Category: Community Groups

Travels Around the British Empire

 

It was a great pleasure to welcome David James to talk to us about his travels around the British Empire. It wasn’t actually a travelogue but more like a resume of his teaching career which took him to various parts of the world starting in the late sixties. His talk was interspersed with snippets of the history of the British empire and its influence on the colonies.

David was a history teacher and his wanderlust first began with three years of teaching in Somerset. Any anecdotes were told with a Somerset accent of which he was quite accomplished. From there he went to America where he taught in a small private school in Philadelphia. They were a warm hospitable people in what turned out to be a wealthy area alongside a ghetto where the crime rate was extremely high and murders occurred frequently. He was fortunate enough to travel extensively in America for holidays making lots of friends along the way.

One such holiday took him to Jamaica where he was offered. and accepted a teaching post. He stayed on the beautiful island for two years even though there was extreme poverty and most people lived in tin shacks. The food was mostly uninspiring, mainly rice and peas. but fortunately there was an abundance of lobster.

He returned to Wales after this and while job hunting succeeded in getting a post in Hong Kong. He assured his wife that it would only be for a short while but they ended up staying for twenty eight years! He found Hong Kong very interesting and again encountered extremes of wealth and poverty. Some parts were quite beautiful but it was very crowded and became flooded with Chinese criminals.

The education here was greatly influenced by the British. The standard in schools was very high and students were ruthlessly competitive. In 1992, forty children committed suicide because of pressure to succeed in school. The rich were super rich and the poor strived to get rich.

Whilst in Hong Kong he travelled to Fiji which was beautiful, Kashmir where he stayed on a houseboat and Calcutta which had the oldest golf club in the world. They were fortunate enough to go to Japan for a wedding and a holiday in Kenya.

Throughout his travels he observed the influence of the British which included better roads and railways which greatly improved the infrastructure. The spread of the English language allowed people to communicate in a common language. The trade system allowed people to come to Britain bringing their culture to us which has made Britain more diverse. Britain also took the idea of democracy to its colonies which helped them build their own as well as law and order, a system which has been maintained to this day.

David returned to Wales on retirement twelve years ago with amazing memories of his travels and we were delighted that he came to Tuesday group to share his experiences with us.

 

 

 

Lorna Pearson Entertained

 

We had a laughter filled afternoon on the 12th September when Lorna Pearson entertained us with her amusing poems and anecdotes, this was followed on the 19th with exercises with Annette.

On the 26th we held our annual Harvest Thanksgiving, with Mr Parry Edwards officiating in the absence of Rev Jon. Once again Margaret, our ‘Auctioneer Extrordinaire’ managed to sell all the donations of fruit and vegetables, with the money raised going to this years charity.

Anthea Guthrie, who is both a judge and exhibitor at the Chelsea Flower Show, was our speaker on the 3rd October. She showed us films of the winning gardens, displayed at this year’s show, with their own themes, one of which represented the sea with shimmering grasses and shiny metal fish.

 

 

The Essex Serpent

 

THE ESSEX SERPENT by Sarah Perry

This beautifully written historical fiction is set in 1893 in London and rural Essex. It was Waterstones Book of the Year 2016 and nominated for both The Women’s Prize and the Costa Book Award.

Cora is recently widowed from an unhappy and abusive marriage. Throughout her husband’s illness, she was supported by Doctor Luke Garrett, a pioneering surgeon and his wealthy friend, Doctor George Spencer, a physician.

Accompanied by her eleven year old autistic son Francis and their companion and friend Martha, Cora leaves London Society for a visit to Colchester. Whilst there she learns that after some 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to be roaming the marshes of the Blackwater Estuary once again and claiming human lives. As a keen amateur naturalist, she wonders if this could be some undiscovered species and decides to investigate. Her investigations lead her to Aldwinter, a fictional village situated on the Blackwater Estuary, where she is introduced to the Reverend William Ransome, the resident Vicar of Aldwinter, his frail wife Stella and their family.

This novel explores science vs faith and religion, social conscience, love and friendship and has received very positive public reviews. However the Page Turners were mostly of the opinion that there are many negatives which include the following:

There is too much going on but no depth to the various story-lines which are not memorable,

disjointed and at times, dreary and depressing. Even the titled story-line of the Essex Serpent fizzles out to nothing. Additionally, the majority of the characters, including Cora, are not very endearing.

On the positive side, the Page Turners concluded that the book is beautifully written and wonderfully descriptive. The author is clever and has done some very good background research, especially with regard to medical advancements during that era.

The scores ranged from 5 to 8 and produced a final average of 6.5.

 

 

​Symonds Yat

Symonds Yat

Another hot summer’s day found us parking in Whitchurch off the A40 near Symonds Yat. A short walk across the A40 by a road bridge and there was a footpath which brought us to a lane heading south. All too soon we found ourselves climbing which seemed a little odd as we were making our way to the River Wye in order to cross it via the ferry. Arriving at Ferry Inn we were disappointed to find that the ferry wasn’t working but our contingency plan was to walk along the western bank of the river.

Imagine our delight when after walking about ½ mile down river we found that the second ferry opposite the Saracen’s Head was about to leave the shore on the other side. This is a rope or hand ferry joining Symonds Yat East and West. Ferries like this were vital, in the past, linking the communities on both sides of the river. We paid our £1.20 a head and boarded; the river was so low after the extended dry spell that a box had been placed on the boat to ease stepping down to the ferry. The ferryman sang as he took us across in memory of ‘the singing ferryman’ who died in 2011.

On reaching the other side we went through the large car park at the foot of Symonds Yat Rock. Peregrine falcons can be seen at Yat Rock from early spring. Now we were following an excellent footpath and cycle way alongside the Wye with trees providing shelter from the summer’s heat.

The brooding presence of hillforts built by Iron Age tribes, commanding wide vistas high above the Wye, reinforces the feeling that this has been border country for millennia. Tourists discovered the beauty of the Wye in the 18th century when it became fashionable to take the Wye Tour and find inspiration in the picturesque viewpoints. After a while we came to the chain bridge. Six people at a time can cross. We waited patiently each side taking turns, the second half of our group found that 5 cyclists joined us when we were halfway across and the bridge started to bounce a little alarmingly – not good for those of us who have problems with heights.

Passing a campsite we met lots of families cycling and walking in the sunshine. Delicious blackberries at the edge of the site were quickly devoured. Even

though we had crossed the river, we were on the eastern side of the river again as there is a loop here. Now we were headed north.

After about a mile we turned right up a steep hill through woodland and just before reaching King Arthur’s Cave turned left out into the full heat of the midday sun and continued upwards to a hillfort. Lunch at the top of Little Doward hillfort gave us views to the southeast with the river far below us out of sight.

Towering 724ft above the River Wye, with steep cliffs on three sides the Little Doward provided the ideal site for an Iron Age hillfort. It was improved only by the construction of a single massive rampart around the enclosure. Recent archaeological exploration has found that people here lived in circular platform houses. They worked animal bones, making items like toggles and dice, which were found during a dig in 2009. The limestone bedrock has enabled the preservation of bone here.

We descended the hill, circling to reconnect with our original path and travelling northeast. Soon we were at King Arthur’s cave. Victorian and Edwardian naturalists were fascinated by the Doward Hills. This large limestone cave held a particular draw. Excavations reveal that people have used this cave for 20,000 years. Prehistoric animal bones – of hyena, rhinoceros, bison, lion, bear, reindeer, horse and giant deer – were discovered 11 feet below the caves present floor. Large openings allowed those of us who were interested to explore the caves without ducking, some had torches and further caves appeared as we continued. Did King Arthur really come here, we wondered.

Continuing downhill via steep lanes we were soon passing through Great Doward and found our way back across the road bridge to Whitchurch.

This was a lovely walk much of it easy – especially the ferry ride – 7½ miles and 1200ft climb. A small delicatessen supplied us with cups of tea and the bar of an Indian restaurant had beer so we were all happy.

 

 

September’s Walk

 

And the sun shone again on the living with cancer strollers on their September walk around Cosmeston. A new route included small inclines, woods, open fields, lakes and friendly canines, intent on joining us! The views were wonderful. We could even see Wenvoe from one vantage point.

As important as the walking, was the talking and the coffee in the cafe afterwards. It was lovely to see everyone chatting, joking and just having a good time.

Another new walker joined the group in September and was welcomed by everyone. We missed Tess who has been on every walk since its inauguration last year. She was doing some tough walks in the peak district, so should be able to run around Cosmeston on October's walk!

If you want to join a friendly group for a gentle stroll, we will be outside the information centre at Cosmeston on the first Thursday in October at 10am.

 

 

Fake Netflix emails.

 

WARNING FROM CRIMESTOPPERS

Please watch out for these fake Netflix emails.

We’ve seen an increase in reports about fake Netflix emails claiming that there’s an issue with your account, or that your account has been suspended. The email states that you need to “update” your account details in order to resolve the problem. The link in the emails leads to genuine-looking Netflix phishing websites designed to steal your username and password, as well as payment details.

Always question unsolicited requests for your personal or financial information in case it’s a scam. Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected email or text.

For more information on how to stay secure online, visit www.cyberaware.gov.uk

 

 

Christmas Craft Fair

 

The third annual Wenvoe Craft Workshop™️ Wenvoe Christmas Craft Fair is fast approaching. As usual entry is free and there will be a varied selection of beautiful hand crafted items on sale. With Christmas just around the corner, why would you want to miss out? We have some new faces and some familiar ones to tempt you with their crafts and there will, of course, be the usual raffle. This year the proceeds go, once again, to Rally for Romeo – the fundraiser for Romeo Hadley to assist with his ongoing needs. If anyone has a raffle prize they would like to donate please contact Glenys or Mike using the contact details below. The now-familiar tag team of Mike Tucker and Gwyndaf Breese will be manning tables at the entrance to the Community Centre and you can indulge with hot or cold drinks and home made cakes and savouries at the refreshment area. This is always a good community event with a lovely atmosphere and we very much hope you will join us. We would love to see you.

For information please contact Glenys or Mike Tucker on 07922109721, email pukkatucker@ gmail.com or call at 28 Grange Avenue, Wenvoe.

 

 

Village Show Report

 

The Village Show was held on Saturday 8th September hosted for the first time by the Library in conjunction with the Wildlife Group. Despite the inclement weather the Show was a great success and well supported by everyone. It was a real village event opened by local celebrities Johnny Tudor and Olwen Rees and judged by Wenvoe residents.

There were good entries in many areas but notably far more in the craft category this year to include some beautiful needlework from the Wenvoe Patchwork Group and some very impressive paintings. There were some 200 entries from the Village School and several individual entries in the children’s’ categories with Victoria and Thomas Bellamy standing out as winners. The Limerick competition was as popular as ever. You might think that there was little room for wordplay with the first line: The last time I got on a bus…. However, we received a large number of entries with Gordon Jones coming first.

Due to the unusual weather conditions this summer the apples were plentiful as were the pumpkins with Isobel Davies gaining first prize for her giant specimen. There are still some runner beans and Adrienne French won first prize for hers. Phil Morrant is the man who certainly knows his onions as demonstrated by his outstanding entry in this category. Who knows what next year might bring. We may be tweaking the categories next year so look out in advance for what might be on offer. We intend to put the list on the library noticeboard in the New Year.

Great fun was had from the ‘How well do you know your village’ quiz, and the winner was Steven (Will) Williams. The cutting up of the produce was as popular as ever with the public tasting of the entries enthusiastically received. Congratulations to Gordon Jones who was the overall winner of the Show by far and earned his place on the shield. Well done to all of those who won prizes; please pick up your certificates from the Library.

Many thanks to all who participated, contributed to and entered the show and those who provided such generous raffle prizes. Thanks also to Patsie Hunt who came along at the last minute to provide excellent musical entertainment when the brass band cancelled.

Thanks to all of the volunteers who made the day possible. Also a big thank you to the previous organisers and to Ian Moody who did a lot of heavy lifting and carrying and helped us newbies through the teething process. Extra special thanks to library volunteer Janet Williams who at the last moment devised our very own commuter system, which simplified the process for us (Al’s excellent computer programme being too scary).

Next year we hope to make this an even bigger and better success and we look forward to working on the suggestions already received. If you have anything you would like us to improve on, or would like to get involved with next year’s event please contact us at wenvoelibrary@outlook.com

The date of the next Village Show is Saturday 7th September. Please put the date in your diary NOW

 

 

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