Month: May 2017

News and Information

 

We have been very busy at the Playgroup over the last half term. The Children have been busy planting for Mothering Sunday, Supporting Red Nose Day and cleaning their outside garden space in time for the Summer Term. Prior to the Easter Holidays we held our Easter Fayre, where the children sang a collection of songs with a surprise visit from Peppa Pig, who gave each of them an Easter Egg for singing so beautifully (It always brings a tear to your eye watching their faces light up as Peppa enters the room).

Our Committee held a cheese and wine tasting event with quiz at the hall, selling over 100 tickets. A fun evening was had by all and a staggering £800 was raised for the playgroup. Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets and supported the event and a big thank you to Uncle Dai for arranging the quiz. Thanks must go to Vicky, Lisa, Michelle and Rachel from our Committee who gave up their time to put on the event. Well done, an excellent return for playgroup ladies.

WHO ARE WE?

Wenvoe Playgroup is a registered charity which has been in operation for 48 years at the Village Hall. Parents of children who attend the playgroup are elected each year at the AGM to form a committee. We Co-opt members of the community who have previously served on the Playgroup Committee to support a smoother operation. The Committee employ Sandra Morgan along with her registration with CSSIW to run and operate the playgroup. Sandra holds a level 5 qualification in Early Years and Management.

The playgroup employs an additional 5 staff, 3 of whom hold a level 3 Early Years qualification, 1 staff with 20 years’ experience and 1 staff, who works part-time to support the wrap around care. We offer care for children from the age of 2 years and 4 months up to the age of 4 years and 11months. Our staff offer a safe, caring and stimulating environment where the children may learn through play.

The playgroup operates from the Village Hall Monday to Friday from 9am until 12:45pm offering extended hours on Monday and Wednesday until 3:15pm.

At this time we operate ‘Wrap around Care’ with Gwenfo Nursery each morning, taking the children across to the nursery for 1pm. This allows working parents daily care for their children from 9am until 3.30pm. For those children who attend morning nursery we offer collection from the nursery and on into playgroup on Monday and Wednesday, collecting children 11:20am and on into Playgroup until 3:15pm.

If you would like more information with regard to how we can help support your child then please contact playgroup 02920594724 during opening hours. Alternatively email us on wenvoeplaygroup@ btinternet.com

Why not visit our website wenvoeplaygroup.co.uk to view our recent photograhs and find out a little more about us by viewing our Statement of Purpose, Operation Plan and Admissions document. Costs of care can also be found online.

 

 

Easter Celebration

 

What a joy it was to hear the church bells ring out on Easter morning announcing that the Lord has risen, and that it was time to celebrate this most wonderful event in the Christian Church worldwide. During the season of Lent the bells had been silent, in keeping with the church being stripped of all the decorations and shiny brass ornaments within the church. In Lent our services are much plainer, with only the Lenten Hymns being sung and the Eucharist service for the most part being said. Jon said that he is almost a Puritan during Lent, happy when the church is bare, but knowing that when the great day of Easter dawns, St. Mary’s will be ablaze with the Pascal Candle lit, the flowers decorating the church, the glorious Easter music, the uplifting Gospel readings and of course not forgetting the mini Easter Fair Trade Easter Eggs given to the congregation as they left church. A special thank you to all who came to decorate the church, to those who clean the church week by week, and to Jon who prepares the service leaflets.

The Easter Vestry met prior to Easter Day, when the Parish report was presented to the parishioners who remained after the 9.30 am morning service. The churchwardens remain in office for another year and the members of the P.C.C. were duly elected, with some new faces to welcome and to say a thank you for those who did not wish to serve any longer. The church’s financial affairs are in good order and once again a thank you to the Treasurer, Ray Harris, for all the work he does in keeping track of all the payments and receipts during the year.

The work in the churchyard is almost complete with the East Window having been cleaned and the new window guards fitted. The hawthorn trees along the path to the porch have been replaced, slightly shorter than the original trees that had died, but they will grow, all that remains is the replacing of the lime mortar on the boundary walls which failed during the frosts of last Winter.

Fair Trade and Traidcraft continue to be well supported week by week and the appeal for Easter Eggs for the food Bank brought in a large variety of chocolate eggs, for the children of needy families in Barry and the Vale.

The sad news of the resignation of the Assistant Bishop of Llandaff, the Rt Rev. David Wilborne was received before Easter and his final service in the Cathedral was on Easter Day. A presentation was made to him in appreciation of all the help and support he had given to the Diocese during the eight years since he was appointed. The Parish made a contribution of £100 towards his leaving in recognition of the support he gave in Wenvoe during the last vacancy, and also the support that Jon received from David during the early part of his ministry.

The East Africa Appeal at St Mary’s raised £400 with help from the congregation and church funds, and this has been forwarded to Christian Aid. We have a good record of raising money for worthy causes, and help is required in May for the annual Christian Aid Week street collections, see the lists in church in early May.

The magazine continues to be taken up slowly each month. On Easter Sunday we invited the congregation

to take a copy FREE of charge, and they disappeared like snow in summer. The May edition will be in church on the first Sunday of the month.

By the time you read this the Summer House Group at The Rectory will have already began meeting to re-visit the teaching of the Apostles and Nicene creeds. The other dates to meet are the 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th of May. The sessions take place between 7.30 – 9.00 pm.

The May screening of the film “A United Kingdom” takes place in The Rectory on Friday 5th May at 7.30 pm. The film is based on the true story of the heir to the throne of Bechuanaland. Seretse Khama who studies in London immediately after World War II meets Ruth Williams whom he eventually married, despite the protests of their families. They overcome the many difficulties they faced especially about relations with South Africa and the stability of the entire region of southern Africa.

Messy Church again met in the Wenvoe Community Centre on Saturday 8th April. Many craft activities, worship and a party tea was enjoyed by a goodly crowd of parents and children. The theme was on the events of the first Palm Sunday so long ago in Jerusalem. Future dates to meet are planned, so keep an eye on the church notice board.

Greeting to all our readers of “What’s On in Wenvoe”

Parry Edwards

April Walks

 

Margam Park:- We parked next to the lake just outside Margam Park and made our way along the main track towards the deer park. Marshals stood near a stream, there was a run across the park and the runners were expected to go through this stream not once but twice; good job we were only walking!

We followed a woodland edge emerging onto the Ogwr Ridgeway walk and entering more open countryside we saw people doing the run. One circuit involved carrying a tyre uphill and over a high A frame before returning downhill. Continuing upwards, more obstacles appeared including a water slide (that looked good fun until you slid off the end onto rough ground) and a high-sided box. Far below we could see the starting point.

As we climbed we turned back to see Port Talbot steel works in the distance, a herd of deer were outlined on the hill in the foreground. There were a number of places where food had been put out for the deer and invariably nearby were ‘deer toilets’ trudging through one of these was not a pleasant experience!

Turning right we entered the forest to the north of Moel Ton-Mawr and spotted frog spawn aplenty – in any available water. Below was a clearing in the woodland where scrambler bikes raced, we stood well clear when they passed us . We continued in the forest for some time turning west northwest to cross the Ogwr Ridgeway walk.

We were almost at the high point of our walk as we emerged to the edge of the wood, a keen wind blew and it started to rain heavily. Icy needles hammered into exposed skin and many of us put up umbrellas for a bit of shelter. As the rain stopped we made our way into the wood for lunch but there was no shelter from the wind; it was like winter again.

Now we were making our way, on good tracks, generally downhill and westwards to Craig Cwm Maelwg and southwest to Crugwyllt-fawr. There were good views of the steel works and we could clearly see flames as well as great plumes of steam, one of which seemed to be the face of a plump faced man. At one point a large amount of hay was piled with old farm machinery. Loose hay was caught in wire and blew in the strong wind making an unusually picturesque fence.

Our track led to a farm and a friendly woman chatted to us . We headed uphill to the ruin of a chapel, and then down to the cars passing spring daffodils and primroses. [The walk was 8.2 miles and 1350ft. Map 165/166]

Tylorstown Tip:- It was a glorious sunny day. The ancient parish of Llanwonno is thought to date from the 6th century when St Gwynno founded the church here. We set off making a quick visit to the grave of Guto Nyth Bran (Griffith Morgan), he was able to run 7 miles to Pontypridd and back before the kettle boiled. Every New Year’s eve his legend is celebrated in the Nos Galon race from Mountain Ash.

We headed southwest through woodland to emerge into open countryside with Tylorstown tip (an old mining spoil tip) standing proudly to our right. We headed to it and a few people opted to wait at its foot while most of us climbed to the summit. Here we were joined by scrambler bikes roaring up its steep sides. The views down the valleys were excellent. As we descended, one of the scramblers followed us down a steep gully and we scrambled up the side out of his way.

Now the group continued in a north-westerly direction through woodland to Carn y Pigwn where we turned east to arrive at the river feeding the Clydach reservoir. Followed the river southeast and gently downwards to the reservoir where we stopped for lunch. Continuing down the valley we could hear water below us and took a slight detour to descend to a waterfall (Pistyll goleu); very refreshing.

Climbing back to our path we took the track along the course of the river now travelling northwest until we found a footpath on our right leading directly to the road back to the cars (and the pub): some took a short cut along the road while the rest of us continued into St Gwynno forest turning southeast in the direction of Mynachdy.

There were wind turbines on the hill and we had some fun taking photos with the blades apparently emerging from people’s heads. We passed a farm with sheep and new born lambs as well as young bullocks, goats and a llama. We climbed past fields with expectant ewes and ewes with their lambs.

Now it was a short way back, passing above the official scrambler site, to the cars where our friends greeted us. [We had walked 8.25miles and 1400ft. Map 166]

A Guide to Year 12

 

And so the looming anxiety of exams re-emerges with a vengeance. For those doing GCSEs, trust me on this – A Levels are not easier ‘because you’re only doing four subjects’. Four subjects, with just as much work as the sixteen or so I was taking last year. More ‘free time’ – actually, that goes to study periods. But I’ve learnt a few news skills over this past year alone:

Card games – at the beginning of Year 12, without what you consider to be ‘too much work’, you spend your free lessons playing cards. You’ll learn new games such as ‘speed’ and the old classic ‘go fish’ with re-appear. Learn these games early on – procrastination is hard to maintain when just about everyone is stressed in February

Take subjects you enjoy – I learnt (only through my partial failure at Science and Maths at GCSE) that I only really remember something if I enjoy it, my case in point being, I could tell you all about Mao Zedong’s reign of China or how Saunders Lewis’ ‘Blodeuwedd’ is still important today or how Sheila Birling could have been a Suffragette in ‘An Inspector Calls’ but ask me how carbon aging works or how to figure out Sin, Cos or Tan and you’ll earn a blank expression from me.

Contrary to popular belief, just because you don’t study the sciences, you’re not any less intelligent – I (somehow, by some miracle) made it into the Governments ‘Seren Network’ scheme, helping those who got certain grades at GCSEs earn a place at the highest-ranking universities. Funnily enough, despite you studying three Sciences and Further Maths, and myself studying English, History and Welsh, we’re both here. For different reasons. You can’t let someone assume that they’re better than you because of the subjects you excel at. Being able to explain human anatomy to impresses me – in the same way that my knowledge of American’s judicial system of the 1950s should impress you. You can still be of the same intelligence as someone and not study the same subjects because who knows, maybe the way you worried about your Maths exam was the same way they worried about their English exam.

Make an effort to speak up for yourself – I have a fear of speaking to people I don’t know, as if I somehow have to prepare what I say first, so that I don’t feel half as nervous stating things I’ve practiced. I continuously have this fear I may say something I’ll regret, so I tend to not say anything at all. Yet recently, I had the best week. Because I spoke to strangers without too much fear. I went to an event with my school (a Universities fair) and spoke to a representative of Cardiff University – alone -– and had an amazing conversation about the course I’m practically obsessed with by this point. The next day, another representative from Cardiff University came to my school to speak with us – on the very subject I’d love to study. And for once, I got the courage to stand up and introduce myself. And boy, did it pay off! I got some incredible advice, some sweet compliments on my current efforts to get to my end goal and a promise that I’d make a good impression that they would remember me. So, sometimes guys, talking to strangers actually works in your favour. It’s hard, I know trust me but try it,

because maybe it might help you.

I should probably go – I have A Levels to pass (hopefully, at least). Just one last thing: if you’re stressed that’s a good thing. Stupid, right? Nope – because stressing this much means that you actually care about doing well. Just know that you should never let anyone put too much pressure on you (and do NOT put too much on yourself), and just know that if you did the best you could and still end up disappointed, there’s nothing more you could have done, and it doesn’t make your grades any worse than anyone else’s. They did the best they could have done, too – you’re just better at some things than others, not everyone can be incredible at everything. Oh there’s the eighth (ninth?) point: you learn at A Level that literally no one is perfect – they’re all worried about the same things you’re worried about.

By Tirion Davies

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