Cymry o Bob Man / Welsh From Everywhere

The Maindee area of Newport is incredibly ethnically diverse - and richer because of it. Children at the amazing Maindee Primary School have parents from around 30 different countries with almost as many languages spoken in their houses. 

Maindee's Community House is at the heart of this diverse area, and I've been working for and with them since I was knee high to a grasshopper, so what better place to set up my portable photographic studio and invite the locals to have their portraits taken. This is not the first time I've shot portraits at Community House, and it surely won't be the last either.

Welsh From Everywhere

The title for my project comes from Susan Lewis' poem 'I Love Maindee'. Sue is a trustee at Community House, and wrote the poem as part of the Epic Award Winning Maindee Stories project (from Marion Webber). 

These portraits were taken in autumn 2019, but there's more to come as soon as Coronavirus restrictions allow.

Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East (and who had her photo taken for the project) said:

"Rhys's wonderful portraits draw attention to the strength of Newport as a city - by emphasizing how welcoming our community is, and how much richer our culture is as a result. This is especially true of Maindee, where I live, and in Community House, Eton Road, where these portraits were taken. Here we welcome and celebrate the cultures of people from all backgrounds, making Wales a home for all"

Cymry o Bob Man

Rydw i wedi bod yn gweithio ar y prosiect yma ers bron deng mlynedd.

Wedi'i saethu yn 2019, dyma rai o'r lluniau cyntaf o fy mhrosiect Cymraeg O Bobman / Cymry o Bob Man. Wedi'i saethu yn Community House yn ardal Maendy Casnewydd, nod y prosiect yw ymchwilio i amrywiaeth ddiwylliannol gyfoethog y rhanbarth. Mae gan yr ysgol leol dros 30 o genhedloedd, a chymaint o ieithoedd cyntaf yn cael eu siarad gartref ym Maendy. Rwy'n edrych ymlaen at ychwanegu at y prosiect dros amser, pan fydd cyfyngiadau ymbellhau cymdeithasol yn caniatáu hynny.

Roedd Jessica Morden AS yn ddigon caredig i gael tynnu ei phortread a chynnig y geiriau caredig canlynol ar gyfer fideo yn arddangos rhai o’r portreadau:

"Mae portreadau gwych Rhys yn tynnu sylw at gryfder Casnewydd fel dinas - drwy bwysleisio pa mor groesawgar yw ein cymuned, a pha mor gyfoethocach yw ein diwylliant o ganlyniad. Mae hyn yn arbennig o wir am Faendy, lle rwy'n byw, ac yn Nhŷ Cymunedol," Heol Eton, lle tynnwyd y portreadau hyn. Yma rydym yn croesawu ac yn dathlu diwylliannau pobl o bob cefndir, gan wneud Cymru yn gartref i bawb."

Mae yna fideo byr am y prosiect yma ar YouTube.