Category: General Interest Articles

Articles of general interest on no particular subject

FUTURE OF ST BLEDDIAN’S CHURCH

MEETING ABOUT THE FUTURE of St Bleddian’s Church in St Lythans

Thursday, October 12th, 2023 at 7pm

at St Bleddian’s Church in St Lythans

St Bleddian’s is a special place on a site that has been a sacred gathering place for millennia. The church has a faithful, but small, congregation.

Sadly, expenses are more than income and there is likely more than £50,000 of repairs required in order to maintain the building for use.

Therefore, we are inviting all who are interested in the future of St Bleddian’s to gather to hear an update on the financial picture and to explore ideas and possibilities for ensuring the future use of this sacred place.

 

CAN YOU HELP YOUR LOCAL MAGAZINE?

CAN YOU HELP YOUR LOCAL MAGAZINE?

Would you like to join the What’s On production team? We are looking for 2 or 3 local people to as-sist us with the work involved in producing the village magazine.

If you are a person with good computer skills who would enjoy assembling the magazine ready for printing, we would love to hear from you. This would require a few days commitment around the 18th of the month. At the moment, there are two of us sharing the task. A third team member would be very welcome, and would give us added flexibility to support each other at holiday times etc.

If you are a person with good communication skills and would like to share the task of sending in-voices to businesses/individuals who currently advertise in the magazine, as well as helping to generate new advertisers, we would love to hear from you. We also need help with distribution of the magazine and with magazine income and expenses.

Alternatively, if you would like to help out on a more ad hoc basis, say to cover a deliver’s absence or holiday, then please also get in touch.

The magazine is a village production with most material provided by local residents. Could you pro-vide a regular column on a subject that interests you and others? It could be a monthly or bi-monthly item or even a quarterly piece. We are always looking for stand-alone articles.

Ross has written the front cover of the What’s On for a number of years and whilst he will continue to do so for the time being, we would also like to hear from you if you would like to write a feature for the front page, on an ad hoc or regular basis or an idea for a feature aricle.

Please contact any of the team members if interested. Our contact details can be found at the top of page 2. of the What’s On magazine

 

BIG TREES FROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW

BIG TREES FROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW

Can you recall what you were doing and where you were, when the dreadful tragedy of 9/11 occurred? It shook the world, and anyone watching the event on TV could hardly believe their eyes when the second plane hit the second Tower. It was so very hard to comprehend the scale of the tragedy, the loss of life, the fear that it might happen again…in USA or anywhere else in the world.

Over the years, even those here with no close ties in USA have been affected in some small way by this monstrous evil, even those in our quiet village. My younger son, Mark Roberts, grew up in Wenvoe, but later went to London to work, and became a TV cameraman for a Japanese News TV Company called TV Asahi. He filmed crime scenes, everyday dramas, earthquakes, floods etc all over the world, recording visually interviews by his colleagues of all sorts of people in all sorts of situations.

Soon after 9/11, Mark and the TV Asahi team, flew out to Toronto with BBC, ITN and other news teams, as all US airports were closed. They travelled straight down to New York by coach, and as they approached New York, they saw U.S. F-16 fighter planes circling the sky, in fear of a repetition of the Twin Towers disaster, a chilling sight. The area around the disaster was a scene of total devastation, but the news crews had to speak to anyone at the scene for their thoughts and comments. I asked him later if he felt intrusive and voyeuristic, filming people’s raw emotions and grief and anger, and he said simply “The world has to know, Mum”.

The following March, I visited USA on a Travelsphere tour of the Canyons, ending up in Las Vegas, with my friend, the late Mrs Maureen Hunt, whom many of you will remember. (We had booked the holiday long before 9/11). We sat having a coffee one day in Las Vegas opposite the New York, New York Hotel, and noticed a long line of people, with their backs to us, seemingly examining the wall around the hotel, so we went to investigate. We found a small, temporary, improvised Memorial had been set up, with mementoes from the Twin Towers, photos of the site of Ground Zero, letters and poems, even photos of some of those killed. It really brought all the memories rushing back, and we were both deeply touched by this humble display, and the solemnity of the long line of locals and tourists paying their respects.

More recently, many of you, like me, admired plants etc at the Wenvoe Open Gardens Event, and I was fascinated by the oak tree sapling grown by Mr Mike Tucker in his greenhouse. He explained that it had been grown by Mr Bruce McDonald, who, about 6 years ago, had collected some acorns from the Memorial Site at Ground Zero which had literally hundreds of these Swamp White Oak trees growing there. After checking it was (at that time) not illegal to bring them into UK, Bruce brought a few home to plant in pots. Only 2 “took” and Bruce gave 1 each to 2 friends, one of whom was our green-fingered Mike! He has nursed it tenderly ever since, and it looked very healthy when we saw it in June. The conditions at Ground Zero seem to suit the swamp oak tree , but it refuses to grow in many places so it is odd that it has settled in Wenvoe!
The plant certainly brought back many sad memories, and I am sure we all hope that the wars in Ukraine, Syria and Sudan will soon be over and that peace will prevail.
Thank you for reading this. and perhaps you could tell us of your experiences?

Val Roberts.

 

CARDIFF’S ROALD DAHL – BEYOND THE GIANT PEACH (Part 1)

CARDIFF’S ROALD DAHL – BEYOND THE GIANT PEACH (Part 1)

Cardiff City fan, supporter of the Norwegian Church and Fighter Pilot!

When Roald Dahl was born, on 13th September 1916, he was named after the first man to reach the South Pole. His Norwegian father, Harald, came to Cardiff to seek his fortune in the late 19th-century coal-mining boom. He made money in shipping and built his own substantial home, Villa Marie on Fairwater Road, where Roald was born. Now renamed Ty Gwyn, there is a blue plaque on the garden wall.

Harald died in 1920 and was buried in St John’s Church in Danescourt. His widow and six children lived in what is now the nursery of Howell’s School Llandaff for most of the 20s, a fact marked by another blue plaque. The family worshipped at the Norwegian Church, then in Cardiff Docks. When the church fell into disrepair in the 1970s, Roald was at the forefront of a campaign to raise money to save it.

As a youngster Roald was a keen Cardiff City fan. The 1920s was a golden era, with the team riding high in the First Division. He recorded fond memories of attending matches with the family gardener Joss Spivis. ‘Every Saturday afternoon, rain or hail or snow or sleet, Joss and I would go to a packed Ninian Park (pictured) to see City play.’ He remembered being passed to the front over the heads of the crowd so that he could see the action.

‘As we rode the 20-minute journey from Llandaff in the big red bus, our excitement began to mount. Joss would tell me about the opposing team and the star players who were going to threaten our heroes. Outside the ground we would stop at a whelk stall that stood near the turnstiles. Joss would have a dish of jellied eels and I would have baked beans and two sausages on a cardboard plate.’ Dahl recorded the names of his favourite players, the legendary Billy Hardy and the giant goalkeeper Tom Farquharson. He may have attended the FA Cup Final in 1927 or listened to the first ever cup final radio commentary, when City became the only team to take the cup out of England, beating the mighty Arsenal 1 – 0.

At the outbreak of World War II, Dahl at 23, was commissioned as a lieutenant into the King’s African Rifles in Tanzania. His heart, however, was 600 miles away in an RAF base in Nairobi where he soon enlisted and trained as a fighter pilot. At 6 feet 6 inches he could barely fit into a cockpit. His air combat career got off to a bad start when he was involved in a near-fatal crash landing after being given the wrong airstrip coordinates. The crash fractured his skull, broke his nose and temporarily blinded him. He only just dragged himself free from the blazing wreckage just before the plane’s fuel tank exploded. Dahl returned to the fray after spending 6 months in the Royal Navy Hospital in Alexandria. He flew a Hawker Hurricane as part of a fighter squadron battling the Nazis near Athens, shooting down a pair of Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88s. On 20 April 1941 he took part in the Battle of Athens, which he described as “an endless blur of enemy fighters whizzing towards me from every side”. Around a third of the British pilots were killed. However severe migraines, caused by his earlier crash, resulted in him being sent home.

When the war ended Dahl was still 16 years away from writing ‘James and the Giant Peach.’ His life after 1945 was no less interesting than before…..but that’s for Part 2

 

 

IN THE SUMMER TIME WHEN THE WEATHER IS FINE

IN THE SUMMER TIME WHEN THE WEATHER IS FINE..

 

The dramatic improvement in the weather in May and June tempted many of us to enjoy the
opportunity to get outdoors. Apart from gardening, walking, fishing or golf, there seems to
have been a revival in recent summers of outdoor theatre and cinema. Again this year we are
well catered for in Cardiff and the Vale.


Illyria will be staging an outside production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth
Night at The Kymin Gardens in Penarth on Friday 25 August
(7p.m). With a running time of 2 hours 30 mins we are promised an
evening of yearning romance, music, and sheer joy – all performed on a
stage inspired by those of the Elizabethan touring troupes! Ticket
details: Adult: £18.95/Child £12.95 (under 12s) – booking fees apply. We
are politely requested to bring low-backed chairs or blankets and dress
warm! You are welcome to bring a picnic (no BBQs sorry). Light
refreshments will be available
Interestingly, Twelfth Night, or What You Will is believed to have
been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for
the close of the Christmas season. It was probably commissioned for
performance as part of the Twelfth Night celebrations held by Queen
Elizabeth I at Whitehall Palace on 6 January 1601 to mark the end of the embassy of the Italian
diplomat, the Duke of Orsino.The first documented public performance was on 2 February 1602 (at
Candlemas), in the Middle Temple in London, one of the four Inns of Court. One odd fact about
the play is that some believe Sherlock Holmes’s
birthday to be 6 January due to the fact that
Holmes quotes twice from Twelfth Night whereas
he quotes only once from other Shakespeare plays.


If movies are more your thing then Luna Cinema
are returning to Cardiff Castle with three outdoor
showings of popular movies. Harry Potter and
the Philospher’s Stone (PG) is being shown on
Thursday 31 August at 8 p.m. The next evening, 1
September we can revisit the Julia Roberts/
Richard Gere classic, Pretty Woman rated 15 and
on Sunday, 2nd September, Top Gun (Maverick)
rated 12A. You can bring a picnic but alcohol
must be purchased on site. Tickets can be found online and cost from £17.50.
The National Trust in conjunction with Adventure Cinema are also offering outdoor cinema in
the beautiful surroundings of the Dyffryn Gardens South Lawns. Dirty Dancing (12) will be
shown on Friday 8 September, Top Gun Maverick (12) on Saturday 9 and Grease (PG) on
Sunday 10. Apart from watching the movies this will also be an opportunity to see the gardens
after usual opening hours and experience the beauty of Dyffryn on a late-summer evening. You are
encouraged to bring a picnic blanket, your own food, perhaps a chair and to wrap up warm. Food
and alcohol will also be available at the venue. Doors open at 6.45pm with the films beginning at
8.15pm. Tickets from £15.50 need to be purchased in advance from Adventure Cinema.
As an alternative to all this you could always use your laptop, a projector and a homemade screen
to extend your evening entertainment outdoors by setting up an al fresco movie theatre in the
comfort of your own garden. Better still, there may be some enterprising Wenvoeites with amateur
dramatic leanings, willing to put on a garden production or two. If so, What’s On can always be
counted on to get the message out there!

 

 

Wenvoe FC at Station Road in 1975

WENVOE HISTORY

This is Wenvoe FC in the playing fields at Station Road in 1975. In the background is Whitehall quarry which was still producing stone at this time and to the left of photograph is the old cricket pavilion.

The old cricket pavilion . When the present village Scout Troop reformed in 1976 they used the building as their meeting place for around 6 months.

 

Why Not Visit Auntie?

WHY NOT VISIT AUNTIE?

What really goes on and has gone on at the BBC in Wales? There are currently two opportunities in Cardiff to delve into ‘Auntie’s’ past and present in the Principality. One is an exhibition at the National Museum and the other what seems to be a fascinating tour of the shiny new BBC headquarters in Central Square. So why not visit the exhibitions and find out more about ‘Auntie’ in Wales?

The first broadcast in Wales was on 13 February 1923 from the radio station 5WA at 19 Castle Street, Cardiff. So, to mark the centenary of the BBC in Wales the National Museum has put together an exhibition ‘BBC 100 in Wales’ which runs until 16 April 2023. The exhibition offers the experience of a walk through time to discover more about the history of the BBC in Wales and how 100 years of broadcasting has evolved.

There is an opportunity to see the technology, programmes and costumes of the past through objects and archive foot-age. Dr Who exhibits are much in evidence, along with items from recent programmes like ‘Sherlock’ and ‘His Dark Materials’. You can even relax in a 1970s living room and watch some Christmas TV. The exhibition has been co-developed with a group of young people to question the representation of communities on the BBC and how the future may evolve. ‘We want to hear from you, too – join the conversation’ they say and ‘tell us about your BBC memories and viewpoints on your visit to the exhibition. Tickets are free and available online or as daily walk-up visits. The museum opens at 10am and closes at 5pm, although it is now open until 9pm on the first Thursday of every month. Parking is available at the rear of the museum and costs £6.50 via a pay station accepting card payments only.

BBC Wales itself is providing an interesting opportunity to step into the future of broadcasting with a tour of the new headquarters in Central Square. ‘Ever wondered how sound effects are added to your favourite podcasts? Or what it’s like to read the news? Join our friendly guides for an exclusive behind-the-scenes award-winning tour of BBC Cymru Wales.’ BBC Central Square has received a coveted Visit Wales gold award for the quality of its tours, during which you visit one of the largest BBC newsrooms ‘packed with cutting-edge technology including augmented reality, virtual reality and robotic cameras.’

Each walking tour lasts approximately 90 minutes. As a live and working broadcast centre, no two tours are the same. Tours take place Thursday-Sunday with a choice of three times 10.30am, 12.30pm, 3pm. There are security checks before each tour. You are advised not to bring large shop-ping bags or rucksacks as BBC Wales do not provide cloakroom facilities for storing bags or lug-gage. Tickets can be purchased online with adult tickets priced £13, with students, those under 62 years and registered unemployed £10. Over 25s and disabled person tickets are £16.00. You can also get a family ticket (1 Adult and up to 3 children or 6 Adults and 6 children) £38.00

Incidentally no one quite knows where the BBC got the nickname ‘Auntie.’ The BBC written archives say that it was used in the 1950s to contrast BBC’s prudish, cosy and refrained image with that of the much brasher ITV. Another explanation is that it comes from the early days when BBC bosses, largely of middle class origins, demonstrated daily that they knew what was best for listeners and later on the viewers. This was derided by critics as the “Auntie knows best” syndrome. Hence the shortened version of “Auntie”. Another fun explanation is that it came from the term ‘Auntie Beeb’ used with mock-affection by the comic broadcaster Kenny Everett who likened the BBC’s repressed attitudes to those of a maiden aunt.

 

Pilgrimage On The Holy Mount Athos

A DAY OF PILGRIMAGE ON THE HOLY MOUNT ATHOS IN GREECE

I woke to the sound of a wooden semantron being beaten with a mallet, it was three in the morning and I was in a small dormitory in a Greek Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos. This was the call to prayer and as a pilgrim, I quickly dressed in warm clothes, as it was chilly before dawn, and made my way silently to the large church where the service of Orthros was soon to begin. As I left my room and entered the great cloister all was dark and silent, only moonlight guided my path. Historically this main service is held in the quietest time of the night as the monks then feel closer to God.

At the door of the church hung a great thick curtain, more like a rug or carpet. I moved it aside and it was just as dark on the other side. As my eyes became accustomed to the darkness, I could make out a faint glow and this guided me onwards. I knew that as a non-Orthodox Christian I was not allowed into the inner nave but could hear and join the service from the narthex to the rear. I took my place in one of the rows of stacidia or chairs and lowered the seat so I could sit before the service began. The light turned out to be coming from a small lamp fuelled with olive oil and soon a monk began with a general blessing and then a reading of one or more of the psalms. As he read so dark shapes appeared from left and right and moved slowly and silently in different directions. This was rather ghostly, but I later learnt that these were monks in their black flowing cassocks joining the service, and as they arrive they venerate or kiss, the icons and holy relics which are all around the church.

As the liturgy progressed so the numbers of monks and pilgrims grew, many candles were lit in massive candelabra and the volume of chanting and singing rose. It was very pleasant and restful, so much so that some of the older monks were dozing away and failed to stand at the appropriate times. This service is the last of the four-night offices or services, which also include vespers, compline, and midnight office. It begins at three and continues until dawn at about seven o’clock. This four-hour service is generally extended on Saint’s days and Sundays.

On leaving the church at the end of the service the monks and many pilgrims move to the refectory or trapeza where the main meal of the day is being served. This will be a substantial vegetarian meal. The table will be laid with mounds of fresh bread, salad, fruit and bottles of olive oil and vinegar. The platters of hot food soon arrive. There is water on the table as well as wine, though wine is not served on a fasting day. Feast days, on the other hand, see fish, octopus and even snails served as a treat. For those pilgrims who fail to get up for the service and wander down for breakfast, it is always a bit of a shock for them to find snails and wine on the table where they had ideas of eggs, bacon, toast and coffee.

After breakfast, the monks move off to their allotted tasks. Some may sit down to paint Icons, others will take to the fields as they aim to cultivate all their produce, while a few return to the kitchen to prepare the next meal. There may be fifty monks with an equal number of pilgrims. There are many mouths to feed.

Everyone comes together again for Vespers at about five in the afternoon. Unlike the Anglican church, there is some flexibility over the arrival time for services, but it is expected that one arrives before the censor comes around with his incense. Vespers is a relatively short service and as it ends everyone troops into the trapeza for the evening meal. This is eaten in strict silence as the duty monk reads from the book of the saints. When he shuts the book the meal ends, a bell is rung, and a prayer is said as thanks for the meal. As we leave the cooks are there to be acknowledged and the bell is ringing to call us to Compline the last service of the day. This too is a short service and when it is over everyone returns to their cells or dormitories, and movement in the cloisters is discouraged. As the sun sets the great wooden doors of the monastery are closed in a tradition that goes back a thousand years which was then to keep out any marauding Saracens. Exactly at sunset, which could be six or seven o’clock, the clocks are set to midnight as the monastery runs on Byzantine time. For the pilgrims whose watches are on European time, this can be confusing. It means that getting up at three in the morning is actually eight or nine o’clock monastery time which is why the “breakfast” served at twelve midday is a lunch meal rather than a breakfast! As I retire to write my diary, I dig out my bottle of ouzo and pour myself a generous helping, add the tap water, which is surprisingly cold, and settle down for the night..

Alun Davies

 

Wenvoe Advent Windows 2022

WENVOE ADVENT WINDOWS 2022

We hope that you all enjoyed visiting the Wenvoe Advent Windows in 2022. We were delighted with the mix of people who generously provided a display for everyone to enjoy, some of whom were included for the first time, others came back after taking a year out. However, the majority displayed a window for the third time.

We began on 1st December with a display of Santa’s Workshop, and went on to include, Reindeers in every shape and form, a Christmas Boutique, Crinoline Ladies, Pokemon and friends, Stars of every size, Animals in the snow, Charlie Brown at Christmas, Shepherds (with musical accompaniment), a Christmas train, Robins of all sizes, the Grinch, Christmas Trees displayed in many forms, Village winter scenes, Christmas hearths waiting for Santa, the Dove of Peace, Nativities in different forms and displays, and Gwenfo School incorporating their window with the School’s open air concerts and the service on Christmas Eve.

There were many ways in which displays were provided. Unusually there was a nativity made completely from recycled materials (no paint or embellishments), characters made with silhouettes, transparencies, many different styles of crafting

which must have taken a great deal of time and effort, and some displays extending outside the window.

Some windows were made by the house holders and others helped by children, grandchildren and neighbours. One in particular has kept part of her window display by her grandchild up throughout the three years! Our granddaughter in particular enjoyed this throughout the summer always checking when she is passing that it is still there.

A new idea this year included a story behind the display originating from a Ukrainian folk tale, that could be downloaded from a QR code in either English or Welsh. This Window was lit on 18th December and had 38 hits before Christmas Eve.

Indeed, as usual all the Windows were different, portraying the build up to Christmas and providing us all with an excuse to wander around the village, meeting others and enjoying everyone’s work and expressions of Advent and Christmas.

We are very grateful to all who provided a window and to all who have supported us in a variety of ways including planning, developing the map, promoting the event and encouraging one another.

 

Oxfam Shop Penarth

OXFAM SHOP PENARTH

Regular readers of What’s On will know that I have been volunteering with the Oxfam shop in Penarth for the last 13 years. My responsibility along with two other colleagues is the music section which includes vinyl records, sheet music, small musical instruments (working or broken), pre-recorded cassettes, gig posters, programmes, fanzines and tickets, CDs and old music magazines. Even shellac 78’s (that break easily) if anyone remembers those!

Vinyl records have become increasingly popular in recent years and the shop sells records of all genres-pop, rock, folk, jazz, easy listening, punk and classical. Vinyl is welcomed in all formats – LPs, singles and 12 inch.

The shop with its impressive music section has built up an excellent reputation for selling good quality second hand records and other music related items at fair prices. In the last financial year approximately £17,000 was taken in the music section which goes towards Oxfam’s work across the world.

My colleagues and I research all the donations to ensure that any donations that are received achieve the best possible price.,

Caroline Mumford the shop manager, said “Everyone at the shop has been very grateful to those Wenvoe residents who have made music donations over the last few years. We could not offer our loyal customers such a choice of records and make so much money without your help. Unfortunately at the moment our saleable donations have run really low. So we are appealing to anyone who has music related items that they no longer use to consider donating them to Oxfam here in Penarth”.

If you are a music fan please pop into the shop when you are in Penarth and have a browse around. You never know what you might find!

I live in Wenvoe so I can pick up any donations you may have from your house. Alternatively if you prefer you can contact the shop at 8 Windsor Road, Penarth to arrange a pick up. The shop number is 029 20706358. My number is 07895 157629.

Thank you

Nigel Billingham

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