TV appearance for our Bursary Award winner Miriam Jones
This year of the pandemic has been hard for many, but woodturner Miriam Jones has managed to not only survive, but thrive. After her amazing lockdown candle success, she was then asked to take part in a Welsh TV Craft show “y stiwdio grefftau“, or ‘The Craft Studio‘. Three craft people competed each week having been given a brief presented by a client who then chose the best design. The programme was first aired on 1st December on s4C, and is available now to watch on bbc iplayer, with Miriam featuring in the programme on 15th December.
Miriam’s brief from Snowdonia Park was to make a star gazing bench, and to do this she lazered mirrored plastic into the ends of the dowels so that the bench would glisten at night. Plastic weaving was used to create the effect of a nest, and the wood used came from off cuts and discarded timber from a timber yard.
After the programme was aired, Miriam was told some exciting news:
I am so happy to announce that the bench has a home, and a special home in Yr Ysgwrn. Hedd Wyn’s home, Trawsfynydd. The famous Welsh poet lost his life during battle in WW1 and had won the prestigious National Eisteddfod chair in 1917. It is the first time in history for a winning poet to be unable to sit in his bardic chair after it was awarded. The chair was therefore draped in black sheet in his honour.
My bench will be part of Welsh history and heritage which is incredible. Snowdonia Park told me straight away after the show that my bench was more like art, and had an aura and statement to it, and they believed the Ysgwrn was a more fitting home, as well as the poem from Hedd Wyn etched on its chair.
Miriam Jones
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