"The Festival will be divided into three sections.

The first bilingual competition, organised with the help of the educational authorities in Ceredigion, Dwyfor, Meirionydd and Montgomery will be held in the schools.

Judges will receive the poems in advance and select four finalists from each section to give readings of their poems in the Church on Saturday 19 July starting at 11am.

The judge for this section is Dr Gwendraeth Morgan.

Y Lolfa will present book prizes to the children and there are also cash prizes donated by Mr and Mrs Griffiths and Mrs and Mrs Holmes.

The Welsh Poetry Reading competition will start at 3pm, also on 19 July, and will be open to anyone reciting poems in Welsh for a £5 pre-booked five minute slot.

It will be sponsored by the Welsh Book Council with a £100 prize in book tokens. The judges are Professor Gruffydd Aled Williams of UCW Aberystwyth and Rev. Rhidian Jones.

Before that at 2pm, Lord Elystan Morgan will unveil a plaque in honour of RS Thomas in the church porch. All are welcome.

On Sunday 20 July the English Poetry Reading event will be a similar open competition starting at 11am. There will be one prize of £100 donated by The Book People. The judges will be Dr Tony Brown and Byron Rogers.

Apart from the Festival, the Dyfi Singers, the Côr y Gors from Borth and Côr Merched from Aberystwyth gave concerts in the Church. Mrs Delyth Griffith gave a coffee morning at Cornedd y Gors in May and there will be a sponsored cycle ride on 6 July arranged by Mrs Nicole Webb. A Garden Party at Voelas Hall, with the garden of Llwyncelyn, Glandyfi that adjoins, will be open on Sunday 24 August and a Village Party 'The Ffoel Welsh' will take place on 13 September.

Why all these activities? It is because there is a big problem with the east end of the church roof. The apse is in serious need of repair necessitating the removal of the roof, restoring the woodwork and replacing the slates giving rise to considerable cost. St Michael's is listed as II* Grade by CADW as a scarce example of an early 19th century church that retains much Regency character often lost in Victorian liturgical reforms. The Chancel, or apse, was added in 1913."

Article written by Joy Neal