Category: News

St. Mary’s Parish Church News – October

ST. MARY’S PARISH CHURCH NEWS

It is good to be able to report that St. Mary’s was opened for public worship at the beginning of September, in accordance with the Welsh Government and the Church in Wales COVID regulations. To comply with “social distancing” the church can only allow 15 people to be present at any one time, so parishioners are asked to book their place and they are then allocated a numbered pew for the service. This situation is likely to be in force for some time and is now known as the ‘new normal’ for church worship. Hand sanitising is available and masks can be worn during the service. As an extra precaution Vicar Jon also wears a visor during the communion, when the bread is distributed to those present in the pews. Music is allowed but NO singing, so every service is Said. The church is open on Sunday and Wednesday mornings. The opening regulations require that the church is cleaned before and after each time the building is used and that 72 hours must elapse between services. The churchwardens are overseeing that this is done and a big ‘thank you’ to them and the other volunteers who help to keep the building safe to use during these worrying days.

During the month we welcomed Kevin Barry who has joined the parishes as an Ordinand. This means that Kevin has been selected to train for the Priesthood. His first year with us will be as a student whilst his second year will be as an Ordinand Deacon. Kevin admitted in the Parish Magazine that he is a young 66 year old, and full of life and vigour which at times drives his family mad. He is now living in Llancarfan after a lifetime spent in the Navy, which included a posting with NATO in Portugal. In civvy street he worked with regional newspapers in England and Wales, and in recent years has been involved in a charity called Boathouse. It is a performing arts charity for children and young adults who have learning disabilities. He is a Cardiff boy and we wish him well in this latest change of career. We know that the parish will make Kevin’s two years with us as happy and blessed as we can.

It is with great regret and much disappointment that we have found it necessary to revise our arrangements to celebrate Harvest Festival 2020 outdoors in the church grounds. We have decided that the weekend of the 10/11th October will be an opportunity to bring gifts of dry goods and tinned foods (no fresh vegetables or fruit, thankyou) to the Churchyard Cross. This will be decorated with a harvest theme. Please bring your harvest gifts on Saturday 10th October between 11.00am and 3.00pm and these will be then be taken to the Food Bank in Barry. The Sunday 9.30am service will continue the Harvest celebrations and the online 10.30am service from St. Mary’s will include children and others with readings and prayers. Come ye thankful people come, bring the song of harvest home. The farming community tell us the yield will be much lower this year due to weather conditions earlier in the year. Christian people the world over are

thankful for whatever the harvest yield is. So we look forward to your support in receiving your gifts on the Churchyard Cross on Saturday between 11.00am – 3.00pm.

This will be a Harvest Celebration like no other, please remember to maintain ‘Social Distancing’ at all times when in the church grounds.

2021 Church Maintenance Programme

The Church Architect has been to inspect the church tower for signs of rot and damage as a result of the last church inspection and to formulate a programme of work for 2021. Maintenance of the building takes a high priority and we need to keep on top of any signs of work that needs attention. We are also awaiting his suggestion and idea for the replacement of the glazed doors to the tower vestry that were damaged earlier this year. The 200 Club contributions provide the funds that enable us to carry out the work of keeping the building ‘fit for purpose’ for the years ahead

Wenvoe Building Fund 200 Club

The Wenvoe 200 Club is now in its 17th year, with almost 300 shares issued. We have again given out 84 prizes to a total value of £1800 and given the same amount to the building fund. Once again your contributions have helped pay for essential maintenance, including the restoration of the churchyard lantern arch and pillars, and the refurbishment of the of all the external doors to the church. Inside the church the damage to parts of the plaster has been replaced which involved applying five layers of lime plaster one at a time and then the chancel was redecorated. The biggest project in the year has been the painstaking restoration of the historic Victorian tiled floors in the church to its original glory.

We are always looking for new shareholders and now is the time when existing faithful shareholders are asked to renew their shareholding. Please contact Dickon Oliver on Tel.0292076910.

Plans to convert The Old Rectory into 10 apartments have been given approval. This grade 2 building is now under conversion to multiply accommodation and we are pleased to report that the Sundial has been safeguarded for the future. The sundial which was provided for the house by Rev. Thomas Davies, Rector of Wenvoe in 1793 has suffered over the years from theft and other mishaps. We look forward to seeing the house and sundial restored and await to welcome the new residents to the community.

Thank you for reading this God Bless us in these worrying times

Parry Edwards

 

 

Vandalism and Crime in Wenvoe

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

Vandalism and Crime in Wenvoe

We have been made aware of acts of vandalism and crime occurring recently in Wenvoe.

  • Patio doors damaged while the owners were out.
  • House door handles tried at night.
  • Cars vandalised.
  • Doorstep milk stolen.
  • Garden solar lights stolen. The thief emptied a garden waste bag onto the drive and stole the bag, presumably to carry away the lights.

 

These events have been localised to The Grange and St Lythams estates. Residents in the rest of Wenvoe are advised to be alert and report anything suspicious to their Watch Co-ordinator. If you do not know the name of your Co-ordinator please contact Jackie Gauci who can help on 07876 207843.

Call for Co-ordinators in St Lythams estate

The St Lythams estate is fully established and we urgently need more co-ordinators for the estate. The role of a Co-ordinator is not onerous and would suit a person who is prepared to help their fellow residents. You are asked to keep an eye open in your local area or street in the estate, and in the event of any unusual or suspicious activity to inform the police or the Watch Secretary. If you wish to help please contact Jackie Gauci, on 07876 207843 or jackie.gauci47@gmail.com

 

 

Suggestions for Spending £75000

S106 FUND SUGGESTIONS

September 2020

In the September issue of What’s On, we asked for suggestions for making use of about £75,000 of Section 106 funding for a project that would be of significant benefit to the Wenvoe community. This would be capital spending, not for any kind of maintenance or refurbishment.

This is a summary of the excellent suggestions we had, most of which could be carried out within the specified budget. We would now like to ask if there are any more suggestions, or if anyone would like to comment further on the ones below.

  • small donation to school (not capital)
  • adult outdoor fitness equipment (like Dinas Powys)
  • local walks/cycling booklet(s), with benches along the routes
  • all-weather surface for older children, covered seating area
  • similar to above
  • ditto, with basketball hoops and outdoor gym
  • mini-gym for older children
  • information notice boards
  • revamp playground at Parc y Gwenfo
  • more benches at Community orchards
  • multi-use games area

 

As before, write to What’s On, but don’t delay, since the funding is available on a limited time basis. We look forward to hearing from you

 

 

Parking Email Scam

Parking Email Scam

Dyfed Powys Police are warning residents not to respond to a parking email scam targeting their residents. If you receive such an email do not click on the ‘pay here’ box or telephone the number. H M Courts and Tribunal Service are not sending out penalty charge notices. Delete the email and tell your friends and family. The more people that know this is a scam, the less victims there will be.

 

 

Always Look On The Bright Side

 

 

ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

While we are all hoping to avoid a local lockdown, self-isolation or quarantine, in true British fashion we seem to be making the best of things. We are already getting used to life with coronavirus and of course most of the current restrictions are nothing new

Although in the past it may have been a self-imposed or voluntary separation from society, in more recent times quarantine has come to represent a compulsory action enforced by health authorities. The Welsh Government of course is not the first to wrestle with this problem. During the 14th century, in an effort to protect coastal cities from plague epidemics, ships arriving in Venice from infected ports were required to sit at anchor for 40 days before landing. This practice, called quarantine, was derived from the Italian words quaranta giorni which mean 40 days.

Ancient civilizations relied on isolating the sick, well before the actual microbial causes of disease were known. In times when treatments for illnesses were rare and public health measures few, physicians and lay leaders, beginning as early as the ancient Greeks, turned to quarantine to contain a scourge. The practice is even recorded in the Old Testament where several verses mention isolation for those with leprosy. Closer to home the Quarantine Act was passed in England in 1710, which stipulated a sentence of death for persons not respecting the compulsory 40-day quarantine for humans and goods arriving here suspected or known to have been in contact with the plague.

Perhaps the best known individual example of quarantine, pitting an individual’s civil liberties against public protection, is the story of Mary Mallon, aka “Typhoid Mary”. An asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever in the early 20th century, she never felt sick but nevertheless spread the disease to families for whom she worked as a cook. Officials quarantined Mary on North Brother Island in New York City. Released after three years, she promised never to cook for anyone again. Breaking her promise and continuing to spread the disease, she was returned to North Brother Island, where she remained for the remainder of her life in isolation.

So, beyond the usual online fitness sessions, reading those books we have never got around to, or holding a Zoom quiz, what can do to keep ourselves entertained if we suddenly have to self-isolate? While staying indoors, we can at least turn to the internet.

How about a virtual tour of bucket-list attractions like Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal? You could take a virtual field trip of the Kennedy Space Centre or maybe follow a livestream of an Australian koala. If music is your thing how about tuning in to the live concerts performed at the Royal Albert Hall, which as a planned programme online. If you prefer rock, Metallica have a similar programme and if you are feeling a little more laid back try Neil Young or Nora Jones. You can keep up to date with what’s happening via websites like billboard.com.

You could even join in the latest way to socialise with friends over video chat, by holding your own Quarantini Happy Hour. Simply stated, a quarantini is a cocktail (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) made from whatever ingredients you have on hand at home. The easiest way is to make variants of classic cocktails based on one-ingredient substitutions. One expert cited a Negroni, with equal proportions of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. When gin was swapped out for whiskey, the Boulevardier was invented. Jane Danger, the national mixologist for Pernod Ricard suggests starting by selecting your spirit of choice and base your “sweet” and “sour” upon it. “Ransack your cupboard. Dried herbs and spices make great salts and sugars which you can grind together and use to rim the glass.” So with lots of suggestions online, why not have a go?

 

 

September Puzzle Solution

September Puzzle Solution

1.Ernie,

2.Israeli

3.Parsnip

4.Wicklow

5.Flyleaf

6.Ouzo

7.Beeb

8.Uluru

9.Gothenburg

10.Spartacus

11.Kursk

12.Lambswool

13.Alaska

14.Magnum

15.Yesterday

16.Harlech

17.Xerox

18.Roger

19.Trumpet

20.Vav

21.Cynic

22.Dixieland

23.Nelson

24.Zizz

 

Link Back to Questions

http://wenvoe.org.uk/?p=8274

 

 

History of The Wenvoe Village Hall

A little history

The Village Hall is situated on land owned by the Wenvoe Estate and was offered to the residents of Wenvoe for a peppercorn rent after World War 1. It was offered to the residents (referred to as villagers at the time) to build a village hall, so that they could have a place to meet and hold their dances.

The first lease dates back to 1921, which would mean that next year, the Village Hall celebrates its 100th Birthday/Centenary. I am sure we will be planning to celebrate, so watch out for how you can help at a later date.

The hall has been a main part of our community for nearly 100 years.

The school children would attend the Village Hall for lunch daily, until the new school and its canteen arrived in the Autumn of 1970 (not the whole school as you see it today, just two classrooms, hall and canteen. However, that’s a story for their 50th Birthday celebrations).

I remember attending talent competitions, discos, youth club and judo as a child at the village hall and in the 70s our famous Beer Barrel Rolling Race after party with lots of beer and Mike’s brass band. These memories were mostly of the ‘Old Village Hall’. The hall as you see it today, was rebuilt in 1974 (I can hear some of you saying to yourselves ‘The Old Tin Shack’ at this point).

Of course, there are many people still living in the village today, who could share more memories, especially later memories of their Carnivals and themed nights out.

Whilst I have been a Committee Member these past 26 years, we have raised funds to keep the hall open, by holding jumble sales, car boot sales, discos and dances, as did those before me.

Over the past couple of years, the hall is hired out continuously, so the rents mostly cover the basic outgoings with the odd disco or fundraiser now and again.

The hall has also been the home of the Playgroup for the past 50 years, which is continuing to grow and providing much needed income to keep the hall up and running.

As many of you know, the hall closed its doors at the end of March due to Covid-19. Although the Management Committee have continued to keep in touch via zoom and regularly check on the safety and upkeep of the building, we were unable to open without clear guidance from the Welsh Government. At the time of writing this, we are planning to meet on the 18th August to discuss a way forward to open the hall to regular hirers in the Autumn (keeping 2m distance of course).

The Committee have been busy preparing for the hall’s re-opening, with Bernard completing some much-needed maintenance at the hall over the past few months. Thanks Bernard.

New internal doors have been installed over the past month, and we are awaiting the outside of the hall to be painted prior to an Autumn return.

Gail has been very busy, scouring the latest up-dates and applying for grants to help us survive the loss of income due to the hall closure. Thanks Gail.

Regular hirers: If it is your wish to resume your hire and you have not been contacted, please email us at wenvoevillagehall@yahoo.co.uk Carol will be at the end of the email to help. Alternatively, if you are hoping to delay your return, then please let Carol know and she can keep us informed.

We do have to follow Government guidelines and ensure that we can open the hall safely whilst coronavirus remains in circulation. We would like to thank you for your patience in these uncertain times and hope to welcome you back to the hall in the near future.

Please remember, that your group must be able to maintain a safe 2m social distance whilst operating at the hall.

A hand sanitiser is placed just inside the main entrance to use on entry, then you must use the bathroom and the hand soap provided to wash your hands on entry and prior to leaving the hall.

Further details will be issued with the hall risk assessment to operate and adhere to a.s.a.p.

Anyone with the following symptoms should not use or attend the Village Hall

  • A new continuous cough
  • A high temperature
  • Loss of smell or taste

 

Please arrange for a test and self-isolate for 10 days if you have any of the above symptoms. Anyone in your household must also isolate for 14 days.

Do not leave the house to go to the Doctors or Pharmacy. Apply for an antigen test on the website: https://gov.wales/apply-coronavirys-test

 

Thank you on behalf of the Village Hall Management Committee – Sandra

 

 

Building Fund 200 Club

BUILDING FUND 200 CLUB

Renewal of shares for 2020 – 2021.

The 200 Club is now in its 17th year, with almost 300 shares issued. We have again given out 84 prizes to a total value of £1800, and given the same amount to the building fund. Once again, your contributions have helped pay for essential maintenance, including the restoration of the churchyard lantern arch and pillars, and refurbishment of all the external doors. Chancel and nave walls have been re-rendered, which involves applying 5 layers of lime plaster, one at a time. The chancel has been redecorated. The biggest project in the last year has been the painstaking restoration of the beautiful Victorian tiled floor to its original glory.

In the coming year, there is, as always, more to be done. The virus pandemic has prevented the church from being used, but the building continues to suffer the ravages of time and weather regardless.

The prize draw is normally held in the church hall on the fourth Sunday of each month, after the service, at around 10:45. There are prizes to be won each month, with £300 in summer and £300 at Christmas. You are most welcome to drop in for refreshments, as soon as the Coronavirus regulations allow. Since the virus struck and changed our lives so dramatically, we (socially distanced!) still draw the numbers every month, and publish them in Wenvoe What’s On.

The numbers drawn in July were as follows:

£50 – 223

£10 – 14, 53, 132, 141, 181

£25 – 34, 59, 96, 153

We are about to send out renewal letters to our faithful shareholders. If anyone else would like to contribute, please contact Dickon on 02920 769108.

 

 

While Things Are Quiet At The Church

ST. MARY’S PARISH CHURCH NEWS

St. Mary’s remains closed at present, except for private prayers on Tuesday afternoons between 4.00 and 6.00pm, and this has been used by parishioners who find things difficult as the COVID19 continues to affect their normal lives. We now hear talk of something called “new normal”, and how this will be the pattern for some time ahead until the virus is really under control.

So while things may be quiet at the church, and it is August, a time when traditionally church activities, are also taking a holiday, there is much going on in the wider church of which we are all members. Llandaff cathedral has opened for two Eucharist Services on Sunday mornings. Places have to be booked, and there is a “Track and Trace” system in place, so take a pen with you. Places are limited in number and if the church is filled to its allotted numbers you may be turned away. This is the reason why we have not followed their example and decided to remain closed for the present. The cleaning regime before and after the church is open is quite onerous, and we felt it was simply asking too much of our elderly volunteers to carry out such additional work.

The commemorations for the VJ75 anniversary on 15th August was not marked in Wenvoe, and the Cathedral hosted the Wales National Service under the strict guidelines of the Welsh Govt. it was a memorable and thoughtful service aired on Facebook. The UK National ceremonies were held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, again with the strict 2 metre guidelines in place, and was a fitting celebration of all the lives lost and lives altered for ever.

The National Memorial Arboretum

 

The evening music and light show broadcast live from the Horse Guards Parade in London was a brilliant spectacle, and a fitting tribute to the “Forgotten Army” that the Burma campaign has been called. The treatment the Japanese army gave to the allied soldiers was horrific and was not glossed over, and we will and we must never forget the lives lost in the campaign, which only ended with the dropping of the two Atom bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. This year when we gather at our village war memorial, the anniversaries of WWl, WWll , VE75 and VJ75 will be remembered on November 8th.(Remembrance Sunday)

At the moment there is doubt in church circles that the collection plates will ever be used during church services when we are in the “New Normal” phase. And to that end parishioners have been encouraged to switch to the Direct Giving Scheme sponsored by the Representative Body of the Church in Wales for each parish. The payment is taken from your bank account and is credited to your local church account with any gift aid contribution added if you are a taxpayer. The congregation in Wenvoe have taken this to heart and many have signed up and that is helping to keep us financially sound at the present time. Parishioners and friends of St Mary’s who have not signed up, are asked to consider doing so.

The benefits are, no white envelopes to use (they are costly to purchase), no need to count and bank the cash given and your contribution to church finances are always there in the church accounts, until the time comes when you may wish to revise the payment or stop it. PLEASE GIVE SOME THOUGHT TO THIS…We remain very grateful to the many donations we have received during the pandemic, and the church officers thank you all for keeping the church available for the better times ahead.

We are aiming to celebrate the harvest with a special service towards the end of September, so watch this space and the church noticeboard for more details when these, and the risk assessment have been worked out.

God Bless us all and of course KEEP WASHING THOSE HANDS

Parry Edwards

 

 

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