The Welsh Society of Western New England (WSWNE) was invited by the British Consul General to New England, Dr. Peter Abbott OBE, with the sponsorship of the Welsh Government and Metro Alliance Hartford, to a cocktail and networking evening at the Old State House in Hartford, Connecticut on Wednesday, February 28, 2024. Other invitees included British people working in the area, companies that have British connections, the Mayor of Hartford, ArunanArulampalam, and representatives of the Welsh Government office in New York City.
At this spot in 1780, George Washington and his aides Alexander Hamilton and Marquis de Lafayette, met French General Comte de Rochambeau for the first time. Their meeting resulted in a powerful relationship that led to America’s Independence.
The venue at the Old State House was the same room that held the initial trials in 1839 of the African men who mutinied on the ship Armistad on their way to being enslaved in the Caribbean. In the trial before the Supreme Court, the Africans were represented by former U.S. President, and descendant of American revolutionaries, John Quincy Adams. For 8½ hours, the 73-year-old Adams passionately and eloquently defended the Africans' right to freedom on both legal and moral grounds, referring to treaties prohibiting the slave trade and to the Declaration of Independence. The men were eventually released, as they were not considered enslaved during the mutiny, rather they were captives on their way to enslavement. It is a stately room, full of history. Read more about it here: https://wp.cga.ct.gov/osh/about/. But I digress, I love history!
Seven of us attended, the ladies dressed in red tops, so we were referred to as “the red ladies,” and we certainly stood out from all the suits, which was the point, right? The tables in the room were decorated with beautiful stems of daffodils, travel books about Wales, and of course many a Ddraig Goch flag. The evening was interesting in that we met British people living in the area, and members of the British Consulate in Boston.
We also began some relationships with companies that may sponsor NAFOW 2026 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Penderyn Whisky was represented, with four whiskies being offered for tasting. British London Gin from Highclere Castle, famous for being the location of the TV series Downton Abbey was also present. The botanicals for this gin are harvested at Highclere.
Those of us who attended felt that this was an important networking event for WSWNE, providing an opportunity for our organization to be seen and recognized.
By Susan Davies Sit & Diane Jeffer, Editor