YOUR STORY

YOUR STORIES

Our connection with Llandanwg goes back probably about 55 years and over 4 generations. We used to stay in a very special house overlooking the beach as young children and spent many happy holidays with family friends , grandparents and cousins. My father loved the mountains so up we went unless it was too wet to walk so we then went on the beach to dig sandcastles. And always a swim after a long walk. We were in fact on the beach everyday and felt so connected to it. After a gap for the dreaded exam years we returned to the ( very ) special house by kind courtesy of the owners, as adults , with our own children who adore it and Llandanwg as much as we do. It has provided much joy, and respite too during difficult times. Llandanwg can provide the antidote to the stresses of modern life The dunes , the church ( which used to be buried in the sand ) the sea , the porpoises , the mountains at the back , the harbour , the buttercup field and the sunsets all magical. And of course the shells. It has to be cowries for our family. Thank you so much for creating what will be treasured mementoes of one of our favourite places in the world Cheers Jane. 

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Llandanwg is more than a beach, it is a lifetime , a memory a moment , wrapped up in the case of a shell , that is part of the crunch , squeak and whistle beneath your feet , the footprint left behind . On a sunny morning aged six I sat on the sand surrounded by my family ,Mum ,Dad , sister and friends. We had swum and paddled in the warm blue sea , built sandcastles and kicked around a huge bouncy beachball ,running wildly after it as the summer breeze stole it from us , we laughed and happily ate our sandy picnic. The day after at the age of 19 a friend sat with me on a sunny hot day as my tears fell onto the sand mourning the passing of our beloved family dog. That night at the age of 25 I walked hand in hand with my beau and we sat and watched the stars and the moon from the stone wall of the harbour, all the while me basking in the romance of it all. As the sun set , I watched my new friends running and jumping from rock to rock marveling at the gift of studying at a college with a sea view that has been awarded one of the best in the world . I've walked with my four legged companions ,one ,two and three , cousins and aunts , all family. I've loved them I've kissed them, I've mourned them I've missed them , I've thrown ash to the air Spoken a farewell with care , To the mountain , the sky , the sea , Llandanwg brings together the I , the us , the we . This beach is a lifetime , a moment , a memory , all encased in the shell that sits on my necklace. Thankyou Llandanwg silver.

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I met my friend over 7 years ago, when I supported her via Breast Cancer Care’s.  Someone like me!  We knew from the first call that we were destined to be friends and over the years we spent many happy hours together. Rachel’s breast cancer had spread to her muscles & lymph nodes, but after 4 years of chemo she was cancer free for 18 months. However, the chemo caused her to develop blood cancer & this time last year she had a stem cell transplant. Last summer Rachel & her family spent 2 weeks on holiday in Barmouth & discovered our local beach Llandanwg. We both love sea swimming, shell collecting & beaches so had a fab time hanging out together on my fave beach. On her return home Rachel discovered she needed chemo again & I sent her a silver cowrie necklace to wear for her first treatment. Whilst her immune system was compromised she caught Covid & never really recovered. She died in March this year.  I wore my Llandanwg silver necklace to her funeral & a week later found a cowrie on the beach on my first visit post lockdown. Rachel was looking down on me xx
Thanks for creating something so special for both of us.

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We moved here in December 2017 and something very sad happened in Jan 2018 resulting in my son and daughter-in-law coming here to find sanctuary and time to heal. Part of that healing for them and us was wild and windy walks along our beach, spending a lot of hours mindfully searching for the cowries our family have prized and collected forever, like perfect little fingerprints in the sand. Things passed, and time healed as it always does and my daughter-in-law and I now wear one of your beautiful silver cowries to remember to never give up, the treasures in life will be there, you just have to look.

 Thankyou so much for our treasure xx