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.

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!

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

Ross Mather, cyn-gwnstabl heddlu.

Fi oedd y prif escort ar gyfer y glöwr cyntaf i ddychwelyd i’w waith yng Nghymru, yng Nglofa’r Cwm. Roedd gyda chi fi yn y car patrôl, a grŵp patrôl arbennig mewn fan, yn hebrwng y tacsi oedd yn cludo’r glöwr.

Felly roedd angen dechrau’n gynnar. Byddwn i’n cyrraedd y gwaith erbyn 1.30am, i sortio’r car patrôl. Ar y to roedd sbotolau i weld y ffordd, a goleuo’r pontydd i wneud yn siŵr ei bod hi’n ddiogel i basio danddyn nhw. Roedd si ar led bod rhywun yn cynllwynio i ymosod. Byddwn i’n checio’r daith bob diwrnod, ac yn dilyn teithiau gwahanol fel bod dim cysondeb. Doedd neb yn gwybod pa daith fyddwn i’n ei dewis ar y diwrnod, dim hyd yn oed y Prif Gwnstabl. Roedd rhaid i chi wneud yn siŵr ei bod hi mor ddiogel â phosib. Roedden ni’n gwybod bod rhywbeth yn cael ei gynllwynio, tan y diwrnod ofnadwy pan ymosododd rhywun ar y tacsi.

Bob diwrnod, byddwn ni’n eu gyrru nhw heibio i’r llinellau piced a’r heddlu. Mewn gwirionedd, yng Nghymru, dim ond rhyw ychydig o dynnu a gwthio welon ni. Doedd dim trais go iawn, oherwydd y berthynas rhwng y ddwy ochr. Roedd gan lawer o’r picedwyr deulu yn yr heddlu, a llawer o’r heddlu deulu dan ddaear. ⁠ Roedd digon o gydymdeimlad ar y ddwy ochr. Yn Pentre’r Eglwys oeddwn i’n gweithio, ac roeddwn i’n nabod tipyn o lowyr, ac yn rhannu peint yn y dafarn. Ro’n i’n gwybod yn iawn eu bod nhw’n dwyn glo gwastraff o hen domen Glofa’r Cwm lawr y ffordd gefn, ond doedd e ddim yn lo oedd unrhyw un yn mynd i’w werthu. Dwyn oedd e, er taw hen domen wastraff oedd hi. Ond tase plant gyda fi, fydden i ddim wedi gadael iddyn nhw fynd heb wres chwaith. Felly doeddwn i’n dweud dim. Roedden ni i gyd yn gwybod byddai popeth yn mynd nôl i’r arfer ryw ddiwrnod, a byddai’n rhaid i bawb gydfyw yn yr un cymunedau. Hawl i fyw, i ryw raddau Ond mae drwgdeimlad yn dal i fod yn llawer o’r cymoedd yna.

Roedd hi’n ddiddorol yr ymdeimlad o gymuned ar waith. Am y rhan fwyaf o’r streic, roedd y glowyr ar ein patsh ni i gyd mas, felly doedd dim i’r heddlu gadw llygad arno. Roedd hi’n dawel. Bryd hynny bydden ni’n cael ein galw i helpu yn llefydd eraill dros y ffin. Mae ‘na gydgytundeb rhwng lluoedd yng Nghymru a Lloegr, a bydd heddweision yn cael eu galw i helpu mewn lluoedd eraill pan fydd angen. Felly bydden ni’n ffeindio’n hunain yn Swydd Nottingham, Swydd Derby, Swydd Efrog. Bydden ni’n aml yn cael ei hanfon i gyffordd ar yr M1, i droi nôl ceir a bysiau oedd i weld yn cario glowyr. Bydden ni’n defnyddio’n gwybodaeth leol i gadw llygad ar y ffyrdd cefn hefyd. Roedd ‘na barch ar y ddwy ochr ar y cyfan. Roedd sïon ym mhobman bryd hynny bod milwyr yn cael eu gwisgo mewn lifrau heddlu, pobl yn clustfeinio ar ffonau, pob math o bethau. Doedd dim ohonyn nhw’n wir.

Mewn rhai pyllau, roedd y glowyr yn croesawu dynion Heddlu De Cymru. ⁠Roedden ni’n wahanol i heddlu rhannau eraill o’r wlad. Roedd cymaint ohonon ni’n cydymdeimlo oherwydd ein bod ni’n byw yn yr un cymunedau. Roedden ni’n deall dros beth oedden nhw’n ymladd, eu bywoliaeth a’u cymunedau. Fyddwch chi ddim yn gweld hen bicedwyr yn honni fod yr heddlu ddim yn deall. Roedden ni, rydyn ni yn deall. Mae pawb yn hoffi ein cofio ni fel ‘heddlu mewn dillad terfysg’, ond fel hynny oedd hi.

Roedd Orgreave yn wahanol, ond cafodd hwnnw ei drefnu yn arbennig gan Scargill a Thatcher. Ddigwyddodd hynna byth yn ne Cymru. Roedd hi’n barchus ar y cyfan, ychydig o dynnu a gwthio, ond braidd dim trais. Roedden nhw fel arfer yn falch o’n gweld ni yn Ne Swydd Efrog. Bydden ni’n cyfnewid ein bathodynnau tair pluen am un NUM, ac yn rhannu brechdanau o’n bocsys bwyd. Roedden nhw’n ein hoffi ni am ein bod ni’n deall.

Pan ddechreuodd y sïon am ymosod ar dacsis roedd y teimlad yr un peth ym mhobman, o’r glowyr i’r gymuned i’r heddlu – peidiwch bod mor blydi stiwpid, does dim angen i hynna ddigwydd. Ac wedyn fe ddigwyddodd e, ar Ffordd Blaenau’r Cymoedd. Allen ni ddim credu’r peth.

Fel rhan o Ddiwrnod Meddiannu Kids in Museums bu disgyblion Ysgol Penboyr yn mwynhau gweithdai addurniadau Nadolig.

Dysgodd y crefftwraig, Non Mitchell, y disgyblion sut i ffeltio wlyb baubles a gwneud Llygaid Duw Nadolig.

Hwylusodd Ellie Smallcombe weithdai gwehyddu addurniadau Nadolig, cafodd pawb amser da!