Category: News

A Remembrance Day Like No Other

A Remembrance Day Like No Other

A headline in my newspaper said it so well ‘It was a Remembrance Day like no other’ and the same could be said for the year we have been living through in 2020. Nothing has been the same as we have had in what we call a normal year, and now we have to talk of a new normal way of living in the shadow of the COVID virus. There is much talk of a vaccine which will offer some protection against this terrifying disease, but when will it be ready for the general public, or will it be reserved for those at most risk? Let us hope that it will come soon and prove to be effective.

Remembrance Sunday was marked with a memorable service on line, with Jon bringing in members of our congregations and the school children from Wenvoe School, as we joined in with the national service from Whitehall marking the 100 years since the Unknown Soldier was buried in Westminster Abbey. I had not seen the old Pathe news reel in black and white. It was most moving, as was the pilgrimage Her Majesty the Queen made to the grave in the Abbey in the week prior. On Armistice Day following on the 11th, Jon had welcomed the children from Wenvoe School to mark the two minutes silence and laying of wreaths. So despite all the restrictions imposed on us during the second lockdown, honour was given to those brave young men who gave their lives for King and Country in WWI and the wars since then. Also remembered were the doctors and nurses in the NHS who have also put their lives on the line in fighting the virus in our hospitals and nursing homes.

Wales came out of the second lockdown on the 9th of November and St. Mary’s. with all other churches in Wales during this period had remained closed, which meant that commemorations of All Saints and all Souls Days were held as virtual worship online. The 10.30am services on Facebook on Sunday mornings attract not only members of our congregations, but also have an international following, with worshippers logged in from Ireland and Spain. The use of Zoom for holding meetings has been a boon in these strange times. The Annual Vestry Meeting, which had been delayed from earlier in the spring of this year, was finally held on the 9th November, when all officers were confirmed in their present positions until Easter of next year.

The Diocese of Llandaff has decided to put in place the recommendations of the Harris Report of a few years ago which stated that the way forward was to form all the parishes into Ministry Areas, each consisting of three clergy and a greater involvement of the laity in the organisation and running of each church. We will be joined with the parishes of Porthkerry, Rhoose and Penmark by Bishop’s Decree by January 2022. There has been discussion between the churches as to how we can make this work for the benefit of all, so that each church knows that their voice is being heard in any decision making. We have to accept that while the management of the parishes will change, the ‘man/woman and child’ in the pew will not see any difference in the services we have been used to. Jon will still be our parish priest as well as being the Leader of the combined Ministry Area, and will have a lay person to head up the combined Council under his leadership. Our prayers are with Jon as he takes on this role and I am sure we will give him as much support as we can to make his task that much easier. The six churches in our present grouping were joined by the churches of Porthkerry, Rhoose and Penmark in a Zoom ‘Road Show’ chaired by Bishop June on the 11th November, which gave everyone an opportunity to question the senior officers of the diocese about what the new Ministry Area will be like. Both the legal status and the financial status of the new enlarged grouping were laid out; this has given all a great deal of thought and raised many questions. To that end a transitional group will be set up under the leadership of Jon to make sure that everyone will be singing from the same hymn sheet. The year of 2021 will be an interesting year for many reasons, and the church council here, has pledged to give Jon as much support as we can to help him achieve the results the Bishop and the diocese expect of all church members.

By the time you read this we will have entered the Season of Advent, and the first of the Wenvoe Advent Windows will have been lit up for us to see. So it only remains to wish all readers a Happy and Blessed Christmas and please take care, the virus has not gone way.

 

Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Parry Edwards

 

 

Jon’s Notes

 

Dear All,

This year the Season of Advent commences on 29th November. A traditional theme for Advent is From Darkness into Light. I cannot remember a year when this theme has ever been so appropriate. For many months we have lived in times of lockdowns and isolation. The drawing in of the winter nights seems to echo the general feeling most of us have at the moment. But the message of advent is about hope, the very real hope of darkness being turned or transformed into Light. Advent is also a time of preparation, as we look forward to celebrating the Nativity of Jesus, Jesus often referred to as being the light of the world.

In the coming weeks I hope you feel a sense of the light overcoming the darkness. We may witness this with the lights on our Christmas Trees or you may have an Advent Candle that you light every night, or you may enjoy an aromatic candle with the scent of Christmas Spices. You may also be encouraged by the Advent Windows displays around the village. Thank you so much to everyone who has organised and contributed to this village activity which will be to my mind a real symbol of light and hope for the future.

As I write this letter, I do not know what the restrictions will be in our churches for worshipping at Christmas. The Church in Wales is suggesting that everyone on Christmas Eve goes outside their front door and sings Silent Night. I am still working out the full plan for the churches in Wenvoe and St Lythans but at the time of writing my intention is to do as printed here

Sunday 20th December
9.30am Said Eucharist, St Mary’s Church, Wenvoe
10.30am All Age Agape, Christingle ad Nativity Play on Facebook and YouTube
3.00pm Said Eucharist at St Bleddian’s Church, St Lythans
6.00pm Christmas Carol Service on Facebook and YouTube
Thursday 24th December
5.00pm Lighting of Advent Window in Wenvoe Church followed by short outdoor Crib Service
10.15pm Said Eucharist for Christmas Eve at Wenvoe Church
11.30pm Said Eucharist for Christmas Eve at Wenvoe Church
Friday 25th December
8.00am Said Eucharist for Christmas Day at Wenvoe Church
9.00am Said Eucharist for Christmas Day at St Lythans Church
10.30am Agape Service for Christmas Day with Carols on Facebook and YouTube

 

If we are able to do more than offer Said Eucharist services over Christmas then this will be detailed on posters outside the churches and on our Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/sullywenvoeandstlythans

With my thoughts and prayers to you through Advent and for the Christmas Season
Jon Ormrod
Priest in Charge of Wenvoe and St Lythans

 

Wenvoe Advent Windows

Wenvoe Advent Windows

We are delighted to invite you for the first time to get out and about throughout December to view the Wenvoe Advent Windows.

We are excited to tell you that 25 Wenvoe residents have volunteered to decorate a window in their home starting on 1st December at 29, Venwood Close and the Telephone Box. The windows will be lit from 5pm until 9pm each evening with an additional window added every night until all 24 windows are displayed. The final window will be at St Mary’s Church, with help from Gwenfo School. Windows may also be viewed between 27th and 30th December.
All of the windows will be numbered and can be viewed from outside the property of individual homes. They are all within the Parish boundary, mostly within walking distance. The map below indicates each participating home with a list of the addresses for you to follow. You may need a torch on 14th (4, Station Terrace) and 23rd December (5 Church Rise) where there is limited street lighting.
We hope you enjoy exploring the windows. We are very grateful to those who have generously taken part in decorating a window and inviting us to view their ‘creations’. There is no charge, however some houses may have a charity collection box. In recognition of the pandemic we ask you to keep to the social distancing rules.
Maps are displayed at 29, Venwood Close and at St. Mary’s Church. Additional maps are available at the Wenvoe Arms and the village Post Office. For further information contact Jude and Nige Billingham at judebillingham@yahoo.co.uk.

 

 

Temporary Coronavirus Testing Site

Temporary coronavirus testing site is to open in Barry

A walk-in COVID-19 testing facility is to open in Barry town centre in response to rapidly rising case numbers in the Vale of Glamorgan.

 

For more information Click below to go to this Vale of Glamorgan website

 

https://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/en/our_council/press_and_communications/latest_news/2020/November/Temporary-coronavirus-testing-site-to-open-in-Barry.aspx

 

 

A Deadly Game Of Catch

A Deadly Game Of Catch

It was about three o’clock on a chilly morning and I was sitting in some bushes at the corner of a paddy field looking across into China from the Hong Kong side. The border was defined by a tall metal fence with razor wire at the top and apart from identifying the frontier, this impressive barrier was designed to prevent people from China making their way illegally into Hong Kong.

The year was 1980 and I was there with soldiers of The Royal Regiment of Wales to stop a large number of illegal immigrants crossing into the British colony of Hong Kong which had been under British control since 1842. The Chinese who wanted to come across were all poor with no work or very low wages under the communist regime and they saw a better life in capitalist and free Hong Kong. They knew that if they reached “home base” they would be eligible for free housing, medical care, schooling and financial support until they found a job. It was very enticing and huge numbers made an attempt, and although many were caught a good number succeeded. The television channels of Hong Kong could be seen across the border in China and to a poor Chinese farmer the apparently fabulous and flashy lifestyle of the Chinese in Hong Kong who all had cars, air conditioning and freedom was all very seductive.

The border runs for twenty miles across mainly flat land which is a mixture of farms and open countryside. Originally built in 1952 to stop gun smuggling during the time of the Korean War it was reinforced by the erection of a much stronger fence or wall in 1962 as thousands of Chinese were trying to cross into Hong Kong each day. By the time we were sent there the fence was tall and effective and with a single lane tarmac road running beside it which allowed us to drive quickly along from one end of our sector to the other. While President Trump is criticised for building a fence to keep out illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico, the British had built their fence decades before to keep the Chinese out.

We were based in an old, very old, army camp near the town of Lo Wu which was a short drive from the border fence. Each evening at around dusk lorries and Land Rovers would take out soldiers wearing their camouflage clothing and with running shoes rather than heavy boots. They would be dropped off in groups of four at intervals along the fence. With a large flask of coffee, they would wait throughout the hours of darkness to catch any illegal immigrants that they found climbing over the fence. The one thing that gave us a big advantage over the illegals was that the soldiers were issued with night viewing devices, called at that time “starlight scopes”. These basically allowed us to see in the dark and so we could pick out any individuals approaching the fence before they started to climb over. This enabled us to move stealthily into a position where we could catch them once they landed on our side. If it had been a game, it would have been unfair, but this was no cat and mouse game this was deadly serious.

The illegals would usually arrive in ones and twos but sometimes a whole family group with children would arrive and attempt to climb over. They had very few possessions. Some had a magic ointment Tiger Balm, to soothe their aches and pains, others had family photographs and a number were carrying drugs such as hashish to ease their discomfort. When caught they would be handcuffed and taken by vehicle to the nearest police station and handed over to the Hong Kong police. The following day they would be put on a train and sent back to China. While we imagined that they would be interrogated and punished by the communist regime for their escape efforts this was not the case as we sometimes caught the same people coming over the fence a few days later. On an average night, we caught between five and twenty illegals in my sector alone and that was just a 4 four mile stretch of the border. The majority gave up quietly. They were mostly very tired and malnourished, but a few ran for it though we soon caught them. These were Welsh soldiers and rugby tackles were learnt in their youth.

One distressing incident, which has remained with me, was of a family of five who attempted to cross the fence. The father went first with the eldest child, a teenage daughter, while the mother waited on the Chinese side until they were safely over. But the father and daughter were quickly caught and taken away leaving the remainder of the family on the far side. We never knew what happened to them, but it was very sad to see a family split like that.

In 1997 Hong Kong was transferred to China after 156 years of British rule. The border remained a controlled area but as Hong Kong became part of China there was no longer any incentive for people to cross illegally and the border became the responsibility of the civil police.

 

 

Offa’s Dyke To Cardigan Bay

Offa’s Dyke To Cardigan Bay

In the 1960s, the war correspondent and journalist Wynford Vaughan Thomas was persuaded by the BBC to climb on a horse and ride from Pembrokeshire to North Wales, with no previous experience. He described the journey in “Madly in all Directions” in 1967, with an account superbly interspersed with personal anecdotes from his life and work, and the many people he had met, interviewed and befriended.

I came across the book many years ago, and was fascinated by the idea of riding across Wales, but felt that it would probably be just a life-long dream. In 2020, my daughter and I rode from the English border to Borth in just over 5 days, covering 100 miles, together with three like-minded people, and lived the dream.

We drove from home early on a Sunday morning past Storey Arms, where the car park was already full, and a line of people could be seen on the way up to Pen y Fan. The holiday invasion of Wales during the summer had flooded every popular tourist spot, but still the majority of people headed for the well-known places, and I wondered how busy it would be in mid-Wales. I need not have worried.

There were 5 of us in the group, led by an experienced guide with maps and instructions. We carried all our luggage with us in saddlebags. The route ran from Clyro over the Begwns to Builth Wells, then across the edge of the Epynt, coming down to Abergwesyn. From there we rode over the Cambrians, past Strata Florida to Pontrhydfendigaid, and then to Ponterwyd via Devil’s Bridge. Then we headed west for the coast, staying in Aberystwyth, and rode up the beach to Borth and Ynaslas on the last day. As we left Aberystwyth, a family from London who were there on holiday stared at us in amazement. They had never seen a horse before! We had one rather wet day, but otherwise the weather was superb. Accomodation in country inns had been arranged for us at the end of each day, and the horses were left in a field of lush grass nearby.

Mid-Wales is not really dramatic or spectacular, but it is stunningly beautiful and so peaceful, with only sheep, skylarks, buzzards and kites for company. We rode on all types of terrain, country lanes, grass tracks, rough trackways, old drovers’ roads, under fallen trees, through a lot of water and across a few streams and rivers, and across a railway line. We stopped for the horses to drink from time to time, trying to find nice clean water, although horses are not very fussy about what they drink. Having drunk their fill, they like to splash with their hooves perhaps to cool off their feet? On some steep downhill stretches, we walked the horses for safety and to stretch our legs, and we stopped for a picnic lunch each day. The horses were Welsh cobs, not very large, but known for their strength and stamina, and always incredibly energetic and well-behaved.

The trip was an adventure to start with, but disaster struck on the third day. Our guide had eaten something that did not agree with her and was not well at all, and the stables owner rang us the next morning to say that he was very sorry, but we would have to cancel the rest of the journey. We were extremely disappointed, especially my daughter, but we held a quick emergency meeting, and asked the owner if he would allow us to continue un-guided. To my surprise, he said yes, so we took the maps and instructions from our poor guide, and carried on. Some of the navigation, especially through forestry, was not straightforward, but with great teamwork, supported by some modern GPS technology, we managed to avoid getting lost.

By the end of the ride, we were all friends for life, so we have arranged to do another ride next year!

 

 

Mike’s Reindeer Herd

Mike’s Reindeer Herd

This year’s sale of Mike’s Reindeer herd, which will take place on the weekend of 28th & 29th November 2020, will be held in the garden of our home at 29 Vennwood Close, during the hours of 10am – 4pm. Covid regulations in place at that time will be followed so please remember to wear a mask and to observe the 2 metre distancing rule. There will be a donation made from the sale of each reindeer to the Wenvoe Wildlife Group and a raffle to raise further funds for the Wenvoe Wildlife Group. We have some lovely prizes with thanks to generous friends and neighbours – bottles of various alcoholic bever-ages and chocolates and gifts. There will also be a hamper of delicious goodies which we have put to-gether ourselves and a home made and decorated rich fruit Christmas cake, a large Yankee candle and a lighted Christmas wall picture and more. There will be a table of Locally made Jam and small, local-ly handcrafted items for sale. Please bring plenty of change as we don’t have a card reader and would like to keep money handling to a minimum. If you would like to pre-order your reindeer you can do so by ringing 07922109721 or by email at pukkatucker@gmail.com. We hope we’ll see you that weekend!

 

 

Colourful Harvest Display

A Colourful Harvest Display

In 1866 a visitor to Wenvoe church and churchyard commented on the “churchyard being prettily planted with flowers”. If the same visitor had visited the churchyard over the weekend of our Harvest Celebration he would have seen the churchyard cross prettily decorated with straw bales and pumpkins and apples, to celebrate the limited way in which the church kept the Harvest in 2020. The cross was decorated by Mike and Glenys and Sandra, and we extend to them our thanks for such a colourful display. The COVID restrictions, now in force, meant that all our normal activities, of decorating the church and having the children of our “Pebbles” group, give us a presentation of what harvest means to them, were for this year put on hold. However Vicar Jon had decided that he would present a harvest service on Facebook, as part of our regular virtual worship. The children from Wenvoe C in W school were filmed singing and reading “harvesty” things and it was a joy to see and to hear. During the Saturday we invited offerings of tinned and dry goods for the Food Bank in Barry and we were amazed at the response, and it needed two car loads to take the items to the Food Bank, who were so grateful for the contribution the people of Wenvoe had made yet again, when the Food Bank are in so desperate need of food for those families who are finding it hard to cope at the moment.
Well done and thanks to all who made a contribution.


Jude took a photo of her car showing some of the many bags handed in during Saturday
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

No Memorial Service
This year because of the COVID resrictions, there will be NO ceremony at the Village War Memorial. Vicar Jon will be using his 10.30 service on Facebook as a virtual Remembrance Day service including the two minutes silence which all can join in at home. There has been much thought about this and in agreement with the Chairman of Wenvoe Community Council this is how Wenvoe will remember its sons who died in the two world wars and the many other wars since. The theme of this year’s commemoration by the Royal British Legion is to be “Coming Home” and their appeal is to help the wounded who returned home with their lives shattered in many cases. So please Support The Poppy Appeal as you have in previous years. All charities have reported a great loss of income in these difficult days, but the “Legion” has so many dependent on their help, so buy a poppy and wear it with pride.

 

 

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