Fine art comes to the rescue in campaign to save one of Eryri’s most striking waterfalls

Can you help the cause by putting in a bid for one of these two beautiful paintings? See below for how to place your bid!

For the past year National Park campaigners have been battling to save on of the Eryri National Park’s most striking waterfalls, Rhaeadr y Cwm on Afon Cynfal near Ffestiniog. The waterfall and its gorge are threatened by small scale hydro-electric scheme which would see, at times, nearly 70% of its water diverted through a pipe around the waterfall.

Now Jeremy Yates, Vice-President of the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, who taught art with Bangor University and art history with the Workers Educational Association (North Wales), has supported the campaign by creating two original paintings of the famous waterfall, which are being auctioned to raise money for the campaign.

Jeremy Yates says: “This invitation has given me the opportunity not only to support this vital ecological campaign but also to work on a view made famous by Cox and other artists before me. I chose to use his viewpoint to reinforce the importance and significance of this remarkable unspoiled place.”

As Rory Francis, Director of the Cymdeithas Eryri Snowdonia Society adds: “This form of fundraising seems particularly appropriate, as the waterfall was famously depicted by David Cox in 1836 in his iconic painting Rhaiadr Cwm, now in the British Museum in London. We are hugely grateful to Jeremy for creating these beautiful paintings. The plan now is to auction them to raise money for the campaign and our work protecting the and enhancing the special features of the Eryri National Park.”

These two beautiful paintings will be auctioned to raise funds for this campaign and for the other work of Cymdeithas Eryri Snowdonia Society. Here are the rules:

1. Each painting will go to the highest bidder.
2. The deadline for bids is deadline for bids 12 noon on 8 December 2025
3. Bids must be emailed to info@snowdonia-society.org.uk by the closing deadline above.
4. If you wish to bid, you must specify whether you are bidding for painting 1 or painting 2.
5. You can bid for both paintings, but you must make clear how much you are bidding for which one.
6. If you wish to bid you must include the address in the UK to which you would like the painting to be posted if you are the highest bidder, and a telephone number, and include in your email the words: “I solemnly undertake that if I am the higher bidder for the one of these paintings, I will honour my bid and pay for the painting in full within 7 days.”
7. Bids much be made in pounds Sterling.
8. The bid margin is £10. So your bid must either be for the reserve price or for £10 above the current bid shown below.
9. Each day between Monday and Thursday while the auction is taking place, the Society will post up on this web page the highest bid that has been received for each painting so far.
10. Each painting will be shipped to the highest bidder once the sum bid has been paid in full.

Further details:

Painting 1 is acrylic and with the frame included it measures 70cm x 89.5cm. The reserve price is £300.

Painting 2 is acrylic on paper and with the frame included it measures 89cm x 69cm. The frame includes glass. The reserve price is £350.

Painting number 1 – Current bid £300 08/10/25

  Painting number 2