PROFILE OF THE PARISH OF BALA
LOCATION
The Parish of Bala is situated in North Wales in an area of outstanding natural beauty at the head of the Dee valley. It covers an area measuring some eleven by fifteen miles and includes the busy market town of Bala which lies thirty-two miles to the west of Wrexham, together with a number of small villages. It forms part of the Deanery of Edeyrnion and Penllyn in the Archdeaconry of Wrexham. St Asaph Cathedral is 33 miles away. The Parish lies almost entirely within the Snowdonia National Park and its prime geographical feature is Llyn Tegid which is the largest natural lake in Wales. In addition to Llyn Tegid, the area is blessed with other lakes and with many rivers, mountains and valleys, forests, moorland and fertile farmland. The artist Thomas Huson lived and is buried in the Parish and his paintings of North Wales landscapes are renowned. The artist Augustus John also lived in the Parish for several months. The late Rev Thomas Charles is buried in the churchyard at Llanycil, Bala.
Bala, with its attractive and busy High Street, is an important town for the sheep farming and tourist industries. With its motto, ‘Calon Gynnes Cymru, ‘the Warm heart of Wales,’ and its high percentage of friendly Welsh speakers, it is now being developed as an important centre for promoting the extended use of the Welsh language.
THE PARISH
The population of the Parish, including children, is roughly 5,300 people.
Grade II listed Christ Church was a ‘tractarian’ church built in 1855 in the Early English style. It seats about 200 people and is an attractive church in very good condition having been re-ordered with the help of Heritage Lottery Funding at an approximate cost of £600,500 in 2007. A Tower Repair project costing approximately £110,000 is currently on-going - again with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The church is located near the town centre and is within the Bala Conservation Area.
The Quinquennial report is dated March 2011.
An internal meeting room beneath a gallery serves also as our church office and kitchen area for preparing and serving refreshments both to the congregations and also for church parties and events and weekly lunches for people in the community.
Christ Church is surrounded by a churchyard which is cared for by a team of volunteers.
There is also a churchyard at the former Holy Trinity Church, Rhosygwaliau some two miles from Bala, part of which is maintained by the local community council and part of which is maintained by a team of volunteers from Christ Church.
There is a large churchyard at the former church of St. Beuno’s, Llanycil one mile from Bala which serves as the burial ground for Bala and much of the surrounding district. It is managed by the Rector and the PCC, and the grass is cut seasonally by a self-employed contractor. We are currently fundraising in order to improve the footpaths in the churchyard using the Eco grid system so that our paths will match those which will be created by the Bible Society to and from a Heritage Centre which they are developing in the former church building.
THE RECTORY
The Rectory stands in a pleasant, elevated position overlooking the town of Bala with views extending to the Berwyn Mountains. It was built in about 1948 and has four large bedrooms. It has gas central heating and double glazed windows and a detached garage. Being situated as it is, near to Ysgol Beuno Sant - our Church Primary School - and the local secondary school the Rectory would make excellent family accommodation. The Rectory is surrounded by a medium sized garden.
SCHOOLS, COLLEGES ETC
There is a Voluntary Aided Church School in Bala, namely Ysgol Beuno Sant, which has fifty three pupils at present and three full-time teachers.Ysgol Beuno Sant is a good school but is undergoing a difficult period at present due to the head teacher being absent due to ill health and the school preparing for an Estyn inspection.
There are another four primary schools in the Parish (each within approximately four miles of Bala). Teaching is carried out through the medium of Welsh as is the case with all local schools. There are special schemes to enable new children who are not conversant with Welsh to learn the language quickly and these schemes are said to be very successful. Relations between the church and Ysgol Beuno Sant are close and excellent. The Worship is enhanced by being led by the Rector at least once in three weeks. The children enjoy occasional special services in Christ Church,e.g. Harvest and Christmas and Easter. They regularly, with the Rector, help at services held for the elderly in the local sheltered accommodation. The school has worked with two other church schools on a Pilgrimage which will be completed in April/May 2014. An after-school Club meets in the church every Friday during term time. The school pupils, parents and staff are supported by the School Governors who meet at least twice a term. There is on-going consultation for the merger in about 2016 of our church school with another primary school in Bala and with the High School to form a new ‘all age’ education centre.
Relations are also good with the other primary schools and with Ysgol y Berwyn, the High School in Bala which is attended by about 300 pupils aged between 11 and 18 and is the only school with a sixth form in South Mid-Gwynedd. Pupils aged 16+ have the option of attending colleges at Wrexham and Dolgellau. There is a limited daily bus service on the Wrexham to Barmouth route.
HEALTH CARE
There is an excellent Health Centre at Bala which includes doctors’ surgeries.We have four General Practitioners who are fluent in Welsh and English and there are various clinics and minor operations, physiotherapy, District Nurses, chiropody, family planning, ante and post natal clinic, and Swartz Opticians are available once a week within the Health Centre. There is also a ‘First Response’ team. There is a cottage hospital with X-ray facilities at Dolgellau 18 miles from Bala and the large Maelor General Hospital is at Wrexham 30 miles away. The nearest dental surgeries are at Dolgellau and Ruthin.
SHOPS, ACCOMMODATION, AND OTHER AMENITIES
There is a police station, ambulance cover, a fire station, a chemist’s shop, two High Street supermarkets and good restaurants and hotels at Bala and in the surrounding district. These include an Indian Restaurant, a Chinese Takeaway, a kebab/pizza takeaway and a fish and chip shop. We have a library situated within the High School, and the busy Canolfan Bro Tegid on Bala High Street is the venue for a youth club,Merched y Wawr and the Women’s Institute as well as serving as one of the parish’s Polling Stations.
There are a good number of caravan and camping sites in the Parish as well as a Back-packers Hostel, and guest houses and hotels.
The area is served by numerous clubs and organisations catering for all tastes and ages and providing a full sporting, social and cultural calendar. For example, activities for young people include Young Farmers Club, Aelwyd yr Urdd, a snooker club, youth football and rugby clubs, swimming and karate clubs. Llanuwchllyn is the home of renowned male voice choir Côr Godre’r Aran, and there are several other choirs in the area. Bala has a good leisure centre with leisure pool opened in 1996 which incorporates a café and tourist information centre. Coleg y Bala and Glanllyn Youth Centre are attended by children from all over Wales. World championships in canoeing, white water rafting and sheep dog trialling are held at Bala and attract thousands of visitors. There are many wonderful walks in the Parish. The Coed y Brenin Centre, which is ideal for walkers and mountain biking enthusiasts, is within twenty miles of Bala. For further information and photographs please see
We have a cinema which shows films three times a week.
ELDERLY PERSONS’ PREMISES
Our previous Rector took monthly Holy Communion to residents at Awel y Coleg and Cysgod y Coleg in Bala, Tirionfa at Llandderfel, andBrynyr Eglwys at Pentrefoelas.
EMPLOYMENT
Much of the local employment is on a self-employed basis e.g. farmers, shopkeepers, lorry drivers, builders and contractors, forestry workers and the local economy is boosted by the important tourism industry. Many of the men are employed by Ifor Williams Trailers at Cynwyd and Corwen. Other local employers include the Cake Crew bakery, Gwynedd Confectioners, Williams Homes. Aykroyds runs a private crèche/nursery.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
It is hoped to establish a Centre in Bala by 2018 for amenities such as Talking Newspaper for the Blind and a Citizens Advice Bureau.
STAFF
The Rector is helped by two Lay Readers in the parish, one of whom is licensed to officiate at funerals. We have 5Worship Leaders and 4 Pastoral Assistants, several Chalice Administrators, Altar Servers and rotas of volunteers for activities such as cleaning the church and providing flower displays. We have a catering team who help with a weekly Friendship Lunch and provide tea and coffee after Sunday services and at other services and events held at Christ Church.
A church choir and soloists enhance the worship at special services and there are two organists and various musicians.
FINANCES
We are healthy financially. We have a Gift Aid secretary and our giving to Mission is considered to be an important part of Church life. We enjoy a Parish and Church School link with Milo in South West Tanganyika and are developing support for the HIV Lesotho charity. Our Harvest gifts are donated to the Rhyl Night Shelter and are delivered by a team of church volunteers and pupils from Ysgol Beuno Sant. Our Fair Share 2014 is £33,718. A copy of the Parish Annual Accounts for 2012 is available from Nicola Harland, Secretary, 27 Heol Tegid, Y Bala, LL23 7EH.
We share the cost of leasing and using aphotocopier with Ysgol Beuno Sant which is located in the school.
STATISTICS 2013
Gwynedd Council electors / 3,000Church electors / 88
Baptisms / 11
Confirmations / 1
Weddings / 2
Funerals / 11
Easter Communicants / 64
Average Sunday attendance over 16 / 50
Average Sunday attendance under 16 / 8
SERVICES
Morning Prayer 09:00am Monday to Friday
Communion 10:30am Thursdays
Welsh Communion 09:00am Sundays
Bilingual Communion 10:30am Sundays
Bilingual Family Service 10:30am once a month
GROUPS AND MEETINGS
There is a Mission Group and there are Welsh and English study and prayer groups. In recent years parishioners have had the opportunity to follow the Alpha Course.
We have a Sunday School which meets during the 10:30am Sunday Service. We have a Rock Solid youth group for 11-14’s which meets on Thursday evenings and has enjoyed several outings further afield to such places as ‘Fort Rocky’, and Clwb Beuno for primary school children which meets in church on Friday afternoons and is run as a ‘Godly Play’ group. An informal group of older teenagers meets on Sunday evenings in the home of our volunteer Youth leaders. There are increasingly close links between the church youth work and the youth work in Coleg Y Bala, the Presbyterian College for Youth and children. There are occasional Saturday morning sessions of ‘Bore Hwyl’ open to all children in the Parish and held in Christ Church.
Prego is a contemplative ecumenical prayer group with the Catholic Church through the St. Beuno’s Retreat Centre, Tremeirchion.
A discussion group for Post Confirmation young people meets on a monthly basis.
We have a team of committed volunteer children and youth leaders and workers who are well supported by our Diocesan ‘Under 25s’ Officer.
Parishioners have in recent years enjoyed an annual five day Parish Holiday to various parts of Britain including Scotland, Ireland and Iona, and in 2010 there was a trip to the Oberammergau Passion Play.
Christ Church receives several external bookings per annum as a venue for courses, concerts and conferences. The Presbyterian Coleg y Bala holds an annual ecumenical Women’s Conference in Christ Church.
LINKS
Ecumenical links within the Parish need to be developed and strengthened. We take a turn in hosting such services as Remembrance Sunday, the Women’s World Day of Prayer, Sul yr Urdd, the Nightingale House Hospice Carol Service and an annual ecumenical prayer meeting.
RESOURCES
We use Caneuon Ffydd and Mission Praise hymn books and the prayer book entitled An Order for Holy Eucharist 2004. Parts of our Sunday bilingual service responses such as ‘the Gloria’ are sung. We use the NRSV Bible and Beibl Cymraeg Newydd.
THE NEW RECTOR
The Parish is looking for someone who:-
- Has a calling to Bala
- Able to communicate fluently in Welsh**
- Is able to provide good leadership
- Is able to delegate, and will encourage, nurture and facilitate the Ministry of others
- Relates to all ages
- Supports established groups
- Promotes new growth
- Is willing to work with other ecumenical leaders in the Parish and with colleagues in the Penllyn and Edeyrnion Deanery
- Is willing to develop the Mission area
- Is visionary and can embrace and facilitate change when necessary
**We wish to emphasise the importance of being fluent in Welsh – being able to communicate confidently in Welsh, reading, writing and speaking the language. This is essential in order to enable the new parish priest to integrate with the community as a whole at all levels. Ysgol Beuno Sant and all the local schools, both primary and secondary, in the parish are Welsh medium schools. Two recently appointed ministers in the parish are Welsh speaking and working relationships will necessitate the need to communicate fluently in Welsh. Establishing relationships through one’s mother tongue is important as it facilitates and instils confidence – especially with the more elderly parishioners. Rector Nia has worked hard to establish the Welsh profile of the church and this profile needs to be maintained. We believe that being a fluent Welsh speaker is an essential criterion.