Month: August 2019

Sticky Toffee Pear and Ginger Pud

Sticky Toffee Pear and Ginger Pud

150g dates, chopped small

125g butter, softened

125g caster sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

175g SR flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground ginger

for the sauce

50g butter

75g soft brown sugar

5 tbsp. double cream

4 pears, peeled and chopped

3 balls of stem ginger in syrup, chopped

Butter a 20.5 cm [ 8inch] non stick baking tin. Pre-heat oven fan 160C. In a bowl add dates and cover with 75ml boiling water and leave to soak for about 10 mins, then drain and set aside. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar with a whisk until creamy. Gradually mix in the eggs, then the flour, baking powder and ground ginger with a whisk until creamy, set aside. Make the sauce. In a sauce pan melt the butter [don’t let it burn] and sugar till sug-ar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Add pears and stem ginger, stir to coat and tip into the prepared tin. Spoon pudding mixture over pears and bake for about 1 hr, covering with foil half way through. Check with a skewer to check it’s cooked. When cooled turn out onto a serving plate, let the sauce filter through the pudding. Serve with either extra double cream or vanilla ice cream. ENJOY.

Apology for my mistake on last month’s recipe – it should have been entitled Pasta Shells with Tuna and Peas not Pears

 

Mr Greedy

 

 

Maple-Bacon Buttermilk Scones

Maple-Bacon Buttermilk Scones

300g pack smoked streaky bacon, diced

2 tbsp. maple syrup

430g SR flour, Plus extra for dusting

½ tsp salt

4 spring onions, finely chopped

170g butter, cut into cubes

240ml buttermilk

1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven fan 180C. Line a large baking tray with non stick baking paper. Fry the bacon for about 5 mins until golden and crisp. Stir in the maple syrup and fry for a further 1 min. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper, set aside to cool completely, Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, stir in the spring onions. Add the butter and rub with finger tips until mixture resembles large bread crumbs, stir in the cooled bacon. Gradually mix in the butter milk with the blade of a table knife to form a slightly sticky dough. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and tip out the dough and roll out to a rough 22cm square, about 2.5 cm thick. Cut the dough into 9 squares, then cut each square into 2 triangles and place on the baking tray. Lightly brush the tops of the scones with the egg and bake for about 18 – 20 mins until golden. When slightly cooled, slice in half, butter and enjoy.

 

 

Coffee at the Radyr Garden Village

 

Wenvoe WI did not have a meeting in August. However, 20 of our members travelled to Pugh’s Garden Village at Radyr at the end of July for coffee, lunch and, of course, retail therapy! Everyone enjoyed the trip and most people got off the coach at Wenvoe carrying more than they did when they had got on to go earlier.

At our next meeting we will be collecting names for our Fish and Chip Supper in November. The next meeting will be on Thursday, 5th September at 7pm at Wenvoe Church Hall. Our speaker will be Abi Reader who will talk about “Cows on Tour”. Any visitors can always be assured of a warm welcome and there is no charge.

 

 

Welsh Learners at Clwb Clonc

Meet the tutor 1-3pm 04/09/2019

Canolfan Wenvoe Community Centre

Dewch am sgwrs â’r tiwtor

If you pop into Pugh’s garden centre on a Monday morning you might notice a group of people chatting in Welsh over their coffees. Some may speak quickly and others throw in English words to keep the conversation going. This is because this self-organised group is attracting Welsh learners and speakers alike. Last May a few Wenvoe library volunteers decided to start a Clwb Clonc (Chat Club) and posted an advert in this magazine. This advertised that learners and speakers would be welcome to meet at 11 a.m. on Mondays in the garden centre’s café. Janet Tabor says, “We are going from strength to strength. There are usually around 10-15 people each week. Although most come from Wenvoe village itself this popular group has people popping in from other areas in the Vale. We have a lot of fun. I would like to see more joining us. In my opinion it is wonderful to have an opportunity to use our Welsh locally. You never know how many people can speak Welsh in your area!”

Learn Welsh. The Vale wants to start a fast track class in the Community Centre. We hope to attract enough learners who wish to learn quickly by attending Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 1.00-4.00 p.m. 9 hours a week for £90 for the year. Wenvoe resident Brenig Davies says, “Learning Welsh has allowed me to see a parallel world” and “I have made lots of new friends because of my classes”. If you want to discuss learning Welsh further call the office on 01446 730402 or pop along to the meet tutor event on the 4th September.

 

Os ewch chi i ganolfan arddio Pugh ar fore dydd Llun efallai y byddwch yn sylwi ar y grŵp yn sgwrsio yn Gymraeg dros eu coffi. Efallai bydd rhai yn siarad yn gyflym ac eraill yn taflu geiriau Saesneg i gadw’r sgwrs i fynd. Mae hyn oherwydd bod y grŵp hwn yn denu dysgwyr a siaradwyr Cymraeg. Mis Mai diwethaf penderfynodd ychydig o wirfoddolwyr llyfrgell Wenfô gychwyn Clwb Clonc a phostio hysbyseb yn y cylchgrawn hwn. Roedd yr hysbyseb yn rhoi croeso i bawb gwrdd am 11 a.m. ar ddydd Llun yng nghaffi canolfan Pugh. Dywed Janet Tabor, “Dyn ni’n mynd o nerth i nerth. Fel arfer mae 10-15 o bobl bob wythnos. Er bod y mwyafrif yn dod o bentref Wenfô ei hun, mae pobl yn dod i mewn o ardaloedd eraill yn y Fro. Dyn ni’n cael llawer o hwyl. Hoffwn weld mwy yn ymuno â ni. Yn fy marn i mae’n hyfryd cael cyfle i ddefnyddio’n Cymraeg yn lleol. Dych chi byth yn gwybod faint o bobl sy’n gallu siarad Cymraeg yn eich ardal chi !”

 

Mae Dysgu Cymraeg y Fro am gychwyn dosbarth cyflym yn y ganolfan gymunedol. Dyn ni’n gobeithio denu digon o ddysgwyr sy’n dymuno dysgu’n gyflym trwy fynychu dydd Mawrth, dydd Mercher a dydd Iau rhwng 1.30-4.30 p.m. Bydd 9 awr yr wythnos yn £90 am y flwyddyn. Dywedodd Brenig Davies, un o drigolion Wenvoe, “Mae Dysgu Cymraeg wedi caniatáu imi weld byd cyfochrog” ac “Dw i wedi gwneud llawer o ffrindiau newydd oherwydd fy nosbarthiadau”. Os dych chi am drafod dysgu Cymraeg ymhellach, ffoniwch y swyddfa ar 01446 730402 neu galwch heibio i’r Ganolfan

 

 

Sun Hats And Sun Cream

Sun hats and sun cream were the order of the day as the Carers walk set off around Barry Island on the hottest day of the year, so far.

The walk is an opportunity for carers to get together in a relaxed and friendly environment and have some respite from caring duties. When you’re caring, it can be easy to
feel cut off. On this walk there is no danger of being cut off….by the tide, or otherwise! See you in August, on the last Thursday of the month at 10.30am.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Friendship Day Walk

The August Living with Cancer Strollers coincided with International Friendship Day. International Friendship Day is a United Nations day that promotes the role friendship plays in promoting peace in many cultures. The Stand up to Cancer support group spent the day celebrating the special friendships that offer support, love and laughter during some of life’s most difficult moments.

The Living with Cancer Strollers celebrated the day with a gentle walk in the August heat around Cosmeston. There’s plenty of friendship and laughter on these walks so if you want to join us, see you the first Thursday of September at 10:30am.

 

 

Action Fraud Reports

Action Fraud has received 63 reports about a scam in which fraudsters target people with offers of “low cost” loans or “free” government grants. What the victims aren’t told is that the money they’ll receive is actually an advance payment for Universal Credit. The criminals use the personal information they’ve obtain under false pretences to make an application in the victim’s name. After the fraudsters have taken their “fee” from the advance payment, the victim is then left to pay back the total amount once their repayments begin.

How you can protect yourself:

  • Never share your personal or financial information with someone you don’t know and trust, especially if it’s in response to an offer of “free money” or a “free grant”.
  • Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) staff will never approach you in the street or ask for your personal/financial details over social media.
  • If you have concerns about your benefits, you should visit www.gov.uk/contact-jobcentre-plus.
  • If you suspect your identity may have been stolen, you can check your credit rating quickly and easily online. You should do this every few months anyway, using a reputable service provider and following up on any unexpected or suspicious results.

 

 

August News Report

Looking back to Sea Sunday we celebrated during July, the collections taken in the three churches came to £200, with the Gift Aid amount to be added to the total. This money will help to maintain the enduring and vital work of the Mission to Seafarers which has been carried out over the past 160 years.

The scaffolding still surrounds the vestry, as a major design fault was discovered in the original building when it was built in 1991. The new steel roof covering could not be sealed into the masonry because a plastic damp course had been laid when originally built. This has now been rectified with the crenulations’ removed and a lead damp course inserted which can now be sealed against the steel roofing. This has come at a cost which our insurers were not prepared to cover, and we are faced with an additional bill of £3426 for the work of restoring the original masonry back to the 1991 design.

On another page in “What’s On” you will see that we have decided to widen our building appeal through the means of digital giving, which we are calling Donate StM appeal. This is meant for use by casual visitors to the church at times of weddings and baptisms, or by those who have had a previous connection with St Mary’s over the years. Your support for this new venture will be gratefully accepted and will help us to maintain and carry out the repairs that are necessary to keep the church fabric in good order.

Due to the current wet weather season we are experiencing, the work on the boundary walls surrounding the churchyard has been delayed until next spring. The lime mortar which is used to repair the walls will not set when the conditions are not right. This has also been the reason why the rebuilding of the vestry roof parapet has also been held up for the same reasons. However it is good to report that the interior of the vestry is now watertight and re-decorated, the wooden flooring has been sealed and all looks well.

The blue carpeting in the nave, chancel and sanctuary has been removed and for the first time in almost 30 years the historic tiling has been revealed. The white marble slab in the sanctuary and partly under the altar recording the initials of the Birt/Jenner family members buried below in the family vault will cause much interest and comment, as they remind the current congregation of how important in the life of the church these earlier generations at the castle were to the parish. Work to clean the mould and salts that have built up on the tiling will now be removed, the damaged tiles replaced and the surface than sealed to protect the tiles. This will restore the church to the appearance the Victorian restorers wished to present to the parish at the end of the 19th century. Later more decorative work with the installation of the John Ninian Comper Reredos and other furnishings were to follow at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Church Extension Scheme, which has been

optimistically called “Vision 2020” continues on its very slow discussion with the Diocesan Advisory Committee. It is now almost three years since we made the decision to sell the church hall and use the money for an extension to the church, in order to bring all our activities onto one site. The most recent request was for a justification of us wanting to sell the church hall and also why we thought it was the time to think about the future and how we would see the church in the years ahead. It may be very frustrating but it is the way we have to go with the DAC having the final say in recommending the plans drawn up, at considerable cost to the church, to the Diocesan Chancellor who would then issue the faculty to go ahead. Then there is the local authority to be consulted, and not least CADW, for its input into the scheme; so many hoops to jump through, but we think the scheme is a good one and would make us more “fit for purpose” than we are for the present moment.

Looking back. The Wenvoe Open Gardens day in July, which was a great success in the numbers of people who came from far and wide to join in the activities on the day.

On Saturday 20th July the village of Wenvoe was absolutely buzzing! Crowds of people walking around following their maps to locate and admire the 12 beautiful and interesting gardens open for viewing.

The event was inspired and co-ordinated by Sandra and Brian Jones with Mike Tucker working tirelessly in the background.

Grateful thanks to everyone involved whether opening or visiting gardens, making or just enjoying tea and delicious home made cakes and giving donations to the St Mary’s building fund. Such a special happy day of fellowship with the ‘icing on the cake’ being an amazing £2,000 raised for St Mary’s Building Fund.

Fair Trade / Traidcraft: Wenvoe – After 14 years, Jude Billingham, due to other commitments has decided to close the stall she has run during that time. Way back in February 2005, after the morning service she began to offer various Fair Trade product’s and the sales that day came to £119.98. Since that time sales have fluctuated over the years but the final total over the years is £42,303, which is a wonderful achievement for a relatively small congregation and the friends who have supported her during this time. The remaining stock has been sold off, realising £420 and half of this has been donated to the St. Mary’s Building Fund in recognition of the support Jude has received during her time, as the organiser of fair trade products in the parish. The other half has been given to Traidcraft Exchange, the charity that helps to set up work opportunities in the developing world. A big thank you and heartfelt thanks to Jude and Nigel for all the time they together have spent in raising our awareness of the needs and aspirations of others who are not so well off as we are.

 

The next Messy Church will be on Saturday 28th September in Wenvoe Community Centre when the theme will be “Harvest”. These popular events bring Mums and Dads and their children together to spend a short time together with friends, there is no age barrier, in a time of story telling, craft work, exciting activities, and worship followed by a shared meal and all FREE, so please come along and meet new friends and neighbours. See you there at 3.00pm.

In the past few weeks we have seen on our TV screens that cathedrals in England have installed a mini golf course and a wonderful helter skelter in the nave of their buildings. Any suggestions of what we could install in the nave at St Mary’s should be addressed on a postcard to Vicar Jon as soon as possible.

Lastly for this month, we extend a welcome to all the new parishioners who have moved into Greenwood Close on the St Lythan’s Road, not forgetting the Scarecrow Festival on the 21st September and our Harvest Festival “All Age Service” on the 22nd September.

 

“Come ye thankful people come, raise the song of harvest home.”

 

Parry Edwards

 

 

 

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