When I first got involved with what was then the AONB on my retirement in 2008, one of the best pieces of advice I received was “listen to Mike Skuse”. I’ve been doing so ever since! From a Friends perspective, our organisation is very much his idea and I’m sure we’re all very grateful for that. He developed the concept with advice and support from Howard Sutcliffe and Helen Mrowiec and we’ve been going now since 2015, with Mike as keen and involved as ever. As our very first Chair, a turn on our Meet the Team slot was long overdue. This is how our chat went.
Usual first question – when did it all start?
I was born and brought up in South London – Cheam to be precise and went to school at Dulwich College. My senior years there were during and then the end of the second world war and that rather concentrated the mind, what with doodle bugs and hiding under the desk, and years of food rationing. After my A levels in French/German/Russian/English, I was called up, at 18, for my two years of National Service. I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Army Service Corps, and was sent to Kenya, before the time of the Mau Mau insurgency there. The Army had withdrawn from India following its independence and Kenya was to become a major staging post between the UK and its possessions in the Far East.
What happened next?
When I left the army I was initially articled to a firm of solicitors in central London but, having seen what was involved close to, I realised that I was never going to be clever enough to advise people about such complicated stuff! So I got a job with a commodity broking firm – the buying and selling and shipping of goods in big tonnages – in my case mainly foodstuffs but also rubber. I quickly found my feet!
Were you interested in landscape and the natural world then?
Yes, it’s always been something that’s really interested me and, as a teenager, I liked nothing better than cycling to places like Leith Hill in the North Downs to experience the richness of nature and the wonderful chalk landscape. It was so easy to do then with so little traffic, and after D-Day none at all! Then by chance I had a visit to the House of Commons and the debate we listened to was all about access to the countryside and the need to establish national parks. It was the famous National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The debate really inspired me back then in those gloomy post war years and I’ve been a passionate advocate for protected landscapes ever since.
That all seems a long way from the Vale of Clwyd!
I didn’t even know where it was in those days!. Some years later – in 1963 – I had by now married Mary and we had our son Jeremy. An opportunity came to join a firm of commodity brokers in Liverpool – and with a very attractive increase in pay! We made the move and never regretted it. We very much enjoyed living on the Wirral, firstly Neston and then Burton which we really loved. By this time I was heavily into buying and selling things like peanut oil and animal feed. The markets move like the Stock Exchange – with lots of speculation, and it was always a welcome release to enjoy the local countryside. When a property became available in Llangynhafal in 1980 we were unable to resist it. I’ve been there ever since.
I know you’ve been a stalwart with our protected landscape for a long time now. How did that come about?
Well, as I’ve said, my interest in landscape and the countryside was ingrained in me at an early stage and with Jeremy also enjoying that same interest this greatly added to the pleasure. I had been a member of CPRE when we were on the Wirral and it was a natural step for me to switch to CPRW when we moved to Wales. The AONB was established in 1985 and it was not long afterwards that CPRW asked me to be their representative on its Joint Advisory Committee as it then was. I’ve been keenly involved ever since.
What about Friends?
The AONB has always been keen to work with those with an interest in the countryside and volunteering has been actively encouraged. I thought it would be good to have an organisation which would enable people to identify as supporters of our local landscape, with a badge, car sticker, regular news and interesting events to encourage that. We’re now 10 years old, with well over 250 members, and I’m pleased with the way things have developed. We’re not a campaigning organisation – we leave that to CPRW – but we certainly wouldn’t be afraid to speak out if we felt that the NL was doing something we didn’t agree with. That hasn’t happened yet!
You say we’re not a campaigning organisation but what about the national park proposal?
Yes, Friends has given its full support to this Welsh Government commitment for understandable reasons – this is a once in a lifetime chance to provide the proposed extended area with the resources to properly protect it and ensure that it takes a deserved place as an iconic and internationally recognised place of beauty and recreation. I want to see a new sort of National Park, where nature recovery takes first place…..together with visits from city folk less fortunate than ourselves.
What about your other interests?
I keep in very close contact with my son Jeremy, who’s heavily involved in animal welfare in Australia, and his family. Previously I was a keen member of the Long Distance Walkers Association, but age prevents that now! CPRW continues to play a big part in my life, and I continue my opposition to onshore wind turbines. And there’s music and poetry in the Ruthin U3A !
You’ve had – and are having – an interesting life. My usual final question, what’s your favourite spot in our National Landscape?
I do like a place where water is involved. I’m very fond of the Alyn near Loggerheads but I think the Horseshoe Falls in the Dee Valley just beats it!
Cwrdd â’r Tîm – Mike Skuse
Pan ddechreuais i efo’r Ardal o Harddwch Naturiol Eithriadol bryd hynny ar ôl ymddeol yn 2008, un o’r darnau gorau o gyngor ges i oedd “gwranda ar Mike Skuse”. A dw i wedi bod yn gwneud hynny byth ers hynny! O safbwynt y Cyfeillion, ei syniad ef oedd y sefydliad a dw i’n siŵr bod pob un ohonom ni’n ddiolchgar iawn iddo am hynny. Datblygodd y syniad gyda chyngor a chefnogaeth Howard Sutcliffe a Helen Mrowiec, ac rydym ni wedi bod ar waith ers 2015, gyda Mike mor awyddus a gweithgar ag erioed. Fel ein Cadeirydd cyntaf, mae ei dro yn ein slot Cwrdd â’r Tîm wedi bod yn hir-ddisgwyliedig. Dyma hanes ein sgwrs.
Y cwestiwn cyntaf arferol – pryd ddechreuodd popeth?
Cefais fy ngeni yn Ne Llundain – yn Cheam i fod yn fanwl gywir, ac mi es i goleg Dulwich. Roedd yr Ail Ryfel Byd wedi cychwyn erbyn i mi gyrraedd fy mlynyddoedd olaf yn y coleg, ac roedd hynny’n mynd â’m meddwl, efo’r Doodlebugs a gorfod cuddio o dan y ddesg, a blynyddoedd o ddogni bwyd. Ar ôl gwneud Lefel A mewn Ffrangeg/Almaeneg/Rwseg/Saesneg, cefais fy ngalw yn 18 oed i wneud dwy flynedd o Wasanaeth Milwrol. Roeddwn i’n is-lifftenant yng Nghorfflu Brenhinol y Fyddin a chefais fy anfon i Kenya, cyn gwrthryfel y Mau yno. Roedd y fyddin wedi tynnu’n ôl o India ar ôl ei hannibyniaeth ac roedd Kenya yn mynd i fod yn fan aros pwysig rhwng y DU a’i meddiannau yn y Dwyrain Pell.
Beth ddigwyddodd nesaf?
Ar ôl gadael y fyddin mi es i’n brentis mewn cwmni o gyfreithwyr yng nghanol Llundain ond, ar ôl gweld beth oedd hynny’n ei olygu, sylweddolais nad oeddwn i byth yn mynd i fod yn ddigon clyfar i gynghori pobl ar faterion cymhleth! Felly mi ges i waith efo brocer llongau nwyddau – prynu a gwerthu a llwytho nwyddau mewn tunelli mawr, gan ddelio efo bwydydd yn bennaf ond rwber hefyd. A buan iawn ges i fy nhraed oddi tanaf.
Oedd gennych chi ddiddordeb yn y dirwedd a’r byd naturiol bryd hynny ‘te?
Oedd, mae wastad wedi bod yn rhywbeth o ddiddordeb i mi a phan oeddwn i yn fy arddegau roeddwn i’n hoffi beicio i lefydd fel Leith Hill yn y North Downs i brofi cyfoeth natur a’r dirwedd galchfaen hardd. Roedd hi mor hawdd mynd yno bryd hynny gan nad oedd llawer o draffig, a phrin dim traffig o gwbl ar ôl D-Day. Yna, drwy hap a damwain, mi es ar ymweliad i Dŷ’r Cyffredin ac roedden nhw’n trafod mynediad i gefn gwlad a’r angen i sefydlu parciau cenedlaethol. Sef Deddf Parciau Cenedlaethol a Mynediad i Gefn Gwlad 1949. Roedd y drafodaeth yn ysbrydoliaeth i mi bryd hynny yn y blynyddoedd tywyll ar ôl y rhyfel, a dw i wedi bod yn eiriolwr brwdfrydig dros dirweddau a ddiogelir byth ers hynny.
Mae hynny’n swnio’n bell iawn o Fryniau Clwyd!
Doeddwn i ddim yn gwybod ble’r oedd Bryniau Clwyd bryd hynny! Rhai blynyddoedd yn ddiweddarach, yn 1963, roeddwn i wedi priodi a Jeremy y mab wedi’i eni. Cefais gyfle i ymuno â brocer nwyddau yn Lerpwl, a chodiad cyflog da iawn hefyd! Symudon ni a doedden ni ddim yn difaru. Roeddem ni’n mwynhau byw yng Nghilgwri, yn gyntaf yn Nelson ac wedyn yn Burton – roeddem ni wrth ein bodd yno. Erbyn hynny roeddwn i’n prynu a gwerthu pethau fel olew pysgnau a bwyd anifeiliaid. Mae’r marchnadoedd yn symud fel y Gyfnewidfa Stoc – gyda llawer o hapfasnach, ac roedd wastad yn rhyddhad cael mwynhau cefn gwlad. Pan welon ni eiddo ar gael yn Llangynhafal yn 1980, roedd yn rhaid i ni ei gael. Ac yno dw i’n byw hyd heddiw.
Dw i’n gwybod eich bod chi wedi bod yn hoelen wyth i’n tirwedd a ddiogelir ers peth amser rŵan. Sut dechreuodd hynny?
Wel, fel soniais, dechreuodd fy niddordeb mewn tirweddau a chefn gwlad pan oeddwn i’n ifanc, a gyda Jeremy hefyd yn mwynhau’r un diddordeb, ychwanegodd hynny at y pleser. Roeddwn i’n aelod o CPRE pan oedden ni’n byw yng Nghilgwri ac roedd yn gam naturiol i mi gefnogi Ymgyrch Diogelu Cymru Wledig ar ôl symud i Gymru. Sefydlwyd yr AHNE yn 1985 ac yn fuan iawn wedyn gofynnodd Ymgyrch Diogelu Cymru Wledig i mi fod yn gynrychiolydd ar y Cyd-Bwyllgor Ymgynghorol. A dw i wedi bod yn ymwneud â phethau ers hynny.
Beth am y Cyfeillion?
Mae’r AHNE yn awyddus iawn i weithio gyda phobl â diddordeb yng nghefn gwlad ac mae gwirfoddoli yn rhywbeth sy’n cael ei annog. Roeddwn i’n meddwl bod hi’n syniad da cael sefydliad a fyddai’n galluogi pobl i gefnogi ein tirwedd lleol, gyda bathodyn, sticer car, newyddion rheolaidd a digwyddiadau diddorol i roi hwb i hynny. Rydym ni bellach yn dathlu deng mlynedd, gyda thros 250 o aelodau, a dw i’n falch iawn o’r ffordd mae pethau wedi datblygu. Dydyn ni ddim yn sefydliad sy’n ymgyrchu – rydym ni’n gadael hynny i Ymgyrch Diogelu Cymru Wledig, ond does gennym ni ddim ofn codi’n lleisiau os ydym ni’n teimlo bod y Tirwedd Cenedlaethol yn gwneud rhywbeth nad ydym ni’n cytuno ag o. Ond dydi hynny ddim wedi digwydd eto!
Rydych chi’n dweud nad ydym ni’n sefydliad sy’n ymgyrchu, ond beth am y cynnig i greu parc cenedlaethol?
Do, mae’r Cyfeillion wedi rhoi eu cefnogaeth lawn i ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Cymru am resymau dealladwy – mae hwn yn gyfle unwaith mewn bywyd i ariannu’r ardal estynedig arfaethedig yn iawn er mwyn ei gwarchod a gwneud yn siŵr ei bod yn cael sylw haeddiannol fel ardal o harddwch a hamdden eiconig a gydnabyddir yn rhyngwladol. Mae arna i eisiau gweld math newydd o barc cenedlaethol lle mae adferiad natur yn dod yn gyntaf… ynghyd ag ymweliadau gan bobl y ddinas sy’n llai ffodus na ni.
Beth am eich diddordebau eraill?
Dw i’n agos iawn efo’m mab Jeremy, sy’n ymwneud â lles anifeiliaid yn Awstralia, a’i deulu. Roeddwn i’n arfer bod yn aelod brwd o’r Long Distance Walkers Association, ond mae fy oedran yn atal hynny rŵan! Mae Ymgyrch Diogelu Cymru Wledig yn dal yn rhan fawr o’m bywyd, a dw i’n dal yn gwrthwynebu tyrbinau gwynt ar y tir. A dw i’n hoff iawn o gerddoriaeth a barddoniaeth yn U3A Rhuthun!
Rydych chi’n cael ac wedi cael bywyd diddorol. Y cwestiwn olaf arferol – beth yw’ch hoff le yn ein Tirwedd Cenedlaethol?
Rydw i’n hoff iawn o lefydd efo dŵr. Dw i wrth fy modd efo Afon Alun ger Loggerheads ond dw i’n meddwl bod Rhaeadr y Bedol yn Nyffryn Dyfrdwy yn curo fanna!