Category: New Items for September 2025

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A Thriving, Sustainable Community

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

Wenvoe – A Thriving, Sustainable Community

Nestled in the heart of the Vale of Glamorgan, Wenvoe is a shining example of what it means to be a sustainable and connected village. Here, community spirit and environmental care go hand in hand, creating a vibrant and welcoming place for all ages.

Wenvoe boasts three vibrant village halls, each a hub of activity throughout the year. From fitness classes and arts and crafts to community meetings and seasonal celebrations, there is always something happening. Children and toddlers are well catered for too, with opportunities such as dance sessions, Scouts, and other youth activities. These welcoming spaces bring people of all ages together, helping to keep the village lively, inclusive, and full of community spirit.

The Library Hub, not only provides books and resources but also houses a friendly community café. Regular events include a Toddler group; a Wellbeing Group, visits from our PCSOs and much more. Local talks, and day trips are organised from the Hub, helping residents to stay connected and engaged.

Sustainability thrives through the work of the Environmental Group, who care for public spaces, and the Wildlife Group, which manages a nature reserve, four community orchards, and an orchid field, a community woodland plus a wildlife garden in the school grounds. From conservation work to wildlife walks and foraging events, they encourage everyone to connect with and protect local biodiversity.

The Wenvoe Forum acts as a hub for community dialogue and practical action on climate and environmental issues. It brings together residents, organisations, and volunteers to explore sustainable living, share ideas, and shape a greener future for the village. The Forum worked closely with the Community Council during the preparation and launch of the Wenvoe Council Community Plan. It played an active role in promoting the plan to residents, ensuring that as many people as possible were aware of its aims and proposals.

The Wenvoe Hops Group is an initiative where residents grow hops in their gardens and allotments. Each autumn, these are harvested and collected to be brewed into a special village beer in partnership with a local brewery – a symbol of both community collaboration and sustainable, local enterprise.

Education and inclusivity are key pillars of Wenvoe life. Gwenfô Church in Wales Primary School nurtures every child’s talent within a caring, Christian environment where happiness, safety, and respect come first. St Mary’s Church also plays a central role, welcoming all to its Anglican services and village events.

For everyday essentials, the village shop and post office offer a warm welcome and a range of services, while several pubs, restaurants, and the golf club – complete with a thriving croquet membership – provide places to relax and socialise.

The community calendar is always full, with annual village fetes, Christmas fairs, plant sales, a monthly farmers’ market, and a repair café, all of which support sustainability and local enterprise.

To keep everyone informed and included, the monthly What’s On magazine is delivered throughout the village, packed with news, upcoming events, and stories from local groups – a testament to Wenvoe’s commitment to strong communication and a shared sense of place.

What makes Wenvoe truly special is that most of these initiatives are run by volunteers, demonstrating a collective dedication to caring for both people and place. With its mix of nature, culture, and community spirit, Wenvoe is not just a village – it’s a model of sustainable living.

Forum Group

A challenge – When the above article was offered as our regular contribution we felt pleased to live in such a nice place, full of activities and more conscious, on the whole, of the need to adapt to Climate change in small and large ways. However there are no doubt, gaps that could be filled. Let us know what!

Are there any activities that you would like to join in that are not available in Wenvoe, that might be easy to put on. Or is there some service that would make life easier for you or perhaps a practical course that you would like to do. Send us your suggestions. Gwenfo.forum@gmail.com

Attention Hop Growers

It is likely that along with many other crops the hops will be ready early. Simon, the brewer at Pipes has moved the hop picking and collecting dates forward a week to the 5th and 6th of September. Sian and Steve will be at home ready to receive your hops and then just make one environment friendly trip to take them into Cardiff. Many thanks to them for their work in coordinating this every year.

To join our Facebook group, please ‘friend up’ with the GwenFo 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 gwen-fo.forum@gmail.com if you wish to join

Abbey Dore

Abbey Dore

Abbey Dore

This walk took us to Herefordshire, where we parked outside Dore Abbey. Crossing the road a footpath went south across quite a steep field and signposts indicated that we were on the Herefordshire trail. Ewyas (pronounced you us) Harold Common presented us with a plethora of footpaths through dense, high bracken. Woodland areas have a tree canopy which is mainly English oak, silver birch, ash, sycamore, field maple and wych elm.

The common covers 50ha on a plateau above Herefordshire’s Golden Valley. Parts of the common are bounded by ancient sunken lanes, and other parts by medieval parish boundaries. All the common British reptiles have been found here including slow-worms and common lizards. A spring that rises on the common, through limestone outcrops, is known as St Martin’s well and it supplied water to many generations of people living close to the well. Several old boundary stones mark the border between Ewyas Harold and other parishes.

Emerging onto a hard track we could hear a horse and were surprised to see a lone horse with no rider trotting down the track. It seemed to follow us, but in a while the rest of the herd were spotted grazing on the common and the puzzle was solved.

We had views of the surrounding hills and the rolling English countryside. We passed through Ewyas Harold village where the primary school displayed a colourful wall of tiles created by the school pupils in 2017. The village boasted two pubs, a butcher, post office and other businesses. Outside one house ‘the old malthouse witch no. 29’ made from twigs, stood guard and fruit, vegetables and flowers were for sale with an honesty box.

Just outside the village a noticeboard declared that we were at the remains of Ewyas Harold Castle, which is believed to have been built by the Saxons before the Norman conquest. Today only earthworks remain. Nearby ‘Old King Street farm’ has holiday cottages where it is possible to walk with llamas.

Now we walked west and came across clusters of unusual fungi on large old trees. Herefordshire boasts a high concentration of ancient oak trees due to a combination of historical land management practices and the favourable conditions for oak growth in the region. Specifically, the Norman Conquest in 1066 led to the establishment of deer parks and royal forests, which, while intended for hunting, inadvertently preserved ancient oaks. These areas with their woodland and grazing practices, provided ideal habitats for oaks to thrive and reach great age.

The day had heated up and as we approached a trough, Misty – a spaniel decided it was time for a dip and instead of just taking a drink jumped into a trough. She gave us all a laugh.

We passed Dulas Court, originally a 16th century house; it was rebuilt in the mid-19th century and incorporates some of the original house – oak panels, Norman doorway. The original church was demolished and the site cleared to make a lawn! It is now a care home.

There is a dilapidated church down the road (closed and barriers surround it) where we stopped for lunch. The churchyard had a row of identical gravestones each of which was dedicated to a musician. They all died in the 1980s in their 80s and 90s; we wondered about their story. A military 1940s grave of someone from the Hereford regiment is pristine.

Now we entered a nature reserve and found ourselves climbing over some very high, slightly rickety, ladder stiles. After walking across open grassland, we realised why as a herd of deer ran in front of us!

A brief walk along the road past Abbey Dore Court brought us back to the beginning of our walk and the highlight of the day, Dore Abbey. There is free access, and we spent some time exploring the magnificent church. Established in 1147, it was founded by Cistercian monks from Morimond, France. The Abbey was dissolved in 1536, but Dore is the only Cistercian Abbey in the country still used for worship as a Parish church. The original medieval altar was found on a local farm being used for salting meat and making cheese. The Abbey expanded its land holdings, particularly through the acquisition of good quality farmland granted to them by King John in 1216. This enabled the Abbey to become wealthy especially through the sale of wool. It is well worth a visit.

A return to Ewyas Harold by car enabled us to enjoy refreshments in one of the village hostelries after a satisfying day.

Walk 6.7m 915ft Map OL13

 

Ian Moody And Gwenfô Gynt

 THE WENVOE HISTORY GROUP

IAN MOODY AND GWENFÔ GYNT

It was sad to hear of Ian Moody’s passing as we have lost a positive influence on village life, a man with many achievements, one of which included recording the rich and varied local history of Wenvoe. Soon after we moved to Wenvoe in 1995 I met up with Ian as we shared an interest in local history and as a newcomer, I wanted to know more about the village we were now living in. Meeting regularly with like-minded local residents, Ian led a committee to plan, write and finance the publications the group wanted to produce which would comprise Ian (chairman), myself (secretary) and Eira Jervis (treasurer) with Brian and Gillian Hopkins and Allan Jenkins.

The Wenvoe past and present map, a millennium project and our first publication, was illustrated by Roger B. Davis.

This was followed in 2000 by the booklet; Wenvoe Past & Present: Local History and Descriptive Walks Around the Village and Surrounding Areas. As well as line drawings, this had some photographs but we were keen to get out a fuller photographic history of Wenvoe and this was realised with Wenvoe and Twyn-Yr-Odyn published by Tempus Publishing Limited as part of their Images of Wales series in 2003.

The next booklet was inspired by, and drew from the work of, Margaret Greenwood who had organised the recording of those who had lived through the second world war in the village, this was Wenvoe at War: Personal Memories of Life in Wenvoe During the Second World War (2010).

Before this Brian and Sandra Jones joined the group with contributors including Una McElveen, whose father was Hubert James Williams (his name is on the Wenvoe war memorial, but spelt in the booklet as Herbert). Lastly, in terms of publications, was a short history leaflet to the churches in the parish of Wenvoe with St Lythans available for those visiting the church. Some of the royalties from the Wenvoe and Twyn-Yr-Odyn book went to Wenvoe School to purchase a ‘friendship’ bench there.

The books/booklets carried the ‘Gwenfô Gynt – The Wenvoe History Group’ logo, which was based on the distinctive house gable bracket which can be seen on the Wenvoe Castle estate houses around the village. In addition, we organised an annual History Group talk in the Community Centre with talks ranging from Brunel, the Second World War and why ‘Heritage Matters’, but Covid, as with many things, disrupted us.

Gwenfô Gynt – The Wenvoe History Group, has been around for some twenty-five years, is there an appetite to continue?

At this year’s Village Show I intend to have a presence. Copies of the Wenvoe map will be available at a nominal charge, with a contribution to the Village Show fund as well as copies of the booklets Wenvoe Past & Present and Wenvoe at War, and I would be pleased to hear your views. One idea is that we use any booklet income and the group’s remaining funds to commission a permanent display panel in the village. This in fact was the last history group matter I discussed with Ian so it would be a fitting conclusion to what, with Ian’s passing, is the end of a chapter.

Stephen K. Jones

 

Beavers, Cubs and Scouts – Are Thriving

 

Beavers, Cubs and Scouts – Are Thriving

1st Wenvoe

I am pleased to let you know that all three sections – Beavers, Cubs and Scouts – are currently thriving in Wenvoe. We have some new Leaders to join those who have been part of the group for a while. Of course, we can always use new volunteers both to work with the young people and to support the group and we do need a Treasurer to oversee the finances from our current incumbent.

In the summer we had a recap of the year and all the amazing things that the young people had done from hiking and outback cooking through to crafts and games. Outings included bouldering and visits to the Fire Station and Airport. The Scouts visited the Fish and Chip shops to find out which had the best chips and earned a Fish Supper from the winning group. All this, while learning new skills developing teamwork, getting badges and having fun.

As there are limited clubs or activities offered to the boys and girls locally, I am pleased that we have not had to suspend any of the sections due to a lack of volunteers. The beauty of Scouting is that it offers a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities that the young people and the volunteers can enjoy and adopt for their own interests.

I know that I, as a Beaver Leader for 20 years, learnt a lot from the experience. Yes, some of the sessions were challenging, but those where few and far between; the joy on the young faces and the friendship of the other leaders made it worthwhile.

I know my own children also enjoyed the experiences offered. They still enjoy camping holidays, following their experiences particularly in Scouts, under the leadership of Skip, Ian Moody. Sadly, Ian died recently after a short illness. He had been involved in the Wenvoe Scouts for over 40 years, and the Group owes him a huge thank you.

Let me know if you are interested in getting involved in the Wenvoe Group.

Jane Fenton-May, President

jfm@fenton-may.org

 

Wenvoe Village Show

WENVOE VILLAGE SHOW AT THE CHURCH HALL
SATURDAY 6th SEPTEMBER

This is Wenvoe’s own local show and offers an excellent opportunity for some friendly, fun competition. Will your fruit and veg be the talk of the village? Is your baking a triumph? You don’t have to be an expert, you just need to enter. The show is limited to entries from people who live in the Wenvoe community (Wenvoe, Twyn-yr-Odyn, St Lythans and Dyffryn) and children who are residents of Wenvoe or attend the village school.
Entries to be registered at St Mary’s Church Hall between 8.30 and 11 am on Saturday morning (for those who have other commitments on Saturday morning there will be a limited time slot to register entries between 6 – 7.30pm on Friday evening 5th September but this will NOT include culinary entries). The hall will then be closed between 11 am and 1.30 pm. for the judging to take place. The public will be welcome to come and view the exhibits between 1.30pm and 4pm. From 3pm – 4pm there will be a chance to sample the culinary entries for yourself. There will be a good quality raffle, and this will be drawn at 3.30pm. If you have a prize that you could give we should be very grateful.
If you wish to reclaim your entries they should be collected between 4 and 4.30pm but please note that items entered in the culinary categories will be offered for public tasting and will not be eligible for collection unless there is any left at 4pm. Entry fee – £1 for the first entry and 50p for all subsequent entries per person. You may enter as many sections as you wish but the maximum number of entries per person in any one section of a category is two. Items entered in previous Wenvoe Village Shows are acceptable but only if they have previously failed to win a prize. If you would like to help on the day or have any queries, please speak to Mike or Glenys Tucker.
Weather permitting there will be refreshments available outside all day.
The categories are listed below.

Exhibit Categories

 

 

Supporting Cancer Research Uk & Marie Curie


Valeways Walks August 2025

 

 

 

So what do Valeways strollers get up to when they’re not walking in the Vale in all weathers? They sit in a garden, and chat, and eat delicious cakes (and corned beef pies) and relax, and raise an AMAZING £600 for Cancer Research UK and Marie Curie Hospice in Penarth. Well done!

When The Battle of Britain Came To Wenvoe

WHEN THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN CAME TO WENVOE

September brings the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. While the events are mostly associated with the southeast of England, the Vale of Glamorgan played an important part in the victory over the Luftwaffe. The Vale villages, including Wenvoe, also found themselves directly affected.

On 31st March 1943, a Supermarine Spitfire on a vital training mission from RAF Llandow crashed near Old Wallace Farm on the outskirts of Wenvoe. Approaching Wenvoe, the pilot, Sgt John Wilson Craighead, suddenly noticed that the plane’s fuel was very low. He decided to attempt an emergency landing but unfortunately hit a dense bank of fog. Seeing a gap he opted for a forced landing. Unfortunately, the area was particularly littered with electricity pylons and telegraph poles and after choosing what appeared to be a suitable field, the plane struck a pole partially hidden with ivy within a thick hedgerow. This sheared off one of the wings, spinning the aircraft into the adjacent field. Only slightly injured, Sgt Craighead was able to extract himself from the plane and get help from nearby Wallace Farm.

Like many others who trained in the Vale for fighting the Luftwaffe, Sgt Craighead was a ‘kiwi’ from the Royal New Zealand Airforce. There were pilots from many nationalities trained at St Athan, Llandow and Stormy Down. They came from all over the Commonwealth and many other countries such as Poland. There were even a handful of American pilots, one who survived after colliding with another Spitfire from the same unit, ditching into the sea off St Athan in February 1943.

Pilots were in many ways more important than the Spitfire planes. It was vital for pilots to practise for all manner of scenarios, particularly dog-fights. This made the training difficult and dangerous. With the average life expectancy of a pilot at only four weeks and an urgent demand for new recruits, the RAF cut the training time from six months to just two weeks. Some recruits saw action with as little as nine hours experience. Not all Llandow and St Athan pilots survived training crashes. An RAF Spitfire flown by 22-year-old Sgt DG White, dived out of formation from high altitude and crashed near the Greendown Inn, St George’s Super-Ely. Sgt White was killed and buried in his hometown of Paignton. On 6th February 1943, a Spitfire broke up in the air over Bonvilston, with some wreckage reaching fields in Pendoylan. Flying Officer Neville Alexander Thomas Fleming unfortunately lost his life and was buried in Llantwit Major Cemetery alongside many others. Another was Sergeant Marion Arthur Plomteaux killed when his Spitfire spun into the ground near Marcross during a practice dogfight.

While Landow and St Athan are well known, there were also two other similar training bases in South East Wales. RAF Stormy Down, which was located near Pyle, Bridgend, opened in 1940. ‘Stormy’ began as an armament training school for the RAF and when they left firstly the French and later American forces were stationed there. Flying ceased in August 1944 due to the dangerous grass landing strip. On the site of Swansea Airport was RAF Fairwood Common. Constructed on what was basically a bog and used for pilot training, it fulfilled a variety of military roles from June 1941 until the end of the war.

If you are interested in aircraft, you might like to visit the South Wales Aviation Museum in St Athan. The museum prides its commitment to a hands-on approach for visitors. You can, for example, clamber into the cockpit of a Tornado and get inside an old Royal Navy Sea King helicopter. You can also get up close to the cockpit of a Russian MiG 29 as well as the flight deck of a Boeing 707. SWAM volunteers can explain the story behind the museum, the planes and other exhibits such as World War II memorabilia. The museum, which has a café and gift shop, is currently open at weekends 10am to 4:30pm, although it is hoped to extend this for special events. Now well established, the museum relies on donations from visitors for funding (suggested £5 per person

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