Trefriw Walking Festival 2017
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TREFRIW WALKING FESTIVAL 2017 LEGEND AMBASSADOR TRAINING P> This presentation will be made available to you as a .pdf file to download yourself. Remember – your ultimate source of information is www.trefriwwalkingfestival.co.uk P> By the end of this session you will understand more about: • The background to the Walking Festival • The link to the Year of Legends • The importance of legends • Our LEADER funding • The Walking Festival programme • The new Legends Trail • The new Legends book • The role of the ‘ambassador’ P8. G Background to the Walking Festival • Trefriw’s first Walking Festival was in 2013. • The first two years were run as events under the auspices of Cerdded Conwy Walks. • From 2015 we have been independent. • 2017 will be our 5 th year. • It is organised by a team of volunteers who do everything in-house. • During the Festival itself the committee are assisted by a huge team of other helpers. • Trefriw Walking Festival is now Snowdonia’s most popular walking festival. G1> Where does all this happen? • The base for the Walking Festival is Trefriw Village Hall (LL27 0JH) . • All participants meet at the Village Hall to register and make a donation. • The main parking area is the large free car park opposite the Woollen Mill. (Please park considerately as it will be busy.) • Tea and coffee will be available in the hall. • The hall has toilets and Wifi. • Pre-loved outdoor-related books and gear will be on sale. • Grand Draw tickets will be on sale. • Local amenities (e.g. cafes and shops) are listed on the website. G> Walkers are Welcome In Autumn 2014 Trefriw was awarded Walkers are Welcome accreditation – an accolade given to towns and villages “with something special to offer walkers”. (Trefriw is the only village in the Snowdonia National Park to have such status.) The aims of Walkers are Welcome venues include: • to be an attractive destination for walkers, with top quality information on local walks • to offer local people and visitors excellent walking opportunities within their areas • to ensure that footpaths and facilities for walkers are maintained, improved and well signposted G1> Funding and securing the future • Occasional grants towards running the event • Sponsorship towards the costs of some walks • Sponsorship in kind • LEADER (see later) Our own fundraising: • The Grand Draw • The Cake Fest • Donations G1. P Background to the Year of Legends “The Year of Adventure 2016 was the first in a series of thematic years, and proved to provide a focus for product development and the promotion of Wales – which resulted in an epic year - with north Wales being named as one of the top 10 places on the planet to visit this year.” http://gov.wales – January 2017 2016 - The Year of Adventure 2017 - The Year of Legends 2018 - The Year of the Sea P> Was the Year of Adventure a success? In 2016 there were 98.5 million tourism day visits to Wales, with an associated spend of £3.8 billion. This number increased by 33.1% compared to the previous 12 months, with the amount spent rising by 44.1%. (This increase was just 13% at GB level as a whole.) There was a growth of 15% in international tourism visits during the first 6 months of 2016. P> Will the Year of Legends continue this trend? “Clearly our marketing work, the commitment from our industry, and the innovative products which we’ve developed is having an impact. 2016 was our Year of Adventure and these figures indicate that the campaign provided a focus for product development and the promotion of Wales and gave people compelling reasons to visit Wales. As we launch the Year of Legends for 2017 in our key markets we will work to sustain these figures.” Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Economy & Infrastructure P> Aims of the Year of Legends “The aim is to create new Welsh legends, immerse visitors in our epic story, and make new legendary experiences: • bringing the past to life like never before • culture and heritage at the centre of Wales marketing • building a truly distinctive identity for Wales on the world stage • funding available for innovative projects.” http://gov.wales – January 2017 P> What is LEADER? LEADER is a French acronym, standing for ‘Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l'Économie Rurale’ , meaning ‘Links between the rural economy and development actions’. It is an EU-funded rural grant programme designed to support local businesses. Activities under LEADER must be consistent with at least one of the five LEADER themes for Wales. In our case, the theme is: • ‘adding value to local identity and natural cultural resources’ P> LEADER funding • Why are we linking the Year of Legends to the Walking Festival? • How did we get the LEADER funding? • What do we have to do to claim the funding? • Develop the Legends Trail • Link the Walking Festival to local legends • Identify ‘match’ in £ and hours • Write and deliver the Ambassador Training P> Our role as ambassadors Our intention is that everyone involved in the running of the Walking Festival will have a basic understanding of the Festival and how it’s linked to local legends. As an ambassador we will: • be the welcoming face of the festival • know what’s going on, where and when • be able to share general information and knowledge • take responsibility for our own particular role • be aware of the value of interpersonal skills (i.e. the ability to communicate or interact well with other people.) “Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day when we communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in groups.” P5. G We are nothing without our audience - flyers G> We are nothing without our audience - posters G> Our interface with the public - www.trefriwwalkingfestival.co.uk G> www.trefriwwalkingfestival.co.uk G> Who is our target audience? ? The Years of Adventure, Legends and the Sea are aimed at every age group and ability. G. T When we say legends, we’re also including .... fables, folklore, myths, & tales ..... T> What’s the difference? Legend : a very old story or set of stories from ancient times, not always true, that people tell about a famous event or person ; a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but not authenticated. Fable : a succinct fictional story that often features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are given human qualities (such as the ability to speak) and that illustrates a particular moral lesson. Folklore : the traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth. Myth : an idea or story that is believed by many people, but that is not true; also a story that was told in an ancient culture to explain a practice, belief, or natural occurrence. Tale : a fictitious or true narrative or story, especially one that is imaginatively recounted. T5> Is the difference important? legends, fables, folklore, myths, tales ..... No! The differences are subtle, and in reality many stories are a mixture of these! T1> The oldest tale The stories in the Mabinogion were compiled in Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. Culhwch and Olwen is possibly the earliest Arthurian tale in existence. In the story Culhwch is obliged to perform some difficult labours, as set by the giant Ysbaddaden in order to win the hand of his daughter Olwen in marriage. Culhwch recruits King Arthur, his first cousin. One of the tasks is to find the lost Mabon, son of Modron, and a number of mythical beasts are consulted, one of whom is the wise Owl of Cwm Cowlyd. T> Fact and Fiction One of Trefriw’s greatest claims to fame is that it was the part-time residence of Llywelyn Fawr (‘Llywelyn the Great’). Real name Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (c. 1172 – 1240), he was a Prince of Gwynedd, ultimately becoming de facto ruler over most of Wales – the first to do so. This much is history, though he has his share of fables associated with him. T> Fables from the well known .... King Arthur Llywelyn & Gelert Prince Madog Idwal T> ... to the less well known The Afanc The Water Horse The Water Bull Fairies Dafydd ap Siencyn Taliesin T> Why were legends & fables told? • To strengthen a community and provide a common understanding. Stories often reflect the beliefs of the people who tell them. • To instil approval of values. Things that people found good or bad all found their way into the stories and they were passed on, because people wanted to be assured that other people around them were thinking along the same lines. • To confirm ideas about the world around. As a way of providing moral guidance - myths and legends, like any good stories, often include a moral. Within the myth, the hurt or embarrassment experienced by people is often due to their own stupidity, greed, dishonesty or negligence. • To explain how the world works, for example why the seasons change, and to explain strange happenings or phenomena such as eclipses - the reasons for which were unknown in early times. T4> So why are legends important today? Myths and legends are important to us today for a number of reasons: • They have value as literature, offering timeless and universal themes. • They give us insight into other times and places. • They give us insight into our own understanding of self and others. • They help us to see how much humankind had, and still has, in common. T4> The importance of Legends today (continued) Every culture has its own mythology and legends; these reflect the geography, history and values of that culture.