Meet the Team: Helen

Born and bred in the village of Trawsfynydd, Helen has been working as a seasonal staff member at Yr Ysgwrn since 2019.

Here we get to know her a little better.

What attracted you to work at Yr Ysgwrn?

I started here as a volunteer, and then decided to apply for a job. I didn’t think at my age that I would get another job, but it was the best thing I did. I have a reason to get up in the morning now.

There are some mornings when I’m not feeling at my best, but then I walk up here, and I am engulfed in a special, peaceful atmosphere. It’s hard to explain the feeling but it lifts my mood.

Yr Ysgwrn gives me great pleasure.

Do you remember coming here as a kid?

Yes, I remember coming here when I was a child with the school and Hedd Wyn’s story was something we had grown up with. I remember playing down the kiln at the bottom of the hill when I was small and thinking about how amazing it was that Hedd Wyn also used to come there with his friends.

My son used to hunt up Yr Ysgwrn woodland as well, so its been a big part of my childhood and that of my children.

What’s your favourite part of the guided tour?

I love the kitchen, talking about how they lived. I do wonder how Hedd Wyn’s mother managed to prepare food for a family of nine in the small kitchen with the open fire. Hedd Wyn’s mother was a very brave and strong woman, I would say.

I like guiding small group around the farmhouse, as I’m not keen on talking in front of a large group. About six to eight people is the perfect number for me!

Do you have a story that stays in your mind?

I remember giving a group of schoolchildren a tour in the kitchen – and I was showing them the hook where the pig would have hung, and explaining how they would have cooked the bacon on the fire. They all looked open-mouthed at me and when I asked if anyone had a question, one little boy raised his hand…and the question I got was “Did they have ketchup with their bacon?”. He couldn’t understand how they could eat a bacon sandwich without ketchup!