“Keep the bell ringing and they won’t forget it.”
Kenroy Levy was born in Jamaica in 1968, but settled in Newport a few years after arriving in London in 2002.
“[In Jamaica] childhood going back then was very strict, not as kids today have a lot of opportunity, we didn’t have a lot of opportunity, back then…”
“This is the Motherland… we were all taught that… in primary school back then coming up to high school that’s what we were told…you know if… this is the Motherland, why do I need certain things to go see my mother?”
After a successful career in athletics, he now works closely with the community in Newport and helps to support them. But he thinks more needs to be done to support local communities.
“I have a lot of family here, my dad came here in the 70s but it wasn’t for him, so after six months, he came back.”
“With the activities that I do now between, the nights that I have these people come to my house to play domino, and have a little barbecue, and invite friends over for the back garden, we have music, we talk about the old time stories, words like we used to use, we talk about pudding and ‘pone’ [sweet potato pudding]… and things like that, you know, we have a good laugh about, growing up back those times, those are little things that really keep me going.”
“So it’s not easy as how the system makes it out to be…”
“I have seen a lot of growth within Wales since I move here… [but] I said sometimes it’s not about you giving me a thousand pounds in cash, it’s about just putting the infrastructure, so the work can carry on.”
Ganed Kenroy Levy yn Jamaica yn 1968, ond setlodd yng Nghasnewydd ychydig o flynyddoedd ar ôl cyrraedd Llundain yn 2002.
“[Yn Jamaica] roedd plentyndod yn beth strict iawn, yn wahanol i’r holl gyfleoedd sydd ar gael i blant heddiw, doedd dim llawer o gyfleoedd i ni, bryd hynny...”
“Dyma’r Famwlad... roedden ni i gyd yn dysgu hynny... yn yr ysgol gynradd, yna yn yr ysgol uwchradd, dyna oedden nhw’n ei ddweud wrthym ni... wyddoch chi, os... os mai hon yw’r Famwlad, pam mae angen rhyw bethau penodol arnaf i fynd i weld fy mam?”
Ar ôl gyrfa lwyddiannus ym myd athletau, mae bellach yn gweithio’n agos gyda’r gymuned yng Nghasnewydd ac yn helpu i’w chefnogi. Ond mae’n credu bod angen gwneud mwy i gefnogi cymunedau lleol.
“Mae gen i lawer o deulu yma, fe ddaeth fy nhad yma yn y 70au ond nid dyma oedd y lle iddo fe, felly ar ôl chwe mis, aeth e adref.”
“Gyda’r gweithgareddau rwy’n eu gwneud nawr, rhwng y nosweithiau pan fydd pobl yn dod i fy nhŷ i chwarae dominos, cael barbeciw bach, a gwahodd ffrindiau draw i’r ardd gefn, rydyn ni’n gwrando i gerddoriaeth, siarad am straeon yr hen ddyddiau, geiriau roedden ni’n arfer eu defnyddio, rydyn ni’n sgwrsio am bwdin a ‘pone’ [pwdin tatws melys]... a phethe felly, rydyn ni’n chwerthin yn iawn am dyfu i fyny yn yr hen ddyddiau, pethau bach felly sy’n fy nghadw i fynd.”
“Felly, nid yw’n hawdd nid fel mae’r system yn smalio bod...”
“Rwyf wedi gweld llawer o dwf yng Nghymru ers imi symud yma... [ond], fe ddwedaf weithiau nad mater o roi mil o bunnau imi mewn arian gleision yw ef, ond mater o roi’r seilwaith yn ei le, i alluogi’r gwaith i barhau.”