It is with sadness that we learnt of the death of Mike Hughes, at his home in Greece, on Friday, 6th November, 2020.
Mike died peacefully in his sleep with his second wife Trish at his side. He had been ill for some time.
Mike Hughes was a native of Colwyn Bay in North Wales. He moved to a village near Mold and later, on leaving school, moved south for college, where he met his former wife Anne. After college Mike worked in Newport for many years.
Mike was a Welsh Folk Dancer in the Swansea University Folk Dance Team, a cradle of Welsh Folk Dancing and later founded Pen y Fai with Mel Evans and Anne. Mike and Anne left Pen y Fai to form Gwerinwyr Gwent in Newport in 1976. The team grew around him and travelled to Denmark and Germany under his tutelage, together with appearances at the National Eisteddfod and later at the International Eisteddfod. He was an expert clog dancer and on one occasion, in Denmark, his dancing literally brought the house down when the stage collapsed under him.
He tutored the Gwent Young Farmers in competition at the Royal Welsh Show. Mike loved dancing and wrote several dances which have been published by the Society. He was a member of the Society executive committee for several years.
He was instrumental, together with the late Barry Butler, in creating and organising Gŵyl Plant Gwent and was a keen promoter of children’s folk dancing. He was a caller at many a twmpath and, in later years, joined Shoestring, an Appalachian dance side.
In 2004 Mike and Trish bought a house in Pissia, Greece, where they spent most of their time in recent years.
His funeral will be held in Athens on Thursday, 12th November, attended by his children Wyn, Catrin and Dylan together with his wife Trish.
He will be sadly missed.
Roderick Denley-Jones
9thNovember, 2020