Yr awdur comedi a’r cartwnydd Harry Venning yn derbyn Cymrodoriaeth er Anrhydedd

Meri Huws, aelod o Gyngor Prifysgol Aberystwyth, gyda Harry Venning

Mae’r awdur comedïau a’r darlunydd a luniodd y cartwnau poblogaidd a chyfres comedi, Clare in the Community, wedi’i anrhydeddu yn Gymrawd er Anrhydedd ym Mhrifysgol Aberystwyth.

Enillodd Harry Venning radd Hanes yn Aberystwyth ym 1980, a bu’n gyfrannydd wythnosol i’r Guardian gyda’r cartwnau Clare in the Community.

Mae ei waith hefyd wedi ymddangos mewn nifer o gyhoeddiadau, megis The Mail On Sunday, Sunday Telegraph, Independent, Sunday Times, The Stage a’r Radio Times, ac mewn llawer iawn o lyfrau.

Ar y cyd â David Ramsden, ysgrifennodd ddeuddeg cyfres o'r gomedi sefyllfa hynod lwyddiannus Clare In The Community, y serennai Sally Philipps ynddi ac a ddarlledwyd ar BBC Radio 4 rhwng 2004 a 2019.

Mae Harri, sy’n ddarlithydd achrededig ar ran Cymdeithas y Celfyddydau, yn rhoi cyflwyniadau am hanes cartwnau, ysgrifennu comedïau sefyllfa a chomedïau radio'r BBC. 

Mae hefyd yn teithio o gwmpas ysgolion, theatrau, canolfannau celfyddydau a gwyliau â’i weithdy cartwnau Release Your Inner Cartoonist.

Mae wedi ennill sawl gwobr gan gynnwys Cartwnydd Stribed y Flwyddyn oddi wrth Ymddiriedolaeth Celf Cartwnau’r DU ynghyd â Gwobr Gomedi Sony Radio.

Mae'n llysgennad ar ran Undeb y Gweithwyr Cymdeithasol.

Cyflwynwyd Harry Venning fel Cymrawd er Anrhydedd gan Dr Louise Marshall, Pennaeth Adran Saesneg ac Ysgrifennu Creadigol ar ddydd Mawrth 12 Gorffennaf 2022.

Mae’r cyflwyniad llawn ar gael isod, yn yr iaith y’i traddodwyd.

Cyflwyno Harry Venning gan Dr Louise Marshall:

Dirprwy Gadeirydd y Cyngor, Dirprwy Is-Ganghellor, darpar raddedigion, gyfeillion.  Pleser o’r mwyaf yw cyflwyno Harry Venning yn gymrawd Prifysgol Aberystwyth.

Deputy Chair of Council, Pro Vice-Chancellor, prospective graduates and supporters.  It is an honour and a privilege to present Harry Venning as a Fellow of Aberystwyth University.

Harry Venning graduated from Aberystwyth in 1980 with a degree in History, not the obvious subject given where his career has subsequently taken him, but it just goes to show the unrivalled adaptability of a degree from Aberystwyth.

As a comedy writer, illustrator, and cartoonist Harry became a household name for his weekly contributions to The Guardian in the form of the cartoon strip Clare in the Community. If you have not had the pleasure of reading Clare’s exploits (where have you been for the past 26 years?) allow me to give you a flavour of Harry’s brand of humour with one of my favourites. Clare and her partner Brian are sat together in a pub, Clare looks up from her copy of the Guardian,

“’Mansplaining’? What….is ‘mansplaining’?”

There is a pause during which Brian looks awkwardly conflicted.

“Brian?” she urges him irritated by his silence, his response comes hesitantly,

“this is a…trap, right?”.

Described by the Sunday Times as ‘the Rottweiler of the caring professions’, from her first appearance in the national press in 1996 the eponymous Clare Barker has amused readers with her unique take on the world and her somewhat unorthodox approach to social work.

Together with David Ramsden, Harry adapted Clare’s adventures from the page to the airwaves in 2004 creating a long-running sitcom for Radio 4 starring Sally Philipps in the titular role (all episodes are available for download through BBC Sounds).

Of course, Clare is not Harry’s only creation – Hamlet, the perennially out of work thespian pig has appeared in The Stage for almost twenty years and Harry’s work regularly appears in national and international publications including the Independent, Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph, and the Radio Times.

As well as his extensive success entertaining the public with his insightfully wry wit Harry works tirelessly educating and supporting aspiring future creatives. He is an accredited lecturer for The Arts Society, he presents on the history of cartoons, sitcom writing, and BBC radio comedy, he also tours schools, theatres, art centres and festivals with his cartoon workshop ‘Release Your Inner Cartoonist’. He has won several awards for his work including the ‘UK Cartoon Art Trust: Strip Cartoonist of The Year’ and the Sony Radio Comedy Award.

In 2021 Harry’s outstanding contribution to the well-being of the nation’s social workers was recognised in his appointment as Ambassador for the British Association of Social Workers, Social Workers Union.

So, Harry is certainly no stranger to public recognition of his contributions such as that we mark here today, although I have noted a persistent strand of self-deprecating humility in his acceptance of such awards. It is this characteristic humbleness that leads me to close this presentation today by borrowing unashamedly, albeit with a slight amendment, Harry’s own words – penned in a cartoon to mark his 2021 BASW award: many congratulations Harry and “Honestly! [We don’t] hand these out to any Tom, Dick or Harry!”

Dirprwy Gadeirydd y Cyngor, mae’n bleser gen i gyflwyno Harry Venning i chi yn Gymrawd. 

Deputy Chair of Council, it is my absolute pleasure to present Harry Venning to you as a Fellow of Aberystwyth University.

Dr Louise Marshall yn cyflwyno Harry Venning

Anrhydeddau Prifysgol Aberystwyth 2022

Yn rhan o'r seremonïau graddio bydd y Brifysgol hefyd yn cyflwyno deg Cymrodoriaeth er Anrhydedd i unigolion sydd â chysylltiad ag Aberystwyth neu Gymru, ac sydd wedi gwneud cyfraniad eithriadol i'w dewis feysydd.  

Mae'r Cymrodyr eleni yn cynnwys ffigurau blaenllaw o'r celfyddydau, darlledu, y gyfraith, amaethyddiaeth, a'r sectorau gwyddoniaeth a thechnoleg.

Dyma Gymrodyr er Anrhydedd 2022 (yn y drefn y’u cyflwynir):

• Yr Athro Fonesig Elan Closs Stephens DBE, Comisiynydd Etholiadol Cymru ac yn Gyfarwyddwr Anweithredol ar Fwrdd y BBC, yn ogystal â bod yr aelod dros Gymru ar y Bwrdd hwnnw
• Myrddin ap Dafydd, awdur, cyhoeddwr ac Archdderwydd Cymru
• Yr Anrhydeddus Ustus Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, Barnwr Llys Apêl, Malaysia
• Harry Venning, cartwnydd, darlunydd ac awdur comedi arobryn
• Dr Zoe Laughlin, cyd-sylfaenydd a chyfarwyddwr ‘Institute of Making’
• Rhuanedd Richards, Cyfarwyddwr Cenedlaethol BBC Cymru
• Jonathan Whelan, ymgynghorydd TG, awdur a Chymrawd Cymdeithas Gyfrifiaduron Prydain.
• Tom Jones OBE, amaethwr a chadeirydd Ymddiriedolaeth Elusennol Stadiwm y Mileniwm ar adeg ei sefydlu
• Ei Anrhydedd y Barnwr Nicholas Cooke CF, cyn Uwch Farnwr Cylchdaith yn y Llys Troseddol Canolog, “yr Hen Feili”
• Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, cyn-Gyfarwyddwr a Phrif Weithredwr Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru 

Rhannu