Baby-sitting service and Coliseum concert for Oxfam
ABERDARE YOUNG OXFAM GROUP, with firm plans to continue to raise money towards alleviating the hunger problem “which seriously affects over 80 countries at this present lime,” have thought up two new fund-raising schemes, bringing their total number of ventures this year to seven!
A concert organised by the boys of the group will be held at the Coliseum on Thursday, December 19, while the girls are embarking on a different kind of project, much more novel — a baby-sitting scheme which promises to be a sure winner.
Christine Sanger and Barbara Healey, in charge of the baby-sitting scheme, informed me that the Young Oxfam baby-sitters will be “on call” from around December 14 onwards.
FAIR PRICE
About 20 girls from the Aberdare Grammar School and eight from the Ystradfellte Youth Club will start the ball rolling. They regard this as something “which will raise funds for Oxfam and at the same time provide a welcome new public service.”
The girls will be “at your service” on Saturdays and any day during the school holidays except Sundays, at 2s. 6d. an hour — certainly an attractive price.
Christine and Barbara said they would like any interested persons to book in advance so that a rota system can be worked out.
“Already we have had three offers — two of the customers being prepared to take the girls home by car at the end of the evening,” said Christine. “In other cases we hope our own Oxfam boys will come and pick us up.”
“Naturally, we will try to arrange for the girls to babysit in the areas where they live, so that travelling won’t be too big a problem.”
All interested parties should contact the group’s chairman, Alun Williams, 10, Hawthorne Terrace, Aberdare.
The girls would like to thank headmistress Mrs. Tydfi1Thomas of the Aberdare Girls’ Grammar, “for allowing us to have meetings every Tuesday dinner-hour for the past five weeks.”
Returning to the two-and-a-half-hour concert, for which a full house of 700 is expected, we are told that the programme “seems full of talent, headed by an Oxfam opera to last for over half-an-hour.”
The orchestra is made up of Young Oxfam members under the leadership of John Canter. The libretto is by Alun Williams, set to music by Cyril Lloyd (who is the subject of a “Purely Personal” article this week). The actors are members and their friends, numbering about ten in all.
Alun Williams told me: “The orchestra is already rehearsing five of its eight members — Sheila Hyatt, Hilary Jones, Warren Davies, Julia Smith and Anne Jones — although not, experienced musicians, are giving it all they’ve got. The other three are accompanist Rhydian Jones, horn, Sheila Cummings, and leader John Canter, with Cyril Lloyd as our conductor.”
Definitely on the bill are 15 minutes with the Linwood Singers; the Aberdare Boys’ Grammar “soprano” choir; the Mount Folk group; a ballet by the Grammar girls; John Canter will give a five-minute violin recital and Rhydian Jones a five-minute piano recital. Cyril Lloyd will also give a piano item and Huw Thomas plays the flute.
Cyril Lloyd commented: “We would all like to thank Mr. John Gethin Evans, B.A. music master at the Boys’ Grammar School for his advice and for being our M.C. for the night; Mrs. C. Griffiths, P.E. teacher at the Girls’ Grammar for her help with modern dancing, and Mr. G. Pritchard (Co-op display manager) for designing the sets.