A celebration of a remarkably tenacious environmental campaigner to mark the 80th anniversary of the Council for the Protection of Rural Wales.

In 1928 the Caernarvonshire branch of the Council for the Protection of Rural Wales was founded by Hertfordshire-born Cecily Williams-Ellis.

Born to wealth and privilege, Cecily married a man twice her age and escaped to the wild and beautiful countryside of Eifonnydd in what is now the county of Gwynedd. Her husband was Rupert Williams-Ellis, heir to the Glasfryn Estate and brother of Clough Williams-Ellis, architect of Portmeirion.

In 2008, an invitation was extended to Helen (married to Cecily's grandson Jonathan and now living in the ancestral home Glasfryn), to lecture on Cecily's contribution to the CPRW. Having only ever heard of her good works, Helen decided that a film would be more fun, and thus Cecily: A Personal Portrait came about. Weaving interviews with Cecily's three sons, Roger, Owen and Richard, Helen together with Barcud editor Trystan Lewis interspersed their anecdotes with photos from the family albums and Cecily's own wonderful water-colour paintings.

The 30-minute film was shown to a packed house at the Hercules Hall Portmeirion on July 3rd 2008.

Link to Article by Richard Williams-Elis