Category: News

Dog Mess In Wenvoe

Dog Mess In Wenvoe

A few months ago we bought a puppy so that we would have to get out and walk more regularly in the village. We bought disposable small bags, so as not to leave our new pets’ mess for other people to have to pick up, step in or look at. They are very cheap and readily available.

I do not know the cost to our Council to have to clean up after a minority of uncaring, selfish pet owners but am sure this money could be better spent elsewhere in our village. Recently I saw a notice in the local park stating that unless owners cleaned up after their dogs, a ban could be put in place stopping dog exercise in this area.

I must admit that I am disgusted by the amount of filth so called ‘animal lovers’ are prepared to leave in parks, on roadsides, paths and verges, It makes me feel ashamed to be associated with people, most of whom must be local and appear not to care about other people and/or their children. On several occasions I have stepped into dog mess myself. It’s disgusting!

I am sure many can complain about times they have had this unpleasant experience. I am not surprised if parents are angry and do not like dogs or their owners, when their children get covered in dog mess. There are numerous bins around the village, where bags can be left if you do not want to carry them home. The bags cost very little. I see most dog owners on walks carrying these and they share the same complaint as me.

So who are these people who don’t care about others, their children and the local environment? To that minority I say, ‘Clean up after your pet, it is wrong to leave filth around our village.’ Don’t you want anywhere left that is green and pleasant to walk your dog?’

Keep Wenvoe Clean; Bag it and Bin it!

(Name and address supplied)

 

 

June is Pride Month

Shade never made anybody less gay

June is Pride Month, a time when the LGBTQIA+ community should be able to celebrate being themselves. Being a part of this community even in today’s age is possibly one of the hardest things a person can do, so I celebrate anyone who identifies as part of this community because support isn’t always easy to find.

I talk about not spreading hate, but I always feel it’s incredibly important whilst discussing the LGBTQIA+ community. The norm even in 2019 is being heterosexual, and there are still too many people in the world who neither support the community nor care to educate themselves on it. There are still people who think there is something wrong with being anything but yourself. As of April 2019, only 16 states in the United States of America have criminalised conversion therapy on minors.

In 2018, the film ‘Love, Simon’ was the first major Hollywood studio film to focus on a gay teenage romance and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ won Rami Malek an Oscar at the 2019 Academy Awards for playing Freddie Mercury. The LGBTQIA+ community being predominantly represented in film and television without being the stereotyped sidekick is a breath of fresh air, but it doesn’t mean everyone’s supportive of this change.

Despite ‘Moonlight’ encouraging many to become more comfortable with their sexuality, and ‘Orange is the New Black’ and ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ showcasing transgender and non-binary characters respectively, bigotry lurks. ‘Rocketman’ was banned in Samoa, after the film was the first Hollywood blockbuster with a sex scene between two men.‘Beauty and the Beast’ was banned in numerous countries, including America, after Disney changed the sexual orientation of the character Lefou for its live-action adaptation.

For some reason, being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community still makes you an outcast. Many celebrities who identify as LGBTQIA+ feel a sense of responsibility forced upon them, to be a positive influence for others in the community. But many of these celebrities have also expressed how their sexuality is a defining feature and being a part of the community is the first thing people often see about them. Broadway performer Billy Porter also expressed how although LGBTQIA+ roles are more available, they are often not offered to those who are part of the community, and instead go to cisgender actors because their names are more widely known.

But why do people care to be mean to the LGBTQIA+ community? Truly. Why do people care about who other people love? How does two men kissing on their wedding day because they love each other affect you? Why do you care if someone has started living as another gender because they know they were born into the wrong body? They’ve

discovered their true self and should be celebrated for it. Why does it affect you if someone wants gender neutral pronouns? Use them and be respectful. Why does everyone believe that they deserve a say on what happens in the LGBTQIA+ community if they’re not a part of the community? Just let people live their lives.

Between Boston having a ‘Straight Pride Parade’ and the lesbian couple attacked on a bus for refusing to kiss, this year’s Pride month truly shows why it’s needed. Not enough people are truly accepting of the LGBTQIA+ community, but instead of spreading hate, maybe they should try educating themselves enough on what the community is about.

By teaching children about the LGBTQIA+ community in schools, it doesn’t ‘force’ a certain sexuality on them because your sexuality isn’t learnt behaviour. Teaching children about LGBTQIA+ means that there will be less miserable children thinking that they are awful people because of their sexuality; there will be less bullying, because having lessons about the LGBTQIA+ community normalises it. Because being a part of that community is normal and natural, and thus far the world’s been hiding that.

Try to educate yourself. Either do so online or ask someone who’s a part of the community. It may seem embarrassing to ask, but it shows personal growth because you are encouraging their self-expression and trying to understand it yourself. Ask them what it feels like to be a part of the community and why it’s such an important community to them. Because I doubt you could walk away from that conversation and still believe it’s anything but amazing to celebrate them and who they are.

They were created to be who they are, never try to take that away from them or shame them.

You don’t have to paint everything rainbow. But you do have to make sure that the person you know who is LGBTQIA+ is loved. You do have to make sure that they feel accepted and that they know there is nothing wrong with being them. You do have to raise your children to know it’s okay to be LGBTQIA+. It’ll be harder for everyone if your child resents themselves because they think there’s something bad about them being a part of the community.

In the words of Tan France, “It’s very unlikely that people are going to cause you an issue just because you are being yourself. And if they’re concerned, that’s on them. You’re happy”.

Remember: You do not have the right to shame a person for who they are. Ever.

Always support members of the LGBTQIA+ community, because there are many, many people who won’t.

By Tirion Davies

 

 

Expanding The Watch

Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators met on July 10th. Items from the discussions included:

Establishing the Watch in new housing areas.

Further progress has been made in this area with new Co-ordinators coming forward.

  • An additional 2 Co-ordinators have come forward in The Grange. It is felt that there are now sufficient in that area.
  • St Lytham’s Park has 1 additional Co-ordinator making 2 in all. This area would benefit from more Co-ordinators.

 

If you live in St Lytham’s Park and are interested in helping to deter crime in your locality, would you consider becoming a Co-ordinator? If so, please contact our Secretary/Treasurer Jackie Gauci on 07876 207843 or jackie.gauci47@gmail.com

Reports from Co-ordinators

  • There are many other Watch groups in the Vale, brought together by the Vale of Glamorgan Neighbourhood Watch Committee. It was noted that the Wenvoe Watch is the most active with cover over the whole village.
  • Lead has been stolen from part of the church roof. You may have noticed scaffolding around some of the church; this is a replacement non-lead roofing.
  • There have been two unsuccessful attempts to break in to a property in The Grange. Police attended and local Co-ordinators are aware of the incident.
  • There have been reports of dog attacks in the village. Residents are asked to keep their dogs under control or safely enclosed.
  • To mark their 50th year South Wales Police arranged visits to the Public Service Centre at their headquarters in Bridgend. This is where 999 and 101 calls to the police come in and are acted upon. Three Wenvoe Co-ordinators went and were impressed by the commitment of the staff and the liaison with Fire and Ambulance services, both of whom have staff at the Call Centre.

 

Alan French

 

 

5th Wenvoe Scarecrow Festival

This year the 5th Wenvoe Scarecrow festival will take place on Saturday 21st.September from 2.00 to 5.00pm and Sunday 22nd September from 10.30 to 11.00am when the winners will be announced.

Please start to think about entering a scarecrow this year even if you have not entered before. Its free to enter and there is no theme. We would like to make this year’s festival the best year yet as after this year the festival will become biennial, so we want this year to live long in our memories – well two years at least! More details will follow in future issues of What’s On. However, if you are keen to start building your scarecrow now further information can be obtained by emailing wenvoescarecrows@ yahoo.com or ring Vicar Jon on 02920595347. Please put the date in your diary.

 

 

Clutching our maps, proudly wearing our Wenvoe Open Garden stickers and not going very far in the lovely summer sunshine before stopping to say ‘Hello’ to friends and neighbours, we all enjoyed a wonderful afternoon.

The sense of community had been evident since Brian and Sandra Jones suggested Open Gardens in Wenvoe and started carefully planning for the event earlier this year in aid of St Mary’s Church Building Fund. ‘The Village Gardener’ gently encouraged and cajoled, and last week twelve keen gardeners and their families warmly welcomed visitors of all ages.

Here was an opportunity for people to enjoy the diversity of the gardens and to see how the simplest ideas could be effective in a garden of any size. Photographs, written information and personal anecdotes about the history of individual gardens, added another dimension. People were generous with their knowledge about what plants to grow, how water features had been constructed and how to balance the often-eclectic mix of flowers, herbs and vegetables; their modesty about such beautiful gardens and their honesty about the pleasure taken from daily and seasonal care, was an inspiration to the visitors.

Brian and Sandra would like to thank everyone for contributing to the success of Wenvoe Open Gardens. A very special thankyou to the gardeners and their families who opened their gardens to visitors, and to Rachel from St Andrews Road who was the first person to support Brian and Sandra and add her garden to the list. Thank you to Mike Tucker who encouraged all the gardeners, gently soothing some through last minute nerves. By advertising the event in the ‘Barry Gem’, Mike and Glenys also ensured that many visited the village from the Vale of Glamorgan. Thankyou both for this. Carol, the Church Social Committee and the neighbours in St Andrews Road also have a very special thankyou for providing cakes and refreshments in the Church grounds and at 7, St Andrews Road. Both these venues provided a welcome opportunity to take a break and meet up with friends.

Rachel said: ‘It has also been a pleasure to meet the other hosts, especially Brian and Sandra, to share our love of gardening with each other and to make new friends in the village’. Rachel’s daughter pictured here certainly enjoyed helping out and keeping an eye on the lovely cakes that had been kindly donated.

Everyone will be delighted to hear that the contribution to St Mary’s Church Building Fund will be somewhere in the region of £1,500.

 

 

The greatest pleasure for Brian, Sandra and all the gardeners involved, however, was the enjoyment that this well organised event created for so many people.

Congratulations Brian and Sandra on the success of Wenvoe Open Gardens!

 

 

August News Update

 

It was with great relief that the scaffolding was finally erected around the church vestry in preparation for the replacing of the lead covering, stolen from the roof in March earlier this year. The wet carpeting on the vestry floor had already been removed, prior to the ceiling being taken down and the walls rubbed down for the redecoration to take place. It is not the intention to replace the carpeting as the maple strip floor does not seem to have been adversely affected by the ingress of water during the time the roof was stolen. The replacement roof will be of coated steel that will weather to the appearance of lead, so will not be as attractive to thieves in the future. All the items that were once in the vestry have been removed into the transept, and it is hoped that we shall be able to get the church back into the former tidy working unit it was. Since the theft of the lead and all the inconvenience of maintaining a dignified setting for the celebration of the Eucharist, it has been difficult to remember where everything is. At present the builders are using the priest’s door to access the work area. They are being extremely careful and the church will soon be back to normal.

Chancel Floor Scheme: The decision has been made that this scheme will not now be going ahead as originally planned. The plans had been strongly opposed by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, and the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) had no option but to turn it down. However, the part of the plan to remove the carpeting will be going ahead. This is necessary as the historic tiling (now covered up) has been damaged with damp and build up of “salts” on the surface of the tiling over the years. Until the carpet is removed from the chancel and the length of the nave, we will not know the extent of any damage that has occurred during the time the carpeting was laid down. It will be interesting to see the end result of this work. It will restore the church and chancel to the original plans the Victorian restorers had in mind in the period of the 1880’s when much work was done on the church to restore it according to the ethos of the Oxford Movement which was active in the diocese at that time. It was under the Jenner Rectors in Wenvoe that this work was carried out, and they leaned towards High Church practices that were not always well received by the parishioners of the day.

Church Extension Scheme which we are calling Wenvoe 2020: The plans for this ambitious scheme, to bring all the church activities on to one site, remain with the Llandaff DAC and we have received no indication as to how they are going to agree in part or in full to the ideas we have incorporated into the design. We remain very much in their hands and in the discussions our architects have been having with them but hope that we shall hear some good news in the not too distant future.

During the month the plans for the former Old Rectory Care Home were made public, with plans for 12 apartments and 12 parking spaces. The Old Rectory and St. Mary’s Church form an important grouping within the Wenvoe Conservation Area with a high grade listing. It is some years since the church authorities sold the rectory and grounds into private hands. At that time Prof Atkinson and his wife Hester took possession and did much work to make the old house more liveable. It was during their time in the house that they moved the 18th century sun dial from the rectory orchard to the front driveway. The sundial plate had been missing for some years when they discovered it many miles away and restored it with a new gnomon. The sundial was originally erected by the Rev. Thomas Davies, Rector of Wenvoe in 1777 – 1828 and is a community treasure whose future needs to be safeguarded. The developers are aware of this and have promised that it will be well looked after. The plans are now with the local authority and their decision is awaited.

It has been a number of years since the church took part in the commemoration of Sea Sunday. This is the global celebration of the enduring and vital work of the Mission to Seafarers. It has happened every year for over 160 years. Churches are invited to become a powerhouse of prayer and fundraising for the work of outreach to the thousands of seamen and seafarers out at sea for long periods. The Mission to Seafarers provides help and support to the 1.5 million men and women who face danger every day to keep our global economy afloat. The congregation was invited to join in the fund raising and the total raised will be announced in next month’s magazine.

Our wonderful Pebbles group of children have now broken up for their Summer Break and we will miss hearing of their activities during the short time they are in the Church Hall before joining the congregation in church. As always, we thank the organisers for the time they take with our youngsters, in helping to shape their lives according to the teaching of Jesus Christ. Well done all of you.

A number of well loved members of the congregation have been missing from their normal places in recent months, due to illness or accidents in their lives. Pat Williams is now nearer her family in a care home in Porthcawl, Philip Morant has settled into a care home in Barry, and Mary Turner remains in hospital following her fall at home. We send them good wishes and pray for the day when they will be able to return to their rightful places in the congregation at St. Mary’s.

With the summer holidays with us, we send good wishes for a safe return for all who are travelling abroad or those who are ‘staycationing at home.’ Weather is an important factor in any plans made for holidays. So far the month of July has been very dry, and rain is needed to maintain gardens and fields alike. A full report on the Wenvoe Open Gardens will be included in September’s “What’s On”.

A warm welcome awaits you in church at any time of the year. Parry Edwards

 

 

The Ongoing Felling Of Trees

 

It is with great sadness I witness The Ongoing Felling Of Trees in and around our lovely village. When nature itself wields the axe there is little to do but acknowledge the circle of life and the safe removal of the fallen tree that inevitably follows is also a necessity.

However there does seem to be a big appetite to fell or seriously trim back other trees that are standing tall, strong and magnificent. There seem to be innumerable reasons justifying such activity from disease; danger; leaves blocking drains or trees allowing animals to access rooftops. Factor in so called expert opinion of Arborists and those of us who wonder at trees stand little chance of countering any such claims and the trees’ destiny is down to a simple signature on a form authorising destruction.

Hundreds of years of incredibly slow growth gone in an hour; the home to thousands of insects; animals; birds and even other plants gone in a day. Replacement with 10’ saplings is little compensation for the magnificent 200 year old 150’ tall Ash or the 150 year old Horse Chesnut.

At a time when we’re all being urged to fundamentally change our thinking away from exploiting nature to helping to heal its wounds, this ongoing determination to change the wooded skyline of Wenvoe is so sad, irrespective of what rationale you choose to apply…

 

Martin Thomas

 

 

Wenvoe Scarecrow Festival

This year the 5th Wenvoe Scarecrow festival will take place on Saturday 21st.September from 2.00 to 5.00pm and Sunday 22nd September from 10.30 to 11.00am when the winners will be announced.

Please start to think about entering a scarecrow this year even if you have not entered before. Its free to enter and there is no theme. We would like to make this year’s festival the best year yet as after this year the festival will become biannual, so we want this year to live long in our memories – well two years at least! More details will follow in future issues of Whats On. However, if you are keen to start building your scarecrow now further information can be obtained by emailing wenvoescarecrows@ yahoo.com or ring Vicar Jon on 02920595347. Please put the date in your diary.

 

 

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