We welcome members and their guests to one of our most atmospheric of churches for our 61^st AGM this year –to be held at Llanfaglan Church, Gwynedd from 2pm on Saturday 13^th October 2018.

St Baglan’s sits in romantic isolation shrouded by the Black Mountains and overlooking Caernarfon Bay in North Wales. The church is dedicated to St Baglan ap Dingad, who lived sometime in the 7th century and was an abbot of Bardsey Island.  The form of the churchyard within its sheltering boundary wall suggests pre-Christian origins, and in the field next door lies Ffynnon Faglan (St Baglan’s Holy Well) known as a ‘pin well’ - bent pins were thrown into the water to ask for a miracle of healing.  It is believed to have particularly efficacious for healing warts!

Traces of those who have worshipped here can be found all over the church, from the fine box-pews dated and signed by their 18th-century occupants, to the inscribed grave-marker of the 5th-6th century reused as the rear lintel. The current configuration dates from the 17th century, though its earliest built form can be dated to the 13th.

St Baglan’s came to the Friends in 1991 and has been repaired with substantial assistance from Cadw. In 2017, Llanfaglan became the final resting place of the late Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, who was buried in the churchyard where the family has a plot.

If you visited Llanfaglan in 2013 when our AGM was held at Beaumaris, we urge you to return as this year Evening Prayer will take place in the church itself.

There is no direct vehicle access to the church, which lies across a field unsuitable for wheelchair users. If you have any mobility issues, do let us know beforehand and we shall do our best to meet your needs. For more information on how to get there, please download the PDF AGM Notice.

 Note: There are no toilet facilities, water or electricity at the church.

After the AGM, members are invited to take afternoon tea in the music room of Fort Belan, an unusual military building nearby – with an introduction to the fort by the owner, Chris Blundell.

Construction of Fort Belan began in 1775, as Thomas Wynn developed plans for a coastal battery for his Caernarvonshire Militia. It was the American War of Independence that prompted Wynn’s decision to build Fort Belan, and it is the only British purpose-built defence relating to this war. Following the French invasion of Wales in 1797, the vulnerability of Britain’s coast led to Wynn, now Lord Newborough, garrisoning Belan with the ‘Loyal Newborough Volunteers’, which were regarded as one of the best equipped regiments in the country. In 1824-6 the fort was extended and given additional weaponry. Fort Belan now offers self-catering accommodation to guests and welcomes visitors for events.   Members are welcome to explore the buildings of the fort.

2.00pm - Evening Prayer at St Baglan’s church, Llanfaglan, Caernarfon LL54 5RA - with Rev’d. Alex Barrow and Rev’d. Neil Fairlamb

2.45 pm - Annual General Meeting at St Baglan’s church, Llanfaglan

3.30 pm - Afternoon Tea at The Music Room, Fort Belan,Llanwnda, Caernarfon LL54 5TP