INSPIRATIONAL & UNBELIEVABLE
Hollywood star’s praise for community venue as it nears 20th anniversary
HOLLYWOOD actor Rhys Ifans has recorded a message to wish happy birthday to a “totally inspirational” arts centre at a former police station.
The pioneering complex in the slate town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, which is home to a host of creative, cultural and media training projects, a cinema, a cafe bar and a hostel, will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a concert on April 21.
Originally, the appropriately named CellB (pictured below) also housed the local magistrates’ court and cells. In contrast, the centre is now freeing up the creative energy of young people and teaching them skills via projects like the Clwb Clinc sessions.
There’s also something for the older generation at the Forum Pensioners Club, which stages monthly screenings.
The centre is the brainchild of Welsh rocker Rhys Roberts, who played with bands Anweledig and Sibrydion, and is run as a non-profit social enterprise by Gwallgofiaid Cyf.
The initiative has also captured the imagination of Rhys Ifans, who starred in The Amazing Spiderman, Kingsman and Notting Hill among others.
He officially opened CellB’s second cinema screen two years ago. The screen has been named after him as a gesture of appreciation for all his community work during the pandemic.
Praising the centre, the actor, who hails from Ruthin, said in the video: “Very best wishes to Clwb Clinc and the Gwallgofiaid on 20 years of being totally inspirational and unbelievable.
“It has truly been an honour to have been a very, very small part of your journey, to have had your wonderful company in Zoom meetings during lockdown, to have been able to come up to see you and to see the work that you’re doing, to get to know you better.
“And so on, on to the next 20 years. Who knows? Perhaps we shall see your art work hanging in the world’s largest galleries, your films in our cinemas, on our televisions and DJ Callum and Pinkles on the Pyramid Stage in Glastonbury. And I, boys, shall be in the front row, if that happens.”
Among those performing at the April 21 gig will be soul singer Jack Tyson Charles, jazz group Nowhere Ensemble led by former Gwallgofiaid member Ben Tunnicliffe, singersongwriter Sion Roberts and local band DoSS.
According to Rhys Roberts, the past two decades had been a “rollercoaster ride with many ups and some downs”.
He said: “We had to shut down for while, then we reopened and then came Covid when we had to shut down again.
“However, during this break it became clear the work of running the cinema from day to day had taken attention away from the company’s original path, which was to develop direct workshops with young people.
“We’re continuing with the cinema, but we are interweaving both aspects by holding arts workshops for young people and using the big screen to display the results of the projects and give a platform to the voice and creativity of the young. But not only will we offer art workshops to young people in the area to acquire new skills, will also offer professional development to local artists.”
The main focus now is getting ready for the anniversary gig and The Pinkles are rehearsing every Tuesday in a converted garage that once housed police cars. The band includes Math Jones, who plays the lead guitar alongside his twin brother Twm, who plays keyboards. Tomi Humphreys and Gruff Roberts keep the beat going on drums and bass, while Ioan Hughes is the other guitar player.
In the garage loft, unperturbed by the sound from downstairs, Gai Toms, a folk singer who was a member of Anweledig with Rhys, was tutoring youngsters in sound-mixing.
In the main courtroom, tutor Cerys Hughes was mentoring a group in art and crafts.
Rhys Roberts added : “During the past 20 years we have encouraged young people to get off the streets and into music and the creative arts. It’s like an artistic explosion has taken place here.”
More details about the celebration concert and the other activities at CellB online at www.cellb.org or call 01766 832001.