After a pilot phase in 2018, Children and the Arts have given us funding for another 3 years to run the Start Hospice program working in partnership with our local hospice Tŷ Hafan.

Children and the Arts is a national charity that provides access for children and young people with complex medical needs and their families to engage with arts and culture. The Start Hospice program creates opportunities for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses and their families to access the museum, participate in creative activities outside of the hospice environment and make memories as a family.

Over the course of this year we will deliver 2 family days, one at National Museum Cardiff, and the other at St Fagans National Museum of History as well as outreach sessions at the hospice before and after each family day. Throughout the 6 week summer holiday, we will also run a program of events to support the siblings of the children with life-limiting illnesses. This will be our Super Sibling Summer Camp, culminating in a sleepover with a difference, where siblings get the chance to experience a night at the Royal Court of the Welsh Prince Llywelyn the Great which has been recreated at St Fagans National Museum of History.

Meet the team!

Our project team brings together staff from Amgueddfa Cymru, Tŷ Hafan and KeyCreate who work closely with Tŷ Hafan and were a part of our Pilot Family Day in 2018. Look at the picture below to meet the team!

1. Ian Daniel Learning, Participation & Interpretation Officer, St Fagans National Museum of History
2. Grace Todd Senior Learning, Participation & Interpretation Officer, National Museum Cardiff
3. Hywel Couch Senior Learning, Participation & Interpretation Officer, St Fagans National Museum of History
4. Carla Price Learning, Participation & Interpretation Officer, National Museum Cardiff
5. Dave Morris KeyCreate
6. Louise Stout Family Support Worker, Tŷ Hafan
7. Abi Tong Complementary Therapist, Tŷ Hafan
8. Johanne Langley Learning, Participation & Interpretation Officer, National Museum Cardiff
9. Stephanie Burge Learning, Participation and Interpretation Manager, National Museum Cardiff
10. Lynne Phelps Play and Therapies Lead, Tŷ Hafan
11. Sarah Lee Play Specialist, Tŷ Hafan
12. Kelly-Jo Milford Sibling Support Worker, Tŷ Hafan

Eitem arall yn y gyfres Lleisiau o’r Archifau o Archif Sain, Sain Ffagan Amgueddfa Werin Cymru. Mae’r gyfres hon yn cyd-redeg â gweithgareddau a digwyddiadau amaethyddol yr Amgueddfa. Ffermwyr oedd y siaradwyr, a oedd, fel arfer, wedi byw yn yr un ardal trwy gydol eu hoes. Mae’r disgrifiadau, y profiadau, yr atgofion, y lleisiau a’r acenion yn wreiddiol ac unigryw, o wahanol ardaloedd, ac o wahanol gyfnodau.

I gyd-fynd gyda’r wyna yn Llwyn-yr-eos, fferm yr Amgueddfa, dyma ddarn o recordiad o Dan Theophilus, Allt yr erw, Rhandir-mwyn, a recordiwyd ym mis Gorffennaf 1975, pan yn 65 oed. Mae’n sôn am wahanol agweddau ar wyna: gofalu am y defaid; delio gyda thrafferthion ac afiechydon; mabwysiadu oen; marcio clustiau; a throi’r defaid a’r wyn i’r mynydd.

Each week, hundreds of people will walk through the front doors of the National Museum Cardiff. Yet despite visiting the exhibitions on display, many will be oblivious to what goes on in the background. Conducting a work experience placement at the museum gave us a rare insight into how much work and effort goes on behind closed doors.

With the intention of creating a video for the Saving Treasures, Telling Stories project, we were taken on a tour around the archaeology department on our first day of placement. We were fortunate to be shown around the stores, where many remarkable items were kept for preservation and research. Some of the items we viewed were Roman and prehistoric pots, vases and burial urns, which allowed us to explore how communities and cultures operated thousands of years ago.

The following day we attended Cyfarthfa Museum in Merthyr Tydfil, which is to acquire a hoard of five Roman Denarii, with thanks to funding from the Saving Treasures project. We filmed museum staff and the finders of the hoard, and heard about its significance. It was great to see the enthusiasm of the metal detectorists who discovered the hoard, and how proud they were of their achievement.

We spent the next few days editing the video together back at the University of South Wales campus. This proved to be a difficult job, as there were so many great shots to choose from, so it was difficult to decide which to cut out. However, the staff were always on hand to answer any questions we had and help out where possible.

Working at the National Museum Cardiff was a wonderful experience, and we were able to appreciate just how much work goes on behind closed doors to create the exhibitions we see. This work and research has helped us to understand history and past cultures in greater detail, and we would like to thank all the staff for their friendliness and a great week.

Moon rock displayed at National Museum Cardiff.

The rock comes from a mound of material thrown out by the impact that made Head Crater.

Apollo 12 was the sixth manned flight in the United States Apollo programme and the second to land on the Moon. It was launched on 14 November 1969, from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, four months after Apollo 11. Astronaut Alan Bean collected samples from the moon to bring back to Earth for research.

The rocks on the Moon are roughly the same age as the oldest rocks found on Earth. They range from about 3.2 billion years up to about 4.5 billion years old. However on Earth rocks this old form just a small part of the surface geology. Most older formations have been destroyed and recycled by plate tectonics.

Today, a piece of Moon rock from the Apollo 12 mission, on loan from NASA, is on display as part of the exhibition The Evolution of Wales at National Museum Cardiff.

The precious rock is kept in a special airtight container to protect it from contamination. At 3.3 billion years old, the Moon rock is considerably older than the most ancient Welsh rock, a mere 711 million years old, is roughly the same age as Lewisian Gneiss (from north-west Scotland), the oldest identified rock in the UK, and is younger than the oldest rock known from Canada (Acaster Gneiss) at 3.9 billion years old. Examples of these three rocks are all displayed alongside the Moon rock.

The Museum's economic botany collection includes 218 specimens of medicinal plants and nearly 500 Materia Medica specimens donated by Prof. Terence Turner (Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences). Read more about the Materia Medica collection here.

Economic botany is a term that refers to a group of plants that have recognised societal benefit. The Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales economic botany collection contains over 5,500 plant-based specimens, together with 12,000 timber specimens. Categories within the collection include medicinal plants; food products; dyes and tannins; gums, resins and fibres; and seeds.

The Americas: Coca Kola and Quinine

The medicinal plants collection includes a range of plants from the North Americas used in Native American herbal medicine, including Euonymus atropurpureus (Burning bush), Grindelia species (Gumweed), Sanguinaria canadensis (Blood root) and Ulmus rubra (Slippery Elm bark).

The collection also features a range of medicinal plants used by indigenous peoples in South America including the leaves of Erythroxylum coca (Coca) – considered a stimulant. Cola vera nuts and Erythroxylum coca leaves were used as ingredients of an early form of Coca Cola.

The collection features a significant range of Cinchona species barks acquired in the 1920s – a source of quinine used to cure malaria.

Asia: Ayurvedic and Chinese Medicine

Within the collection there are a range of medicinal plants from India and South East Asia, including Butea frondosa – said to have been used to achieve enlightenment by Theraveda Buddhists; Strychnos nux-vomica – also known as Poison nut and used in Ayurvedic and Homeopathic medicinal systems. The collection also includes more familiar specimens including Cinnamomum species (Cinnamon), Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice), Cassia buds and Senna pods.

Medicinal specimens from the UK

In 1939, prior to World War Two, a range of herbs were added to the collection including Arnica montana, Helleborus niger (Black Hellebore), Calendula officinalis, Inula helenium (Elecampane), Chrysanthemum species and Prunus avium (Wild Cherry) bark. In contrast to some of the earlier acquisitions, these are all plants that can be cultivated in the UK.

More recent acquisitions

After the war, there were only four more additions up until 1973. Of note, include Rauwolfia species (Tropical Africa 1969 and India 1969) – recognised as source of reserpine. The 1970s were a more lively time for the collection with 38 additions – perhaps driven by the interest of the Botany Keeper at the time, S.G. Harrison. In 1973–1981, exotic plants were added including Aloe species – (Aloe barbadensis, A.perryi and A.vera), Eucalyptus species, Maranta arundinacea (Arrowroot), Ipomoea species (Sweet potato), Iris species (Orris), Rheum species (Chinese rhubarb), Ricinus communis (Castor oil fruits), Wild Tonka Beans (used in perfumery and source of Coumarin), Derris species – considered to have laxative and carminative properties and used for anti-arthritis treatment, Frangula alnus (Alder buckthorn), Colubrina elliptica (the bark is used for a popular drink in the West Indies, Maubi).

In 2017–2018 Poppy Nicol worked with Heather Pardoe to explore the economic botany collection and its relevance for helping us understand biodiversity and the importance of plants for health and well-being. You can read more about the Sharing Stories Sharing Collections Project.

The People & Plants exhibition runs until this Sunday 17 March 2019 at National Museum Cardiff.

This article is by Poppy Nicol, a visiting researcher from Cardiff University.