Category: Community Groups
The Anniversary Walk
July's stroll was a special event. It was the anniversary walk as the group has been meeting, strolling, chatting and drinking coffee for a year. To celebrate this, Bethan made cup cakes. The group enjoyed the refreshments BEFORE the walk to store up enough energy to get around the lakes in the intense sunshine!
Three new people joined the stroll in July. Hopefully they will return for the August walk: even though no cakes are promised as they are only available on anniversaries!
Cosmeston in the sun is a truly splendid place. We managed to keep in the shade for most of the walk, and enjoyed the birds on the two lakes.
If you would like to join us in August, just turn up at Cosmeston Information Centre at 10:30am, on the first Thursday of the month. We are really friendly!
Snowdon and Beddgelert
Snowdon and Beddgelert.—Wednesday morning in Beddgelert dawned sunny and bright with many of us choosing to eat breakfast alfresco.
Seven of us plus a dog drove to Llanberis and used the Sherpa bus service to Pen y Pass (free to Welsh bus pass holders!) for our walk along the Pyg track heading for the summit of Snowdon. It was warm and clear as we began our ascent on a relatively easy stretch. The views along the valley were excellent and we admired the craggy peaks around us. As we progressed the day got hotter and hotter, the paths are all reinforced with rocks so although you can hardly lose your way, it is unforgiving in heat. Frequent water stops were the order of the day.
It was a sociable walk. We met students from Swansea University who had decided to see something of Wales before leaving. There was a party of 8 year olds from Birmingham which had left school at 7a.m. They had regular stops for refreshment but some of the children really struggled, the patience and support the teachers showed was amazing. Every one of the children made it to the top and was grinning from ear to ear when we talked to them about their achievement. Apparently for some of these children it is their first venture away from their home town. A lady walking alone turned out to be Belgian, a regular visitor to the area she had decided to go up alone since her husband was not fit enough.
As we progressed our party stretched out maintaining visual contact with the person in front and behind us. As we climbed we looked down on the Miners track below as it wove its way past Llyn Llydaw and Llyn Glaslyn. We could clearly hear people shouting to one another as they played in the water, even though they looked like ants. The first peak we spotted wasn’t Snowdon but Crib Goch, another craggy summit. At Igam Ogam zigzag the path becomes a scramble up rocks as the Pyg and Miners tracks merge.
A wall of gabions provided an excellent final rest before the push up to the col at Llanberis pass. Then after 10 minutes or so you step up onto the col, to cries of congratulations from your friends and an unbelievable view. It was as though the whole world opened out in front of you and you could see forever: the whole of Anglesey, the Lleyn Peninsula,
and even the Saddleworth Moor fire outside Manchester were very clear. It was also our 1st view of the Snowdon Mountain railway, climbing the mountain at 45o angle here. After rest and refreshment (an apple proving a real pick me up) it was a short, steep walk on an excellent path to the summit, at 1085metres. It was like Piccadilly Circus at the top, with people staying to enjoy the views and the glorious weather. There was reminiscing about other times people had been up here with very limited visibility, we were well rewarded for our efforts today.
A large cup of tea and a pasty from the cafe (£5) went down a treat. Then it was time to descend. We split into 2 groups; the first group taking the Miner’s track using walking poles to help them through the steep sections. They arrived at the bottom with time for a quick well earnt pint before getting the bus to Llanberis to collect the cars.
The rest of us came down the Llanberis path which is a slightly longer but gentler route. We met a man who was completing the 3 peaks challenge – Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hours. We also spotted a small tornado and grass fires started by sparks from the trains.
At Halfway House we enjoyed refreshments and our first shade of the day in a strong breeze, wonderful. The lady who works here walks up from her farm daily and was planning to climb to the summit when she finished work at 5.30pm.
Misty, the dog, had to rely on water fed to her until we were near the end of the walk when we found our first stream and she had a good wallow. Soon after we found the only other stream with a husky sat in it. Then we were meeting cyclists coming up, they are allowed to climb Snowdon after 5pm and it typically takes them 2hours up and 15 minutes down! We walked 7.5-8 miles and climbed 2372ft.
The following day we went to a viewing point to appreciate our Snowdon walk before visiting Swallow falls and Bettws y Coed and then returned to Beddgelert to walk along Afon Glaslyn past Gelert’s grave. We stopped on a bridge to see the West Highland Railway steam train with its Pullman coach. The path becomes a scramble over rocks before reaching a car park. Most of us continued on uphill for excellent views of Snowdon and on towards Llyn Dinas before returning via a different stretch of the Afon Glaslyn which descends from the lake below Snowdon. (5.75miles) and another 1200ft). A couple of us doubled back early in order to try out the award winning ice cream parlour in Beddgelert regrettably the shop was closed by the time the rest of the walkers returned.
It later transpired that Porthmadog, just down the road was 30.5o C on the day we climbed Snowdon and 33o C on our second day, the hottest anywhere in Britain so far this summer. Mad dogs and Englishmen springs to mind, though of course a few of us were Welsh.
2018 Autumn Programme
Wenvoe School Choir Visit
We always enjoy a visit from the children of Wenvoe School choir and their visit on June 20th was no exception.24 children and their teacher crossed over the road to come to entertain us and gave us a lovely afternoon.
On 27th of June Bruce Hawkins gave us a talk “Naughty Women in History”. His list was endless, some were known to us , many not, but all of them unbelievably cruel and callous.
We sat down to strawberries or raspberries and cream on July 4th and followed it with a picture quiz.
On the 11th of July Pat Summers brought along lavender from her garden and showed us how to make Lavender Dollies. Using ribbons, she wove around the lavender head. We were invited to have a go .Two members volunteered but it was not as easy as it looked
The Autumn programme is now ready, if anyone would like one please ring me 02920 592822
There will be no meetings during August
“Crafty Surprises”
In Madeleine’s absence Pam led our July meeting with a special welcome for our speaker, Eva Leslie and our visitor, Pat Weavers. Eva gave a talk on “Crafty Surprises” during which she created a selection of animals such as sheep and dogs from felt by making stabbing action with a two pronged pin. Pam E and Judy had a go themselves and produced a lovely heart and star. Eva has had stalls at many craft fairs including St. Fagans and donated a red heart to be given to Madeleine-such a very king gesture and much appreciated . We finished our meeting with strawberries and cream.
Three members attended the Link meeting at Penarth and two will be going to the Highlight coffee morning on the 31st July. Our summer lunch is on August 7th at the Wenvoe Arms .Future events include a trip to the Botanical Gardens on August 15th (£22) and a trip to Worcester market on Dec.1st (£18), both arranged by Dinas Powys WI. Culverhouse Cross has invited us to their harvest supper on Oct 11th( date to be confirmed).
As there is no meeting in August , our next will be on the 6th Sept. in the Church Hall at 7pm when we will be presenting our cheque to the speaker from Air Ambulance Wales. Visitors are very welcome.
The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle by Kirsty Wark
The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle by Kirsty Wark
Kirsty Wark is the respected BBC television presenter. This, her first novel, was mostly a disappointing read for the Page Turners.
We are introduced to Elizabeth as a nonagenarian who harps back on her single life and some love but little excitement. She bequeaths her house on the island of Arran to a passing stranger whose daughter becomes the beneficiary.
We found the plot of the novel to be somewhat turgid and annoying. We had little empathy for any of the various characters, but enjoyed some of the historical facts about Arran. Between us we offered only a few positive adjectives for this month’s read. However the majority of us did finish it and we scored it an average of four out of ten.
The Mercy Ship Fund Raising
The first major fund raising event held in Wenvoe to help raise money for Helen Ormrod's work on the Mercy Ship in Africa was held in May, when Johnny Tudor and Olwen Rees gave us a musical tale of their lives in showbiz. This was reported in the June edition of the What’s On , and was a very successful evening, and a hard act to follow. But I think all who attended our second event on Saturday 23rd June will agree that we achieved another "Double Whammy".
This time, we were entertained – and enlightened – in the most interesting way, by Derek Brockway and Nicola Smith, both of BBC1 Wales fame. The ‘Weatherman Walking’ gave us a fascinating insight in to the mysteries of meteorology, as he had become fascinated by the weather since a child. (As he said, all the British talk about the weather, especially the Welsh!). He served the Met Office in various places from Cardiff Airport to the Falklands, where he did some vital work for the Army, RAF and Navy. As the islands are so remote and very barren and windy, conditions are hard, but he managed to take some lovely photographs of the wildlife there. My favourite was the 3 penguins, all lined up for a photo shoot, just for Derek! (Attenborough, eat your heart out!).
Derek did a special Forecast for Wenvoe for the week ahead, which he assured us would be sunny, hot and "toasty", and said there is a strong possibility that this summer will be very dry (bad news for all you gardeners).
After the interval (for refreshments and raffle!) , we were introduced to Nicola Smith, the BBC1 news reader, whom half the audience knew already as "one of us". Nicola recalled how she and her twin sister Sian, lived in Orchard Close, Wenvoe with their parents for many years, and spent happy hours with their grandmother, Mrs Margaret Barton, whom lived in Walston Road. Many of us remember her fondly as a lovely, jolly, kindly, sociable lady who was a staunch member of the Choir at St Mary's Church.
Nicola was married and christened in St Mary's Church, and a rranged for her own two children, Isobel(7) and Will(5) to be christened there too. (Husband George was babysitting on 23rd so Nicola could talk to us, so "Thank you, George"!). Nicola said she was pleased to be asked to talk to her home village- and in aid of such a good cause.
Nicola described her career rise, and loves her job as it is so varied, no 2 days are ever the same and we now feel we can appreciate more all the hard work which goes in to the outside broadcasts and interviews, often in very inclement weather, for long hours, which only results in 2 minutes of screen time! She showed us photos of the inside of her car boot – stacked with wellington boots, hiking boots, macs, a sleeping bag, change of clothes (and maybe a snow shovel from November on?).
Both talks were humourous. Light-hearted and very entertaining, but also educational with food for thought. We are extremely grateful to both Derek and Nicola for giving so freely of their precious leisure time, and we know that Helen Ormrod joins us in
thanking all who supported this Event, including Tony Williams, who helped us with the venue at the Community Centre, Cath and Andy who ran the bar so well, the Church Social Committee, and donors of the raffle prizes.
Diolch yn Fawr i chi!!
Establishing the Watch in new housing areas
Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators met on July 14 and items from the discussions included:
Establishing the Watch in new housing areas. – Much progress has been made in this area with new Co-ordinators coming forward.
• The Grange has 3 Co-ordinators with a Watch notice on a lamp post at the entry to the estate.
• St Lythan’s Park has 1 Co-ordinator and a notice on a lamp post at the entry to the estate.
• Cambrian Park has 2 Co-ordinators and a notice on a lamp post at the entry to the estate.
We have produced postcard-sized notices which Co-ordinators can use to introduce themselves to their nearby residents.
As more houses are built in these areas, we will need more Co-ordinators. If you are interested in helping to deter crime in your locality, and would consider becoming a Co-ordinator, please contact our Secretary/Treasurer Jacky Gauci on 07876 207843 or jacky.gauci47@gmail.com
Crime in Wenvoe – In general Wenvoe is only affected by low level crime such as stealing of shrubs, manhole covers and incidents of fly tipping. We should all be aware of suspicious activity and, if seen, inform our local Co-ordinator or the police on 101.
We were made aware of a serious incident when a high value car was stolen from a drive after the thieves had broken into the house at night and taken the car keys. The advice here is to place car keys in a safe place at night – perhaps in the bedroom.
Data Protection Act – We noted the introduction of the Regulations governed by this Act and are taking action to ensure the Watch complies.
Alan French
WHO WAS NYE BEVAN?
As widely publicised, this month sees the National Health Service, celebrate its 70th birthday. The man most closely associated with the foundation of the NHS was a Welshman, Aneurin Bevan.
Most of us will have at some time passed the statute of Aneurin Bevan at the west end of Queen Street and also seen the striking painting of the famous Welshman while visiting the clinics at the Heath Hospital. But what of the man who as Minister of Health in the post-war Attlee Government (1945-51) led the creation and establishment of the NHS?
Aneurin Bevan was born at 32 Charles Street, Tredegar, on 15th November 1897. It was one of a long row of four-roomed miners' cottages. He was the sixth of ten children born to Phoebe and David Bevan, of whom only eight survived infancy and only six to adulthood.
His mother Phoebe was not interested in politics but as a typical Welsh ‘mam’ dominated matters in the home and was a strict disciplinarian. His father David Bevan was a Tredegar miner and active trade-unionist. As with many miners, he suffered from the choking black dust disease pneumoconiosis. It was a disease that was to eventually kill him.
Bevan disliked school and was often in conflict with William Orchard, headmaster of Sirhowy School. On one occasion, Orchard asked one of his friends why he had not been to school the day before and when he replied that it was his brother's turn to wear the shoes, he mocked him. Bevan reacted by throwing an inkwell at his headmaster. At the age of eleven he worked long hours after school and weekends as a butcher's boy. On his thirteenth birthday, in November 1910, he went to work with his father in the Ty-Tryst colliery for 7 shillings (35p) a week. Bevan joined the Tredegar branch of the South Wales Miners’ Federation and soon became a union activist. By the time he was nineteen he was chairman of his Miners' Lodge and a powerful speaker. His employers considered him to be nothing less than a revolutionary. In 1917 he was called up under the Conscription Act, but refused to join the British Army claiming he would choose his own enemy and battlefield. He was however eventually rejected on health grounds, as he suffered from an eye condition.
In 1919 Bevan he won a scholarship to the Central Labour in London, where promising young trade unionists could learn about Labour Party history and Marxism. While at college he was given elocution lessons and overcame his long time stammer by giving speeches in public whenever possible. The early 1920s were difficult for Bevan with some collieries refusing to employ the young firebrand and others offering only temporary employment due to the poor state of the economy. When the General
Strike broke out in 1926 Bevan soon emerged as one of the leaders of the South Wales miners. However, following the defeat of the strike he seems to have decided that politics would offer a more fruitful opportunity to make a difference and after a short spell as a councillor he was elected as MP for Ebbw Vale. He represented the Labour Party in the constituency for the next 31 years. In 1934 he married Jennie Lee, a fellow socialist and MP for North Lanarkshire.
In the years leading to World War II, Bevan argued that Britain should ally herself with socialist countries against the march of fascism. This stance proved very unpopular and even led to him being expelled from the Labour Party for a short time. During the war he was appointed by Winston Churchill to the wartime coalition government, as Minister of Labour. When the war ended Bevan like most of his Labour Party colleagues saw a great opportunity to build a new society based on socialist principles. Bevan was particularly keen on the manifesto commitment to create a National Health Service.
As the Attlee Government went to work on its radical programme, Aneurin Bevan as Minister of Health, became the leading light in the establishment of the NHS. In 1946 Parliament passed the revolutionary National Insurance Act. It instituted a comprehensive state health service, providing for compulsory contributions for unemployment, sickness, maternity and widows' benefits and old age pensions from employers and employees, with the government funding the balance. People in Britain were provided with free diagnosis and treatment of illness, at home or in hospital, as well as dental and ophthalmic services. The birth of the NHS was marked by Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan’s visit to Park, now Trafford Hospital, in Manchester on 5 July 1948. That day Bevan met the NHS’s first patient, 13 year old Sylvia Diggory.
Following his spell as Health Minister, Bevan served for a short period as Minister of Labour but resigned in 1951when Hugh Gaitskell, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that he intended to introduce measures that would force people to pay half the cost of dentures and spectacles and a one shilling prescription charge. For the next five years Bevan led the left-wing of the Labour Party, before returning to the opposition front bench as shadow foreign secretary and eventually deputy leader of the party in 1959. He was though already a very ill man and died of cancer on 6th July, 1960.