Dwygyfylchi WI
The first meeting was held in December 1955 at 'Plas Arfon', (now 'The Gladstone' public house) with 12 potential members, on January 11th 1956 27 women met at Capelulo School and this was followed by the first official meeting of the Dwygyfylchi WI on February 8th 1956, by the end of the first year there were 113 members.
Our First President
Evelina Glynne-Williams was the first president of our WI and below is an article about her written by Liz Ashworth and publishe in the 'North Wales Weekly News' 1990:
'Singer's hear touched by Poor'
Girls that she knew, pregnant and reduced to scrubbing and laundering in the workhouse in Conwy, touched the heart of a young singer in the early 1900s. The homeless women who heaved washing and peeled potatoes for their keep dismayed Evelina Glynne-Williams, who was 91 last week. The daughter of a Penmaenmawr midwife, Evelina, said 'there and then I vowed to try and help women'. She was already well-known for her fine contralto voice. Secure herself in a happy marriage with two little boys, Evalina was making a visit with her husband Glynn, the youngest Chairman of the then Guardians of the Workhouse on Bangor Road. 'I hadn't realised how soon I would know what it meant to be without a husband said Evalina, whose husband died soon afterwards, while her sons Huw and Ifan were aged five and two. Evalina was forced on her own resources - of which she quickly proved to have plenty. Singing and winning Eisteddfods, and teaching at the Central School in Penmaenmawr, Evalina also ran a rambling guest house and started up the Dwygyfylchi WI. Her voice had already won her first prize in the National Eisteddfod at Caernarfon in 1921, where she arrived in style on the back of her music teacher's motorbike. 'Another singer was sitting in the sidecar' said Evalina, remembering her music teacher, the 'famous Evan Lewis' with great pride. 'I had a good contralto voice and so he arranged for me to sing a duet with the soprano Isabelle Bailey in Manchester'. When her teaching career ended and with her sons now grown up, Evalina joined the Town Council and the County Council - alwqays with the interests of women, children and the homeless at heart. 'I was thrilled to be the first Penmaenmawr Town Councillor to become a Gwynedd Councillor' she said. 'You need a woman on the council - I knew all the aches and pains of family life and knew how hard it was without a husband'. Evalina urged for houses to be built, was involved in child welfare and maternity committees
[Evalina remained very active into her 90's but has sadly now died].
'Singer's hear touched by Poor'
Girls that she knew, pregnant and reduced to scrubbing and laundering in the workhouse in Conwy, touched the heart of a young singer in the early 1900s. The homeless women who heaved washing and peeled potatoes for their keep dismayed Evelina Glynne-Williams, who was 91 last week. The daughter of a Penmaenmawr midwife, Evelina, said 'there and then I vowed to try and help women'. She was already well-known for her fine contralto voice. Secure herself in a happy marriage with two little boys, Evalina was making a visit with her husband Glynn, the youngest Chairman of the then Guardians of the Workhouse on Bangor Road. 'I hadn't realised how soon I would know what it meant to be without a husband said Evalina, whose husband died soon afterwards, while her sons Huw and Ifan were aged five and two. Evalina was forced on her own resources - of which she quickly proved to have plenty. Singing and winning Eisteddfods, and teaching at the Central School in Penmaenmawr, Evalina also ran a rambling guest house and started up the Dwygyfylchi WI. Her voice had already won her first prize in the National Eisteddfod at Caernarfon in 1921, where she arrived in style on the back of her music teacher's motorbike. 'Another singer was sitting in the sidecar' said Evalina, remembering her music teacher, the 'famous Evan Lewis' with great pride. 'I had a good contralto voice and so he arranged for me to sing a duet with the soprano Isabelle Bailey in Manchester'. When her teaching career ended and with her sons now grown up, Evalina joined the Town Council and the County Council - alwqays with the interests of women, children and the homeless at heart. 'I was thrilled to be the first Penmaenmawr Town Councillor to become a Gwynedd Councillor' she said. 'You need a woman on the council - I knew all the aches and pains of family life and knew how hard it was without a husband'. Evalina urged for houses to be built, was involved in child welfare and maternity committees
[Evalina remained very active into her 90's but has sadly now died].