Month: August 2019

Your Programme for September

RHS to do list for September.

  1. Divide herbaceous perennials
  2. Pick Autumn raspberries.
  3. Collect and sow seed from perennials and hardy annuals.

4 Dig up remaining potatoes, before slug damage ruins them.

  1. Net ponds before leaf fall gets underway.
  2. Keep up with the watering of new plants.
  3. Start to reduce the amount of water given to houseplants.
  4. Clean out greenhouses and coldframes ready for use in the Autumn.
  5. Cover leafy vegetables with netting. unless plump pigeon is on your menu.
  6. Plant spring flowering bulbs.

This month sees two of Wenvoe’s annual Autumn events. The village show on the 7th followed by the scarecrow festival two weeks later on the 21st. These events will only survive with participants, so please enter as there are so many categories to choose from. I have heard on good authority that the Ferret’s outdoor tomatoes will take some beating but not eating. The Hammonds have barred entry to their rear garden so that their show entries remain a secret. The doyen of the village show G J, is keeping his veg close to his chest and I’m quite sure he will not disappoint on the day.

If you haven’t already started composting, now would be a good time as there is a lot to cut back and clear at this time of year. Help will be on hand at the village show if you are unsure of how to go about this; just ask Heulwen who, by the way, is very knowledgeable on the setting out of wildflower gardens.

There will be a lot of work to be done on lawns this month. Scarify the lawn with a long tined rake. This is no easy task and will make you tired and upset when you see the state of your lawn when you’ve finished. This is only for a short while. You will then need to aerate with a fork and apply an Autumn lawn feed which will be low in nitrogen. Reseed bare patches and water if no rain is forecast. To see what a fabulous lawn should be like, just take a look at Mr Darlington’s, which is the 1st house on the right in Larchwood.

Spring bulb planting is upon us. If you intend to plant bulbs in the lawn just remember that after they have flowered, you will need to wait at least six weeks before you can cut the grass. Putting bulbs in the border can leave it looking untidy for sometime at the end of their display. It may be an idea to put them in baskets first so they can be lifted and allowed to die back in a hidden corner. This also allows more room for later flowering plants.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

 

Wenvoe’s Rarer Trees

Wenvoe’s Rarer Trees

Summer is often the best time to appreciate some of Wenvoe’s rarer trees. Just opposite the park is a stunning Eucryphia nymanensis which was covered in flowers this year and as it is popular with the bees, needless to say it was covered in them as well. This hybrid of two Chilean Eucryphias is called after Nymans Garden in Sussex which many readers will have visited. After seeing how good it is for insects we intend to plant one in the Bee Loud Glade which is dedicated to pollinators.

Close to the library is the unusual Loquat with leathery leaves and this year it is bearing fruit which it does irregularly. It originates in China and you will not see many of these in South Wales although Bute Park has a finespecimen. A little bit of the exotic to be treasured in the heart of Wenvoe. Nearby is a Clerodendron with amazing metallic blue berries and more used to tropical and warm temperate parts of the world than here. Not far from the Eucryphia is a variegated Sycamore which is the exact shape of a thatched sunshade you would expect to see on a Mediterranean beach. You will be able to follow the updated Wenvoe Tree Trail when it is reissued in the Autumn.

Although the intention was to extend the trail, another reason for having to amend it has been the loss of a number of Wenvoe’s specimen trees including a Walnut, a Tulip tree and a Weeping Silver Lime. How many of these have been or will be replaced? So while we still have them take time out to enjoy our trees and look out for some others in the meantime such as The Wedding Cake Tree, the Contorted Hazel (Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick) and Parrottia persica or Persian Ironwood.

 

 

 

 

Wenvoe Village Show

 

Wenvoe Village Show

Saturday 7th September from 12.00 noon until 2.00pm in Wenvoe Community Centre

After the official opening at noon, home-made goodies may be sampled by the public. The Community Centre will be open for entries on the Friday evening before the show between 6:30 and 7:30pm and between 08:30 and 10:30 on the morning of the show after which the Community Centre will be cleared for judging. Further details, entry categories and rules are available in the library.

We always need volunteers to help in running the show, so if you have an hour or so to spare please contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

Library News Update

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

Our library

At this stage we envisage that we will be staying in the existing library building for at least this winter. Therefore, we are endeavouring to make the building a brighter, warmer and more inviting place to visit. We would welcome suggestions from the village to help us achieve this.

Summer Reading Challenge

We are delighted with the number of entries for this year’s challenge. Children can still sign up at the library and read six library books of their choice to complete the Challenge. There are exclusive rewards to collect along the way, and it’s FREE to take part!

London trip Saturday Nov 30th

Tickets are now on sale in the library. The cost of the trip is £22

Off the Shelf – Normal People by Sally Rooney

This book has been in the best sellers list for quite some time. It is a well written coming of age novel and an easy read. Set in a small town in contemporary rural Ireland young people are trying to make sense of themselves and their peer group. We follow Connell and Marianne’s journeys of self-discovery from school through university in Dublin. The vulnerabilities and uncertainties of developing young adults are explored. The characters are well developed, and the author describes how their social interactions and lives in the two places are almost reversed. Some of us rated it higher than others, but all thought it an interesting read. We gave it 8/10

 

 

SCARECROW FESTIVAL THIS MONTH

 

THE ‘ENHANCED’ SCARECROW FESTIVAL IS IN WENVOE THIS MONTH

The scarecrows are coming to Wenvoe! The Wenvoe Scarecrow Festival has now become an established part of the village events calendar and this year will be the fifth year the Scarecrow Festival has taken place. There are also additional attractions this year including a teddy bear parachute jump from the church tower!

The main day to join in the festivities is on Saturday 21st September from 2pm to 5pm in the grounds of St Mary’s Church, Wenvoe. The results of the judging will be announced between 10.30 – 11a.m. on Sunday 22nd.

You can get involved by entering a scarecrow (see categories below), filling in a voting form for your favourite scarecrows and encouraging your children to take part in a ‘find the mini scarecrow competition’.

Additional activities this year are:

  • Teddy bear parachute jump: Bring along a teddy bear to take part in the parachute jump (no teddy bears will be harmed throughout the jump- at least we hope not!) from 3.15-4.00
  • Throw sponges at Vicar Jon who will be in the stocks from 2.30-3.00.
  • Take part in Hook a Duck as well as a Ping Pong game. Both will be going on all afternoon.

 

You can buy an activity passport on the day for £1 which will cover all four events.

One of the main aims of the festival is to foster and further strengthen the community spirit within the village. The last four festivals have been very well supported and great fun for children and adults alike.

Please think about entering a scarecrow- it is not too late and it is free to enter.

The categories are:

  1. Best Organisation/Group/Business Scarecrow
  2. Best Individual Scarecrow- Children Under 11’s
  3. Best Individual Scarecrow- Adults (11 plus)

 

You can mail revjonormrod@yahoo.co.uk or wenvoescarecrows@yahoo.com for more information.

Entry to the Scarecrow Festival is free and, other than the activity passport mentioned above, the only cost is £1 for a voting form. Refreshments will be available all afternoon and just require a donation.

The weekend includes St Mary’s Harvest Festival and the Church will be decorated for all to see on the Saturday. The Harvest Festival service takes place on Sunday 22nd at 9.30 am.

Next year will be a fallow year for the festival which will return in 2021 so please come along to make this year the best yet.

 

 

Vestry Roof Repair Appeal

PLEASE DONATE

TAKE 30 SECONDS TO HELP REPAIR OUR ROOF

£3426 is urgently needed to repair our vestry roof.

All are welcome at St Mary’s but overnight on the 2nd and 3rd of March we had the most unwelcome of visits – thieves who stripped the lead off our vestry roof. Thankfully, our insurers have covered the cost of replacing the lead with a steel substitute including the underlying plywood base and ceiling insulation. Rainwater damage to the interior of the vestry was severe; the ceiling had to be replaced and the vestry required redecorating throughout. The cost of the repairs was £15,560; all but the £500 excess being paid by our insurers.

Unfortunately, whilst replacing the roofing, our builders discovered a defect in the original construction of the vestry which requires immediate remedial work if the roof is to be waterproof. This urgent remedial work isn’t covered by our insurers and we need your help to raise the £3426 to pay for the repairs.

Thank you for your support.

TEXT/SMS – ROOF to 70191 to give £10

ROOF to 70970 to give £5

WEB – easydonate.org/ROOF

SCAN QR code

*Your donation is to the National Funding Scheme (NFS) and indicates a specific cause. The NFS takes a minor share of any Gift Aid (or 2.5% on a no Gift Aid donation) to cover advertising and transaction services. Fundraising, payments and donations will be processed and administered by the National Funding Scheme (Charity No: 1149800), operating as DONATE. Texts will be charged at your standard network rate. For Terms & Conditions, see www.easydonate.org. To access our customer support please visit www.nationalfundingscheme.org/help or call 020 32870971.

 

 

August Planning Applications

 

There was no Council meeting in August.

Planning updates.

The following applications have been approved.

  • 64, Burdons Close. Conversion of existing garage to habitable space. Garage is integral in the house.
  • 13, Goldsland Walk. Conversion of existing integral single garage into a storeroom and study
  • 56, Heol Collen. Proposed double storey set back side extension and single storey lean to extension to rear to provide enlarged living space, office area and additional bedroom
  • Hamston Fawr, Dyffryn. Proposed extension to first and second floor south elevation to include en suite/dressing room in loft space and balcony at first floor level
  • Land at Sutton Farm, Five Mile Lane. Construction of a concrete hard standing to allow visiting HGVs to turn and leave the site in forward gear plus appropriate gates at the entrance

 

 

South Wales Air Museum

NEW VALE AIR MUSEUM CAUSES QUITE A STIR

 The South Wales Air Museum opened in April of this year, next door to the St Athan Ministry of Defence site. It wasn’t long before contributors to Trip Advisor put pen to paper about their visits to the new venture. And they are very impressed! A staggering 93% of them rate the museum as excellent, with the other 7% going for a more stingy Very Good . Typical is one who lauded it as a ‘very good museum well worth a visit, interesting for the aviation and non-aviation fan alike.’ The museum, which has a café and gift shop, is currently open at weekends 10am to 4:30pm, although it is hoped to extend this for special events. Now well established, the museum relies on donations from visitors for funding (suggested £5 per person).

Perhaps the most popular aspect of the project is the commitment to a hands-on approach for visitors. The museum aims to attract everyone from school children to ex-armed forces members. The venture is the brainchild of aircraft engineers Gary Spoors and John Sparks. Gary, a former RAF engineer, said: “This is all about bringing a bus load of 11-year-old kids to come in and be inspired about aviation. One of the things that is killing this industry is that children these days aren’t getting into it. So we want to inspire them from a young age. In years to come there will be shortages in the industry if we don’t get them inspired young.”

You are encouraged to get close to the exhibits. You can for example clamber into the cockpit of a Tornado and get inside an old Royal Navy Sea King helicopter. You can also get up close to the cock pit of a Russian MiG 29 as well as the flight deck of a Boeing 707.

Tremendous hard work has been put in by the SWAM volunteers who can explain the story behind the museum, the planes and other exhibits such as World War II memorabilia.

 

The Panavia Tornado GR1.P – ZA326, the only one in existence, proved popular with children of all ages – the oldest around 60!

The exhibits are increasing in number and of course often need a lot of hard work to restore. They can vary a lot – from twin-propeller planes from the 1950s to fighter jets that can fly at twice the speed of sound and helicopters like the Sea King below.

 

 

The café, also said to be excellent, is open on weekdays from 9am to 2pm. More information can be found online, including on Facebook. Address: South Wales Aviation Museum, Hangar 872, Picketston Business Park, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan CF62 4QN.

 

 

 

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