Clwb Rygbi Dinbych and the National Eisteddfod
Since its foundation in 1977, the Club has always been supportive of local and national charities and events, none more so than the support given to the National Eisteddfod held in Rhyl in 1985, and most notably in the 2001 Eisteddfod in Denbigh, as well as the 2013 festival, also held in Denbigh. The extract below is taken from the book “Clwb Rygbi Dinbych – At the Heart of Our Community”. “The legendary Ray Gravell visited the Club in 2000 to help raise funds for the 2001 National Eisteddfod. The evening was organised by Menter Iaith Dinbych/Conwy and was in the form of a question and answer session followed by an informal quiz. About forty people attended the event and more than £100 was raised. The great man himself was quoted as saying, ‘The last time I was here for the Proclamation Ceremony, the reaction from the people of the town was superb and it has been the same today.’ Who can forget the experience of manning the car park in 2001, in the immediate aftermath of the Foot and Mouth outbreak? The Club received a cheque for £8,500 from the Eisteddfod authorities, going a long way towards paying for the brand-new extension to the Clubhouse. According to Richard Snelson, Club Secretary at the time, ‘The 2001 National Eisteddfod turned out to be quite a busy event for members of Clwb Rygbi Dinbych. The Club took on the major task of running the car parks down by the Maes at Kilford Farm. This was no small undertaking and a veritable army of volunteers worked very hard to ensure that the visitors to the Eisteddfod could both park and later leave the site without undue delay. The Parker-in-Chief was Club Chairman Terry Bryer who put in such long hours in damp conditions that he needed hospital treatment for his feet at the end of the week!’ Richard, who was also on the local Pwyllgor Gwaith (Executive Committee) of the Eisteddfod, agreed to a request from the Gorsedd Committee to find a number of Clwb Rygbi Dinbych players to act as the flag and escort party in various Gorsedd ceremonies. Richard remembers, ‘The Sword Carrier in 2001 was the much-missed Wales and Scarlets centre, Ray Gravell, and the Denbigh boys and Ray got to be good friends during the week.’ As well as hosting several events for the local fund-raising committee for the 2013 Eisteddfod, perhaps the Club’s main contribution was organising and hosting a highly successful Seven-a-side competition, with teams from throughout North Wales, the North of England and the Midlands competing. What was particularly gratifying about this event was that it was organised by a committed group of young members such as Geraint Madoc-Jones, Dan Jones, Sam Jones and Nia Jones and the event raised the grand total of £1,726.40! Perhaps we should also mention that the competition was won by a team from our local rivals, Rhyl RUFC!”
