Category: News

May 2024 Report

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

May 2024 Report

There have been a couple of reports this month of issues with Rogue Traders.

Avoiding Rogue Traders Advice:

  • Be cautious; if a trader knocks at your door, do not agree to on the spot house repairs without taking advice. Say ‘no thank you’ and close the door.
  • Be wary of special offers. They will use tactics such as ‘I am only in your area today and would need to do the work now’.
  • Do not believe when told that guttering, roofing, gardening or paving work is in need of urgent repair – this may cause you to panic and allow the work to take place.
  • Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into agreeing to have work carried out. If you ask them to leave and they don’t, they are committing a criminal offence – contact the police on 999.
  • Do not make snap decisions. If you feel that any work needs carrying out on your property, take time to talk to family or neighbours before you make a decision.
  • Don’t ever go to a bank or cash point with a trader; legitimate traders would never do this!

 

Jackie Gauci

N.H.W. Secretary/Treasurer

Book Review by Tony Hodge

Harmony Express by Thomas Bird

The book being reviewed was penned by a local author and so should resonate with Wenvoe residents. Although he was born and raised in Penarth, his parents Bernice and Bob Bird moved to the village some years ago and when he returns from his base in east Asia, it is to Wenvoe that he comes. He writes for the South China Morning Post and the Taipei Times, and he has contributed to many travel books including the Rough Guides to the Philippines, Thailand and China.
That’s the introduction, here’s the review.

This is a wonderfully descriptive travel book that deals not only about the author’s travels in China by rail, but how he opens up the whole China experience about the people he travels with or encounters along the way and their beer, food, pop music, a bit of romance here and there – the whole package in fact. He compares and contrasts the ultra-modernity of the new mega-cities with the almost feudal existence in the rural areas. And when he gets to Tibet, well what a world he describes for us.
Soon after starting to read the book, and knowing next to nothing of this vast country, I decided that I needed a map to put the places mentioned into geographical context. After some research I lit upon the Periplus Travel Map of China (published in Singapore) which assisted me enormously.
And what journeys Bird takes us on as he traverses the rail network (and by bus where there is no railway). He treats us with his insights about the most overwhelming of the new megalopolises to the somewhat edge of existence habitations elsewhere. It matters not that some of these rail routes were initially constructed by the French in their Indo China Empire days or along the super highspeed maglev show stoppers at the cutting edge of modernity.
He presents a writing style that blends the narratives of genre defining travel writers – from Bill Bryson’s laugh out loud to the offerings of others: Bruce Chatwin (What Am I Doing Here) and Paul Theroux (The Great Railway Bazaar). It is to be noted that both of the latter wrote about the region as it existed some decades earlier, so another compare and contrast exercise naturally ensues. And if this book goes into a second edition, then I suggest that it includes a map of the salient cities and some photographs.

Tony Hodge

AGM – Tuesday 11 June At 7.00pm


Wenvoe Village Hall

AGM – Tuesday 11 June At 7.00pm
ALL ARE WELCOME

Wenvoe Village Hall was given to the villagers of Wenvoe over 100 years ago and has always been managed by groups of volunteers who form a committee and meet on a monthly basis to ensure the hall and grounds are kept in good condition and any health and safety issues are addressed so the hall can continue to thrive and be an asset to our village.

We currently have a play group who meet daily during each school term, we have groups including dance for all ages, keep fit, pilates and badminton groups.

All these groups meet during afternoons, evenings and weekends. We also hire the hall out for children’s parties, wedding parties and similar events which all help with fund raising for the upkeep of the hall.

If you would like to keep this excellent provision in the centre of our village, please consider joining us as without a committee, the land will be given back to the landowner to build who knows what?

If you are interested in offering your support please let us know by emailing: wenvoevillagehall@yahoo.co.uk or just come along to our AGM on 11 June 2024.

 

 

Glamorgan Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers

Glamorgan Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers

The Glamorgan Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers is a vibrant community of craft enthusiasts who share a passion for weaving, spinning, and dyeing. Established in 1978, this guild is affiliated with the Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers. Their members meet regularly to discuss and promote these traditional crafts. Whether it’s weaving intricate patterns, spinning yarn, or experimenting with natural dyes, the guild provides a friendly and social environment for skill-sharing and learning. If you’re interested in these crafts, you might want to explore their workshops and gatherings!

Saturday 15th June 10am till 4pm. Glamorgan Guild of weavers, spinners and dyers at the community centre.

 

 

 

Three Times A Day In Turin

THREE TIMES A DAY IN TURIN

Don’t tell your dog, but in the Italian city of Turin it is a legal requirement to walk your pet at least three times a day. In Wenvoe it seems, our love of pets has never been greater and we have no need for such a law with ‘walkies’ commonplace most times of the day, providing many an opportunity for owners to catch up on the latest gossip and escapades of their ca-nine charges.

With a population in 2021 of 2,752, a rough and ready calculation based on recent surveys, suggests that there could be 300 dogs in our village! A survey in March 2023, commissioned by ‘Dogs Trust’, revealed that around 27% of adults own a dog and 36% of households. Swindon had the highest dog ownership per thousand people in the UK with 316.48. The survey revealed that pet ownership levels generally peaked to an unprecedented high of 62% in 2022, likely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and increased time spent at home. The majority of owners (65%) ac-quired their pets when dogs were under 1 year of age. Less than 5% of dogs were acquired when considered ‘senior’ (around 8 years of age and older). Dog owners it seems are happy to pay top dollar for their new ‘best friend.’ The majority of respondents paid between £250 and £1,000 for their dog. However, just over 15% were prepared to fork out between £1000 and £3,000 for their new pet. Currently, the most common breeds are the Labrador, Cocker Spaniel/Poodle and Jack Russell terrier.

Did you know?

In an interview in 2013, Paul McCartney said that he added a frequency only dogs can hear to the end of the Beatles song ‘A Day in the Life’ which was by co-incidence also mentioned in last month’s front cover story about potholes. Anyway, watch your dog when you play the song!

Did you know that three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic; all apparently in first class? The dogs included a Pomeranian puppy – which her owner wrapped in a blanket to es-cape with, and everyone thought she was carrying a baby. Another Pomeranian and a Pekingese were also rescued.

Not only do we love our dogs, but increasingly owners are proudly entering them in dog shows. As reported in April’s What’s On, Wenvoe’s Carolyn Horton won the Dog Obedience category at Crufts in 2022 and came second in this year’s competition. The Vale of Glamorgan Agricultural Show usually provides such an opportunity. This year’s show returns to Penllyn on Wednesday 7th August. Further afield the South Wales Kennel Association has its four day show at the Royal Welsh Show ground, Builth Wells on 10th October.

Not everyone of course loves dogs. Dog fouling tops many people’s list of concerns regarding problems found on the streets. Responsible dog owners do not need reminding that it is an offence not to remove any faeces deposited by their dog. The Vale council warn that if you fail to pick up after your dog you could be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £75 or be prosecuted which could result in a fine of up to £1,000.’ Clearly, dog faeces as well as urine, can cause health issues for those who come into contact with it. Less seriously, though often annoyingly, it can have a bad effect on private lawns. Bitches in particular, cause the greatest damage, because they tend to urinate in one spot, rather than dogs who tend to mark many spots and pass small amounts.

Barking can also be a problem. However there is a solution. You can move to Little Rock, Arkansas where a local law prohibits dogs from barking after 6 pm!

Welsh Traditions 2 Calan Mai – May Day

WELSH TRADITIONS 2 CALAN MAI – MAY DAY

In the old Celtic Year, the summer season consisted of the months of May, June and July so the first day of May was also the first day of summer. The Welsh name for July – Gorffennaf – testifies to this as the word actually translates as ‘the end of summer’ ( gorffen – end + haf – summer). The Welsh word ‘Calan’ translates as ‘the first day of’ – thus the Welsh equivalent of May Day is Calan Mai.

Like May Day in England and Walpurgis on the Continent, Calan Mai was an important time for celebration in Wales – and the roots of this festival go far back into our Celtic past – to the Beltane festival (various spellings) which celebrated the coming of summer and the time when the animals were turned out to pasture. Beltane was one of the four main seasonal festivals of the Celtic year – the other three being Imbolc (February 1st), celebrating the coming of Spring, Lughnasadh (1st August), celebrating the beginning of the harvest season (autumn) and Samhain (1st November), celebrating the end of the harvest season and marking the first day of winter.

During the Beltane celebrations the lighting of bonfires represented an opportunity for purification, to protect the animals from disease – and they also celebrated fertility and new growth. And the tradition of lighting bonfires continued down the centuries and was associated with Calan Mai – as with Calan Gaeaf (the first day of winter – November 1st) of course. The celebrations and revelry started on the eve of Calan Mai – and history tells us that here in Wales, May Day Eve was even more important than May Day itself. It was one of the three ‘Spirit Nights’ in the Celtic year – when the veil between this world and the spirit world was at its thinnest – and when people believed that the spirits of the dead walked among them. (The other two Spirit Nights are St John’s Eve on 24th June and Halloween of course on 31st October). The people would decorate the outside of their houses with flowers and sprigs of hawthorn as they welcomed the coming of summer – and fires would be lit to ward off evil spirits. Young men would place bunches of rosemary, tied with white ribbons on the windowsill of a young girl they admired.

The building of the village bonfire was steeped in ritual. Nine young men, after emptying their pockets of all coins, were sent to gather branches of wood from nine different trees. The bonfire would be built in a traditional way and once the fire had been lit, they would leap three times over the flames in order to make sure of a good harvest. Later, when the fire was out, the villagers would carry some of the ashes to their homes to ward off illness and sadness throughout the coming year.

On the morning of Calan Mai, the village youngsters would welcome the coming of summer after the cold and barren winter by parading around the area carrying the Bedwen Fai (May Birch) – always birch, decorated with flowers and ribbons. They would sing and dance as they paraded – and many of the songs – known as ‘summer carols’- were quite bawdy and explicit in nature. Others were topical verses reminding the villagers of some of the interesting things that had happened during the year gone by. The dancers would all be dressed in white with colourful ribbons – except for the ‘Cadi’ – the Fool – the main character who led the parade. He would be masked or have a blackened face – and would wear a lady’s petticoat and a man’s waistcoat! When they reached the village green the Bedwen Fai would be erected and the ‘Twmpath Chwarae’ (play Mound) opened for the rest of the villagers to join in the dancing and singing. A harpist or ‘fiddler’ would sit atop the mound to accompany the singing and dancing.

Different traditions developed in different areas of Wales. In some areas, a mock battle between representatives of winter and summer would be staged. In the village of Defynnog in mid Wales it is recorded that on Calan Mai, the Winter King and the Summer King would be crowned – the Winter King with sprigs of holly and the Summer King with colourful ribbons. In Tenby, numerous Maypoles would be raised in the town – and groups of dancers would wind their way from one to another. It was not unusual, of course, for a group of youths to raid another village’s Bedwen and steal it before the celebrations began. Here in Gwenfô our Bedwen was often in danger from raiders from Sain Ffagan! But I believe the Gwenfô youngsters did their share of raiding too!

All in all the Calan Mai revelries and celebrations were a means of bringing colour and enjoyment to people whose lives were hard – and very often bereft of colour and just plain fun!

Ann M. Jones

Christian Aid Week in Wenvoe – 12-18 May 2024

Christian Aid Week

 

Sometimes the simplest things can make a world of difference: every year, people in Wales and all around the UK come up with all kinds of fundraising activities to support Christian Aid. The appeal gives us seven days to make a difference to people in the most vul-nerable countries around the world.

Our global neighbours are also amazing at transform-ing their lives. This is Aline’s story. Aline Nibogora is 35 and lives in Burundi. She was married young and when she was 14, she gave birth to the first of her six children. Her husband was violent and beat her regularly – one day it got so bad, she fled.

“He would often jeer that he would kill me and bury me without anyone knowing,” Aline said.

Forced to leave her children behind, Aline wandered the streets trying to stay close by, asking anyone for a place to sleep.

“Those who showed me kindness would let me stay for two or three days, but it was difficult,” she ex-plained. “People would insult me and treat me with contempt. They forgot I was a human being. It filled me with sorrow.”

In a patriarchal society where men dominate in al-most every aspect, life is particularly challenging for women. They’ve been conditioned to be dependent on and dominated by men. But Aline found the strength and determination to push back against the injustices she was facing. Every gift, every action helps transforms lives; sometimes the simplest things can make a world of difference. Aline went to a three-day community workshop where Christian Aid-funded trainers taught people about village savings and loans associations.

“I came out of it with amazing knowledge and skills. During the training, I stayed focussed and was deter-mined to not miss out on anything at all. I really liked the teachers’ methodology; they restored in me a sense of hope and energy to take on initiatives. From then on, I started working hard, so I would not be dependent on anyone.”

With a small start-up loan, Aline began trading avo-cados and peanuts locally; then used her profits to buy a bicycle to transport greater quantities of goods to markets further afield. She is now a grocery whole-saler; she’s been reunited with three of her sons and lives on her own plot of land in a village in Kayogo-ro, in Makamba Province. She is planning to expand the business and is building a home for her family – she hopes she’ll one day have all her children with her.

“I bought some solar panels,” Aline added. “We now have electricity and the children are able to see to do their homework in the evenings. It’s true there’s a shortage of food at the moment, so there’s no lack of problems, but I’m doing what I can to get by, before we are able to harvest. I enjoy spending time with my children, who are my favourite people in the world”.

Aline is also now the chairperson of her own village savings and loan association and has helped 25 other families. She finds it important to be able to give

back and train others for the further development of the community as well as her country. Aline says the support of Christian Aid has made the whole commu-nity feel comforted and empowered. They feel they are not alone in their initiatives. Without your support we could not go further,

“You empowered us by changing our living condi-tions. Before, we couldn’t see opportunities around us. Now we can see positive and significant changes in our lives”.

This Christian Aid Week in Wenvoe

This year in Wenvoe we are busy planning money raising activities to continue to support the work of Christian Aid. We invite you to take part and to en-joy the week with us.

Our activities include:

  • Distributing ‘Delivery Only envelopes’ throughout the village giving details of how you can contribute to the appeal
  • On Wednesday 15th Assembly at Gwenfo school
  • On Wednesday 15th a ‘Clothes Swap’ (girls and women only) from 7pm at Alison’s home at 52 Wal-ston Road, where you can take pre loved items of clothing to donate or swap with others. No charge, but donations welcomed! Fizz and nibbles included!
  • On Friday 17th Big Brekkie and non-uniform Day at Gwenfo school
  • On Saturday 18th ‘Cake, Cake and More Cake’: in the Church Hall, Port Road from 10 – 12 30. No charge for refreshments, but donations welcomed, and, there will be a cake stall for take aways from one slice to whole cakes!

 

We look forward to seeing you during the week.

Jude Billingham:

 

Christian Aid Week in Wenvoe – 12-18 May 2024.

 

The NGS Open Garden Scheme Locally

THE NGS OPEN GARDEN
SCHEME LOCALLY

Once again, thank goodness, the weather is starting to dry up and let us out into the garden. For many of us, the bulbs we planted last autumn (or maybe years ago) are popping up and reminding us that they’ve just been waiting for a bit of sun and warmth, and of course the grass has started to grow, making us wonder if the lawn mower needs a service. For those of us that open our gardens for the NGS, we worry if everything will look good in the garden, will the sun shine, will the cakes rise and will the visitors come.

Last year the NGS raised a record amount of money in the UK meaning that over £3.4million could be donated to charity. The main beneficiaries are MacMillan cancer support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, and The Queen’s Nursing Institute, carers trust and Parkinson’s UK. Smaller donations are given to Horatio’s garden, Maggie’s, the army benevolent fund, Mencap, Sue Ryder, and Thrive. There are also garden charities that benefit including The National Botanic Garden of Wales. And all this happens because ordinary people open their gardens and visitors come, admire, and eat cake!

Visiting the NGS website should guide you to many of the small gems open in Glamorgan and Gwent, as well as those further afield. There are group gardens in Penarth (June 15th and 16th), Dinas Powis (July 6th and 7th), and Creigiau (June 23rd). Horatios garden in Llandough Hospital and Maggies at Singleton open on May 18th, and illustrate the results of the charity’s work. Many others, including Gileston Manor (Aprl 28th), Llandough Castle (open by arrangement), and Maes y Wertha (July 14th) where live music is promised, are bound to provide a glorious summer afternoon, all complimented by home made cakes, teas and coffee. In addition there are lots of individual city, suburban and country gardens to inspire you, and enjoy. Just look for the yellow sign, visit the website, or pick up a brochure from Tesco or the post office.

My own garden in Dyffryn is open April 21st for blossom and tulips, if hopefully they haven’t drowned, and again with my neighbour Rozanne, June 2nd for roses etc. We are looking forward to seeing lots of visitors, new and returning, enjoying themselves, eating cake and raising record amounts for these very worthy charities.

Janet Evans

4,000 Holes In Blackburn, One Or Two In Wenvoe

4,000 Holes In Blackburn, Lancashire And One Or Two In Wenvoe

In the Daily Mail on 17 January 1967, the Beatles famously found their inspiration for the Sgt. Pepper track ‘A Day in the Life.’ John Lennon’s lyrics repeated an article’s claim that there were ‘4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire.’ It went on to speculate that if Blackburn was typical there would be over 2 million potholes in Britain’s roads. One suspects today the total would be much higher.

It is estimated that, on average, there are about six potholes per mile in council-controlled roads in England and Wales. The RAC ‘Pothole Index’ suggests that motorists are now twice as likely to break down as a result of wear caused by potholes than they were 17 years ago.

No one actually seems to know where the term pot- holes comes from. One source attributes it to time when potters dug holes in Roman roads to steal the clay they were made with. Today we can firmly blame bad weather and heavy traffic for so many potholes. It is of course, the same the world over. And pot holes are dangerous. ‘India Today’ reported in 2018 that over 9,300 people had been killed and nearly 25,000 were injured in road accidents caused by potholes; a greater a danger they said, than terror attacks.

Meanwhile, back in Preston, Lancashire (and just down the road from Blackburn) an inquest found a pothole to have been the major cause of the death of a cyclist in January 2023. Interestingly, last year, The South Wales Argus reported the results of a Freedom of Information Request which revealed that the Welsh Government had paid out a massive £1,188,565.25 to an anonymous claimant for a ‘pothole-caused personal injury’ which took place four years earlier.

Citizens have become increasingly innovative in drawing attention to the problem. Recently on the streets around Bury and Ramsbottom, near Manchester, one man employed crudely drawn male genitalia in a bid to attract the local council’s attention to pot-holes. Within 48 hours, many had been filled. Back in India, fed up with the authorities failure to repair a pothole in the middle of a main road in north Banga-lore, artist Baadal Nanjundaswamy created an extremely lifelike sculpture of a huge crocodile and painted the area around it green to make it look like a pond. The locals were startled and the pot hole soon fixed!

So what about the Vale of Glamorgan? In March 2021, the Welsh Government announced £12 million extra funding to help improve the condition of our roads. You can report potholes to the Vale by completing a simple online form. To qualify for repair the pothole must extend in any direction by just over the size of a sheet of A4 paper. If they fit the criteria, the Vale target is, if possible, to fix all reported potholes within 28 working days. Potholes that are identified in a high risk area are repaired within 24 hours. Finally though, the Vale have a word of warning for us……’please don’t measure potholes, it is dangerous.’

 

Success at Crufts

SUCCESS AT CRUFTS

I’m sure many people reading this will have at some point spotted my wife Carolyn, either walking around the village or over the playing fields training her three border collies.

She competes at the highest level of Dog Obedience in the UK. Last month she was again in Crufts competing with her top dog Luca. Luca and Carolyn won the title in 2022 when we were relatively new to the village.

 

 

This year she finished second in the competition, losing to the second placed dog from 2022. This then led to the pair doing the demonstration round in the main ring. Anybody interested in seeing the footage can see it on You Tube by searching ‘Dog Obedience Demonstration Crufts 2024.’

or here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLHvQpaZnQw

If ever you see her around the village she is always happy to stop and talk, especially if it’s about canines of any sort.

This year will in all likelihood be Luca’s last year in competition as he’s reached the grand old age of 11. Carolyn does however have two other Border Collies in the production line. Her bitch Eva (5) is likely to qualify for Crufts next year, while Luca and Eva’s son Asher will be entering his first year of competition this year.

 

 

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