June 2025
Members of our branch met for afternoon tea in Llanddewi-Brefi. It was a social occasion which included a showing of the film ‘Secret Wales’.* This film was commissioned by the Cambrian Mountains Society and released in 2011. With an introduction by Iolo Williams, it highlights the many threats to the Cambrian Mountains. It includes a major piece about the desecration that large-scale wind farm developments would cause. Not just precious landscapes and ecosystems, but also the very roots of Welsh culture that are embedded in the mountains. Fourteen years on, we are now facing even larger developments than those envisaged when the film was released.
The ensuing discussions inevitably questioned the motivations of successive Welsh Governments, which had been in the planning for so long, with the first version of Technical Advice Note 8 on Renewable Energy published in 1996. Since then, all attempts to protect the mountains, once considered a prime candidate for designation as a National Park, have been rejected by the Senedd.
Whilst accentuating the threats, the event was tempered by excellent refreshments, serving to strengthen our resolve to oppose the proposed developments.
*For anyone interested, the film is split into four parts and is available to view on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@richardintfells
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