in spite of all the things that separate us, one body? 

 ‘Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. […] If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” […] If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.’ (1 Cor. 12:12-26, NRSV). 

Yn nhawelwch y gaeaf, mae gerddi Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Sain Ffagan yn llawn bwrlwm. Ionawr yw'r amser perffaith i docio coed afalau, gan sicrhau twf iach a chynhaeaf da yn ddiweddarach yn y flwyddyn. Yn Sain Ffagan, mae’r perllannau’n gartref i sawl math o afalau treftadaeth, pob un â’i henw a’i stori hynod ddiddorol ei hun.

Un afal o'r fath yw Gwell na Mil, gelwir yr afal hwn “Seek No Further” gan siaradwyr Saesneg ym Mynwy. Mae’r afal yn dyddio'n ôl i'r 1700au o leiaf ac ysgrifennwyd am yn y Cambrian Journal o 1856. Un arall yw Pig y Golomen, neu "Pigeon's Beak," math traddodiadol o Sir Benfro, gydag enw wedi'i ysbrydoli gan ei siâp nodedig. Mae yna hefyd “Morgan Sweet”, ffefryn ymhlith glowyr Cymru, a oedd yn gwerthfawrogi ei flas adfywiol yn ystod sifftiau hir o dan y ddaear.

Gellir dod o hyd i'r afalau hyn, ynghyd a llawer o rai eraill, o amgylch y perllannau niferus ar draws Sain Ffagan.

Mae'r hen goed nid yn unig yn darparu ffrwythau ond hefyd yn gweithredu fel cynefinoedd hanfodol i fywyd gwyllt. Mae adar, pryfed ac ystlumod i gyd yn dibynnu ar y perllannau am gysgod a bwyd.

Bob blwyddyn, mae'r afalau'n cael eu cynaeafu a'u cymryd oddi ar y safle i'w gwasgu i sudd, sydd wedyn yn cael ei werthu yn siop yr amgueddfa. Mae’r gofal blynyddol hwn, o docio’r gaeaf i gynaeafu’r hydref, yn cadw’r perllannau’n iach ac yn gynhyrchiol ac yn adlewyrchu gofal traddodiadol sydd wedi cynnal perllannau ers cenedlaethau.

Ionawr hefyd yw'r tymor ar gyfer gwaseilio, traddodiad hynafol i fendithio coed afalau a sicrhau cynhaeaf da. Mae gwasael yn aml yn golygu canu, cynnig seidr i'r coed, ac weithiau gyrru ysbrydion drwg i ffwrdd. Mae casgliadau’r amgueddfa’n cynnwys bowlenni gwaseilio hardd, a ddefnyddir yn draddodiadol yn ystod y dathliadau hyn. Gall ymwelwyr weld rhai enghreifftiau o’r rhain yn oriel Gweithdy, gan gynnwys darnau o grochenwaith Ewenni.

Mae Ionawr yn y perllannau yn amser i fyfyrio ar draddodiadau a gofalu am y dyfodol. Mae’r tocio a wneir nawr yn sicrhau bod y coed yn parhau’n iach a chynhyrchiol am flynyddoedd i ddod, gan barhau a chylch sydd wedi bod yn rhan o fywyd cefn gwlad Cymru ers canrifoedd.