The New School Year

 

 

We start the new school year by reflecting on the achievements of pupils, their families and staff over the last year. School year 2016-17 was a busy year for Gwenfô! The Nursery, Reception indoor classroom and Year 1 classroom were completed and pupils have enjoyed using their bright new learning spaces. Two new Nursery classes now complement the learning in the rest of the school. Working alongside Wenvoe playgroup we have been able to offer wraparound care to our youngest pupils and their families ensuring a great start to their schooling.

Learning activities were planned by a dedicated team of teaching and support staff enabling all pupils to learn in a style that suits them, while being challenged to do of their very best. Pupils benefitted by visiting local attractions such as Barry Island, Cosmeston Lakes, the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff Airport and Western Leisure centre. Years 4,5 and 6 all experienced a residential overnight trip and all pupils made good use of the village facilities regularly visiting St Mary’s Church, working alongside Wenvoe wildlife group and visiting the library.

At Gwenfô we aim to prepare children for life outside the school gates both academically and socially. We pride ourselves on our strong Christian family ethos and were thrilled when we had our Section 50 (Church) inspection in July, to receive the very highest grading ‘Excellent’. Currently the school is graded as excellent with prospects to improve as excellent also. We were also visited by Estyn the Welsh Government inspection team and at the time of writing the report has not yet been made public so we cannot share their judgements at yet. If you would like a copy of either report please pop into the school office or email gwenfops@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk and we can make them available to you.

Thank you to everyone who supported us last year, our volunteer team helped children with their reading, planted the outside spaces and supported us in so many ways. We would love members of our community to be involved in the life of the school so please, if you think you could help us in any way please pop in and have a chat. Watch out for community events over the year, we’d love for you to be involved.

Looking forward to the new academic year we are excited to welcome many new families to the school, have planned lots of great learning experiences and look forward to learning and growing together in a Christian way.

Nicola Starke

Acting Head Teacher

 

 



 

Wenvoe Village Show

 

THIS IS OUR OWN LOCAL SHOW. A chance for some friendly local competition. You don’t need to be an expert. This is the last time the show will be organised by the Scout Group, the newly formed Allotment Group will hopefully run it in future. Lets all make an effort to enter at least one item in this year’s show.

The show is limited to entries from people who live in the Wenvoe Community (Wenvoe, Parc y Gwenfo, Twyn-y-Odyn, St Lythans, Dyffryn) and children who attend the village school. Anyone who has regular connections with a village organisation but resides outside the community boundary and would like to submit an entry should contact the organisers. Contact via wenvoescoutgroup@ googlemail.com or any of the section leaders.

Entries to be registered at the Community Centre between 9.00 and 11.30am. The hall will then be closed until 2.00pm for the judging to take place and reopened from 2.00 to 4.30pm for the public to view the exhibits. From 4.00pm there will be a chance to sample some of the winning culinary entries yourself. If you wish to reclaim your entries they should be collected between 4.30pm and 5.00pm. Tea, coffee and squash will be available throughout the afternoon. Children’s section entries can be registered on Friday evening between 7.30 and 8.30pm.

Entry Fee. – 50p per section or as many sections as you wish for £3. Children's entrance fee is 20p per category or £1 for as many sections as you wish. The children’s section is limited to persons under the age of 16 years but they can also enter items in any other category in the show as well. The maximum number of entries per person in any one category is two. Previously entered items are acceptable if they have failed to win a prize in the past.

 

Fruit & Vegetable – best examples of,

1. Apples – 3 cookers

2. Apples – 3 eaters,

3. Tomatoes (standard size)- 3 same type

4. Tomatoes (cherry) – 3 same type

5. Other fruit – minimum of 5

6. Beetroot – three

7. Carrots – three

8. Onions – three

9. Potatoes – three

10. Runner bean – three

11. Shallots – three

12. Chillies – three

13. Any other vegetable – One (unless smaller than a medium sized onion then 3 items should be submitted for judging)

Vegetables – whoppers

14. Runner bean – longest

15. Cucumber – longest

16. Marrow – biggest

17. Onion – largest

18 Potato – largest

19. Misshapen vegetable .

Fruit & Vegetable – best examples of,

1. Apples – 3 cookers

2. Apples – 3 eaters,

3. Tomatoes (standard size)- 3 same type

4. Tomatoes (cherry) – 3 same type

5. Other fruit – minimum of 5

6. Beetroot – three

7. Carrots – three

8. Onions – three

9. Potatoes – three

10. Runner bean – three

11. Shallots – three

12. Chillies – three

13. Any other vegetable – One (unless smaller than a medium sized onion then 3 items should be submitted for judging)

Vegetables – whoppers

14. Runner bean – longest

15. Cucumber – longest

16. Marrow – biggest

17. Onion – largest

18 Potato – largest

19. Misshapen vegetable .

 

Culinary

20. 6 cheese scones

21. 6 welsh cakes

22. 6 short bread fingers

23. Victoria jam sponge

24. 6 butterfly cakes

25. Lemon drizzle cake slices

26. Small fruit cake slices

27. Quiche Loraine

27. Bread (Handmade)

28. Bread (Machine made)

29. Men Only – 6 savoury curry biscuits

30. Fruit Jam – sweet

31. Fruit jam – bitter

32. Jelly Preserve

33. Marmalade

34. Chutney (any type)

35. Eggs (home produced) – 3 matched

36. Homemade drink. Soft or alcoholic

Craft

37. Tied bunch of flowers from your garden

38. Best house plant

39. Handwriting (adult) – 40. Needlepoint/cross-stitch etc

41. Knitted or cross stitch item

42. Painting/Drawing

43. A wooden craft item.

44 Any other craft item.

Photography – unmounted 7” x 5” or less

45. Small creature

46. Reflection

47. National Park landscape

48. Single person

49. Cardiff

50. Red

Children’s Section – all items MUST be produced by the child

51. Home baked – 4 chocolate chip cookies.

52. Home baked – 4 mini rock cakes.

53. Drawing or painting of a family member.

54. Handwriting – junior – ‘The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog’ and seniors the same as juniors plus ‘Six javelins thrown by the quick savages whizzed forty paces beyond the mark.’

55. Craft – junk model.

56. Photograph – "My best picture taken in the last year".

57. Pre-school child – Piece of art or craft.

Limerick

58. The limerick – first line must be:- ‘In Wenvoe ……..

Why I’ve Learned Welsh

 

Up until this year, I primarily considered Welsh to be a nag from teachers, an unnecessary complaint to get me to listen. Of course, I always understood that there was an element of importance in my ability to speak Welsh. I’ve been learning Welsh words between English sentences from when I could first speak – but it wasn’t until I was about to embark on primary Welsh education that, at three, I began learning the language the way I would by the time I began school for real.

Of course, there were questions “Why do I have to learn this language? I get told off for speaking English! Isn’t that the language everyone speaks?” Over time the questions slowly stopped coming, and by age thirteen they stopped altogether. I began seeing the importance of the Welsh language and my pride in being able to speak it began to swell.

Yet, my GCSE years in the subject of Welsh were dire. To be honest, some of the things we did bored me, because they were either not in enough detail or because there was no discussion. It felt as though sometimes we were being taught things just as a way of passing an exam – and the work of Saunders Lewis (Blodeuwedd) went unnoticed, because there was no time to have a discussion on the matter. But because Welsh was a subject where the first language students had harder work, everything felt rushed, and eventually I stopped enjoying the subject.

We went on a trip to North Wales at the beginning of our second year of GCSEs with the Welsh department. At the time, it felt normal to be underwhelmed because that was just the way the rest of the previous year had been. We read and learned poems, but it never felt like we could delve into much more context than what we were given on the revision sheet. Looking back now, I would love to return to North Wales on the same trip, because my appreciation has greatly improved and I now understand the importance.

I’m not sure what possessed me to decide to study Welsh for A Level. As you can probably tell, my enjoyment in the subject at GCSE obviously hadn’t sparked a lot of enthusiasm. Yet within the first week of studying the subject it quickly became my favourite subject, and the best decision I would make this year.

As soon as I’d gotten used to the lessons, we began studying the poems. Similarly to GCSE, there are twelve poems on the A Level course. But by the time it came to the exam (the second half being grammar – a weakness of mine in Welsh) I enjoyed myself. You need context when you study any sort of poem for an exam (I’m also studying English Literature and Language – poems involved – and History) and unlike GCSE, the context used on these poems gave it a new light and thus it became more and more apparent that Welsh was a subject I valued. I’ve always enjoyed History, but this context felt more personal because for some poems, for instance ‘Gwenllian’ by Myrddin ap Dafydd, they speak of our Welsh past – a past forgotten mostly in South Wales and anglicised.

 

By studying Welsh in the way that I have done this year, it gives you so much more interest in your culture and makes you value being able to speak Welsh. I also studied the film ‘Hedd Wyn’ about the poet who’d died in the Passchendaele war (of which it recently commemorated 100 years) but had died before knowing he’d succeeded in his life-long dream of winning the Gadair at the National Eisteddfod. The film is available on YouTube for anyone who wishes to watch it (it has English subtitles). It shows the way Hedd Wyn’s work overcame the war, and is still just as beautiful even today; also, the film was nominated for a Foreign Language Oscar so… worth the watch.

My favourite part of this year was doing another of Saunders Lewis’ plays, Siwan. This time in such great detail. I had never realised how much our own Welsh history interested me until we studied the play. Surrounding the lives of Siwan (Princess of Wales) and her husband Llywelyn Fawr (the first of the Llywelyns and Prince of Wales) during the 1200s, in my everyday life I’d only vaguely remember studying such a period in Year 7. Yet, I knew so much and remembered things I never realised I even knew.

It’s weird, I know. For those who know me, you’d know that my Welsh GCSEs were riddled with complaints. But because of my decision to study it this year, it’s opened my eyes to so much more. This year I wrote my first Welsh language, full-length article for my coursework. And then I wrote a speech in Welsh for my coursework. And then I sent that speech to ‘Hacio’, and had it published. I Edited and produced two editions of my school’s newspaper this year, ‘Môr a Mynydd’.

And I’ve realised that if you have a passion for the language, no one will stop you from continuing to study it. Yes, I don’t believe that second-language Welsh speakers should be taught words like ‘popti-ping’ but you can’t change the whole world, right? I’ve realised that there are far more opportunities available for Welsh speakers getting involved in Journalism. It’s terribly hard to start out in Journalism, but if I do get the opportunity to study Welsh and Journalism at Cardiff University as I hope, by the time I move up the ranks, I’ll have more experience because there was more experience available to me.

If you teach Welsh effectively, you’ll get a good response. This year, we started our class with 5 members, but one person had moved from Biology to Welsh, having heard how good the course is. And so now, I’m doubtful that any of the six of us is willing to give up the subject next year – and even if we lose a member of the class, it’ll have been because there was no other choice. We’ve all enjoyed this year because of the passion and determination the teachers have. The interest they have in the subject sparks interest in their pupils because nothing is rushed. Thank you to them, I think above all else.

By Tirion Davies

Fair Trade In Wenvoe

 

Regular stalls:

 In St Mary’s Church hall following the All Age Service when coffee is served usually at 10 30am.

 In the Chattery; every second Thursday of each month from 10 30 until midday.

 

Additional stalls

 At the Scarecrow Festival on Saturday 23rd September from 2 till 5pm and Sunday from 10 30 – 11 am when the Christmas range will be launched.

 A stall in the Church Hall following the Remembrance Service on November 12th

 At Home with Jude and Nige; Friday 17th November – Open House at 5 Church Rise with refreshments and goods to sell or to order from 2 30 until 9pm.

 

For more information see the Traidcraft website on www.TraidcraftShop.co.uk/fairtrade or give me a call for information or a catalogue on 02920594708.

Jude Billingham

 

 

 



 

1st Wenvoe Scout Group is growing

1st Wenvoe Scout Group is growing and active. We believe through adventure we challenge individuals so that they learn and experience new things that enrich their lives. Last year the Beavers visited Pets at Home and loved meeting and holding lots of different animals. They also explored lots of different countries by making a passport, trying different foods and playing games. Cubs had a weekend away adventure on pack holiday and the Scouts went on a canoeing course at Barry Community Water Activities Centre achieving their One Star award. This term we are already planning our district family camp including rock climbing, archery and a campfire; a Beavers sleepover; a Cubs team sports event and Scouts gamer hike.

We are busy re-growing our group and aim to increase our children numbers back up to maximum. We can only do this with additional adults supporting us on a regular basis at weekly sessions, helping with activities and in our group management. If you are interested in finding out more about the group and how you can support us please contact us at 1stwenvoe@ penarthanddistrict.org.uk. If you would like to add your child to our waiting list please contact Trudy at 1stwenvoe.join@penarthanddistrict.org.uk. If you have older children in the group, please check their younger sibling is on the waiting list if you would like them to join too.

 

Tori Thomas, Group Scout Leader

 

 



 

Cod Loins with Fennel, Olives, Capers and Lemon Potatoes

 

Cod Loins with Fennel, Olives, Capers and Lemon Potatoes

4 good sized cod loins, skinned and boned

2 medium sized fennel bulbs

3 medium shallots

the juice and zest of one large lemon

2 tbsp capers, drained and chopped

2 tbsp black pitted olives, thinly sliced

1 large clove of garlic chopped

1 tbsp fennel seeds

12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

250ml dry white wine

good pinch of salt, black pepper and sweet paprika

500g baby new potatoes

good knob of butter

Heat the oven to 180c fan. Lightly roast the fennel seeds in a small frying pan until the aromas begin, crush in a pestle and mortar and set aside. Trim the fennel, remove core and thinly slice. Thinly slice the shallots. Arrange the fennel in the base of an oven dish, arrange the shallots on top. Sprinkle over the salt, pepper and paprika. Arrange the fish on top of the shallots. Scatter the tomatoes around the fish. Drizzle the lemon juice over the fish. Pour the wine into to dish around the fish. In a small bowl mix to-gether the olives, capers, garlic and fennel seeds and spread over the top of the fish. Cover the dish with foil, cut a vent hole in the foil and bake for about 25 – 30 mins until the fish flakes.

Boil the potatoes, drain and return to the pan. Add the butter, swish around to coat the potatoes. Tip into a serving dish and scatter the lemon zest over the top, lightly mix together. Serve with French beans. Boil the potatoes, drain. return to pan, add the butter swish around to coat potatoes. Tip into a serving dish and scatter the lemon zest over the top. Serve with French beans.

 

 



 

Coconut Tart

Coconut Tart

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 cardamon pods, shelled and seeds crushed

175g desiccated coconut

225g caster sugar

25g butter, melted

500g block all butter shortcrust pastry

plain flour for dusting

1 large egg beaten

Heat oven to 180c fan. Tip the spices, coconut and sugar into a pan with 150ml of water. Cook over a low heat for about 5 mins, stirring frequently to en-sure the mixture doesn’t catch. Set aside to cool. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and line a 23cm loose bottomed flan tin. Line with baking parchment and beans and bake for 15 mins on a bak-ing tray. Remove beans and parchment and bake ror a further 5 mins until cooked but not brown. Add the egg to the cooled mixure and spoon into pastry case. Bake for about 25 mins until the pastry is golden and the coconut is pale golden. Serve with a good spoonful of double cream.

The Silk Merchant’s Daughter

 

The Silk Merchant's Daughter by Dinah Jefferies.

We met on 8th August to discuss it, and for once our stars aligned and all ten of us were present!

We agreed that it was an amazing and captivating story, historical fiction maybe but we all learned a lot about French Indo-China in the early 1950s. Our average score for the book was 8 out of 10.

The book is set in Hanoi, Vietnam, in the early 50s and focuses on Nicole and her struggles with identity and belonging. With a French father and a (late) Vietnamese mother, Nicole has inherited her mother's looks so she is often called "métisse", something that makes her feel uncomfortable and out of place. Her older sister though has their father's looks and seems to be the preferred daughter. Nicole's self doubts only increase as the story unfolds and Vietnam becomes a very dangerous place. The French government is loosing its power as the nationalist Vietminh gain power and support. And soon, Nicole finds herself having to decide which side she is going to support.

Between all this turmoil, there's also space for romance. Early in the story, Nicole meets a dashing American that makes her heart flutter. But he seems to have many secrets and a special connection with her sister. So when an enthusiastic and persuasive young Vietnamese enters her life, she must decide, once more, which life she is going to choose.

The Silk Merchant's Daughter is a story with many layers. There's war but also love, betrayal but also forgiveness, doubts but also certainties. It captures perfectly what it means being part of two completely different cultures but not belonging to either. It's something that has made me think a lot and I'm sure this story will stay with us for a long tim

 

 

 



 

August Walks

 

Gower

 

As we drove from the main road to the car park ½ mile north of the Heritage Centre just past Parkmill, the heavens opened. Luckily it stopped as we parked and remained sunny for the rest of the day. We walked south down the road and across the main road to pick up a footpath following the valley to Three Cliffs Bay. Sandy paths meander along a stream, passing the ruins of Pennard castle and Pennard Burrows. Rather than go onto the beach we turned west through the dune system and saw lovely views of the Bay.

Heading northeast we crossed the road again and walked over a grassy area towards Long Oaks. The footpath here wasn’t signed and we checked with a local that it was where we thought, as it goes through a garden. A lovely garden too with a homemade dolmen, large pond and weeping copper beech tree as well as a ladder stile into the farm next door. This stile had obviously not been used for some time, the rungs were in good order but the top was rotten and the other side was totally overgrown. Having successfully beaten our way clear, we soon arrived in a field damp underfoot and containing a small herd of horses. Soon the countryside was very similar to the Vale of Glamorgan; we commented that you’d never know you were in the Gower – it could be anywhere in South Wales. We continued north and joined the Gower Way before reaching Cillibion.

The Gower Way is a 35 mile route inaugurated in 1998 by the prince of Wales. It runs from Rhosilli covering the length of the ancient lordship of Gower and ending inland at Penlle’rcastell. 50 way stone markers, inscribed with the Gower Society logo and individually numbered line the route.

We stayed on the Gower way until we turned east about ½ mile north of Cillibion through Cillibion plantation and onto a road at Llethrid bridge. A London bus bedecked for a wedding passed by as we crossed the road and took a footpath through Park Woods. This proved heavy going at times and we were relieved when we joined the main track. Emerging into a more open space we found a restored burial chamber. Now we walked into the campsite near which we had parked. At 10.30am there was hardly anyone around but now there was a substantial scout camp with lots of other people spread around the site which seemed to have very limited facilities.

We changed out of our boots and drove down to the Heritage Centre for welcome refreshment. At the end we had completed 8.5miles and 800ft. Map OL13.

 

 

Skirrid Fawr

We parked in the National Trust car park at the foot of Skirrid and as we set off the first few drops of rain started to fall. A well defined footpath leads in north and north easterly directions up Skirrid, the last outcrop of the Black mountains. You pass through Caer wood and skirt Pant Skirrid wood coming out onto the open hillside. Climbing along Beacons Way, we separated as the fitter people got ahead, and before long were drenched by torrential rain, hitting any bare skin like needles.

A lady wearing trainers, T-shirt and trousers (no waterproofs) passed us at a good speed, followed not long after by a man, similarly clad, and a dog. The rain plastering their clothes to their bodies. Having donned our waterproof trousers we continued and met the lady coming down with the man’s dog. That’s strange we thought! The lady had had a hip replacement 6 months earlier and walked up Skirrid daily as rehabilitation! Her husband and dog were accompanying her at a slower pace.

Looking back we could see the sun over the Bristol Channel and crossed our fingers that it would catch up with us by the time we got to the top. It did. In glorious sunshine we walked through the stone jambs that mark the entrance to St Michael’s Chapel on the summit (the chapel has totally disappeared). We had 360o views of the surrounding hills bathed in threatening black clouds, heavy rain (in England) and a scattering of sunshine. Dramatic! And definitely worth the climb.

Our route now took us east towards the Arwallt, a steep drop and then we were crossing moor land, the remainder of the walk being generally flat. We turned south east towards ’The West’ (of England presumably) and south west towards Llandewi court. On the lower slopes of the Skirrid we could see ‘LIONS‘ cut into the landscape. A road sign on a lane stated ’Wrong Way for Walnut Tree’. I guess there had been a few mishaps.

Continuing south we turned east at Pen-y-flos-goch, towards The Court, then south to Great Blaen-coed. We spent some time on this stretch trying to find our footpath which had been blocked and diverted but with no new signposts, the stiles were not maintained very well either and we got frustrated at times. There was a good example of a gypsy caravan though. Now we turned west towards Green Moors and northeast towards Pontgarreg farm and hence along the road to Brynygwenin, back to the cars. A 6.9miles walk and 1300ft. Map OL13

 

 



 

CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR

 

SECOND ANNUAL WENVOE CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR

Sunday 26 November 2017, 10am – 4pm

Wenvoe Community Centre

 

Wenvoe Craft Workshop proudly presents the Second Annual Wenvoe Christmas Craft Fair. This is the perfect opportunity to buy unique, handcrafted gifts and ornaments for Christmas and beyond. There will be a wide selection of crafts on offer which will include cards, wood, glass, slate, jewellery, scented candles, book folding, sewn and knitted items, confectionery, garden themed items and many more. There will be a charity raffle with superb prizes including a designer leather shoulder bag, a large Christmas Hamper basket full of deliciousness, a small Christmas hamper basket, a rich fruit Christmas cake (which will be hand baked and decorated in the village) and lots more. Once again the kitchen will be our refreshment area and will be well stocked with hot and cold drinks, cakes and biscuits which are home baked here in the village. This is very much a Wenvoe event run BY people from the village FOR people from the village and surrounding areas. One third of our 20+ tables are being stocked and run by people from Wenvoe and all profits from the raffle and from the refreshments sold will be donated to Wenvoe Good causes/charities. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to meet up with friends old and new, put some ticks on your Christmas gift list and indulge yourself with a slice of cake and a chat.

If you would like further information please contact the organisers, Glenys and Mike Tucker, on 07922109721 or at pukkatucker@gmail.com or take a look at our Facebook event page at Wenvoe Christmas Craft Fair.

 



 

1 2 3