Month: October 2019

The Scarecrow Festival

The Scarecrow Festival

Saturday afternoon the 21st of September brought crowds of people to view the different “scarecrows” sited in the churchyard, and to judge between one and another was a very difficult job. The cleverness and ingenuity in putting together a “Scarecrow” with a theme really tests the imagination and the results were, without doubt, a triumph. In addition to “Scarecrows” were the other attractions. Seeing Vicar Jon in the stocks being pelted with wet sponges; he was so brave and so wet. The “Teddy Bear” parachute jumps from the top of the tower, ably assisted aloft by Jude Billingham and again Vicar Jon as ground staff was a highlight of the afternoon, and there were many Oohs and Aahs especially when they got stuck on the electricity cables, but there were many successful landings and no teddy bear came to any harm.

Once again the Social committee ladies served the coffee/teas with the most delicious homemade cakes rounding off a truly lovely afternoon when the parish came together to enjoy a moment of fellowship.

The winners in the different categories were

Best Individual (U11) – Delyth and Obi for Be Enthusiastic Refuse Plastic

Best Individual (11+) – Poppy for Shred Shearon

Best Organisation (U11) – Little Stars After School Club at Gwenfo School for Peter Pan and Wendy

Best Organisation (11+) – Goldsland Farm and 1st Sully Cubs for From Grass to Glass

Favourite Scarecrow – Wenvoe Environment Group for Flowerpot Scarecrow

Voting was so close that there were two entries that were awarded Highly Commended

1st Wenvoe Cubs for Homeless Awareness Scarecrow

Dylan and Evan for The Tin Man and Scarecrow

In total £450 was raised on the day for the Church which included the Teas and all the Raffle forms and Passports and Activities. A big thank you to all who helped to make the day such a success, and also a big thank you to all who came and contributed so generously to church funds

 

 

October Library Update

October Library Update

 

Meet the Author

On Wednesday 16 October, Alistair Love gave us an interesting insight to the background of his new novel The Heath written under the pseudonym of A.J. Munro. Working as a news producer based in London, Alistair developed a love of Hampstead Heath in which his gripping novel is based:

As an August heatwave grips London, a crack sniper starts shooting the dogs of the great and the good on Hampstead Heath. It falls to DI Jack Love to solve this most perplexing of crimes and when a famous rock star loses his dog to the marksman, the whole country becomes embroiled in copycat shootings and a media circus. Meanwhile, a new client for renowned counsellor, Jane Harkness is the most challenging in her career as the line between work and home life becomes dangerously blurred. As Love fears the shooter will start killing humans and Harkness realises that she has bitten off more than she can chew, worlds collide in a desperate race to catch a man out of control. DI Love finds himself on a rollercoaster ride through an unravelling mind played out in the full glare of a hungry media desperate for a silly-season sensation with devastating consequences.

You can buy the book online from Amazon and we also have a copy in the library. You might also wish to follow Alistair’s podcast – The Cardiff Podcast on which he interviews local people and addresses current issues.

New volunteers: We would like to give a warm to our new volunteers who have stepped forward to work on the library desk or behind the scenes in organising events. Our library wouldn’t survive without its volunteers and if you have a few hours a month to spare, we would love to hear from you.

London trip Saturday 30 November

Just a few tickets left to book your seat on the London trip. The cost of the trip is £22.

Sylvia Harvey has made two recommendations for those visiting London.

Royal Academy, Piccadilly– Anthony Gormley Exhibition: Thoroughly recommend a walk round this. You really feel part of the exhibits, to quote Anthony Gormley “I want to use sculpture to throw us back into the world”.

Teatulia Café, Neal Street, WC2. Near Covent Garden: Organic tea and coffee served in comfortable surroundings with the added bonus of an excellent selection of books to browse through. The books have been selected and arranged by Tilda Swinton and Stephen Fry. Note: Payment by card only.

Christmas Raffle: It is time to buy your raffle tickets for your chance to win our fabulous hamper. Tickets are on sale now in the library.

Laminating and photocopying: Just a reminder that we offer both A4 laminating and A4 photocopying (in both black and white and colour). The cost of photocopying is 10p per sheet for black and white and 20p per sheet for colour. Laminating is 20p per sheet.

 

Apologies: We are so sorry that we left Maureen Richards off the list of winners in the Village show. Maureen’s knitted toys came third in the Craft category.

Off the Shelf Book Club Review: ‘When Breath Becomes Air’by Paul Kalanithi

‘When Breath Becomes Air’ is a non-fiction autobiographical book and a memoir about the author’s life and illness, battling stage IV metastatic lung cancer. Whether you simply want to read about the life of a doctor at the top of his game and how he copes when everything comes crashing down; or you too wonder about the interwoven connection between the meaning of life, as seen in literature and philosophy, and the physiological mechanisms of the brain.

The Off the Shelf book club found this book highly enjoyable and felt that Paul Kalanithi dealt with the balance of being a neurosurgeon and an author beautifully. He found his knowledge of literature more helpful for reflection than moral philosophy or ethics. He wrote with an honest approach and there were no wasted words. His wife wrote the epilogue which added a unique aspect to the book. He was an astonishing individual who demonstrated great ambition, resilience and determination in the face of great adversity.

One of the members found an interview with Paul’s wife that had been televised on the news. We watched the clip as a group which added a real tangible element to the story. The group were unanimous in their decision about the book and gave it a mark of 10/10! Highly recommended

 

 

The Breast Centre Appeal

The Breast Centre Appeal

President Madeleine welcomed everyone to the meeting with a warm welcome extended to Sue Dickson-Davies, our speaker for the evening.

Sue is a Senior Fundraiser for the Breast Centre at Llandough Hospital. The Breast Centre Appeal raised the money to build the Centre. We had a most interesting talk about this wonderful place. Sue explained about the various ways in which the donations to the Breast Appeal are used, including complementary therapies, pamper evenings, lingerie evenings and sessions to build confidence. There is an ongoing Orchard Appeal – something that can be used by the local community as well as the hospital patients. We were delighted to donate a cheque for £400 to this wonderful charity and we admire all the excellent efforts of Sue and her colleagues.

After refreshments we continued with WI business. Members were reminded about the Carol Service hosted by Culverhouse Cross WI on 12th December at 7pm at Bethel Chapel. Names were collected for our Fish and Chip Supper at our next meeting. This will be on Thursday, 7th November at 7pm at Wenvoe Church Hall and will be a social evening.

 

 

October Council News

Due to the poor service from the present banker it was agreed to change to Santander Bank in future

A meeting between the school, councillors and the Vale to discuss the proposed new parking proposals for Old Port Road during school start and finishing times is planned for the end of October.

Playgrounds. The renewal of the Twyn-yr-Odyn play equipment should be completed before Christmas. Work on the new access to the Grange Park is underway. The construction has to take account of the tree roots in the vicinity which results in the finished design.

It was reported that the construction of the cycle path near Rectory Close resulted in the banking being cut back. There are now indications of soil movement; this will be reported to the Vale.

Following discussion on the state of some of the vacated allotments it is proposed that in future a returnable deposit is charged for new owners and that the annual rental period will run from the autumn rather than the spring.

The work resulting in the road closure in the Dyffryn area last month was to install fibre optic cables; additional work was found to be required due to collapsed ducting.

The councillors were updated on the present financial position regarding the Community Centre extension.

It was reported that the local bus service had improved during the month and buses were arriving on time.

Following examination of the emergency lighting at the Community Centre the required work has been santioned. Possible solutions for improving the main hall lighting are being sought.

Cllr T. Case has tendered his resignation from the

council due to ill health. His long service to the community with the council was noted.

The new recycling collection service started on Friday 18th October. Some residents had bags rejected, a note with the reason was attached to these items. On the Vale web site there is a short video about the new scheme at www.valeofglamorgan. gov.uk/recycling or you can discuss recycling matters with an officer by e-mailing C1V@ valeofglamorgan.gov.uk or ringing 01446 700111.

 

 

 

October Planning Updates

October Planning Updates

The following applications have been granted planning permission

  • Starbucks Drive Thru, Brooklands Retail Park, Car park, building and drive thru’ signage to a new Starbucks site
  • Woodside Grange, Wenvoe Works to trees covered by TPO
  • Dyffryn Gardens, Duffryn Lane, Dyffryn
  • The reintroduction of a Mawson style green house to the lower walled garden

 

 

October Planning Applications

Planning Applications

 

Having examined the plans the council raised no objections to any of the following applications

• 3, Whitehall Close, – Single storey rear extension with raised terrace (as existing) conversion of garage to habitable room

• 23, Rectory Close, First floor extension

• Field House, 8, Old Port Road, Single storey extension to front of property, roof reconfiguration and erection of pergolas, log store to garden room/gym

• 73, Heol Collen, A side and rear single storey extension providing an enlarged kitchen area and lounge

 

 

Wenvoe’s Part In The Battle Of Trafalgar

Wenvoe’s Part In The Battle Of Trafalgar

The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October, 1805) is probably Britain’s most famous naval victory. The main facts are well known. The Royal Navy led by Admiral Lord Nelson, aboard HMS Victory, defeated a larger combined French and Spanish fleet under the command of the French Admiral Villeneuve. In what was to prove a key event in the Napoleonic Wars, victory confirmed the naval supremacy Britain had established during the course of the 18th century. Nelson was shot by a French musketeer and died of his wounds. Villeneuve was captured, along with his ship Bucentaure and later attended Nelson’s funeral while a captive on parole in Britain.

What is less known, but of interest to us, is that Frederick Jennings Thomas, originally of Wenvoe, played a significant part in the battle. Frederick was born 19 April 1786, the younger son of Sir John Thomas, fifth baronet of Wenvoe Castle, and his wife, Mary. He entered the navy in March 1799 and by 1803, while serving on the Prince of Wales flagship of Sir Robert Calder, was present during several important naval actions. On 19 September of the same year, he was appointed Acting-Lieutenant of HMS Spartiate, an appointment that led him to the Battle of Trafalgar. During the battle the Spartiate, with Frederick playing a key role, forced the surrender of the 80 gun Spanish ship Neptuno. The Spartiate was damaged in the fierce fighting, but there were only three killed (two seamen & one boy) and twenty wounded.

Until 1814, Frederick served on the Spartiate and other ships in the Mediterranean, finally commanding the San Juan, flagship of Rear-Admiral Linzee at Gibraltar. The San Juan had been captured by the Royal Navy at Trafalgar following a heroic fight led by its commander, Don Cosme Churruca. During the battle, Churruca had ordered the Spanish flag to be nailed to the highest mast, as a way to tell everyone involved not to expect an easy surrender. With a decimated crew, and despite being mortally wounded as a result of having a leg torn off by a cannonball, Churruca refused to submit. Even following their Commander’s death, his officers kept their word. It was the last one alive who finally yielded, to save the ship and lives of the crew. In recognition of Churruca’s courage, the commander’s cabin on the San Juan was given a brass plate in his honour. All who entered it, including Frederick, were required to remove their hats as a mark of respect for a gallant enemy.

Frederick Jennings Thomas retired from active service in 1814 settling down to family life. He stayed in the public eye, writing on naval matters and even inventing a lifeboat with three keels, so designed to prevent capsizing. It also seems that he was the first person to propose a pier at Brighton. Having accepted the retired rank of Rear-Admiral, Frederick died near Southampton, on 19 December 1855.

 

 

 

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