Wenvoe Neighbourhood Watch AGM

 

The AGM of Wenvoe Neighbourhood Watch took place on 20 February 2019.

Two new Co-ordinators were welcomed, one covering Springfield Close and the other Old Market. There are now 32 Co-ordinators covering the whole village including most of the new housing developments.

A small number of criminal acts were reported from within the village. Fly tipping occurred at St Lythams but was cleared very quickly by the Council after notification by the Co-ordinator. On another occasion vehicle headlights were stolen but the thief was caught, and the headlights returned. In one area it was reported that residents were proposing to install a surveillance camera in response to local thefts.

On the Saturday after the meeting some lead was stolen from the roof of the Church. If anybody has any information about this, please would they contact Vicar Jon.

Residents are advised to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity or criminal act to their Co-ordinator. If unsure of your Co-ordinator please contact Alan French: 02920 59 8092.

Officers elected for 2019 are:

Chairman Alan French

Vice Chairman Trevor Case

Secretary/Treasurer Jackie Gauci

Minutes Secretary Bert Bates

Future Co-ordinators meetings in 2019 are July 3 and October 23.

Alan French

 



 

For The Love Of Libraries’

‘FOR THE LOVE OF LIBRARIES’
THE BRITISH LIBRARY, SUNDAY 10 MARCH

Faced with the threat of closure, it was the ‘Love of Libraries’ that underpinned the decision by members of our community to create the Wenvoe Community Library. Now, three years later, this group of volunteers are looking forward to the opening of the new library early in 2020 in surroundings which will be a hub for the community. Whilst funding from Welsh Government and the Vale of Glamorgan Council have made this possible, the volunteers are under no illusion that for the library to retain a place at the heart of our community, they need our continued support.

Authors Jaqueline Wilson, Philip Pullman and Salley Vickers shared their ‘Love of Libraries’ at the British Library in London on Sunday 10 March. Each author talked about the importance of libraries to them as children and how those libraries influenced their work as writers in later life. Sylvia and Cathryn Harvey write about an inspiring day.

 

For Jacqueline Wilson, the library served as a place of refuge during the summer holidays with arguing parents. She has wonderful memories of the silence, the smell and the blissful feeling of losing herself in the world of books. In this safe haven, she discovered books by Louisa M Alcott, Jane Austen and Mazo de la Roche. As a young mother later in life, she took her daughter Emma to her local library, letting her choose picture books like The Tiger who came to Tea and Where the Wild Things Are for them to read together. When Emma got older, the Nipper series became a favourite and served as the final inspiration to Jacqueline to fulfil the lifelong dream of becoming a writer. And the library also served an important role in Emma’s later life- she became fascinated by the French literature section and has gone on to become a professor of French Literature at Cambridge University. Jacqueline’s books focused on those stories not often heard, of children in difficult family situations in urban areas, that have become a staple for children across the country.

 

As the child of RAF parents, Philip Pullman moved many times throughout his childhood. Eventually, the family settled in Harlech, North Wales. Philip loved it, and it was there that his love of libraries and the stories they contain developed. A local lady ‘from the big house’ lent him books, and there he discovered HG Wells, the Tarzan novels, and The Moomins. As a teenager, the fortnightly mobile library introduced him to the Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell, and his school library opened his mind to great artists through the art history books published by Fontana. His university years at Oxford meant he spent a great deal of time in the Bodleian (readers of

his books will know how much this influenced his later work), and after graduating he worked in Charing Cross library for a time and as a teacher, before becoming a full-time author. In many of his novels, libraries feature heavily, particularly in His Dark Materials series and La Belle Sauvage, the first of the Book of Dust series.

 

Salley Vickers started her talk with her challenging childhood. As her parents were outspoken Communists, they often struggled financially, and the family was unable to buy books. As a result, Salley, from a very early age, spent much of her time in her local library, whose wonderful children’s librarian recommended books for her and let her choose her own. Salley developed a love for The Moomins, by Tove Janssen, especially the character Snuffkin, whose famous line, “all small creatures should wear bows on their tails”, has become one of Salley’s favourite quotes. Other discovered favourites included The Princess and The Goblin and other books by George McDonald, and Rosemary Sutcliffe’s The Eagle of the Ninth series. But her most treasured childhood book is Tom’s Midnight Garden by Phillipa Pearce. The wonderful librarian, a Ms Blackwell, whose guidance was so invaluable to Salley as a child, served as the inspiration for her latest novel, The Librarian. In the novel, Sylvia Blackwell’s goal is to inspire the children of East Mole to read, but elements of her personal life cause tension within the town, threatening the existence of the library altogether.

The discussion between the authors and the audience highlighted the importance of choice; for children to choose their books and for librarians to choose the books they believe their patrons would like to read. The current push for diversity has failed to take into account the treasure trove that is a library. Where else can you find the stories of so many people from so many different walks of life in one place? Reading and listening to stories teaches empathy and understanding in a way that nothing else can.

By investing in libraries, we are investing in the future by giving children a place to grow and develop ideas, and hopefully, help them become the best versions of themselves. We will leave you with this quote from an audience member: ‘A library is a treasure chest of Serendipity’. It is a place to be discovered and explored, with the unknown surprising you at every turn.

 

I do hope this will inspire you all as much as it did us. Please share your childhood memories of libraries with us on your next visit to the library or email us at sylviaharvey@hotmail.co.uk. We would like to display a collection of excerpts of your memories at the community events which will celebrate the opening of our new library.

 



 

Closure Of The Leisure Group

 

It is with sadness that this coming month will see the closure of Leisure Group. The club has been running for over 40 years and was originally for both men and women over 60. Over the years it gradually be-came ladies only and of any age. Meeting every week, it was not always possible to have a speaker, but there was always some sort of entertainment.

Over the last few years, we have sadly lost many of our members, and despite our efforts we have failed to encourage new members to join. This together with being unable to appoint new committee members to continue the running of the club, has forced us into the decision to cease our meetings.

Our Easter party, on April 17th is our last meeting, when we say our last goodbyes to Leisure Group.

Betty Williams

 



 

Badminton Players Wanted

 

BADMINTON PLAYERS WANTED

We are a small group who play badminton (after a fashion) on Tuesday evenings, from 8:00 to 9:30 pm, in the Village Hall. We play for fun, but it’s quite energetic, and is certainly good exercise. If anyone would like to join us, or just try out the game, you would be most welcome.

Please contact Pia (029 2059 5216) or Dickon (029 2067 9108) if you would like to know any more

 



 

Please Help To Find Edge

Our missing cat’s name is Edge. He is about two and a half years old and has black and white short-hair, with a fairly distinctive black dot on his chin. He doesn’t have a collar but he has been chipped so if found, a vet would be able to get him back to us. Edge was last seen on Wednesday 27 February around Old Port Road near the primary school.

If spotted or found, please contact myself (Ben) on 07445308404 or my wife (Hannah) on 07856607570. Alternatively, pop a note through our door at 8 Wenvoe Close (up the road from Wenvoe Library).

Kind regards, Ben Jones

 



 

Your Local Welsh Medium School

 

YSGOL GYMRAEG GWAUN Y NANT

Your Local Welsh Medium School

Eich Ysgol Gymraeg Lleol

Ysgol Gymraeg Gwaun y Nant in Barry is your nearest Welsh medium school. It is about 10 minutes by car. The Vale of Glamorgan Local Authority will provide free school transport for those living beyond 2 miles.

Established on its current site in 2001 it has grown from strength to strength and now has over 250 pupils.

A few years ago the school had a major refurbishment to cope with the increased demand for Welsh Medium Education in the area. As a result we can now boast a wonderful learning environment; it is spacious and inspiring for our pupils and teachers.

Teachers and Governors are proud of the school’s ethos and continuously ensure it is maintained. Visitors have always told us that there is a very special ‘feeling’ to the school. We believe that this is created through the exceptionally strong emphasis we have on equality, diversity and respect for every child.

The Local Authority of Vale of Glamorgan continues to judge the school with the highest quality mark; the official classification is known as a ‘Green school’.

Our continuing excellent reputation was confirmed at our last Estyn inspection. The published report remarked that there is a ‘caring working relationship between adults and pupils and that the school is a caring community in which a high priority is given to pupils’ wellbeing’. The report added that ‘pupils are exceptionally well behaved during lessons and informal situations. They are welcoming, polite and treat each other, staff and visitors with genuine respect’.

As Head Teacher I would encourage all parents in Wenvoe to come and visit us before deciding on a school for your child or children. If you are interested in visiting the school please contact us on 01446 421723.

Head Teacher: Rhydian Lloyd.

 



 

Situation Vacant

 

SITUATION VACANT

BREAKFAST CLUB SUPERVISOR

Gwenfo Church in Wales Primary School

Weekdays 7.50am-8.50am

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Supervise and organise the staff of the Breakfast Club.

Complete weekly record sheets & staff timesheets where relevant.

Place orders, undertake stock takes and stock rotation.

Process invoices.

Check equipment and supplies.

Provide quality care and supervision to pupils at-tending breakfast club.

Prepare tables/benches for pupils attending breakfast club.

Set up and participate in a wide range of stimulating activities both indoors and outdoors, appropriate to the ages and needs of the pupils while in breakfast club.

Ensure pupils have breakfast and a drink.

Clean up after breakfast club has finished.

Put tables/benches away.

Please call into school to speak to Miss Starke, or ring 029 2059 3225. For more information or an application form or email gwenfops@valeof gla-morgan.gov.uk

Closing Date: Tuesday 2 April, 2019.

 



 

CarersWalk

CARERS WALK

Valeways are offering a new lead walk from April.
The walk is offered to carers of all ages and their
friends and families.
Carers Trust Wales have calculated that there are at
least 370,000 carers in Wales, which is more than
the population of Cardiff. The Carers Trust Wales
believes that 3 in 5 of us will become a carer at
some point in our lives.
The Carers walk will be a gentle stroll which will
offer Carers a chance to exercise, meet people and
enjoy fresh air. Hopefully the walks will support
carers to live happy and fulfilling lives for themselves,
and give them renewed energy for their role
as a carer.
If you are interested in joining this group, the walk
will take place on the last Thursday of every month
at 10:30am. We will meet outside Barry Island train
station and the walk will last between 45 to 60
minutes. If you want any more details, contact
Lynne 07729991491.

 



 

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