The Official Wenvoe Homepage
STRESS BUSTER STROLLERS
Stress Buster strollers took on the blustery wind, fine drizzle, grey and blue skies and warm sunshine as they walked around the Knap and through the parade gardens. By the time tea and hot chocolate were enjoyed in bright sunshine, the stress created by boilers not working, burnt turkey and missing passengers on a bus….were forgotten!
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 you can email us at wenvoelibrary@outlook.com
Are you making full use of online library resources?
Available 24/7, the library comes to you. Place holds, create wish lists, and return titles easily. As well as our well-used Click and Collect service where you choose your books from the Vale catalogue and pick them up from the village library, you can access e-books, audio books, online magazines, and newspapers with your library card.
BorrowBox January New Releases
Free e-books and audio books on BorrowBox for library members.
It’s so easy to use: Install the BorrowBox app (from your app store) on your device, select your library service, activate with your library membership ID and PIN, borrow free books.
You can also access BorrowBox and other e-books from the Vale of Glamorgan libraries page. Just click on the e-Lending Library button from the menu.
You can borrow and download up to ten audiobook titles; they are loaned for up to three weeks. If the title is on loan already you will be given the option to ‘Reserve’ it.
Your Vale of Glamorgan library membership is also a subscription to thousands of popular magazines, available instantly on your tablet, smartphone, or computer. All magazines are full editions, just like the ones you’d pick up from your local newsagent. You can even subscribe to your favourite titles, so you never miss the latest issue. The app which provides access to our digital magazine collections is through Libby on the Vale e-Lending Library page.
Pressreader, also on the Vale e-Lending Library page, gives you unrestricted access to your favourite daily newspapers from the UK as well as titles from around the world. Access Pressreader from your smartphone, tablet or computer and find the world’s top journalism at your fingertips.
Our library volunteers are always available during library opening hours to help and advise you.
Happy reading to you all.
ADVENT WINDOWS
A St. Mary’s initiative for the whole community
Wenvoe Advent Windows 2021 was a great success. This is the second year residents volunteered to decorate a window on a given date in Advent, so that a new window was lit up each night from 1st to 24th December.
There were different themes including Santa’s workshop which opened the windows on 1st and other Santa scenes, snowmen, angels, nativity scenes, winter wonderlands, mousemas! village panoramas, stars, a story of a Christmas Mouse in the telephone box and even a portrayal of the film ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. Gwenfo School took an active part in providing 2 displays. The first included life size reindeers pulling Santa’s sleigh at the school and then a silhouette of the Nativity scene in the Church grounds on Christmas Eve. At this final lighting up we took the opportunity to invite children and their families to join us in singing carols to herald in Christmas Eve. Fortunately the rain that had been incessant all day stopped and it was a magical moment as families gathered with torches to see the nativity and to sing together.
Many thanks to all those who took part. There were many comments about ‘what I would do differently next year’ or ‘I have got a new idea for next year’. We wait to see what 2022 brings!
Jude Billingham
. Planning Permission
The following applications have been granted planning permission.
Tree Surgery
An application to thin and crown reduce a sycamore tree covered by a TPO located in the front garden of 29, Vennwood Close was refused. The opinion of the Local Planning Authority was that there was insufficient justification to allow the works given the high amenity value the tree continues to have within the residential area.
Crime Figures
There was no police attendance at the meeting due to other commitments; the monthly crime figures were presented. It was reported that the Community Police Officer has spoken to the parents of the youths causing a nuisance in the area and it is hoped there shouldn’t be any further trouble.
Local Precept
The Councillors agreed a 2% increase to the local precept for the forthcoming year.
Library benches
There are still some outstanding minor matters to resolve. Training of the Hub volunteers on the use of the coffee machine should be completed to permit the public to purchase drinks by the start of February. Wording and ordering of signage to complete before the formal opening in early March.
Benches
The installation of the new and replacement benches is expected to commence by the end of the month along with the additional two notice boards. It was agreed the Redrow notice board is slightly high.
Telephone Boxes
The proposed idea of taking control of the telephone box on the village green has been rejected by the authorities. This is a listed box and is still a working facility.
Queen’s Jubilee
Ideas for celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee requires a planning committee to progress any community celebrations. All local groups will be contacted for ideas. To mark the occasion the possibility of installing a toposcope at Twyn-yr-Odyn will be investigated.
Community Centre
With the recent damage to the Community Centre and library, the Council is to examine the feasibility of installing a CCTV system to protect the properties.
Waste Bin
The waste bin at the Orchid Field has had to be removed as there is no longer an emptying service. A waste bin is available at the top end of Walston Road at the start of the footpath to the field.
Local Government and Elections
A sub-committee has been formed to examine the implications to the Community Council of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act. The act requires multi-location meetings, greater public participation at council meetings, publication of annual reports and training plans etc
No objections were raised for the following applications.
THE TROUBLE WITH FEBRUARY
February has long been at the centre of attempts to create a workable calendar. The fact it has 28 days can be traced back to ancient Rome. The Roman’s first lunar calendar was just 10 months long and did not even have a January or February, because the Romans didn’t think the period was important because it had nothing to do with harvesting. Eventually, Rome’s first king, Numa Pompilius (753–673 BC), decided to create a new calendar based on lunar cycles. This calendar was based on a 355 day year and introduced two new additional months – January and February. Even numbers were considered unlucky but if the new calendar was to work then one month would have to have an even number of days. February was chosen and given 28 days, all the rest had 29 or 31. The new calendar was constantly undermined by priests who had the power to remove a month from the calendar year. If they didn’t like someone elected to office the priests would shorten his term by leaving a month out!
To sort out the mess, in 45BC, Julius Caesar commissioned an expert to create a sun-based calendar similar to the one the Egyptians used. The Julian Calendar added a little more than 10 days to each year, making each month 30 or 31 days long, except for February left with 28 days. However every four years, now known as a ‘leap year’, February was given an extra day. Caesar was delighted. Not only was the new calendar named after him, but he chose to name July after himself as well. Not to be outdone, on becoming emperor Augustus Caesar named August.
By the 16th century, because the earth does not travel around the sun in exactly 365.25 days, Caesar’s calendar got way out of sync. To solve the problem, Pope Gregory VIII introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582. This calendar got things in sync again but controversially involved moving dates up 10 days.
In 1752 there was widespread opposition to plans to bring our calendar in line with that of Europe. Ordinary people were alarmed by the changes to festivals, Saints days, birthdays and the dates of wage payments and trading contracts. Some came to the conclusion that the government were stealing 11 days from their lives. There followed the so called ‘Calendar Riots’ with popular cries of ‘Give us our eleven days back’ by protesters.
An Act of Parliament implemented calendar reform on Wednesday 2nd September, 1752, with the next day declared to be Thursday September 14th. The new calendar meant that New Year’s Day, previously on March 25th, now fell on January 1st. Interestingly, to avoid losing 11 days of tax revenue, the official start of the new tax year was changed to 5th April. A further change, prompted by a small leap year issue, was made in 1800, moving the date to 6th April where it remains today.
Not everyone was unhappy about the introduction of the new Gregorian calendar. According to one tale, a certain William Willett, keen on a joke, wagered that he could dance non-stop for 12 days and 12 nights. On the evening of September 2nd 1752, he started to jig around the village and continued all through the night. The next morning, September 14th by the new calendar, he stopped dancing and claimed his bets!
