Month: September 2018

September Activities

 

We have had a busy start to the term, entering several categories within the Wenvoe Village Fair. We were thrilled to hear that artists, handwriters and bakers all did so well! We are currently busy designing our scarecrow for St Mary’s Scarecrow festival as well as practicing with our choir to sing at the Harvest Service.

We have all voted for the Year 6 children, who all have a job in school, and have a brand new Head Boy (Alfie) and Head Girl (Tia). We know that they will be busy helping Miss Starke over the coming year. Other jobs including School council representatives ( ensuring all children have a voice), eco committee members, who look after our wonderful grounds, as well as health and safety representatives and tuck shop monitors.

Our Value this half-term is generosity and we plan to organise a harvest collection at the end of the half -term to donate to the local food bank. Families always donate so generously so please do pop in if you would like to add to our collection. A list of items we are collecting will appear on the school noticeboard shortly.

At Gwenfo we love to welcome visitors and volunteers so if you have some free time we are always looking for helpers to garden, read or share their expertise! Do pop in for a chat if you are interested!

In the words of our school mission statement we look forward to a really happy year living and growing together in a Christian Way!

 

 

September Report

WENVOE COMMUNITY LIBRARY
Tel: 02920 594176 – during opening hours or wenvoelibrary@outlook.com
Like and follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/WenvoeCommunityLibrary

For general enquiries email us at wenvoelibrary@ outlook.com

Village Show Saturday September 8th

Despite the inclement weather, we managed to raise £150 for the Library. We’d like to convey a huge thanks to all who made the event possible.

Volunteers and Friends of the Library

Would you like to get involved in helping promote and support our local library? We are always looking for more volunteers to help with the day-to-day running of the library. Also we need volunteers who may not necessarily want to be hands-on in the library but would be happy to help run and enhance library-related activities and run fund-raising events. If you feel you can help in any way, please send us an email or call into the library for a chat.

Book Donations

Thanks again to those who have donated such beautiful books. We continue to welcome any donations of good quality books. If you are unable to bring them to the library, we will happily collect them.

We have a wedding photo that fell out of a donated book. If you think it might belong to you, please collect it from the library

Summer Reading Challenge

This year we had over twenty children aged 4-11 register for the Mischief Maker Summer Reading Challenge. The aim was to read at least six library books over the summer. Well done to all who completed.

Date of next Volunteers Meeting

Wednesday 10th October, 7 p.m. Wenvoe Arms

Advance Notice

Bus trip to Bath Christmas Market £15

Tickets available at the Library from October 1st. Coach will leave Wenvoe Village School at 9am & leave Bath 6pm. Tickets cost £15 – no concessions, no refunds.

Books, Bakes and Bric-a-brac – Saturday 10th November, at the Community Centre. Join us for refreshments and mince pies and buy some of our delicious Christmas bakes to take home. Donations of cakes will be gratefully received.

 

Do you have any books, unwanted gifts, costume jewellery, pre-loved china, toys and other items stored in your loft or garage? This is the chance of a good clear out before Christmas. Bring your unwanted items for the bric-a-brac sale. All profits benefit the Library. Let us know if you would like us to collect your contributions.

NEW BOOKS FOR OCTOBER:

Again we have received several new titles this month. If you like autobiographies, we have Tom Jones and John Cleese to tempt you. Crime and thrillers are always popular with our readers and we have several new titles. You might find the following a good read.

Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay. A terrifying home invasion with apocalyptic overtones

Deadfall by Linda Fairstein – her 19th crime novel

For something unusual – The Wolf of Midnight by M.K. Hume. The final instalment in the Tintagel trilogy; a journey of bravery and brutality within tribal Britain.

Off the Shelf

We met following a summer break to review 'Oranges are not the only Fruit' by Jeanette Winterson. Published in 1985, the semi-autobiographical story is about a lesbian girl growing up in the 60s in an English Pentecostal family. A comparison was made to the last book we read 'Purple Hibiscus' where the impact of religion was very strong with authoritative role models.

The group had mixed feelings about the book. Most of us felt that the book was an interesting and entertaining read as it was written through the eyes of a child trying to make sense of her eccentric upbringing. Some couldn't put the book down as her humorous account of situations was clearly brought to life. Others felt it had no depth. However, some members felt that some amusement was made at the expense of Winterson’s sexuality, which seemed unfair. The abrupt ending of the book was disappointing.

Overall, it was described as a 'quirky book' and quite a different read where religion played a central part to the story. Although there was a mixed review we gave the book a 7.5.

 

 

September Planning updates.

Planning updates.

The following applications have been approved

• The Homestead, 4, Church Rise. Erect a conservatory to the rear elevation.

• Coedhirion, 8, Walston Road, Wenvoe. Rear extension to, and internal/external refurbishment of, the existing dwelling, including demolition of single storey extension at front, bay window, single storey flat roofed extension at rear and ancillary garage building at rear.

• 63, Burdons Close. – Remove garage doors and replace with UPVC double glazed window to match house

• 23, Rectory Close. – Proposed first floor side extension to form walk-in wardrobe and downstairs utility room, and single storey rear house extension

• 83, Heol Collen, Culverhouse Cross. – Proposed single storey rear house extension and conversion of integral garage to habitable room.

• 42, Heol Collen, Culverhouse Cross. – Removal of tree showing signs of rot which is covered by TPO. A replacement tree is required to be planted.

• Grange Lodge, Grange Avenue. – Works to crown lift a TPO protected tree

• Trees to the rear of 10-15, Clos Llanfair. – Works to crown lift and crown reduce TPO protected trees.

 

The appeal hearing against the refusal to grant planning permission for the construction of a Starbucks drive-through unit in the Brooklands Retail Park car park will take place on the 25th October at the Docks Office, Barry starting at 10.00am. The hearing is expected to last one day.

A list of roads to be resurfaced during the next few years includes work at Dyffryn, and Walston Road/Tarrws Lane. The extent of the resurfacing is not given in the communication. A request to remove or install the loose kerb stones at the top of Tarrws Lane before any resurfacing work is carried out is being made to the Vale.

Following the announcement that the Welsh Government has approved our grant application for funds to assist in the construction of the new library a provisional time scale has been produced which indicates construction will take around six months and commence in May/June next year. The council are hoping to advance this date during discussions with the parties involved.

With the grant now approved the Vale is to be requested to progress the Grange Park play area design.

The Vale Councillor, Johnathan Bird, updated the council on Vale matters. The car parking charges are still under public consultation; money raised is to be ring-fenced and used for car park improvements and town centre regenerations. Work on the straightening of Five Mile Lane – the night time shutting of the road is to allow widening work through the woodland area at the Barry end of the road. On the first Wednesday of the month between 2 and 4pm the site office (located near the Molton Road junction) is open to the public so you can be updated on the progress of the work

 

September Planning Applications

Planning applications.

An application by Newydd Housing Association in respect of 1, Stone House, Dyffryn to convert two semi-detached properties into a single detached property and erection of a sustainable (energy positive) rural exceptions bungalow, with a new access and associated works. No objections were raised.

 

 

 

 

ARTES MUNDI 8

COMING SOON: ARTES MUNDI 8

From Renoir’s Blue Lady to global surveillance and drone warfare: the National Museum has it all.

The National Museum in Cardiff is well known for housing one of Europe's finest art collections, covering a period of 500 years and including one of Europe's best collections of Impressionist art. When the Rolling Stones played the Millennium Stadium recently, Mick Jagger announced to the crowd that he and Keith Richard had hired bikes for a trip to the museum to see Renoir’s Blue Lady. The pair apparently followed this with a pint of Brains and a trip to Caroline Street for curry and chips.

The National Museum does not just deal in old masters. Later this month the National Museum hosts its 8th biennial contemporary international arts exhibition, Artes Mundi 8. Admission is free and runs from 27th October 2018 to February 24th, 2019.

Artes Mundi was founded in 2002 by Welsh artist William Wilkins. The winner of the Artes Mundi Prize will take home £40,000; the largest art prize in the UK and one of the most significant in the world. The Independent newspaper has called it the best art prize in Great Britain, ‘totally eclipsing and outclassing the Turner Prize.’ BBC news went even further calling it ‘One of the leading contemporary art prizes in the world.’

The event has become increasingly popular. Previous exhibitions, based mainly at the National Museum and occasionally using smaller venues such as Chapter Arts Centre, have attracted well over 100,000 visitors. In contrast to the Turner Prize, which requires its nominees to be either born or working in Britain, artists from anywhere in the world can be nominated.

Artes Mundi is Latin for ‘arts of the world’ and as such, selected artists are united by an interest in global issues. The work exhibited is often political and can be controversial.  

So what can we expect to see this year? A short-list of five internationally acclaimed artists, was selected from over 450 nominations spanning 86 countries.

Bouchra Khalili is Moroccan-French. Her video work, which focuses on political minorities, was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2016.

Anna Boghiguian is an Armenian. She is a nomadic artist, constantly moving between different cities across the globe. Her work, which has been described as both funny and frightening, investigates subjects such as war and revolution.

Otobong Nkanga is a Nigerian artist. Her work explores changes in the environment and is part of a permanent collection at the Tate Modern.

Trevor Paglen is an American who launched an artwork into orbit 2012. Paglan’s ongoing project investigates global state surveillance and the ethics of drone warfare.

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a Thai artist whose video and feature films have won widespread recognition, including two prizes from the Cannes Film Festival. His films cover themes such as dreams, nature and Western perceptions of Asia.

Find out more at www.artesmundi.org

 

 

Fly Tipping

I am the owner of the field alongside the footpath between the Vennwood Close tunnel and the playing field. I am working to tidy the field up but we are having trouble with fly tipping. It is very difficult for me to clear myself and costs a lot to have it removed. This time it is building rubble which has been thrown over the fence. This is a danger to animals, so we can not use the field at the moment. It is hence getting over grown and untidy. This is not abandoned land but private property.

I would be very grateful if anybody could help with information about where it is coming from. Please contact me on 07598533554

Amanda Paddoc

 

 

One-Woman Show

 

Sorting the Sock Drawer

– A one-woman show by Eirwen Malin on Thursday 27th September 2018, 7pm Wenvoe Arms Function Room.

“Medron was a good king; kind, just and surprisingly progressive. The country prospered. But there was something wrong, something wrong with Medron himself and he knew it. It all started when he noticed that the sole of his right shoe kept wearing out much more quickly than the left”

After several years of occasional visits to the GP surgery with odd and unexplained symptoms, one of the GPs referred me to a neurologist “to put my mind at rest”. After nearly 12 months of waiting, I finally got my appointment and the consultant unexpectedly, and with somewhat clumsy practice, diagnosed Parkinson’s Disease, a degenerative, incurable, neurological condition which according to him is “devastating in its later stages”. My world had been upended but the good (?) news was PD does not particularly shorten lifespan. You just have to learn to live with it, potentially for a very long time.

Sorting the Sock Drawer intertwines Medron’s mythical journey with my personal path. As protagonists of each story we gain new strengths as we face challenges and arrive at journey’s end with a changed and meaningful life. Come and join us to hear what I hope is an entertaining and uplifting tale.

I’ll look forward to a chat in the bar afterwards.

This is the first date of a new tour of the show. Previous audiences have said:-

“Funny, sad, thought-provoking."

"Beautifully crafted. I love the blend of traditional and personal story.”

“The message will stay with me… Life is different, but not necessarily worse”

Thanks to Jenny and Digby at The Wenvoe for providing the venue for free. There is no charge though there will be a voluntary donation to a Parkinson’s charity.

Numbers are restricted so please book your seat by texting Phil 07870 212437 or email philipthomas664@gmail.com.

Access to the venue is via steps – apologies to those who have restricted mobility.

Running time about 1hour 15 mins.

I hope to see you there

Eirwen

 

 

Mynydd Troed

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Mynydd Troed –

Parking at the Dragon’s Back Inn, we were about to tackle the hill we had seen when circumnavigating Llangorse Lake. We headed north around the bottom of the mountain skirting Pengenffordd. Grassed paths all the way made the going easy and coming around to the western side of the hill we started to climb – fairly steep but not too difficult. As we climbed Llangorse lake came into view to the west.

Turning a corner the wind lashed at us and the temperature dropped a few degrees – quite pleasant after the warmth of climbing. Looking into the valley below a large stretch of land stood out, a lighter green than the rest.

On reaching the trig point (609m) we stopped for a breather. The Dragons Back ridge was in view and mountains stretched far to the south. It was now an easy walk along our ridge. There had been a fire up here; the majority of the ridge was brown and it was still smoking in places. The grass path was largely undamaged but heather and winberry bushes were all gone leaving ash in their wake. At one point flames were spotted and someone stamped them out. It was clear that although the surface was charred there was still heat in the ground and burning could be hidden below. We wondered whether it was a controlled burn, the result of hot weather or arson. We also joked that the dragon of the Dragon’s Back had breathed fire over to Mynydd Troed.

At the end of the ridge we descended a zigzag path through lush grassland and picked up a road through Waun Fach before reaching the end of the hill and turning north to follow the lower reaches of the ridge. We followed a very pleasant path for over two miles that felt like an old drover’s road but that is unlikely as it is between the A479 and a small country road.

An 8 mile walk and 1700ft climb was followed by excellent tea and a special treat of homemade cakes (delicious). As we finished our drinks the heavens opened – the weather forecast was right to the minute! Map OL13

 

 

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