The sound of music was heard in Mardy Hall, at Llantilio Pertholey WI, March meeting, when musician Huw Williams treated members and visitors to an evening full of laughter, music and the history of traditional Welsh instruments writes Lavinia O’Brien

Huw has a great sense of humour and we all thoroughly enjoyed the evening which ended with Huw demonstrating a Welsh clog dance. Winning WI members for the competition of a small musical instrument were 1, Hilary Gregg, 2, Ann Carey, 3, Judy Griffiths.

On March 21 our quiz team competed in the Gwent Federation Quiz and came third, Congratulations to the team Di Bevan, Lavinia O'Brien and Jane White.

Later in the month we celebrated our the 106th Anniversary of our Founders Day, with lunch at The Bear in Crickhowell. It was a lovely meal and thanks go to Jane White for organising and the staff at The Bear for the excellent service we received.

At our April meeting we had Kari van Eden teaching us a little chair Yoga, everyone joined in the taster session and I think we all felt a little better for the exercise and many resolved to join a class in the future. The competition was a miniature chair, the entries for this were so cute, it was a close run result . Congratulations to winners 1, Terry Monaghan, 2, Rita Rudge, 3 Debbie Jeffreys.

The Supper Club in April will be at the Gurkha Restaurant in Abergavenny.

Our next meeting is our AGM on 1 May, followed by More than a Coffee on Monday 5 May 10 am at Mardy Community Hall.

The WI's “More than Coffee” mornings take place once a month on the Monday following our Thursday meeting. We do all sorts of things around coffee/tea and cake. Knitting, crochet, craft, sewing, games and more. We enjoy the friendship and laughter that getting together on a Monday morning brings. If you are interested and would like to join us please come along we would be delighted to meet you.

I will be standing down from the presidency of Llantilio Pertholey WI in May, so I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the committee which has given me so much help and to each and every one of our members for all the support they have given me over the years.

I think I will miss the hustle and bustle of the presidency but will now look forward to attending each meeting and just enjoying the talk and my coffee and biscuit. I wish the new president (to be chosen in May) all the very best, she will be leading a fantastic WI.

Students from Haberdashers Monmouth School participated in the British Biology Olympiad, which saw them presented with unfamiliar topics and ideas to challenge theur problem- solving skills and understanding of core principles.

The British biology Olympiad challenges students with an interest in biology to expand and extend their talent as well as enabling them to demonstrate their abilities and to be rewarded with certificates.

This year over 15,000 students from 1,000 schools entered the competition with Haberdashers Monmouth School rewarded with three commended, three highly commended, a bronze award for Sophie, silver awards for Sienna, Breanna and James and a gold award for Fay.

Only five percent of people who entered were awarded a gold and 10 percent silver.

Haberdashers Monmouth School said: “This is a rigorous challenge, so we are very proud of all our biologists.”

“As Fay has excelled in this competition she was invited to participate in the next round of the selection process for the international biology Olympiad.”

“Fay had to read a paper on “Extensive Proliferation of a Subset of differentiated, yet plastic, medial vascular smooth muscle cells contribute to neointimal formation in mouse injury and atherosclerosis models” and then answer questions based on this.

Head of Biology, Emma Barson said: "I am incredibly proud of our talented biology students for their exceptional performance in the Biology Olympiad.

“Their dedication, hard work, and passion for science has shone through, and this achievement is testament to their commitment to excellence. “

“This accomplishment not only reflects their individual brilliance but also the strength of our school’s academic community. We look forward to seeing even greater successes from them in the future.”

Fay and her fellow students are anxiously waiting to see how she fared in the selection process.

Ground-breaking modern paintings showing the drama of Easter story set in modern life are being displayed in cafes, pubs and shops in Powys in the days before Easter. Businesses in Crickhowell, Talgarth, Llangors and Hay-on-Wye are taking part in the project to allow the public to see the dramatic pictures in everyday settings.

The fifteen paintings by artist Mark Cazalet would normally be seen in art galleries and cathedrals. They tell the story of Easter, but with a twist. Each picture depict an Easter scenes set in modern day London. Locations for this passion story include flyovers, London Underground tube stations, a scrap yard and the streets outside Wormwood Scrubs prison.

In the run up to Easter in Powys this year it is possible to see these moving Cazalet paintings in two pubs, two butchers shops, cafes, a bookshop, a college office, a petrol station forecourt and an architectural salvage yard.

The project is the initiative of the same team who brought real camels to Brecon on Christmas eve 2023 in a live public nativity for the town which delighted thousands of people. Richard Parry is the director of the New Library, Llantwit Major and Rev Anna Bessant is the vicar of Llyn Safaddan Churches around Lake Llangors.

“We’re hoping that people will be able to glimpse the traditional Easter story in a new way, whilst out shopping and relaxing in their local towns and villages”, said Rev Anna Bessant, who has helped to bring the Easter paintings project to life and looks after churches around Lake Llangors. “The paintings are very immediate and shocking. And because the scenes are set in modern Britain we hope it will move people to think about the relevance of the story today.”

In Talgarth the window of the butcher’s W J George is displaying one of the paintings until the project’s end on Good Friday. Georgina George who runs the Deli Pot at the village butchers is pleased to be taking part. “It’s a privilege to be hosting one of these important pictures,” said Georgina. “We’re delighted to be telling part of the story here in Talgarth, and people can see some of the other paintings just a few yards away at the Black Mountain College office and in the cafes.”

The fifteen paintings illustrate the trial, torture and execution of the Easter story. The picture titled ‘Women of Jerusalem Weep’ is set amongst street market stalls on

Portobello Road in West London and as part of the project is now hanging on the wall in Llangynidr’s Walnut Tree Café. “Our café is mainly run by women so it’s very apt for us to be hosting this painting,” says Claire Preece who runs the café. “It’s a pleasure to be taking part in the Easter story in the area, collaborating with local businesses and churches. Walnut Tree Café customers are very intrigued by this painting and the meaning behind it. It’s certainly different from lots of the artwork usually found in cafes in the Usk Valley. We’re more used to rural scenes in our art, like the nearby picturesque Table Mountain - not a military convoy in the Portobello Market!”

Richard Parry from the New Library, Llantwit Major who organised a similar project last year in pubs and cafes on the south Wales coast said, “These paintings in Powys are very important. They remind us of the everyday compassion of people on pavements in the face of cruel violence in the world. They deal with our modern predicament today and link it to the passion, degradation and transformation of the Easter story.”

All the paintings remain on display in Powys cafes, pubs and shops until Good Friday, 18th April when they will all be brought together for public viewing as a full set at the small Celtic church at Llanywern near Lake Llangors from Saturday 19th April.

The paintings in Powys can be seen at the following locations:

Crickhowell Webbs of Crickhowell : 15. Emmaus Book-ish : 5. Simon of Cyrene ASDA Express Petrol : 9. Third Fall Gallops Architectural Salvage : 4. Meets mother

Hay-on-Wye Pugh’s : 13. Pieta Kutz Barbers : 1. Sentenced Three Tuns : 11. Nailed to the Small Farms Butchers : 6. Veronica

Talgarth Black Mountains College Office : 2. Takes cross W. J. George Butchers : 3. First Fall The Strand: 10. Stripped Talgarth Mill : 14. Entombed

Llangynidr The Walnut Tree : 8. Women of Jerusalem weep

Llangors Base Camp Cafe, Llangors Multi Activity Centre : 12. Crucified The Red Lion : 7. Second Fall