Category: Readers Articles of Interest

Men and Mental Health

The Man by Tirion Davies

40% of men won’t talk to anyone about their mental health.

In a 2018 study by Priory, 40% of men polled stated it would take thoughts of suicide or self-harm to compel them to seek professional help. Almost a quarter of respondents stated they would feel uncomfortable speaking to their GP or a psychiatrist as they believed their concerns would be a waste of time. 77% of respondents in the study stated they have suffered with anxiety, depression and stress.

According to a 2017 article by Mind, suicide rates are higher in Wales than in the rest of the United Kingdom. In 2017, 5,821 suicides were recorded in Great Britain, of these 75% were males. Suicide represents the largest cause of death for men under the age of 50. Higher rates of suicide are also found in minority communities including gay men, war veterans, and those with low incomes. A particularly vulnerable group to death by suicide are middle-aged men from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

We live in a world filled with toxic masculinity. A world where stereotypes are still forced upon men and women. Stereotypes which can be incredibly damaging.

Earlier this year, I responded to an advert by the razor brand Gilette. The advertisement included men stopping other men from inappropriate behaviours and keeping men accountable for questionable actions. The advertisement garnered such a response online and highlighted the issue toxic masculinity faces on men within our society.

And yet, countless men took to online social media platforms to argue their disgust in the ad, claiming it tarnished all men and masculinity as bad.

But that’s part of the problem. The advertisement was made in an attempt to discuss the toxicity the ‘masculine’ stereotype can have; the fact that in order to be a ‘man’, you must not cry or be seen as ‘weak’. The advert was in an attempt to hold men accountable for sexual harassment and bullying, and to attempt to redefine ‘masculinity’. Damon Jones, Vice President for Global Communications and Advocacy at Procter & Gamble, stated in a January 2019 Forbes interview,

‘In many ways men are finding themselves at a crossroads – caught between old definitions of what masculinity means and this new era of masculinity. It’s about allowing men space to define masculinity for themselves. We don’t set the standard for what masculinity is, but we do believe we have an opportunity to promote positive, attainable, inclusive, and healthy versions of what it means to be a man’.

Toxic masculinity is an issue which many are still arguing doesn’t exist. But by forcing these outdated stereotypes on men, it causes men to follow

unhealthy habits and makes it harder for them to admit when they need help.

Mind Cymru’s Lee Cambule stated ‘I am still faced with some outdated stereotypes as a man suffering from depression; men as a source of strength, dominating positions of power, the hunter-gatherer, the idea that strong and silent is alluring/attractive, the “show no weakness” bravado of heroes in our media’. He also states that the men who are most revered in our society, like celebrities, are not always ready to admit their struggles to the public because of this ‘toxic masculinity’. Which, as a result, leaves the everyday man even more uncertain about speaking out.

The expression ‘manning up’ is often used to belittle men who show they are struggling with their mental health. Young boys are told to ‘man up’ if they cry about being hurt or when they show signs of struggle at school. Lee Cambule says, ‘that expression is still often used for the wrong reasons, unfortunately. The concept that mental health can be conquered by simple acting more “like a man” is misguided. Depression, anxiety, personality disorders and schizophrenia are no more or less difficult based on whether you have a Y chromosome in your DNA’.

It’s 2019, and yet too many men are struggling with speaking up about their mental health because of this ridiculous idea that they would be deemed less of a man if they admit they are suffering. It’s 2019, and yet too many men are killing themselves because of this refusal to admit that toxic masculinity exists and that it alienates many. It is 2019, and yet the statistics on male suicides seem unlikely to change.

I’m aware that just me telling you that you’re not weak won’t miraculously change the world’s outlook on men’s mental health. But hopefully, if enough people start to say it, more and more men will realise the truth behind those words. Because you are not weak. Admitting you are struggling is incredibly hard to do. If anything, it makes you braver than anyone else to admit that you need some help in feeling yourself again.

It’s time to admit that the masculine stereotype placed on men is outdated. It’s time to admit that seeking help can make you stronger. It’s time to admit your mental health is just as important as everyone else’s.

Being a ‘man’ doesn’t mean you have to suffer in silence. You deserve the right to be happy.

If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to use any of the following links:

https://uk.movember.com/mens-health/we-need-to-talk

Priory: 0800 086 1441

Mind:https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/

0300 123 3393

Samaritans: 116 123

 

 

Love Island People Are People

 

People are people

This summer, just like the majority of the nation, I spent each night watching ‘Love Island’. For two months, I dedicated part of my day to watching a bunch of people, not that much older than myself attempt to find the loves of their lives. I feel like over the two months I formed opinions on those people, and recently I found myself having to take a step back and remember that these are real people.

With the ever-changing status of ‘celebrities’ in this day and age, everyone has an opinion, and everyone feels their opinion deserves a platform. But, when you’re seeing people attack someone online, the lines can get blurred and dangerous. As a society, we put celebrities on a pedestal, but sometimes people on the internet can forget that celebrities have hearts of their own. And when they’re thrust into celebrity life by shows like Love Island, they may not be as strong as they appear in a villa, cut-off from the outside world. Re-entering everyday life when everyone suddenly knows who you are must be hard, but especially when it also comes to comments about their appearance or being vilified for their reasoning behind entering an environment like Love Island.

This year’s Love Island final seemed close, far closer than the one we all endured in 2018. Despite the fact that Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury were the longest-lasting couple to have made it to the 2019 final, Amber Gill found love in Greg O’Shea after being mistreated by Michael Griffiths. The final seemed close, and despite the fact that Greg and Amber hadn’t long been coupled-up, Amber’s status as the nation’s sweetheart suddenly meant the final was hard to predict.

But whilst I, like probably about 80% of the UK, impatiently waited for the result, I decided to check Twitter to see if I could predict the final vote. What I found, however, was that ‘#MoneyMae’ was trending on Twitter. I laughed for a second, but then I realised that this is her life. Molly-Mae would be leaving the solitude of the Love Island villa, at just 20 years old, to a status as ‘fake’ by just about everyone on the internet. I admit, some of her actions on the show seemed as though she was desperate to win, but never did I question her love and admiration for Tommy. And let’s be honest, if you’re joining Love Island, finding fame (and maybe getting some of that prize money) must be in your peripheral. Molly-Mae was vilified for playing the game, but others won our hearts for being better at hiding the fact they were doing the same.

It feels like because reality-TV stars are putting their lives out to the world, the public think they owe us more of their private lives. Sometimes, with people like Gemma Collins, we see some reality-TV-made celebrities as more of characters than real people. We can sometimes perceive their personality as an act; but making comments on their personality can be harmful. It’s easy to forget that these are real people. These are people who, despite putting parts of their life to the public, deserve privacy.

I was astounded recently when I saw that Good Morning Britain had practically forced Love Island contestant Curtis Pritchard to label himself as bisexual. On the Love Island Reunion show, which followed a week after the live final, the host questioned islanders on whether or not they’d slept with one another since leaving the villa. Surely, they deserve that privacy? They’ve put their lives in the spotlight, but we don’t need to know every little detail of their life. It must feel as though they’re living in The Truman Show and you can imagine how disturbing that must feel.

Then there’s the trolls on the internet. People who think they deserve a say in everyone’s lives and do all they can to promote negativity. Why waste your time on nasty comments? I should hope they have jobs to do, or lives to live. ‘#MoneyMae’ might seem like a bit of fun, but it can easily be considered trolling. There’s joking about certain decisions or actions made by celebrities, but there is a point where things can be pushed too far.

As of 2019, two former Love Island contestants have committed suicide due to online trolling. Allegedly, more than 38 suspected suicides have been linked to reality tv shows worldwide. Love Island has dozens of therapists ready for the islanders; Amy Hart of this year’s cast said she had visited the therapist numerous times whilst on the show and needed desperately to visit them again when she got her phone back. Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury have been told to stay away from social media since their return to everyday life due to the onslaught of negative comments they’ve received. We as a society are obsessed with the lives of others, but it is important to remember that these are people, not characters in a fiction show.

As the saying goes, ‘it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt’. Be mindful of the comments you are making on others’ lives. They’re still people.

By Tirion Davies

 

 

June is Pride Month

Shade never made anybody less gay

June is Pride Month, a time when the LGBTQIA+ community should be able to celebrate being themselves. Being a part of this community even in today’s age is possibly one of the hardest things a person can do, so I celebrate anyone who identifies as part of this community because support isn’t always easy to find.

I talk about not spreading hate, but I always feel it’s incredibly important whilst discussing the LGBTQIA+ community. The norm even in 2019 is being heterosexual, and there are still too many people in the world who neither support the community nor care to educate themselves on it. There are still people who think there is something wrong with being anything but yourself. As of April 2019, only 16 states in the United States of America have criminalised conversion therapy on minors.

In 2018, the film ‘Love, Simon’ was the first major Hollywood studio film to focus on a gay teenage romance and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ won Rami Malek an Oscar at the 2019 Academy Awards for playing Freddie Mercury. The LGBTQIA+ community being predominantly represented in film and television without being the stereotyped sidekick is a breath of fresh air, but it doesn’t mean everyone’s supportive of this change.

Despite ‘Moonlight’ encouraging many to become more comfortable with their sexuality, and ‘Orange is the New Black’ and ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ showcasing transgender and non-binary characters respectively, bigotry lurks. ‘Rocketman’ was banned in Samoa, after the film was the first Hollywood blockbuster with a sex scene between two men.‘Beauty and the Beast’ was banned in numerous countries, including America, after Disney changed the sexual orientation of the character Lefou for its live-action adaptation.

For some reason, being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community still makes you an outcast. Many celebrities who identify as LGBTQIA+ feel a sense of responsibility forced upon them, to be a positive influence for others in the community. But many of these celebrities have also expressed how their sexuality is a defining feature and being a part of the community is the first thing people often see about them. Broadway performer Billy Porter also expressed how although LGBTQIA+ roles are more available, they are often not offered to those who are part of the community, and instead go to cisgender actors because their names are more widely known.

But why do people care to be mean to the LGBTQIA+ community? Truly. Why do people care about who other people love? How does two men kissing on their wedding day because they love each other affect you? Why do you care if someone has started living as another gender because they know they were born into the wrong body? They’ve

discovered their true self and should be celebrated for it. Why does it affect you if someone wants gender neutral pronouns? Use them and be respectful. Why does everyone believe that they deserve a say on what happens in the LGBTQIA+ community if they’re not a part of the community? Just let people live their lives.

Between Boston having a ‘Straight Pride Parade’ and the lesbian couple attacked on a bus for refusing to kiss, this year’s Pride month truly shows why it’s needed. Not enough people are truly accepting of the LGBTQIA+ community, but instead of spreading hate, maybe they should try educating themselves enough on what the community is about.

By teaching children about the LGBTQIA+ community in schools, it doesn’t ‘force’ a certain sexuality on them because your sexuality isn’t learnt behaviour. Teaching children about LGBTQIA+ means that there will be less miserable children thinking that they are awful people because of their sexuality; there will be less bullying, because having lessons about the LGBTQIA+ community normalises it. Because being a part of that community is normal and natural, and thus far the world’s been hiding that.

Try to educate yourself. Either do so online or ask someone who’s a part of the community. It may seem embarrassing to ask, but it shows personal growth because you are encouraging their self-expression and trying to understand it yourself. Ask them what it feels like to be a part of the community and why it’s such an important community to them. Because I doubt you could walk away from that conversation and still believe it’s anything but amazing to celebrate them and who they are.

They were created to be who they are, never try to take that away from them or shame them.

You don’t have to paint everything rainbow. But you do have to make sure that the person you know who is LGBTQIA+ is loved. You do have to make sure that they feel accepted and that they know there is nothing wrong with being them. You do have to raise your children to know it’s okay to be LGBTQIA+. It’ll be harder for everyone if your child resents themselves because they think there’s something bad about them being a part of the community.

In the words of Tan France, “It’s very unlikely that people are going to cause you an issue just because you are being yourself. And if they’re concerned, that’s on them. You’re happy”.

Remember: You do not have the right to shame a person for who they are. Ever.

Always support members of the LGBTQIA+ community, because there are many, many people who won’t.

By Tirion Davies

 

 

The Ongoing Felling Of Trees

 

It is with great sadness I witness The Ongoing Felling Of Trees in and around our lovely village. When nature itself wields the axe there is little to do but acknowledge the circle of life and the safe removal of the fallen tree that inevitably follows is also a necessity.

However there does seem to be a big appetite to fell or seriously trim back other trees that are standing tall, strong and magnificent. There seem to be innumerable reasons justifying such activity from disease; danger; leaves blocking drains or trees allowing animals to access rooftops. Factor in so called expert opinion of Arborists and those of us who wonder at trees stand little chance of countering any such claims and the trees’ destiny is down to a simple signature on a form authorising destruction.

Hundreds of years of incredibly slow growth gone in an hour; the home to thousands of insects; animals; birds and even other plants gone in a day. Replacement with 10’ saplings is little compensation for the magnificent 200 year old 150’ tall Ash or the 150 year old Horse Chesnut.

At a time when we’re all being urged to fundamentally change our thinking away from exploiting nature to helping to heal its wounds, this ongoing determination to change the wooded skyline of Wenvoe is so sad, irrespective of what rationale you choose to apply…

 

Martin Thomas

 

 

Cofiwch Dryweryn. Please.

Since the vandalism of the ‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’ mural near Aberystwyth earlier this year, I’ve noticed ‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’ signs reminiscent of the original appearing all over Wales – and all over the world, too. It feels like a nation coming together and showing that even if you try to silence us, we will continue to tell our story so that history won’t repeat itself.

But what’s the importance of ‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’?

‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’ means ‘Remember Tryweryn’ in Welsh and is in reference to the drowning of the Welsh village Capel Celyn (the valley was Cwm Tryweryn) in 1965.

During the mid-1950s, it was announced by the Liverpool Daily Post that they intended to flood the village of Capel Celyn in order to use it as a reservoir for Liverpool. The 67 Welsh-speakers living in the village of Capel Celyn were blindsided by the news and were stripped of their choice to save their village.

The Capel Celyn Defence Committee was set up, in addition to the Liverpool branch of the Tryweryn Defence Committee. On November 7th, 1956 the Committee sent representatives, including the president of Plaid Cymru, Gwynfor Evans, to address Liverpool City Council. The three were escorted from the chamber, and Gwynfor Evans was shouted down. They were fighting for a chance to save their village, because an English city deemed many in Wales becoming homeless as a reasonable sacrifice for their water. The only thing is, Liverpool wasn’t the place having to make the sacrifice.

Capel Celyn wasn’t the first time Liverpool had decided they could use Wales to their disposal. Eighty years prior to the drowning of Capel Celyn, Liverpool had used Llanddwyn as a reservoir, later becoming Llyn Llanddwyn as it is today.

In January 1957, Liverpool began its attempts through the parliamentary system. Obtaining authority through an Act of Parliament meant Liverpool City Council managed to avoid the need for consent from Welsh planning authorities. Wales were silenced and refused the right to argue to save Capel Celyn. Wales wouldn’t earn a Senedd for decades, and the lack of devolution in 1957 meant Parliament in England could do what they wanted to Wales. 36 MPs alone were in Parliament on behalf of Wales, but their numbers were too low, and their opposition seemed futile.

Eight years after the fight had begun, the residents of Capel Celyn were forced out as the flooding drew near. Alun Ffred Jones, who was 15 at the time of the flooding said of the opening ceremony for Llyn Celyn, “These people had drowned this village and driven people from their homes, and they were suddenly arriving to have a tea party”. The displeasure shown by the residents of Capel Celyn at the time has been consistent since the drowning in 1965.

The drowning of Capel Celyn is unforgettable because it was almost reminiscent of the treatment by the Welsh people under English rule centuries earlier. By working around giving Wales the opportunity to fight the drowning in any legal way, Liverpool twisted Wales’ arm behind its back and made it obey. The Welsh were second-class citizens following the betrayal of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in 1282, and the ‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’ mural is so honoured because it reminds Wales that history can repeat itself unless we find a way of fighting back.

The continuous vandalization of the ‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’ mural has incredibly backfired, with many flocking to the site quickly to repaint and later rebuild the wall. A wall behind the original site has since been painted ‘fe godwn ni eto’ (‘we will rise again’). Dozens of ‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’ murals have been appearing all over the world. Through Wales, some in England, even in America and Spain. The resilience of the Welsh people is sensational, and it will forever make me proud to call Cymru my home. ‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’ is a symbol that Wales won’t lie back and accept oppression.

The drowning of the Tryweryn valley in 1965 sparked so much anger throughout Wales that it aided in the revolution and evolution of the Welsh language, to a point where Cardiff Council is now being urged to only open Welsh language schools in the years to come. The fact that Wales was so easily stepped upon caused a want for more power in Wales, and today devolution is an ever-changing improvement in Wales, with powers slowly but surely moving back to where they belong – the Welsh people’s grasps.

‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’ isn’t meant to be a middle-finger to every English person, it’s meant to be a symbol of power to the Welsh people. To remember that we deserve more than the insult that occurred with Capel Celyn. To remember that a fair democracy should mean that Wales earns a voice within Britain, and that next time it’s not overlooked.

Cofiwch Dryweryn. Please.

By Tirion Davies

The Walls We Crashed Through

Long Live the walls we crashed through

2019 is a funny place. Support for human rights for everyone is at an all-time high, but bigotry still lurks and rears its ugly head. Arguably, there’s never been more support for women’s rights, for lgbtq rights, for the rights of people of colour, for equality for everyone. But that support doesn’t amount to changing the world, because the people who are most often in support of equality aren’t the people running the world. I say this as a generalisation – there are, of course, politicians and world leaders doing their best to make the world a better place – but the bad outweigh the good in many instances.

America, a big powerhouse in the world’s political landscape, seems to be living in a dystopia. Between a newspaper editor in Alabama calling on the Ku Klux Klan to lynch Democrats in February (of this year, definitely not the 1800s) to marital rape still being legal in states like North Carolina, to the anti-abortion bill in Georgia banning abortions beyond the six-week mark of pregnancy – before many women even notice they’ve missed their period. To even an article in The New York Times in February of 2019, stating that thousands of immigrant children had been sexually abused at government-funded detention facilities in the United States.

There are countries in the world where women don’t have citizenship. There’s a country in Europe where if a woman harms a man who sexually assaulted her (in self-defence), she gets a life of imprisonment, and he gets a slap on the wrist. There are countries in the world where a young girl is a bride and a mother before she is even fifteen.

The MeToo movement is one I wholeheartedly support, as is HeForShe and every other equal rights activism movement on behalf of women. Because it’s a brilliant thing that we’re talking about it and that we’re fighting against it. But my God, isn’t it a terrifying thought that whilst opinions have changed and evolved, women are still dying in fields holding their stillborn child because of their lack of adequate healthcare.

It’s a terrifying world to be in as a woman. I’m simultaneously shown how strong and wonderful women can be, in any outfit they so choose; but the mute button can still be pressed at any time on my beliefs. It’s a terrifying world where I’m sat in my room, studying at a brilliant university, but Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head for attempting to receive an education. A terrifying world where experiences of being unable to walk home alone at night as a woman are universal.

Loving someone of the same gender in many countries is still illegal. Only last year did India legalise homosexuality. But there are still countries in the world where loving who you love makes you a target and causes all types of violence. There is, of course, nothing wrong with loving someone of the same gender, but in 2019, that sentiment isn’t shared with everyone. Even within the UK some have their prejudices against same-sex relationships. The whole world seems like a nightmare where some want to

pretend loving in the way which isn’t ‘traditional’ to them is impossible.

What a strange world. A world where pride flags of the lgbtq community are both celebrated and burned. A world where two women kissing is acceptable when it’s fetishized by creepy old men for music videos, but not when it happens between two consenting people in love. A world where ‘coming out’ is still mutually exclusive with being lgbtq and being heterosexual is the ‘norm’. A world where hate crime is still so common. A world where being yourself is both being celebrated and being banned.

Imagine being pulled over and having to be scared that something might happen to you because of the colour of your skin. Imagine being a part of a world where your culture is used as fancy dress but is ignored when you’re fighting to save it. Imagine being shot by the people who are meant to stop the bad things happening because you’re deemed a danger based on your ethnicity. Imagine being in a world where because you are a person of colour, you are constantly watched over. A world where because of the colour of your skin, the bar is equally so much higher and so much lower. The bar dictating whether you are deemed a ‘revolutionary’ or a ‘criminal’. Imagine a world where only one actress of African descent has won an Academy Award for Best Actress. Imagine a world where Black Panther was the first superhero film with primarily actors of African descent, but only in 2018 did this happen.

Imagine what a ridiculous, harsh world that would be. But that world isn’t imaginary. It’s the world we’re living in. Right now.

2019 is as bizarre as it is incredible. As terrifying as it is remarkable.

Don’t make the world scarier, make it kinder. Be nice to people. Question your prejudices. Stop making arguments for the sake of arguments and start making arguments on the matters that really count.

The world shouldn’t be ruled by those who do so simply for power. Power means hunger. Don’t feed the beast, fight it.

‘I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you’.

By Tirion Davies

 

 

Unsightly Litter Surrounding Wenvoe

 

I am sure that the amount of unsightly litter surrounding Wenvoe’s roadsides has not gone unnoticed.

Whilst on a recent walk along Station Rd East on route to the Salmon Leaps, I was appalled at the amount of litter in the trenches alongside the road, so much so that I took it upon myself to return and collect it.

Armed with a pair of plastic gloves and one black bag, I set to work & in twenty minutes the bag was full with rubbish from one side of the road only!

I contacted the Vale Council’s Refuse & Re-cycling department & informed them of my collection and that the rubbish contained much which could be re-cycled. They were very accommodating, arranging to collect the bag from outside of my house the following day – which they duly did.

However, whilst grateful for this efficient service, I was mindful of one driver and one van coming to collect one bag!

I don’t know the answer to the problem of individuals dropping litter or throwing litter from their cars, but I wonder if any village residents who, like myself, have a spare hour in which they could collect litter from a designated area and collectively have it collected by the Vale. Thus attempting to keep the village devoid of unsightly litter.

Any responses to What’s On or the Wenvoe Community Council (see page 2 for contacts)

 

 

Thank You For Sticking With Me

Three Years Older

Three years ago, on the 17th of April 2016, I launched this blog. In true me style, my first blog posts were about feminism, and how hard being a teenager is. Fifteen-year-old Tirion thought she’d run the blog for a bit and probably forget about it, but three years later, I’m so glad I stuck with it.

I knew when I was about fourteen that I wanted to explore journalism as a career. But trying to be a journalist when you’re fourteen and fifteen is hard, especially when you’re too shy to even put your hand up to ask to go to the toilet. I would submit work to The Guardian and search for work experience that would satisfy my craving to write what I wanted to write. But most companies like the BBC don’t let you apply for work experience until you’re eighteen. Public speaking and BBC School News Report were great, but they were seasonal.

I remember sitting in the back of the car and reading some magazine when I came across a piece about Tavi Gevinson, the Editor of Rookie (which has since released its final copy). She’s only a few years older than I am, but she’d started a blog before she was able to expand Rookie into this incredible magazine for teenagers that Teen Vogue could only dream to be. My brother told me that he’d heard of her, and that she was eleven when she’d started her own blog. I didn’t really know what a blog was, but upon further exploration, I realised that it was what I wanted. Within a few weeks, just shy of turning sixteen, I finally launched my blog after much deliberation.

My blog gave me a chance to explore my beliefs and expand upon them. These days it’s common to read a post about something I’ve been outraged by in the news, as opposed to complaining about not being able to wear a coat in school.

I’ve grown up over the past three years, and I feel my blog is a reflection of that. A lot of things have happened in the past three years since I started my blog. I was following the news to an extent, but I wasn’t educating myself enough on the events which occurred on our newsfeeds. I was being passive, taking in the information but never really acknowledging its impact. Until I did. I used my blog as a way of understanding my own viewpoint, and further understood that maybe I could tell the story in a way which made more sense to more people.

By continuing to write blog posts over the past three years, I’ve been able to improve my writing. I’ve learnt my writing style, and I think a little bit of me has stopped caring what a lot of people think, too. My blog posts aren’t supposed to be substitutes for newspaper articles, as there’s almost always a bias I don’t pretend to hide. But it doesn’t mean running a blog hasn’t helped to improve my writing skills in a journalistic capacity.

If you’re thinking about starting a blog, I would always say do it. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, if you feel passionately enough about something, do it. My blog has helped me a lot, in all seriousness. Because I’ve practiced my written skills, I’ve since been Editor of my secondary school’s newspaper; started writing monthly articles for Wenvoe What’s On; gained work experience (and been published) in Buzz Magazine; been published on S4C’s Hacio website; gained a place at Cardiff University’s school of Journalism and been published in the University’s newspaper, Gair Rhydd. Most importantly to me, it’s given me more confidence to speak out about issues I care about. Although I’m always careful and aware of others’ views, I’m more open about my beliefs now and I know that they deserve to have a platform. It’s a platform I made myself, but sometimes if you want something done you’ve got to do it yourself.

It’s been three years, and although the blog posts are less often (guys, University’s actually a lot of work) I still love writing them. I’ve received some amazing feedback over the past three years, and it’s always nice because it means I’ve reached someone.

I didn’t start a blog to be rich and famous, I started it for me. And boy how I’ve changed since I started it. But that’s okay. It’s good.

The past three years have been a whirlwind but it’s been brilliant. I learned some new, fancy words (could you tell?) but I also learned more about me. I’ve got a lot more fire in me than I thought I had when I was fifteen. I mean, it’s probably always been there, I just never let it out.

Thank you for reading my blog. Even if you thought what I’d said was rubbish, thank you for taking the time to read a post. If you’ve sent me a message about one of my posts, know how much that truly does mean to me. Thank you for setting aside a few minutes of your day to read even a few sentences of a post. Thank you for sticking with me since I was fifteen. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Tirion Davies

 

 

Marine Colliery Personal Reflections

 

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

In the March edition of the ‘Wenvoe What’s On’, the leading article talked about the crippling explosion at Marine Colliery in Ebbw Vale on 1 March 1927, killing 51 miners. This led one of our readers to reflect on her childhood growing up in the mining community of Cwm, some 3 miles from Ebbw Vale in the years following the Marine Colliery Disaster. She shares this with us here:

‘The Marine Colliery was situated in my home village of Cwm where I was born and lived until the age of 16. In such a small community and in the surrounding area, few families were left untouched by the Marine Colliery Disaster on 1 March 1927. In the valley it was always referred to as ‘The Explosion’ and through family connections with the pit and faithful entries in family Bibles, local children were made fully aware of the events of that dreadful day.

My own father worked at the Marine Colliery when he left school, but he never worked underground. However, my grandmother was left a young widow with two small girls to raise, the elder of whom was my mother. In that single day, Gran lost her husband, her father and brother. Can you imagine surviving such a loss at that time?

The Marine Colliery is long gone, and a monument has been raised in memory of the miners. The valley has largely been restored to its former beauty, but as with other disasters, scars will always remain.’

Marilyn Case.

 

 

Girls Like You

 

Girls Like You

Blogging about International Women’s Day has become almost tradition at this point. You may think it odd that I continue to celebrate this day every year though it’s not considered an international holiday. But every year, International Women’s Day exemplifies the importance of positive reinforcement for young girls. Whenever I browse social media on March 8th, I’m always flooded with stories about strong women I can aspire to be or shown stories of the women who’ve fought for the rest of us to have made it so far. I’m also shown ways of helping others, whether that be through the UN Women’s social media pages, or Plan International or Amnesty International, I see a way of helping women who aren’t as fortunate as I am. But the most prominent feeling I get from International Women’s Day every year is that women deserve to feel valued and that by lifting each other up we can all feel stronger. Cheesy, but true.

This International Women’s Day I’m celebrating the women in my life. Whether that be friends I’ve grown up with through school, friends I’ve met through sports, friends I’ve gained through musical theatre, friends I’ve met more recently at University or the incredible women I’m surrounded by in my family. I’ve never felt limited by any of them, and all I’ve ever received is support. Support to push beyond the boundaries that may sometimes be in my way, and support to continue through those boundaries when there’s no way around them.

This International Women’s Day I want to thank the women who’ve had my back (and held my hair). To my friends, who I see every day being sensational young women and forging paths for themselves. To my family, who’ve shown me ways of being an amazing woman, regardless of whether they’re older than me or not. And to the women I see in the media punching through stereotypes and fighting even when it seems impossible. Thank you.

It’s not the perfect time to be a woman in today’s age; between the fight for reproductive rights, the fight for an equal place at the table, the fight to have the choice who to marry and when and the fight against the stereotypes, it’s still a tough world. But it used to be far, far tougher and we can’t deny that some things are better. Young girls are able to open a magazine and see people like Ashely Graham or Iskra Lawrence looking like their body type and having it be celebrated. Others are looking at entertainment and seeing that they are so much more than the stereotype that have thrust upon them because of the colour of their skin. Others are realising that they weren’t born to be in the body they have and understanding that that’s okay. Some are realising that they get to love whomever they want to love, and it’s a brilliant thing. Young women and women everywhere are beginning to see their value, because there are more outlets showcasing every kind of woman. So yeah, being a woman’s still not perfect, but at least women are understanding that they deserve the perfect rights.

International Women’s Day began on February 28, 1909 when the Socialist Party of America organised a women’s day in New York, with the International Socialist Woman’s Conference suggesting a Women’s Day be held annually. March 8th was introduced by the Soviet Union in 1917 when women gained suffrage and the date became a national holiday, later being adopted as the international date for Women’s Day in 1975 by the United Nations. To reiterate what I say every year, today isn’t a day for bashing men – I’d actually like to celebrate my Dad and my brother for always encouraging me to be me and be the best person I can be. Today is a day to celebrate the women in our history who have shaped the world when it was deemed impossible for them to do so.

Mary Kom, an Indian boxer once said, “Do not say you are weak, because you are a woman”. Don’t limit yourself because of your gender; sex is biological, gender is a social construct. The stereotypes placed on women have been placed there by the men and women of the past. Think – a century ago women weren’t allowed to vote in elections because ‘common sense’ deemed that women were incapable of making sound decisions without the aid of a man. The world has seen a fair share of female political leaders since then. Women who’ve changed the world in some way, or at least changed the world’s perception of what it is to be a woman. Being born a woman ought not limit anyone, and I’ll be damned if the young women growing up in this century think less of themselves because of the sex on their birth certificate.

Whether you were born a woman or discovered later in life you should have always been a woman, you count. You are more than the limits the world will often put on you.

You count, you mean something, and I can’t wait to see you change the history books.

By Tirion Davies

 

 

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