​Thinking Biblically about Borth. Most of it was built in the late 1800's. I suppose the Victorian/Edwardian love of money overcame their Piousness.
Lots of Houses and businesses having big money spent on them still .... is it human nature to ignore the obvious proximity of disaster - whats to lose and gain? I'm going to talk to some of these people.

Read more by Boz Groden

I spent a day in July 2015 talking with Liz about this project, in the company of community artist and farm manager Jane Lloyd Francis. As an artist who has also been commissioned by Cymerau, Jane has been quick to see that the Pumlumon project enacts some guiding principles for what 'Hydrocitizenship' might mean on the ground. A farm manager herself, she has worked directly with Liz, and feels passionate about the benefits of the Wildlife Trust working with farmers to manage the uplands. It is farming, which began here in the Neolithic period, which has shaped the character of these hills, and continues to do so. ​

The Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust is very overt about it's mission to work with the communities (including farmers) who are connected with the Welsh Uplands. As Lewis- Reddy explained:

'Effectively the Pumlumon project came about because it was recognised that there was a number of threats in the Welsh uplands; threats to biodiversity, which was our first interest as a wildlife trust, but also threats to the way that people engage with the landscape. Agricultural income was falling, the environment was declining, and these were all thought to be very separate things, until we started looking into the situation a bit more closely and we discovered that they were all very tightly interlinked.  So the way that the land was being managed, or not managed, was having a significant impact on the quality of the environment that was up there and therefore the quality of habitat and the different types of wildlife that you would encounter.' ​

It may be natural to focus only on what's happening upstream, but the principles of hydro-citizenship apply downstream as well. As Liz explains:

'The most important message that we’d like to get across is that all individuals have a role to play in the water as it moves through their community.'
​
This means being far more conscious of water, for example: using it responsibly, thinking about how to make our own gardens more permeable, making sure that septic tanks are empty, and collecting rainwater. A particular characteristic of ecological citizenship is that it shifts more weight towards responsibilities, rather than rights (as Andrew Dobson explains here): 'The source of the ecological citizen's obligation does not lie in reciprocity or mutual advantage, but in a non-reciprocal sense of justice, or of compassion.' Although acts of ecological citizenship can provide direct benefits for individuals and communities, that is not the primary motivation. Rather than having some kind of contract with the state, we have a set of obligations towards strangers, 'distant in time, as well as in space' (p6). Thinking of 'downstream' and 'upstream' responsibilities means acting in real, physical ways, but also conveys something more abstract; it is a commitment to act for those that we may never know, including the non-human.

Recognising that her own farm was ideally situated to slow the run-off into the Dyfi, Jane planted hedgerow on her land, to compliment the bog area which was also soaking up water. Jane's neighbours subsequently became interested in making similar changes to their own land. As Jane notes:

'I think that method of word-of -mouth communication is something that works particularly well here in Wales, and is probably more effective than any other form of marketing or trying to force policies on people.'

Towards Hydrocitizenship, as a research project, does aim to connect communities with and through the natural environment, with a particular focus on water. It does also try to promote the idea that citizenship should be (re)configured to include a shared sense of responsibility for our natural resources, such as water. We would all like to see positive, sustainable, ecological change. I think that Jane was right to see a connection between the ethos of Hydrocitizenship, and the Pumlumon Project:

'I think it’s necessary to go to events and explain what’s happening, and also to give power, to empower the individual and small communities, into believing that what they do matters, and it’s not always that they give the responsibility to someone else, to government agencies, to water authorities, that it’s always someone else’s fault. Because there’s an awful lot that we can do as individuals and communities, and I think that people don’t realise that really. I also don’t think that they would expect Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust to be leading such an initiative and I think it’s important to explain that to them.' 

Indeed, the Wildlife Trust may not be the first organisation to come to mind when considering the issue of flooding, and its effects on human communities. Yet Liz presents a compelling argument:

'What’s really crucial is that now the scientific community is presenting strong arguments that a healthy and robust natural environment is very, very tightly related to a healthy and robust economy, and that of course then has significant effects on our social environment.  So it’s all very much inter-related. We, as a wildlife trust – it’s no longer just about what’s outdoors. It’s about how people engage with that landscape, and the quality of their lives, as well.'

It does certainly seems like a false distinction to separate the ecological and social.

Read more by Sara Penrhyn Jones

Working as part of the Cymerau project , I am investigating how water shapes the lives of people in the Leri catchment area of mid Wales. These sketchbook pages contain rough cartoons and ideas from people in my home village of Borth , a narrow strip surrounded by sea and bog . They have  peculiar attitudes to the apparent vulnerability of the community.

​As the project continues , I produce finished cartoons of peoples contrasting experiences and values around water, and contribute to a map of water experience.
The intention is to use humour and accessibility to connect with people who may find recieved notions of fine art and academic discussion  irrelevant to their lives.

In the course of conversations , I have found attitudes and stories concerning death, drug use and ignorance, as well as appreciation and joy.I take an inclusive approach to my work , and the simplicity of graphic art can deal with some difficult experiences.

Read More by Boz Groden

November 2nd 2015

Meeting at Saint Peters Church Bont-goch with Richard Huws, Dewi and Tegwen Evans and Emyr Davies to explore the possibility of using the church as a venue for a community gathering - A Talking Shop/Siop Siarad gathering stories for our project, Ar Lan y Leri.

Despite the damp chill of the church the meeting turned out to be positive and enlightening. So often when I enquire whether people have stories or memories of the River Leri, they say they don’t, yet inevitably as the conversation develops all sorts of intriguing fragments and stimulating images emerge. I think it is an interesting point as this response is emerging as a common one. I wonder whether people don’t value their own stories or are just out of the habit of telling them?

On this occasion a lot of interesting information came to light, the nine bridges between Craig y Pistyll and Talybont, we named them all but you will not find these names on the local OS map.  These names only exist now in the memories of the older generation who have used them throughout their lives.

They also told the story of grave in the churchyard marking the last resting place of the “old man of the road” an unnamed tramp whose body was found drowned in “Crochan Tomas”, a nearby whirlpool. Tomas used to be familiar and affectionate name given to anybody whose name you might not know or remember.

Saint Peter’s is the only public space in the village of Bont-goch, I found it a challenging venue as it is a stark and formal building badly in need of damp proofing, all interior space taken by traditional pews. It made me wonder how we would succeed in drawing people to our proposed gathering. We pressed on and a date was set for December the 3rd.

The format of the event involved inviting four experts each with a particular view on the river and its catchment.

Dr, Liz Lewis Reddy from the Montgomeryshire Wild Life Trust was invited to tell us about her Pumlumon Living Landscapes Project, a project engaging local farmers in a programme of land management specifically aimed at holding more water in the uplands and slowing run off amongst other objectives.

Jess Allen – An Environmental Walking Artist, acclaimed for cutting edge work in her field, Jess has already created several significant bodies of work themed around issues to do with water and was invited to share her methodology, philosophy and projections for the future. Jess is also working as an artist on the Cymerau Project.

 Dr. David Moore from Dwr Cymru – Welsh Water, is responsible for the engineering works of the whole of South West Wales including the recently upgraded the water treatment plant in Bont-goch. David was invited to share his knowledge of water management for public consumption.

Hilary Tallis came as a representative of those who have been severely affected by changing weather patterns and in particular the floods of 2012. Hilary was invited to share the dramatic events that unfolded on her farm after a landslide diverted the river through her property and the subsequent personal effect this has had on her and her family.

So, the experts are invited, the posters are posted and the advertisements placed. A choice of water or wine is offered as an enticement and to loosen tongues. The weather on the evening was about as dreadful and as relevant as it could be. Horizontal driving rain was sheeting the local lanes. We upped the heating and decorated the walls, put out the crisps and hoped….

Then to everyone ‘s surprise the old church door started creaking and our guests began arriving, finally including the invited scribes for each group we were nearly thirty people so not a bad turn out on such a night! A surprisingly diverse group of people, some who had lived in the village all their life, new generations- one attendee was two - those who had lived nearby but had moved away and total newcomers. many who would not have had the opportunity to meet in this way.

Each guest was allocated a coloured label associated with each group so that we were evenly placed. Each expert spoke for 10 minutes and then encouraged general questioning and conversation for 20 minutes before reluctantly disengaging themselves and moving along to the next group.  Shelagh Hourahane ‘s  boards for note taking made good tables to gather around and people were inventive with their seating arrangements. Very quickly the room was full of lively unstoppable debate and a buzz of engagement.

Meanwhile Gwilym Morus Baird, my collaborator in this project, was listening in, processing and recording ready to produce a musical response to all the material being gathered, a mini pilot for the end result of our overall project. At the end of only two hours Gwilym sang our stories back to us, they can be heard on this link and his performance concluded the evening.

Finally, the church welcomed and cocooned us from the howling gales and torrential rain with quiet and warmth. This place, a repository for many generations of memory it holds so many significant moments of peoples lives; of births, marriages and deaths.

It made me wonder about the many other neglected churches in rural areas, that maybe with a little love, investment and flexibility could become community hubs. Centres where people could gather on a regular basis, to talk over their concerns, make plans and develop resilience for the future that we are inevitably going to have to deal with as the weather becomes increasingly violent and unpredictable.

 Wouldn‘t that be a great outcome?

By Jane Lloyd Francis