James Eifion Thomas Blacksmith

21/09/2025

Just a few weeks to go until the Cardiff Half Marathon challenge and training is going well, although I got absolutely soaked on my last run! I’ve just set up my fundraising page for the NSPCC and would be grateful for your support.

Thank you for your support with my 2025 Cardiff Half Marathon challenge! Having taking up running during lockdown in 2020 I was lucky to have the chance to run the Cardiff Half marathon last year and

08/08/2025

Just finished making the winner’s trophies which we are donating to the walking football event in Newport tomorrow (Saturday). Please come along and support if you can ⚽️ ☀️

29/06/2025

Bore da pawb
It’s been another busy week at the forge but didn’t manage to get everything done that was needed…….🤔
So making the most of a few quiet hours this Sunday morning to get this door knocker made so that it can go on my next galvanising load.
Not my design. Hopefully it looks like what the client envisaged when they ordered it about 18months ago……..😐
The acorns were a bit of a challenge 😀

01/06/2025

Da iawn Sir Benfro!!

*NEWYDDION GWYCH O'R EISTEDDFOD DYDD SADWRN - DATGANIAD O'R LLWYFAN*

Mae tlws y Rhanbarth Arbennig yn cael ei roi i’r rhanbarth sydd wedi gwneud ymdrech fawr yn yr Eisteddfod eleni.

Ac yn 2025, mae’r tlws yn mynd i ranbarth sydd wedi mynd y filltir ychwanegol, yn enwedig yn y cystadlaethau Cyfansoddi a Chreu.

Jest gwrandewch ar y stats yma:

• Mae 30% o holl geisiadau Gwaith Cartref cenedlaethol yn dod o’r rhanbarth yma.
• Nifer uchaf yng Nghymru o gystadlaethau Gwaith Cartref Dysgwyr Cynradd
• 33% o geisiadau ar gyfer Eisteddfod T yn dod o’r rhanbarth hwn, gan gynnwys ceisiadau i pob un o’r 12 cystadleuaeth
• Nifer uchel iawn o geisiadau Celf, Dylunio a Thechnoleg.

Ar ben hynny, mae cofrestriadau cystadlaethau llwyfan yn uchel iawn eleni eto, yn enwedig o ystyried mai ond 2,800 o aelodau sydd yn y rhanbarth, a fod llai na treian o’r ysgolion yn ysgolion Cyfrwng Cymraeg
• 63 o Lefarwyr Ail Iaith mewn un cylch.
• Cynnydd yn y cofrestriadau cystadlaethau Dawns, Offerynnol a Cerdd Dant

Yn goron ar y cyfan mae’r sir yn brwydro am y trydydd safle yn y tabl medalau am yr ail flwyddyn o’r bron, a hynny ar ôl blynyddoedd o fod ar yr “ail dudalen” o’r tabl medalau cyn Covid.

Ac mae’r Swyddog Cymunedol wedi treulio drwy’r wythnos hon yn amserlennu pob cystadleuaeth, yn sicrhau fod neb yn cael clash, ac yn gweithio’n galed i wneud yn siŵr fod pob cystadleuaeth yn dechrau ac yn gorffen ar amser. Dipyn o dasg!

Felly braf iawn yw cyhoeddi mai enillwyr Tlws y Rhanbarth Arbennig Eisteddfod Dur a Mor 2025 yw Sir Benfro.

26/05/2025

Ni’n falch iawn I wedi cael neud 180 o Tlysau ar gyfer Eisteddfod yr Urdd Dur A Môr 2025.
Diolch I fy dau gweithwr, Arwel a Kian sydd wedi bod yn brysur iawn yn rhoi rhein at ei gilydd.
Pob lwc I pawb sydd yn cystadlu a gobeitho fydd sawl Tlws yn dod nol I Sir Benfro.
Delighted to have been asked to provide 180 trophies for this years National Urdd Eisteddfod. My two workers, Arwel and Kian have been very busy assembling them while I walked around a bit taking photos….
I delivered them to the Maes last week. It was great to see everything taking shape. Wishing the best of luck to all competitors and hoping that some of these trophies make their way back to Pembrokeshire.

04/05/2025

It was great to see so many people support Bore Coffi Dinas yesterday. Angharad, Erin & Cerys did a fantastic job of organising a really enjoyable event and raised an amazing amount for Cancer Research & Dinas Wellbeing hub. They were very grateful of the support they received from friends, family and the wider community. Ysgol Bro Preseli

04/03/2025

Odi’r planc yn rhi dwym….?

Is my planc too hot for Welsh cakes?

02/02/2025

Handforged single stem roses. A limited number are available for sale from the workshop. The base can be stamped with date/initials as desired. Please send a message if you would like more info. 🌹

23/12/2024

I’m sure there may be a few like me that have not started their Christmas shopping yet, so I thought I’d mention that we are open today till 5pm and then till 12 noon tomorrow, Christmas Eve. Diolch Eifion

18/12/2024

Da iawn I pawb yn Ysgol Bro Ingli oedd wedi creu a gwerthu pethe yn y fair dwe..

Purchased some wonderful decorations at Ysgol Bro Ingli enterprise fair yesterday.
They have added a lovely bit of festive cheer to my workshop. 🎄
I also bought some lovely cakes and biscuits but they’ve disappeared…….🤔😀🍪🍰🧁

29/11/2024

11.11.24
Trefdraeth, Sir Benfro.
Newport, Pembrokeshire

Cangen Carningli Branch Royal British Legion approached me earlier this year to see if I had made, or could make a Remembrance Memorial Bench.
I’d made one a few years back and on seeing that design they asked if I could make them one to commemorate 100 years of their branch.
We supplied it to them in the galvanised finish and their members then primed and painted it prior to installation.
The bench is situated in the centre of Newport near the pedestrian crossing and was blessed during the Armistice day service.

23/11/2024

15.11.2024

Dedication of the new Kilvey WW1 Memorial.
In Remembrance of the 70 Men of Kilvey who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Tawe Bridge, New Cut Road, Swansea

Back in 2021 I was approached by Anita Pugh, Chair of SOMMe (Save Our Memorial Monument) to submit a design for a Memorial Sculpture to Remember the 70 men from Kilvey who fell in WW1.
This new memorial was to replace the original that had been sited at Kilvey Church which had now closed. Anita and her committee have worked tirelessly to raise funds for the memorial and secure the necessary planning permissions.

The committee provided a brief of the things that they wished to see incorporated in the Memorial and I did my best to include them all in my design.

A number of potential designs were displayed at an exhibition in St Thomas Library and the community were invited to vote for their favourite design.
I was delighted to have mine chosen.

The main structure is a representation of the chimney shape found at the copper works where many of the men remembered worked.

Panel 1. They Lived
Men are pictured in their Sunday best outside the Kilvey Church.
Daffodils in the foreground and sun rays at the top to symbolise happy times and the spring before the advent of war.

Panel 2. They Worked.
Men are pictured at the copper works.

Panel 3. They Fought For Peace.
The Men are now Soldiers fighting. The poppies at the centre of the Chimney structure become more visible.

Panel 4. They Fell
As the Soldiers are lost their outlines fade away and the poppies become far more prominent.

I handforged 70 Poppies.

One for each Man Remembered on this Memorial. I found myself thinking a lot about the loss of each of these men as the poppies were made.

They are each the same size. They all have the same significance.

They are painted in a copper finish again to connect to the work that so many of them would have been involved with.

The poppies are central to this Monument and are visible through each of the four panels.
But, the design on each panel becomes less dense as you move around culminating with Panel 4,They Fell, where the poppies are most prominent.

Reaching for the sky at the top of the structure, the poppies are representative of the smoke that would have billowed from these chimneys.

At the base we have made rails to aid the securing of Remembrance Wreaths that also incorporate holders for Remembrance Crosses.

It’s been an honour to have been asked to make this Memorial but I certainly couldn’t have done it without the constant support of my wife Ceri and my two employees, Arwel (my brother) and Kian.
Arwel played a particularly important part in the installation of the structure- possibly next time we’ll hire a crane…..

My structure stands on a magnificent polished granite Memorial created by Mossfords Memorials of Cardiff.
They have done an exceptional job of rescuing and restoring the original name panels and incorporating them into this new plinth.
They have made a fantastic video detailing the construction of this Memorial and highlighting the craftsmanship of their skilled team. They have also very generously incorporated some of the videos from my workshop showing some aspects of my work.

They have also done a great blog…
https://mossfords.com/memorials/kilvey-war-monument-swansea/