Month: July 2022

Mango Muffins

Mango Muffins

300g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarb- of soda

100g caster sugar

1 medium ripe mango

150ml bottle Benecol Fruit & Dairy Smoothie

1 egg

3fl oz vegetable oil

Heat oven to 180C. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cases. Sieve the flour, baking powder and bi-carb into a bowl and stir in the sugar. Halve the mango, remove the stone and peel. Mash one half with a fork, then chop the other half into small cubes. Mix the Benecol Fruit and Dairy Smoothie, egg and oil, then pour into the mix and stir well. Stir in the mashed mango, then fold in the chopped mango. Spoon between the muffin cases and bake for about 20 mins until well risen and golden

 

Chicken, Red Pepper & Almond Tray Bake

Chicken, Red Pepper & Almond Tray Bake

500g boneless chicken thighs

3 medium red onions, cut into thick wedges

500g small baby new potatoes, cut into thick slices

2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into slices

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp each ground cumin, smoked paprika and fennel (seeds slightly crushed)

3 tbsp olive oil

zest and juice 1 lemon

50g whole blanched almonds, roughly chopped

170g tub of Greek yogurt to serve

Small handful of coriander, chopped, to serve

Heat oven to 180C. Place the chicken, onions, potatoes and peppers in a large bowl and ground salt and fresh black pepper. In another bowl, mix the garlic, spices, oil and lemon zest and juice. Mix and pour over everything, mix well and spread the mixture between two baking trays. Roast for about 40 mins, turning the chicken until cooked through. Add the almonds for the final 8 mins of cooking. Serve on plates with a Greek style salad and a dollop of Greek yogurt. and a scatter of the chopped coriander. Use fresh crusty bread to mop up any juices.

 

Cheese, Ham & Pea Risotto

Cheese, Ham & Pea Risotto

1tbsp olive oil

1 onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

300g risotto rice

1.25 litres chicken or veg stock [2 cubes]

150g frozen peas

180g gammon ham, diced and precooked

2 tsp English mustard

3 tbsp mascarpone

100g mature cheddar, grated, plus extra to serve

Heat oil in a large pan and cook the onion for about 5 mins until softened. Stir in the garlic and risotto rice and cook for about 30secs to 1min. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then cover and cook on a medium heat for about 15 mins, stirring every so often. The rice should be almost done. Add the peas, gammon and cheeses to the pan and cook for about 5 – 10 mins until the rice is just right and the cheeses melted, serve with a little extra cheese if you like it.

 

 

 

100 Year Anniversary Celebration

Village Hall 100 Year Anniversary Celebration

Would like you to save the date of 7th October 2022 from 7pm. We plan to hold a night of music and dance to celebrate our 100 year anniversary that arrived in lockdown.

We have booked live music, have the support of a local well known entertainer and plan to add to the event as we move forward into the Autumn. Watch out for the posters coming soon and ticket sales during September.

For those of you who are new to the Village, here is a little history;

The land that the village hall stands on, was given to the residents for a peppercorn rent, by the Estate of Wenvoe back in 1921 (that’s the date on our lease). The purpose of this, was for the residents to build a hall in which they could hold their weekly dances.

Since 1921, the hall has been used for dancing, talent shows, village events, wedding parties, Judo and school dinners (before part of the new school was built in 1970 with its canteen).

The original hall had a wooden sprung floor, with a stage and kitchen facilities to the back of the stage (I can see it now). It was referred to as ‘The Old Tin Shack’.

In 1974, the hall was rebuilt by the residents on a very tight budget with the lease extended. This is how you see the hall today.

The hall is the home of the Playgroup, with many dance and badminton classes being held each week. Children’s parties and family celebrations are also held at the hall and we rely on the rents from all these hirers to pay for its up-keep.

The hall has been supported over its 100 years (101 this year), by many a voluntary Management Committee as a Registered Charity. The Management Committee support the up-keep of the hall at regular monthly meetings. Obviously, the Management Committee change over the years and we have no one on the hall committee today who is celebrating their 101st birthday ha ha!

Should you wish to join the Management Committee to support this wonderful venue, then please join us at our AGM on Tuesday 12th July from 7pm at the hall. Without a committee to adhere to the landlord’s lease, the land, which the hall stands on, will be given back to the landowner and who knows what will be built on it? A block of flats, a couple of houses? Your guess is as good as ours.

One last thing; If anyone has a singing talent and would like to support us on the night of 7th October, then please get in touch with us via our email wenvoevillagehall@yahoo.co.uk

Hopefully see you all soon at our AGM.

 

June 2022 Book Choice

 

“The Lake of Dreams” by Kim Edwards

This book tells the story of Lucy’s homecoming to New York State a decade after her father’s unresolved death. Family secrets are uncovered, past passions rekindled and an heirloom tapestry and fascinating stained glass designs all contribute to a reconfiguring of her family history.

We Page Turners made widely varying comments about this novel. Some said it did nothing for them whilst others enjoyed the unfolding mystery and interesting characters. More negatives included “storyline too coincidental”, “superficial”, “ boring”. Positives included “ an easy read” “believable” “ a pleasant leisure time read”.

We universally agreed that the subjects of glass-blowing and stained glass design were very well researched and described as were the insights into the American suffrage movement.

We scored between three and nine out of ten, and agreed to differ!

 

Seventy Years Of Wenvoe In Transit

FORWARD OR BACK?: SEVENTY YEARS OF WENVOE IN TRANSIT

Recent weeks have seen the celebration of the Queen’s platinum jubilee, including a great display of local memorabilia organised by Mike and Glenys Tucker, which together with the Barry Festival of Transport gave me food for thought on the changes in transport and communications in and around Wenvoe during the years from 1952 to 2022. There were major achievements. For example, in 1952 Wenvoe was on the map with the television mast first broadcasting on 15 August 1952 (in plenty of time for broadcasting the coronation the following year) and on the same scale Rhoose airport, now Cardiff International Airport, was formally opened in October. Incidentally a private airstrip had operated in the 1930s near the TV mast site at St. Lythans Down. Formerly a RAF airfield, Rhoose opened with Aer Lingus flights to Dublin. There were some concerns at the time that the TV mast could be a hazard to aircraft but on 1 April 1954 all civilian flights were transferred from the old Cardiff Municipal Airport and by 1971 transatlantic flights were flying in and out of Rhoose.

At a local level what transport options were there? In 1952 17% of all passenger mileage was by rail and you could still travel from Wenvoe station, although local passenger services had been reduced to two trains on weekdays with all passenger services being withdrawn in 1962. In WWII Wenvoe tunnel had been used by Royal trains visiting the Cardiff area as it provided safe cover during air raids. In 1952 less than 30% of any distance travelled was by car, van or taxi but private car ownership was growing and whilst a new road bypassed the village in 1931 the Barry MP;; Sir Raymond Gower, was arguing for the Port Road to be given ‘A’ road status due to the high level of accidents in 1968. Serving the motorist was a local petrol station, Wenvoe garage, which still exists as a tyre centre today. By 1970 the figure of passenger mileage by private vehicles was at 75%, increasing to 85% by the late 1980s where it roughly remains today.

In 1952 the highest percentage of passenger mileage was by bus or coach at 42%. The excellent transport festival featured many heritage buses including those operated by Western Welsh and I’m sure many can remember the 303 service from Wenvoe, which in the 1961-62 timetable is a twenty minute service starting at 7:49 am up to 7:29 pm then half-hourly until 11:04 pm. Also passing through Wenvoe was the 305 bus to RAF St Athan and Llantwit Major

What service is available today? The bus stop sign at the Barry end of the village, Old Port Road (N) gives an interesting reminder of bus services in recent years; the 86 and 87 (to and from Dinas Powys) the 90 (to Culverhouse Cross), the 96A (Cardiff to Barry) and the X91 (Cardiff to Llantwit Major). Available before COVID at the Wallston Castle bus stop was the T9 Cardiff Airport Express (always usually empty and referred to as the ‘empty 9’).

Cycling is one mode of transport, popular for commuting in the 1950s and 60s, that has seen a revival. Whilst telephone usage has greatly increased and we have witnessed the birth of mobile phones and the internet in this period – how many have learnt to ‘zoom’ during the Covid lockdown? – we still need to travel, for commuting, shopping and pleasure. But we need to reduce our carbon footprint and cut down the use of the car – when compared to a single occupancy car journey, the local bus (carrying between 30 and 100 passengers) produces half the greenhouse gases – we have only one public bus service, the 96A.

Stephen K. Jones

For further details see Wenvoe Online http:// wenvoe.org.uk/?m=201710 and the Wenvoe History Group ‘Gwenfo Gynt’ series

 

 

 

Family Jubilee Treasure Hunt

FAMILY JUBILEE TREASURE HUNT

Have you got your copy yet?

Available from The Hub

(Hub Opening Times)

The Family Jubilee Treasure Hunt is based on items to be found and discovered within the Wenvoe Community Area. It consists of photographs and questions for your whole family to seek the answers as they wander around the community during the summer months. There are special questions for children.

The closing date of the competition will be the August Bank Holiday, so there is plenty of time during the up and coming wonderful sunny days to explore the local surroundings and discover just what your local community has to offer on your own door step.

If you are uncertain of the location of local places or footpaths the Hub team will be only too willing to help you or know somebody who can assist.

The Hub is located behind the Community Centre (the Old School) in the centre of the village

 

Must Do Gardening Tips for July

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Must Do Gardening Tips for July

Jobs for July from Susan Bowen MBE

  1. Cut back growth in hanging baskets and feed to encourage new growth.
  2. Prune wisteria now. Just remove the whippy side shoots to about five leaves from the main stem.
  3. Cut spent stems of lupins to promote new growth.
  4. Dead head bedding plants to keep displays going.
  5. Don’t let dandelions go to seed.

Sylvia Davies of that lovely garden opposite the Walston Castle

  1. High potash feed will give you brilliant blooms on many flowers especially sunflowers.
  2. Use grass clippings to cover potato tubers that are near the surface to stop them going green.
  3. Keep up the hoeing of weeds to give your plants a better chance.
  4. Keep greenhouse clear of disease by clearing up any fallen or dying leaves.
  5. Check your pots for vine weevil if your plants are wilting for no obvious reason.

Watering consistently is so important as plants can wilt, become stressed or stunted. Large leafed plants need a lot more water than small leafed ones. Newly planted trees and shrubs will be in particular need of watering in dry spells. Check plants in pots, even after rain, and terracotta pots should be lined with polythene to prevent moisture loss through the sides. For plants in the garden you should water generously but less frequently to encourage roots to grow deeper and overtime become more tolerant of dry conditions. Bark or gravel around the base of plants will help retain moisture. Lawns are very tolerant of dry conditions and will recover well; on cricket pitches they cut the grass down to virtually the roots and it recovers. If you really must water, then do it thoroughly as just a sprinkle will do more harm than good.

We need to give our plants proper attention during the summer months as a lot of work went into getting them to this stage, so feeding, deadheading, and watering will prolong the display. Herbaceous geraniums need to be cut down to the floor after flowering to give a 2nd flush. Roses need constant dead heading but the results are worth it. Sid & Linda Cottle of Gwenfo Drive have a lovely garden full of roses which are always in good fettle.

July is the best time of year to sow foxgloves and wallflowers for a display next year, if you have doubts about whether you can be bothered just remember what Dick Turpin is selling them for in the garden centre. You will need to sow delphiniums now as this is the latest time to be certain of blooms next year.

At 85 years young Herbie is proof that working the soil is good for you and on his allotment at Twyn-yr-Odin he dishes out advice whether you ask for it or not. I caught him on a ladder trying to pick his broad beans and asked him for some tips to put in the gardening column. Ever obliging he said water daily and not just a splash, hoe weeds on dry days and they are guaranteed to die, always remove dying leaves from plants to prevent disease, check for aphids on the runner beans and rub them off with your hands and take the tops off broad beans to deter black fly.

The panel at gardeners question time in the library hub on the 27th May want to mention through this column that they were made to feel most welcome and enjoyed a pleasant evening. The knowledge displayed by the audience left them in no doubt that gardens in Wenvoe are in safe hands.

Take care and happy gardening

 

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