Category: Wenvoe Forum

Energy Security

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

Why not build into the Community plan , – Energy Security

One of the potentially biggest problems facing us, here in the UK in the next couple of decades is the failure of our power generation and distribution network. The world around us has changed and will continue to change. Our National Grid, which was so efficient when created was designed to carry electricity from large generators to much smaller consumers and cabling, switches, controls etc reflect this structure with safety switches that blow if certain components are over stretched. The future is more likely to see small distributed generators feeding into the central system so the grid is upside down, back to front certainly, in some way, the wrong way round. Now the temptation is to give up and leave such matters to the Government, it is the long term strategic player, or is it? Governments have very short term 4/5 years of secure power to act, whereas the community may be here for generations. Setting Energy Security as a long term aim of the Community Plan informs the direction of travel, opens the way for perhaps a shared bulk purchase of solar panels, it’s a starting point and one which might be achieved.

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To join our Facebook group, please ‘friend up’ with the Gwen Fo ac-count @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1 and then jon the Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402

Some further information and updates, blog site https://wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/. Any Wenvoe community member is welcome to join the Forum meetings, via Zoom, which are normally held 19.00 on the second Thursday of each month. E-mail gwen-fo.forum@gmail.com if you wish to join

Our Future Health Project

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

“Our Future Health Project

Nearly 2,000.000 people have already joined, how about you? ”

Last month’s Forum article suggested that we as individuals can, given the right help and information, have a substantial impact on our own health. It also touched on bigger scale actions taken by Government at all levels and one such project is Our Future Health. This is the UK’s biggest health research programme ever. As the name implies it aims to collect information now which will improve health in the future. Through working with a mind blowing 5 million people, nearly 7.5% of the population, drawn from all sorts of background, the programme expects to discover and test more effective ways of detecting, preventing and treating disease. There has been much discussion over a number of years about the focus of the health service and the need to invest resources in such a way as to encourage a healthy, long lived population and not just treat the sick. Our Future Health is part of this change.

Diseases often start in the body long before symptoms are noticed, and by the time individuals present to the NHS, the disease has taken hold and has already done damage. Much of the workload for the NHS is treating people who are very sick and we should be very grateful that the free at the point of delivery NHS that we have is there for us in our time of need. How much better it would be if we didn’t reach that crisis point. Detecting disease at an earlier stage means that treatment can begin sooner and is often much less intrusive and more effective. To explore what to look out for at an earlier stage a collaboration between public, private and charity sectors is actively researching on what can only be described as a huge scale.

Our Future Health will encourage individuals to volunteer a little of their time and possibly a small sample of blood. It will be really important that those participants come from all over the UK and from all sorts of different backgrounds so that they represent different ethnic backgrounds, different economic situations, different geographical areas, those who do and don’t have existing health issues etc etc.

The first step is for individuals to set up an account and they will then be able to complete a health and lifestyle questionnaire. Information is provided about how the project looks after data and at all stages consent is required. At any point an individual can withdraw and the data is held in a way that means the individual cannot be identified. The project will bring all of a participant’s health records together and the individual will be invited to attend a clinic where they will donate a small blood sample and complete some questionnaires and tests. Participants receive £10 in recognition of their help. Some of the blood is tested immediately but some will be retained for testing in the future which will be very useful and may shorten the development time of new diagnostic tests, treatments or vaccines. This huge bank of information will be available to researchers in the UK and beyond.

Nearly 2 million people have already joined and much more information is available at website ourfuturehealth.org.uk. This is something you can do to help improve the future for the whole population.

Our Future Health is a charity and company ltd by guarantee and it is supported by UK Research and Innovation, life sciences companies and disease-related charities.

 

Community Planning – Don’t forget that on 23rd November you can come to the Community Centre to talk about the future of Wenvoe and how Local Government, Service providers and the community can set out together joint ambitions for the medium and long term. Setting a long term plan is not easy, sometimes a long term issue is easy to turn into a vision but sometimes it is easier to identify what you don’t want for the future of Wenvoe. Either way, call in on 23rd for a chat.

To join our Facebook group, please ‘friend up’ with the Gwen Fo ac-count @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1 and then jon the Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402

Some further information and updates, blog site https://wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/. Any Wenvoe community member is welcome to join the Forum meetings, via Zoom, which are normally held 19.00 on the second Thursday of each month. E-mail gwen-fo.forum@gmail.com if you wish to join

Ideas Pointing in the Right Direction

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

“Ideas Pointing in the Right Direction ”

I recently read an interesting blog about a private sector attempt to provide a route to changing the NHS from a megalithic organisation that treats people who are sick and injured into one whose primary task in to keep the population well. The entrepreneurial team have devised a package that offers appointments at which all the latest tech including a full body scan is employed to try to detect any potential problems early, allowing for treatment, lifestyle change or whatever is recommended should take place before too much damage is done. This is not part of the NHS and seems to be targeted at the reasonably well off 30+ age group. At £300 an appointment it is not hugely expensive but well out of reach for the NHS’s biggest client group for whom poverty affects many, many of the determinants of health such as poor housing, unhealthy diets, low paid jobs, etc etc. They will not be in the position to have one appointment, never mind the follow ups every 2 or 3 years that will probably be needed.

Whether these assessments are useful, even for the well off, I don’t know and the Forum is not recommending them, nevertheless; there is an underlying idea which seems to points in the right direction. Intervening much earlier in life and persuading individuals to make appropriate changes could reduce the incidence of so many conditions that are life limiting both in terms of length and quality.

As the Covid pandemic demonstrated so clearly public health is the responsibility of government at all levels using all the tools available from legislation through to advertising and the work of the “Nudge unit” now known as the Behavioural Insights Team. Their combined force would not have succeeded without the willing cooperation of the public. Vaccination programmes that have hopefully defeated smallpox and certainly turned Covid into something we could live with have been worldwide efforts. In the UK the campaign to reduce sickness and death related to tobacco smoking is succeeding but has taken decades so far and if we are to make the changes needed to turn the NHS oil tanker, we the public will have to contribute to our own health not only with our taxes but with actions and fairly swift action too. But what can we, here in Wenvoe actually do?

Some things we can do for ourselves like improving our diet. Let’s use this as an example. It sounds simple and it sounds personal but to achieve it some people need some help. Working families are time poor and it is so easy to fill the supermarket trolley with quick to prepare, highly processed food which is less healthy. If healthy food were to be available on their doorstep it might just make the difference and change their behaviour especially if it were at a reasonable price. For some it’s a case of not knowing what is healthy and what is not and often the information is not clear and as time goes by further research changes the message, so a regular set of health lectures might be useful.

 

But I write as someone in their 70s making a suggestion from my perspective and I acknowledge that what would work for me might not be right for others. If we, as a community, are to see change that will benefit us all then we must all put on our thinking caps and our action shoes.

There is an opportunity to shape an imminent Community Planning Exercise which will undertake its main survey in the New Year. From the beginning of October to the end of the year your thoughts and ideas about what important topics are to be included in the new community plan should be sent tocpe@wenvoecouncil.org.uk. This is a real opportunity to express how you would like life in Wenvoe to be in 5, 10, 15 years time. All aspects of community life can be considered, planning, services, resources, green spaces, ecology, wildlife, environment… Working together it is possible to achieve so much, and it can be fun too, so if you have ambitious plans lets hear them. The results of the last planning exercise can be seen on thewww.wenvoecouncil.org.uk website.

On November 23rd, the Community Council will be bringing together some other organisations for an open day to get the ball rolling on collecting ideas. See the next edition of WWO for more details

IT’S YOUR COMMUNITY!

LET’S HEAR YOUR VOICE!

HAPPY HOP GROWERS – In mid-September,5.55Kg of Wenvoe grown hops were delivered by Sian and Steve Jones to PIPES brewery in Cardiff, where they are already in the brew that will be this year’s community brew of Taff Temptress. The harvest was much better than 2023 so we have great hopes for our hops.

 

 

To join our Facebook group, please ‘friend up’ with the Gwen Fo account @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1 and then jon the Wenvoe Forum @ https:// www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402

Some further information and updates, blog site https:// wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/. Any Wenvoe community member is welcome to join the Forum meetings, via Zoom, which are normally held 19.00 on the second Thursday of each month. E-mail gwenfo.forum@gmail.com if you wish to join.

 

The Village Hop Harvest

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

“The Village Hop Harvest ”

Some readers will know that Sian and Steve Jones coordinate the Village HOP Harvest on behalf of the Wenvoe Forum. Our hops go to join a Cardiff community hop growing scheme that results in a beer called Taff Temptress. If you would like to join the hop growers then please get in touch via gwenfo.forum@gmail.com. Existing hop growers please read a message from Sian about this year’s harvest.

Hi village hop growers,

The hops have been a bit slow but I am sure like us you can see some flowering. We hope that you will be able to pick them on Friday 13th September for Steve to take them to Pipes Brewery on Saturday 14th. The Taff Temptress beer should then be ready three weeks later.

Like last year I don’t think we will have a huge crop but every little helps! We look forward to seeing you all on 13th September.

Sian and Steve Jones

 

To join our Facebook group, please ‘friend up’ with the Gwen Fo account @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1 and then jon the Wenvoe Forum @ https:// www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402

Some further information and updates, blog site https:// wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/. Any Wenvoe community member is welcome to join the Forum meetings, via Zoom, which are normally held 19.00 on the second Thursday of each month. E-mail gwenfo.forum@gmail.com if you wish to join.

 

Firstly, A Big Thank You

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

“The one that didn’t get away”

 

Firstly, a BIG THANK YOU to those that donated unwanted garden equipment, tools and plant pots to our SWAPS table at Tucker’s Spring Plant Sale, earlier in May. Our table quickly became tables, as we were inundated with donations including lawn mowers, hedge trimmers and an industrial tile cutter. Thanks also to the volunteers that helped run the stall and make it such a success. Donations from satisfied “swappers” added significantly to the overall total, with all proceeds going to the Wenvoe Wildlife Group (WWG).

It was a fantastic day, and we chatted about re-using, re-purposing and re-homing ideas with many local visitors. I thought I would share one tale from the day.

The one that didn’t get away…Mrs Sybil Green and her late husband Colin were founder members of the WWG. Sybil met Colin at university. They married after completing their degrees and moved to Wenvoe where Colin advised local farmers. On finding that many of the agricultural queries concerned legal issues, Colin subsequently went on to take a second degree, this time in law, so graduated both as a BSc and an LLB).

Sybil mentioned that Colin had been a keen fisherman in his spare time. She was in the process of tidying her garage and had recently found Colin’s old fishing tackle. A relative had told her that one of the rods potentially had a value. Sybil had been mulling over what to do with Colin’s angling equipment and kindly offered to donate the rod to support the WWG.

Google helped identify it as a Richard Walker designed 10 ft, two-piece Mark IV Avon split cane rod made by B James & Son, Ealing, London. A visit to Garry Evans tackle shop on Whitchurch Rd confirmed this, and that the freshwater rod was in good condition. The helpful folk at the shop put us in touch with a local collector of vintage rods, who lived in Sully. We contacted the collector, Mr Victor Bonutto, who expressed an interest in acquiring the rod and agreed to help identify it further and to value it.

Victor checked the rod and thought it had been made in the late 1950s, early 1960s. Sybil confirmed details of its history and it seems Colin’s grandfather may have bought it new, in Barnstaple, c. 1957, as a gift for Colin’s A Level success prior to going up to university

Victor agreed a purchase price with Sybil and is looking forward to using it, in local ponds, as a member of Glamorgan Anglers. He agreed to help identify Colin’s other equipment and subsequently offered to purchase a 1960s centre pin fishing reel and various floats and accessories. Sybil then kindly donated the total proceeds of the sale to the WWG.

Photo: Courtesy of Mr Victor Bonutto – ttaster@outlook.com: Colin’s rod, reel and floats alongside Victor’s collection of fish exhibitions.

Victor also agreed to find new homes for the other usable rods and reels via his contacts at local game fairs; possibly youngsters just starting out on the hobby. The remainder of the equipment will be re-used / re-homed via the local ‘tidy tip’ at Barry.

The tale(s) continue…Victor shared further interesting personal stories. He had caught his first fish in the Regents Canal, North London, in 1966, the same week as England won the World Cup at Wembley just a few miles away.

He became interested in collecting vintage fishing tackle as a youngster and it had become something of an obsession. He is one of the longest-running ‘fixtures’ of The Game Fair, at Blenheim Palace, having exhibited at the event for over 30 consecutive years.

Victor also collects late Victorian and early 20th century signs, typically produced using enamel on steel creating colourful and hardwearing forms of advertising, with some dating back more than 100 years. He has signs from all around the UK, advertising products including soap, chocolate and whisky. One of the signs in his collection was being used as a manhole cover and another as part of a garden fence. In June 2017, Victor curated an exhibition entitled “Sign of the Times” at the Penarth Pier Pavilion. He also remembers the Fry’s sign that used to be on the side wall of the old shop on Old Port Road. Sybil was able to tell him that this sign is still on exhibition locally in Wenvoe

Victor and his wife are both former Redcoats and met at the Barry Butlin’s resort. They’ve been together ever since.

Sources: Thanks to Sybil and Victor for their input and kind permission to relate their stories. Also, please remember the existing Facebook pages that already support the idea of reusing existing resources in the Village – the Wenvoe Recycling & Reuse Group @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870475136410648 and the Wenvoe Buy and Sell pages, @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/3019469164839088.Finally, a reminder that Wenvoe Forum members are focusing on ideas around the REUSE (including REPURPOSING and RE-HOMING) of various resources. Please keep an eye out for future activities, and join us or send messages on: Facebook: Gwen Fo @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1/ and Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402twitter @ForumGwenfo

 

 

Intriguing Ideas For Repurposing

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

“Intriguing Ideas For Repurposing”

 

 

A visit to the opticians this morning set me thinking. It was 2019, that I last had my eyesight checked. I do know the recommendation is that you go for a check-up every 2 years. I am sure that there were many more tests and checks carried out today than in 2019 even and reading the bottom line of the chart on the wall is a practice that has completely vanished now, to be replaced by machines that check for other health conditions detectable through your eyes. Thankfully this morning they found only slight changes in my prescription and nothing to worry about. However I did worry a little about “consuming” yet another pair of glasses. As I wear them only for reading/screen work or driving my specs tend to stay in pretty good condition. I do try to reuse frames but sometimes it is not possible and often there is a good reason to buy new ones. With several pairs in various drawers, no longer of use to me, I thought it time to do some recycling/reusing research.

As expected, avoiding using resources unnecessarily, by reusing old frames for your new prescription lenses is the best option. This of course supposes that you can manage without your glasses for a week or two while the new lenses are set in the old frame.

According to US charity “All about vision” around 1,000,000,000 people globally live with vision impairment that could be rectified by a pair of glasses that they can’t afford. Your old reading glasses are very likely to need no more than cleaning up for someone else to benefit from using them. Even lenses with complex prescriptions can be matched with patients by specialists. Opticians and charity shops often belong to schemes to reuse pairs of glasses where they are most needed, so take old ones with you when you have your check up, the optician’s recycling box starts with reuse. Any that can’t be used in this way will be broken down and their components reused or recycled appropriately.

As I was searching up popped information about what to do with your old mobile phone. Much of it was pretty standard recommendations but amongst all that there were some intriguing ideas for repurposing mobile phones. Here’s a few from the list, turn your old phone into:-

  • a security camera
  • a baby monitor
  • a web cam
  • an audio player
  • a GPS device
  • a remote control

 

and if you’ve had enough of those you can always make sure the phone is properly recycled by a reputable recycling company who will ensure reuse of the valuable, scarce components in particular.

And the Keys?

Well, with keys best of all keep them with the lock, then they will always be useful. Except of course, if lock and key are together they are not doing their security job. Inevitably you end up with keys that you have no idea what for. They are mostly metal and can join the metal scrap at the recycling centre, cut off any plastic covers first.

Keys, as symbols of abstract ideas find their way into in lots of creative artwork. How about considering a garden sculpture?

The key to being a successful minimal consumer is awareness and motivation. So here’s a suggestion how about arranging a collection in your street of the unwanted spectacles, or phones and volunteer to get them to the right recycle/reuse/repurpose project.

You will motivate others and repurpose yourself for a short while.

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To join our Facebook group, please ‘friend up’ with the Gwen Fo account @ https://www.facebook.com/ gwen.fo.1 and then jon the Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/ groups/635369267864402

Some further information and updates, blog site https://wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/. Any Wenvoe community member is welcome to join the Forum meetings, via Zoom, which are normally held 19.00 on the second Thursday of each month. E-mail gwenfo.forum@gmail.com if you wish to join.

“Fast Fashion”

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

“Fast Fashion”

Some time ago only the very rich could afford fashionable clothing made by a famous designer such as Gabrielle Chanel or Yves Saint Laurent and that to be a skilful seamstress and able to “copy” the designs was a very useful attribute, though of course matching the same fabrics was a different challenge. As the economy gradually grew after WW2 a bigger range of fashionable, (not designer) garments came within the reach of far more people. Now fast forward to the present when so called “Fast fashion” uses the abundant cheap labour in less economically prosperous countries and allows the fashion conscious to change their wardrobe 2 or 3 times a year.

It sounds like a very straightforward example of developing economies. We are mostly gradually getting richer and the consumption of resources seems almost to have become the reason for life. We know that climate is changing and that we must change our behaviour if our grandchildren are going to be able to live out their lives comfortably on Earth. But is the fashion industry an important target and what would we do anyway, we have to wear clothes!?

Well, a very short investigation on the world wide web will find you plenty of statistics that may surprise you. By some calculations, starting with the growing of crops and including the dying of materials and making up the final products, the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. It is the third most polluting industry, worse than aviation; clothes production is growing and the length of time garments are in use is getting shorter.

Rather than fill the page with negative statistics let’s concentrate on some positive ideas others have had.

Researchers from the University of Technology Sydney’s, Institute for Sustainable Futures in Australia suggest that we must aim to reduce our purchase of new clothing by a whopping 75%, buying clothes designed to last and recycling them at the end of their lifetime.

An Oxfam blog tells us that we buy more new clothes per head in the UK than the rest of Europe. To help convince you that you really can manage

with many fewer clothes there are campaigns in which you choose 10 items from your wardrobe and restrict yourself to wearing only these for a month. Apparently having done so you soon learn about coordinating colours and valuing garments that can be worn in different ways.

Recycling clothes through charity shops or fashion swops makes good sense. Some readers may remember the scrum at the beginning of a really good jumble sale to come up with a bargain.

A little skill with a needle and thread can open up all sorts of possibilities.

If there is really no other option a surprising range of natural and synthetic fabrics can be recycled into new fabric often using less energy than is used with new fibres.

We may yet return to older practices. I remember my arms aching as I held them up to be used to hold a skein of wool taut, as my mother unravelled a jumper so that the wool could be reknitted into something else.

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Many thanks to those who gave garden tools and pots to the Reuse table that Gareth and Glenys Stone organised at the Tucker’s plant sale. Not only were lots of items sent off to new homes, rather than the recycle unit, but donations made a healthy contribution to the overall proceeds for the Wild life group. We kept some of the less blemished pots with some plans for Christmas in mind.

Gwenfo.Forum@gmail.com or via Facebook: GwenFo@ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1/ and Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/ groups/635369267864402

We do hope that you find these ideas and tips useful.  Good luck with your gardening. Please keep a look  out for our other activities, and join us or send  messages on:

Facebook: Gwen Fo @ https://www.facebook.com/  gwen.fo.1/ and Wenvoe Forum @ https://  www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402  twitter @ForumGwenfo or e-mail –  gwenfo.forum@gmail.com

 

Focusing On The Reuse Of Various Resources

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

Focusing On The Reuse Of Various Resources

This year, the Wenvoe Forum members are focusing on ideas around the REUSE (including REPURPOSING) of various resources. As this year’s Tucker’s Spring Plant Sale takes place at the Wenvoe Church Hall soon (Saturday 11 May – 10 am), we thought it would be good to support them (and the Wenvoe Wildlife Group) by having a table offering surplus gardening tools, plant pots and equipment etc. – all looking for a new home. Amongst the other garden bargains there, you’ll be able to choose your plants, sit and have a cuppa and a chat and maybe buy a slice or two of Tucker’s home-made cake and brownies. It’s for a great cause, with all proceeds to the Wenvoe Wildlife Group!

We’ll also be raising awareness of a couple of existing Facebook pages that already support the idea of reusing existing resources – the Wenvoe Recycling & Reuse Group @ https://www.facebook.com/ groups/1870475136410648 and the Wenvoe Buy and Sell pages, @ https://www.facebook.com/ groups/3019469164839088.

Finally, in our linked article this week, a money saving idea in line with the gardening theme courtesy of the Royal Horticultural Society web pages.

How to REUSE spent compost…

It’s not uncommon to have spent compost at the end of each growing season, especially if you grow bulbs or bedding plants in containers. Rather than getting rid of this, which can be difficult and wasteful, there are a handful of ways to reuse it within your garden.

Quick facts…

  • Compost breaks down and compacts over time, so it needs enriching and mixing thoroughly before it can be reused for planting.
  • You may need to add fertiliser if reusing compost for hungry plants like roses

Using spent compost for mulching around established trees and shrubs is good

Getting started…

Soil and spent compost can’t usually be added to green waste bins but our local council recycling centres will accept it. However, finding ways to reuse it in your garden saves you time, money and effort.

The manufacture, transport and packaging of bagged compost has a large carbon footprint, so being able to use it again for growing plants helps save the planet and saves you the cost of buying new compost each time you replant.

What you’ll need to reuse spent compost:

  • Gloves
  • A board or sheet to tip the compost out on
  • Organic matter, like garden compost, leaf mould or well-rotted manure (if replanting)
  • Possibly some other fertiliser
  • A garden fork (if digging-in)
  • A shovel and a rake (if mulching)
  • Focusing On The Reuse Of Various Resources

Top Tip…

Tipping out old compost first lets you assess its condition and decide how best to reuse it. If you find vine weevil larvae when you empty your pots of spent compost, spread the mixture thinly on a tarpaulin or  hard standing and wait for the birds to eat the larvae  as a tasty treat. Once they’ve found them all, sweep up the compost and use as above.

Five ways to reuse spent compost  

1 – Add organic matter and use it again for  planting  

Tip out the spent compost, remove any large sections  of root and work it back to a smooth, fluffy texture  with your hands. Then add handfuls of organic matter,  like garden compost or well-rotted manure, to create a  mixture of around 70% spent compost to 30% new  organic matter. This mixture can now be used for  planting up containers.

2 – Improve your garden soil by digging-in spent  compost  

Though it won’t add much in the way of nutrients, it  will improve soil structure, helping with aeration and  drainage, and in turn will boost soil biodiversity.

3 – Mulch your beds and borders to lock-in  moisture and suppress weeds  

Use a shovel to pile the compost onto your beds and a  metal rake to spread it over the soil to a depth of  around 7.5cm (3in). Over time the mulch will be  worked in by soil organisms, thereby improving the  structure and health of your soil.

4 – Improve the appearance and health of lawns

  Add spent compost as a top dressing in autumn,  mixing it with sand and brushing or raking it into the  holes created by spiking (aerating). Spent compost  can also be used to even out dips and hollows when  repairing lawns.

5 – Boost an existing compost bin or start a new  one  

Even spent compost will contain a variety of soil  organisms that can be put to work breaking down  garden and kitchen waste. If you’ve got lots of spent  compost to add to your compost bin, do this in layers  between other waste. Adding spent compost to the  base of new bins can help kick start the composting  process.

Sources:  

How to reuse spent compost / RHS Gardening

We do hope that you find these ideas and tips useful.  Good luck with your gardening. Please keep a look  out for our other activities, and join us or send  messages on:

Facebook: Gwen Fo @ https://www.facebook.com/  gwen.fo.1/ and Wenvoe Forum @ https://  www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402  twitter @ForumGwenfo or e-mail –  gwenfo.forum@gmail.com

 

New Forum members are always welcome to join e-mail us e-mail gwenfo.
forum@gmail.com
Contact to us on :-Facebook: Gwen Fo @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1/
and Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402 or
twitter @ForumGwenfo
See our Blog site https://wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/

An Opportunity For You To Contribute Ideas

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO CONTRIBUTE IDEAS

Have you ever wondered why your Community Council or the County Council didn’t do something that you thought was obviously a good idea? Or perhaps you thought a plan was a bad idea or you simply identified something as “not good enough”? Please do not just sit back and let the thought fade, there is an opportunity for you to contribute ideas, don’t let that energy pass by.

The Wenvoe Rural Affairs Committee (WRAC) (of which Wenvoe Forum is one of the members) met on March 7th to share news, updates and plans for the future. The most important and exciting news was that the Vale of Glamorgan are revising their Development Plans for the County in a process comprising public consultation and engagement, starting with preparation of new Community Development Plans. The new 5-year Development Plan for Wenvoe is unlikely to advocate no significant change, so the team will need to document the activities and features that you want protected, further supported or newly created. What, in your view, needs improvement or termination and why? Work and meetings have already been undertaken on the higher level 15 year development plan for the Vale. The next stage is a showcase of a variety of projects to provoke imagination, probably in May. Community Engagement is key to success so prepare yourselves unless you simply do not care.

Note that some community councils have already revised their plans and obtained funding for development projects from VoG but more is available. Also note, that political and budgetary pressures are likely to drive changes from reactive management by community councils to a more proactive approach e.g. Owners of woodland including community councils might generate income for themselves / their communities by selling official carbon units to offset carbon usage in the world of low carbon or carbon neutral business. Doesn’t that make you wonder why our council has not taken over the local quarry and surrounding woodland. The recent felling of trees that were not all diseased was certainly a lost opportunity.

A quick poll of members of the Wenvoe Forum identified ideas regarding flood water, electricity generation, better use of water particularly grey water and usage of community land. You are bound to have additional ideas – please share them with WRAC or the Forum or on the community Facebook pages.

On a different note, the WRAC meeting had a presentation from the “Restore the Thaw Landscape”. That certainly inspired me to find their web page – on Facebook.

You might think that Aberthaw is distant from Wenvoe but the project has already financed work for improvement of countryside and streams that are tributaries to the Thaw.

Restore the Thaw Landscape is an exciting new project which will deliver biodiversity improvements in the catchment area of the River Thaw in the Vale of Glamorgan. The project is being funded by the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Project Zero, the Waterloo Foundation and Nature Networks, a fund delivered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund on behalf of Welsh Government and in partnership with Natural Resources Wales.

Restore the Thaw Landscape aims to benefit local wildlife, landowners and the community, and will provide various opportunities for organisations, community groups, and volunteers to help with the conservation work. More detail on line:

https:// www.facebook.com/people/Restore-The-Thaw- Landscape-Project

Wouldn’t it be great if Wenvoe had a project like this that brought the community together and had benefits for everyone. Get your thinking caps on!

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To join our Facebook group, please ‘friend up’ with the Gwen Fo account @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1 and then jon the Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402

 

 

New Forum members are always welcome to join e-mail us e-mail gwenfo.
forum@gmail.com
Contact to us on :-Facebook: Gwen Fo @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1/
and Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402 or
twitter @ForumGwenfo
See our Blog site https://wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/

February Forum

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

REFUSE, REDUCE, REUSE, REPURPOSE, RECYCLE

Just when we had all got accustomed to looking on the Wenvoe Community Facebook page for Glenys Tucker’s reminder about what recycling to put out and whether its black bag day, there is more, much more to think about. It seems there are 4 Rs before we even get to recycling and this year the Forum has decided to focus on the theme REUSE and we include REPURPOSING within that. We’ll be trying to find opportunities to lighten the load for the recycling teams on their visits to Wenvoe. To kick us off I asked forum members to give me some good examples.

The first things that came to mind were children’s toys, and of course with that the need to be safety conscious. Toys need to be in good condition and well cleaned. Both givers and receivers have responsibility here in ensuring safety.

“Toys these days are expensive especially when you buy well-known brands; children often grow out of them as toys have to be age appropriate. While we live in this era of technology, more and more children turn to iPad and computer games, but in our house, we encourage time with toys.

In the current economic climate to pick up a bargain in a charity shop or a table top sale is so rewarding. Not only does a new child benefit from the toy and its learning, but the charity shop gains too.

“We are fortunate that people in the village often sell or give toys away, I have been lucky to pick up lots of items like wooden puzzles, books, trucks, garden toys to name a few. I then pass them on to others.” You can either sell or give items away by advertising in What’s On or put it onto the Wenvoe Community Support Group Facebook page. Both are free adverts placed easily on the internet. Baby Basics in Barry have a Facebook page appeal for things such as buggies and Moses Baskets. They donate to young mothers referred via midwives or social services.

“In parts of Australia they have a wonderful method of passing used and unwanted items on to their neighbours. They place unwanted goods on their driveway on a designated morning, neighbours walk around and take what they need. Any uncollected goods are brought in before the following day.”

Plastic plant pots should definitely be reused precisely for the purpose intended. Pass them on to the school, new gardeners, busy gardeners to be washed to avoid contamination before being reused.

“My metal indoor rubbish bin is looking a bit worn. When I replace it I shall save the inner black plastic bin as it’s nice and deep and I will attempt to grow

parsnips.

The humble toothbrush seems more like a magic wand. Did you ever imagine that there would be so may ways to repurpose one.

As with the toys hygiene is vital. We stick them in the cutlery basket in the dishwasher to start with, then they go into the pot by the sink with all the other brushes and cloths until all their bristles are completely squished.

Follow the directions for Milton (other brands are available!) and they can be re-used for a short while on dentures, removable braces, sporting mouth guards etc

We use them for brushing the cats’ faces – they love it and it cleans around their eyes and ears also between the pads on paws. As with all pet brushes, do not use the same brush for both eyes in one grooming session, and clean/disinfect, then dry them thoroughly in between each use.

Then there’re all those little places that they can get into to clean in the house – around taps, inside bottles and fiddly equipment like coffee machines, the choices are myriad, once you start they become an essential!

Kids crafts and brushes for experimental painting effects!

Cleaning running, golfing, football and rugby boot, spikes or cleats, walking boot treads.

Then there are the uses in the garden! You can pull out the bristles with pliers if you like, using a twisting motion, and they become dibbers for seeds and small plants.

Our toothbrushes are also bamboo and so can be used to write on for plant labels.

A household essential, that can be reused time and time again! “

 

New Forum members are always welcome to join e-mail us e-mail gwenfo.
forum@gmail.com
Contact to us on :-Facebook: Gwen Fo @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1/
and Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402 or
twitter @ForumGwenfo
See our Blog site https://wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/

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