Category: Wenvoe Community Hub
June Update
Hay: A wonderful day was had by all. A few members of the group had booked ahead for festival events, but the others enjoyed looking around the festival stalls before enjoying a beautiful day shopping in Hay and nipping into a tavern or two for refreshments. Everyone agreed that this has to be an annual event.
Sat July 13th Cheddar Gorge (see advert page 11) and Sat Nov 30th London Trip. £22. Book your seats early to avoid disappointment.
The Village Show is organised by the library and all proceeds from the show will go to its upkeep. It’s going to be a fun event with lots of fun activities. More details to follow. You’ll find a copy of the schedule and the rules in the library so start making, cooking and growing.
Sharing experiences: Each month we’ll be inviting people to share memorable experiences of places they have visited. Your contributions are welcome.
Hay: We arrived in time for a coffee before listening to Rosie Goldsmith’s interview with Victoria Hislop on the launch of her new novel ‘Those that are Loved’. This is set against the backdrop of the German occupation of Greece, the subsequent civil war and a military dictatorship. We were intrigued by the amount of research Hislop puts into each of her novels and will be ordering her new book from the library.
A quick lunch before our next event: Inside Brexit – The Story, The News, The Spin. Three journalists Katya Adler, BBC’s Europe Editor, John Crace, The Guardian’s parliamentary sketch writer and Simon Jenkins, former editor of The Times, and now a columnist gave us insight on the coverage of Brexit. They gave a candid and fascinating discussion on Who said what, what they meant, what they didn’t say, and why it might not matter for another 50 years. Or how it might bring down reputations, governments and economies.
Our final event was an interview with Ian McEwan on his new novel Machines Like Me, which takes place in an alternative 1980s London. Marcus du Sautoy, author of The Creativity Code: How AI is learning to write, paint and think questioned McEwan on how artificial intelligence will confront us with the fundamental question: what makes us human? Another two books to order from the library. Can’t wait for next year.
The Marianne North Gallery, Kew Gardens. Marianne North travelled solo to some of the world’s most remote jungles and forests. On her return from these travels she produced more than 800 botanical painting which are housed in her gallery at Kew. The gallery was completed in 1892.
One of our ‘Page Turners’ visited recently and was totally fascinated by the floor to ceiling exhibits. Well worth a visit.
Annual ECALM initiative: The ‘Every Child a Library Member’ project aims to introduce library membership at key stages throughout the early years. On 11th June we invited 27 year 4 pupils from Wenvoe School for a talk by ex-teacher and volunteer Alina Trigger. The session included a brief introduction to the Dewey system, a quiz, and a goodie bag for each child.
Did you know that everyone in the UK is entitled to join their local library at birth? If you live in Wenvoe and have a child who is not yet a member, don’t miss out. Just call in to see us during open hours, bring proof of your address and your child’s details. Online registration is quick and easy, and you can walk away with up to 10 books which your child can borrow for three weeks.
Readers’ recommendations: We are asking readers to let us know whether they have particularly enjoyed a book that they can recommend to other readers. We are putting these recommended books on a separate shelf in the library for the attention of other borrowers. This initiative is really popular so please let us have your suggestions.
Pop-up Book Stalls: We continue to hold our successful pop-ups. Look out for us outside the Village Stores over the next few months with a selection of good-quality donated books at reasonable prices. All proceeds go to keeping your library open.
Book donations: Many thanks to those who have donated books. We are grateful to receive good quality books. We can always collect your books if you find it difficult to drop them off at the library.
Book Bags: We have some lovely grey canvas book/shopping bags for sale in the library at £5 each.
Clwb Clonc – Our Welsh conversation group continues to go from strength to strength. Learners and first language Welsh speakers who want to practise their conversational skills can join us for an informal chat. Weekly meetings are held on Mondays in the café at Pugh’s Garden Centre at 11 am, and at 7pm on the second Thursday of the month in the bar of the Wenvoe Arms. Croeso i bawb
Cheddar Coach Trip
Sharing New Experiences
SHARING NEW EXPERIENCES
Sylvia Harvey
The Rose Playhouse, Bankside
The Rose Theatre, built in 1587, was the first Elizabethan Theatre on Bankside and was where Shakespeare learned his craft.
I went there to a production of Twelfth Night, as a musical and set on a cruise liner. You are pre-warned there is no heating and no toilets.
On arrival you are given a blanket, the stage is small, you share it with the cast and it overlooks the protected archaeological site of the original theatre.
It was a magical performance, singing, music, dancing and the words of Shakespeare. An experience to be recommended.
The Garden Museum, Lambeth
This museum was set up to save an abandoned church and a knot garden where the gardener John Tradescent was buried. This museum is Britain’s only museum of the art, history and design of gardens. A tranquil place to visit and best of all they have the most delicious cinnamon buns in the Garden café.
May Update
Limerick competition.
Congratulations to Ian Moody who won a bottle of Prosecco for winning this year’s Limerick competition.
A pig with plenty of zeal
With friends was caught trying to steal
While questioned at length
He mustered his strength
And refused to admit or to squeal.
Trips We have two trips planned so book your seats early to avoid disappointment.
Sat July 13th Cheddar Gorge (Full advert page 10)
Sat Nov 30th London Trip. £22
Pop-up Book Stalls: We continue to hold our successful pop-ups. Look out for us outside the Village Stores over the next few months with a selection of good quality donated books at reasonable prices.
Home Service: If you have mobility problems and are finding it difficult to visit the library, we offer a home service where we can deliver, return and even help you choose your books. Please contact us for further details.
Volunteers: As our range of services are expanding, we need more volunteers. If you have a few spare hours a month to help us in any way, please email us or call into the library for an informal chat and a warm welcome.
Clwb Clonc: Our Welsh conversation group continues to go from strength to strength. This is an excellent opportunity for learners and first language Welsh speakers who want to practise their conversational skills. Weekly meetings are held on Mondays in the café at Pugh’s Garden Centre at 11 am, and at 7pm on the second Thursday of the month in the bar of the Wenvoe Arms. Croeso i bawb.
Book Bags: We have some lovely grey canvas book/shopping bags for sale in the library at £5 each.
Off the Shelf
Funny Girl by Nick Hornby was an easy read. The story is set around Barbara Parker who fifteen minutes after winning Miss Blackpool of 1964 decided that becoming a beauty queen and remaining in Blackpool was not for her. Inspired by her television idol Lucille Ball, she headed for London, determined to make her mark as a comedian. After finding a job on a cosmetics counter in a London department store, she met a theatrical agent, Brian Debenham, who arranged an audition for a television sitcom pilot based around the domestic life of a newlywed couple Barbara (and Jim). Barbara changed her name to Sophie Straw and found stardom.
All the members of the ‘Off the Shelf ‘ were half way through the book before they realised that this was a true story. Although an amusing, easy read and for some, a trip down 1960’s memory lane, we did not want to invest too much in the characters as we felt that Hornby gave them little depth of personality. It was a superficial read that none of the group would recommend. Not a classic Hornby. 6/10
Meet the Author welcomes David Simmonds, former BBC journalist and author.
Meet the Author – ‘Motorway Madness’
‘Meet The Author’ Evening In The Wenvoe Arms.
‘Motorway Madness’
Our thanks to Ian Pate and The Friends of Wenvoe Library for organising another excellent ‘Meet the Author’ evening in the Wenvoe Arms. The topic ‘Motorway Madness’ might not have initially sparked your interest, but through photographs, expert knowledge and an array of personal anecdotes, Ian ensured that we had an evening which was both sobering and entertaining.
With a twenty-five year career in sales, which required extensive travelling in the UK, Ireland and the Benelux countries, Ian thought he knew everything there was to know about driving on motorways. However, it was not until he started working as a Traffic Officer in 2008, that he learnt about the unpredictability of our motorways. In this role, with powers to stop and direct traffic and work under the authority of a police officer, he began to appreciate the phrase ‘expect the unexpected’.
Statistically, the motorway is the UK’s safest road. Drivers know that if something happens whilst driving on the motorway they should move onto the hard shoulder, put their hazard lights on, get out of the car if possible and get to a place of safety. The last of these is important because the most dangerous place on the motorway is the hard shoulder. A safe place Ian reminds us is ‘behind the barrier, up on the embankment, under signs, by bridges or even on a police observation post’. If you stay in your car, your life expectancy according to police statistics is 30 minutes. The message is ‘When it is safe to do so – get out, keep safe, stay alive!’ At night, this risk increases. There have been cases in which lorry drivers at night have put their inside wheels onto the rumble strip that separates the hard shoulder from lane one, to keep them alert whilst watching TV!
As a Traffic Officer, Ian was involved in a wide range of incidents. Twenty five percent of all breakdowns attended on the motorway are simply because drivers have run out of fuel. Some drivers get into trouble when transporting goods like a mattress or even a complete bed from IKEA on the roof of their car without the legally required roof rack and safety harnessing! Getting animals to safety – horses, swans and at one time a small herd of water buffalo in Newbury – were all in a day’s work. Drunk drivers, unwell drivers, car fires and extreme weather all require assistance from the Traffic Officers. These people ensure that you and I are safe if an incident does occur. Ian and his colleagues set up rolling roadblocks, clear dangerous debris from motorways and are the people on the ground responding to alerts from the Traffic Management Centres across the country.
Ian concluded his talk with a look at new smart motorways where all lanes are running. On the first smart motorway on the M42 in the West Midlands, there is no hard shoulder and a refuge area every 500 metres. Above every lane there are signs to note variable speed and clear messages e.g. lanes closing. Any difficulties drivers encounter, are immediately 
picked up by the control centre and a lane can be automatically closed. The M4 between J3 and J12 is currently being upgraded to a smart motorway. However, the model has undergone modifications. Refuge areas are now1.6 miles apart and overly detailed signs on the left hand side of the motorway, have replaced the clear signs above each lane. It can take up to one hour for an ambulance to get to an incident. Inevitably, such concerns have led road safety campaigners to lobby Parliament and they are now working with an all-party group of MPs to look at the safety concerns relating to the rollout of smart motorways.
The Friends of Wenvoe Library would like to thank Ian for his support in helping to raise funds for Wenvoe Library. Please look out for the next ‘Meet the Author’ evening – we would love to see you there.
Bus Trips and Upcoming Events
Limerick Day
Win a bottle of Prosecco and help celebrate Edward Lear’s birthday by writing a short, humorous, nonsense poem. Within a Limerick, there are five lines; the first two lines rhyme with the fifth line, with the third and fourth lines rhyming together. Please drop off your entries in the library. The winning entry will be decided on Saturday May 11th in the library.
We have three trips planned so book your seats early to avoid disappointment. Hay tickets are on sale now at the Library. Further details on other trips to follow.
Sat June 1st – Hay Festival. £15:- Fantastic opportunity to take time to explore the world – famous Festival site and the town of Hay. Coach leaving the village at 9.30am and returning from Hay at 7.30pm.
Sat July 13th Cheddar Gorge. £18:- Leaving 09.30am – arriving Cheddar 11:00 leaving time to explore. Leave Cheddar at 2pm to arrive at Clark’s Village (outlet shopping centre) in Street, Somerset 2.45pm – departing 6.00pm for home
Sat Nov 30th London Trip. £22
Easter Raffle. The draw for the Easter Raffle took place at midday on Saturday, 20th April. Craig Yates, of Only Men Aloud, drew the 3 prize winning tickets, assisted by library 
volunteer Clare. Liam, Clos Llanfair, and Kath, Orchard Close, each won a hamper of M&S goodies. And Maggie, Clos Llanfair, was the lucky winner of the lovely basket of Easter flowers kindly donated by Alison Bentley.
Thanks to everyone who bought a ticket or made a donation. We raised a total of £355 which will go towards our running costs.
School News. We look forward to library visits from Wenvoe School. We have two initiatives to look out for: ECALM (every child a library member) for year 4 children and the Summer Reading Challenge which is always successful. The 2019 theme will be Space Chase, an out-of-this-world adventure inspired by the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. In addition, we look forward to entries from the Village School in the September Village Show. More details to follow.
Pop-up Book Stalls. We continue to hold our successful pop-ups. Look out for us outside the Village Stores over the next few months with a selection of good-quality donated books at reasonable prices.
Home Service. If you have mobility problems and are finding it difficult to visit the library, we offer a home service where we can deliver, return and even help you choose your books. Please contact us for further details.
Volunteers. As our range of services are expanding, we need more volunteers. If you have a few spare hours a month to help us in any way, please email us or call into the library for an informal chat and a warm welcome.
Clwb Clonc. Our Welsh conversation group continues to go from strength to strength. This is an excellent opportunity for learners and first language Welsh speakers who want to practise their conversational skills. Weekly meetings are held on Mondays in the café at Pugh’s Garden Centre at 11 am, and at 7pm on the second Thursday of the month in the bar of the Wenvoe Arms. Croeso i bawb.
Book Bags. We have some lovely grey canvas book/shopping bags for sale in the library at £5 each.
Village Show. Saturday 7th September. With the weather getting better and the possibility of a holiday planned, you may have the opportunity to take a photograph to enter for the Photography Section. Each photograph should be unmounted and 7 x 5 in size. Here is a reminder of the categories:
Sunrise/Sunset
Reflections
Local Wildlife
The Colour Yellow
For The Love Of Libraries’
‘FOR THE LOVE OF LIBRARIES’
THE BRITISH LIBRARY, SUNDAY 10 MARCH
Faced with the threat of closure, it was the ‘Love of Libraries’ that underpinned the decision by members of our community to create the Wenvoe Community Library. Now, three years later, this group of volunteers are looking forward to the opening of the new library early in 2020 in surroundings which will be a hub for the community. Whilst funding from Welsh Government and the Vale of Glamorgan Council have made this possible, the volunteers are under no illusion that for the library to retain a place at the heart of our community, they need our continued support.
Authors Jaqueline Wilson, Philip Pullman and Salley Vickers shared their ‘Love of Libraries’ at the British Library in London on Sunday 10 March. Each author talked about the importance of libraries to them as children and how those libraries influenced their work as writers in later life. Sylvia and Cathryn Harvey write about an inspiring day.
For Jacqueline Wilson, the library served as a place of refuge during the summer holidays with arguing parents. She has wonderful memories of the silence, the smell and the blissful feeling of losing herself in the world of books. In this safe haven, she discovered books by Louisa M Alcott, Jane Austen and Mazo de la Roche. As a young mother later in life, she took her daughter Emma to her local library, letting her choose picture books like The Tiger who came to Tea and Where the Wild Things Are for them to read together. When Emma got older, the Nipper series became a favourite and served as the final inspiration to Jacqueline to fulfil the lifelong dream of becoming a writer. And the library also served an important role in Emma’s later life- she became fascinated by the French literature section and has gone on to become a professor of French Literature at Cambridge University. Jacqueline’s books focused on those stories not often heard, of children in difficult family situations in urban areas, that have become a staple for children across the country.
As the child of RAF parents, Philip Pullman moved many times throughout his childhood. Eventually, the family settled in Harlech, North Wales. Philip loved it, and it was there that his love of libraries and the stories they contain developed. A local lady ‘from the big house’ lent him books, and there he discovered HG Wells, the Tarzan novels, and The Moomins. As a teenager, the fortnightly mobile library introduced him to the Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell, and his school library opened his mind to great artists through the art history books published by Fontana. His university years at Oxford meant he spent a great deal of time in the Bodleian (readers of
his books will know how much this influenced his later work), and after graduating he worked in Charing Cross library for a time and as a teacher, before becoming a full-time author. In many of his novels, libraries feature heavily, particularly in His Dark Materials series and La Belle Sauvage, the first of the Book of Dust series.
Salley Vickers started her talk with her challenging childhood. As her parents were outspoken Communists, they often struggled financially, and the family was unable to buy books. As a result, Salley, from a very early age, spent much of her time in her local library, whose wonderful children’s librarian recommended books for her and let her choose her own. Salley developed a love for The Moomins, by Tove Janssen, especially the character Snuffkin, whose famous line, “all small creatures should wear bows on their tails”, has become one of Salley’s favourite quotes. Other discovered favourites included The Princess and The Goblin and other books by George McDonald, and Rosemary Sutcliffe’s The Eagle of the Ninth series. But her most treasured childhood book is Tom’s Midnight Garden by Phillipa Pearce. The wonderful librarian, a Ms Blackwell, whose guidance was so invaluable to Salley as a child, served as the inspiration for her latest novel, The Librarian. In the novel, Sylvia Blackwell’s goal is to inspire the children of East Mole to read, but elements of her personal life cause tension within the town, threatening the existence of the library altogether.
The discussion between the authors and the audience highlighted the importance of choice; for children to choose their books and for librarians to choose the books they believe their patrons would like to read. The current push for diversity has failed to take into account the treasure trove that is a library. Where else can you find the stories of so many people from so many different walks of life in one place? Reading and listening to stories teaches empathy and understanding in a way that nothing else can.
By investing in libraries, we are investing in the future by giving children a place to grow and develop ideas, and hopefully, help them become the best versions of themselves. We will leave you with this quote from an audience member: ‘A library is a treasure chest of Serendipity’. It is a place to be discovered and explored, with the unknown surprising you at every turn.
I do hope this will inspire you all as much as it did us. Please share your childhood memories of libraries with us on your next visit to the library or email us at sylviaharvey@hotmail.co.uk. We would like to display a collection of excerpts of your memories at the community events which will celebrate the opening of our new library.
Meet The Author
Upcoming Events
Meet the Author: Ian Pate talks about ‘Motorway Madness’. See page 12 for details.
National Limerick Day: May 12th.
Win a bottle of Prosecco and help celebrate Edward Lear’s birthday by writing a short, humorous, nonsense poem. Within a Limerick, there are five lines; the first two lines rhyme with the fifth line, and the third and fourth lines rhyme together. Please drop your entries into the library. The winning entry will be decided in the library on Saturday 11 May.
Advance Notice
We have three trips planned so book your seats early to avoid disappointment. Hay tickets are on sale now at the Library.
Sat 1 June – Hay Festival £15: Take time to explore the Festival site and the town of Hay. The full Festival programme will be released online in April.
Sat 13 July Cheddar Gorge £15: Leaving 11.30am – arriving 2pm then on to Clark’s Village (outlet shopping centre) in Street, Somerset 2.45 – departing 5.30pm
Sat 30 November: London Trip £22.
Further details on other trips to follow.
Easter Raffle
Tickets are £1 and are on sale at the library. The 3 prizes are: 2 hampers filled with M&S goodies and a Basket of Easter Flowers which are kindly donated by Alison Bentley, The draw is at midday on Easter Saturday 20 April in the Library.
Home Service: If you have mobility problems and finding it difficult to visit the library, we offer a home service where we can deliver, return and even help you choose your books. Please contact us for further details.
Volunteers: As our range of services are expanding, we need more volunteers. If you have a few spare hours a month to help us in any way, please email us or call into the library for an informal chat and a warm welcome.
Clwb Clonc: Join the growing number of learners and first language Welsh speakers who want to practise their conversational skills. Weekly meetings on Mondays in the café at Pugh’s Garden Centre at 11 am, and at 7pm on the second Thursday of the month in the bar of the Wenvoe Arms. Croeso i bawb.
Book reviews: We would love to hear your reviews on any library books you have read. We have postcards on the desk for you to provide a brief recap of the title in question to future readers All
that’s required is a paragraph covering the major plot points without giving things away, summarising some of your thoughts on the book and suggesting the type of reader to whom you would recommend the book.
Book Bags: We have some lovely grey canvas book/ shopping bags for sale in the library at £5.00 each.
Off the Shelf: This month we read Jan Morris’s classic Venice, which we found to be a brilliantly written book with amazing historical insights and detailed description of a grand city. Making full use of her senses, she wrote about the expected and unexpected and gave us an intuitive analysis of Venetian temperament and its characters at work and at play. A book to tempt a first-time or a return visit.