Month: November 2024
October Meeting of Wenvoe W.I
WOMEN’S INSTITUTE
October Meeting of Wenvoe W.I.
Wenvoe WI met in October for their usual monthly meeting. This time it was a Fish and Chip evening, with excellent fare supplied and delivered piping hot from the Fryers Club in Ely. After the business, we were treated to a variety of favourite poems read out by several members. Some of the poetry was ‘home grown’, whilst others ranged from the pen of Rudyard Kipling to Pam Ayres in their diversity. Yet again, several potential new members were welcomed into the fray.
We have a busy month culminating in a trip to the Organ Palace in Treorchy, where we hope to view keyboards and organs in their manufacture and to be treated to a concert and a cream tea.
Our next meeting is on 7th November at 7pm in the Church Hall. This will be a ‘hands on’ craft evening led by Mrs Carol Charleson. With Christmas just around the corner, we are all wondering if it will be a seasonal session.
In December we shall be holding our usual Christmas Party as well as a festive Coffee Morning.
New members and ‘tasters’ are always welcome at our meetings.
Jan Young (President)
Jobs for the month
THE VILLAGE GARDENER
Jobs for the month
- Depending on the weather, try to lift any dahlias and clean them off; then store in kiln dried sand or dry compost in a frost-free place.
- Collect any rose leaves with black spot and bin them. If you don’t do this the spores will infect more plants next year.
- Make sure you plant your tulips this month. Plant them deep or you may only get one season from them.
- Lift any remaining begonia tubers and dry them, then store as dahlias.
- Cut roses down by a third to prevent wind rock.
It’s hard to get motivated when it’s gloomy and with less daylight, but anything you can do now will be a big help for next season. Weeds seem to grow whatever the weather, it’s a miserable job in the Summer but seems worse at this time of year. It is an essential task though and cannot be ignored. Mulching is very important, to keep the ground covered and stop soil erosion. This should be laid about 3ins, 75mm, thick to do a good job, which can be expensive if you buy the stuff television gardeners recommend. Grass cuttings, fallen leaves or old compost will suffice. The worms will love you for it and it will improve the soil no end. It’s a fact that if it were not for worms then we wouldn’t have such productive soil so the more worms you have the better the soil. Worms add 5mm to soil depth each year. They are brilliant at breaking down pollutants and turning them into nontoxic molecules. I could go on, but all these facts are available on the Soil Association site. They are the leading charity on the protection of our soil and the way it’s used.
The overall message from the allotment folk is that the year to date has not been good. With the coolest summer for nine years, it has proved to be challenging at Twyn Yr Odyn. Even the prolific Gareth Lewis has had an off year. He has been heard playing Slayer (a rock band apparently) to his plants with no improvement. Some of the older gardeners have seen it all before and love the challenge of tending the soil on top of the hill in a howling gale with rain lashing across – and that’s in June. They are committed to their task, that’s for sure. Even with all this to put up with, they will be planting peas and broad beans to over winter and give an early crop next year hopefully. The National Allotment Association is a membership well worth considering if you’re serious about your patch.
Please remember to check any bonfires you may be lighting, as hedgehogs find them irresistible. If you do cook one accidentally then take salt & pepper with you as they are quite bland.
Take care and happy gardening.
THE VILLAGE GARDENER
“Drift” by Caryl Lewis
“Drift” by Caryl Lewis
Why do people join Book Clubs? To widen their reading choices and read new genres? To have interesting, challenging or informative discussions about books? To sit in comfortable surroundings and socialise? To eat delicious cakes? If so, all boxes were ticked at the latest meeting of the Page Turners at May’s house.
The book choice was, Drift, a winner of the Welsh Book of the year, by Welsh author, Caryl Lewis. This was her first book written in English; one Page Turner who is a fluent Welsh speaker believed her Welsh language novels were more accomplished.
Drift is based in Wales, and has a cast of Welsh characters and a prisoner in the local army camp from war-torn Syria. Drift is described as a love story with a difference, a hypnotic tale of lost identity, the quest for home and the wondrous resilience of the human spirit.
Most Page Turners agreed it was written very well with beautiful language and vivid descriptions of the sea and Welsh coastline. Some enjoyed the magical, mystical aspects of the story and became immersed in the story and the characters. Others found it confusing and didn’t like the descriptions of war, torture and conflict. Some found the ending confusing and there was some discussion about what happened…or didn’t happen.
Scores ranged from 10 to 5, with an average of 7.5. Is it a book for you? It’s different…give it a try. Everybody agreed that May’s lemon cake was worth a 10!!
It Was A Brock,
IT WAS A BROCK,
It was a brock, a grey, a pate or a bawson. They were around in Britain between half a million and three quarters of a million years ago where they co-existed with wolves, brown bears, arctic foxes and wolverines. They live underground in setts and a group of badgers living together is called a clan. To those of you who follow our Facebook Page (Wenvoe Wildlife) you will have seen some great shots of badgers in the parish. We do not reveal where they have been seen as badger baiting (using dogs to hunt and kill badgers illegally) is still a problem.
Badgers are at the centre of a major debate between those farmers who believe badgers can help spread TB (bovine tuberculosis) to cattle and those who believe killing the badgers will not cure the TB problem. In the last 10 years it is believed that around 230,000 badgers have been culled. However in Wales the Government have put an end to culling whilst other options to eradicate TB are considered. To find out more about the pros and cons go online.
Badgers have played a significant role in literature including the Wind in the Willows, the Redwall series, Watership Down and Beatrix Potter books. Sometimes they are friendly, sometimes less so. Going back further, they appear in both European and Asian folklore – Chinese and Japanese tradition have them as shapeshifters. They are meticulously clean animals having latrines a little way away from the sett and changing their bedding of straw, grass or bracken periodically. At times they will take their bedding outside to ‘air’ and kill off any bugs and parasites. They have even been known to bring garlic leaves into the sett to help deter unwanted insects.
Along with the poet, John Clare, 200 years ago we can celebrate:
The badger grunting on his woodland track
With shaggy hide and sharp nose scrowed
With black roots in the bushes and the woods
Tuckers Reindeer Sale
TUCKERS REINDEER SALE
Saturday 23rd November
Not long now until the 6th annual Tucker’s Christmas Reindeer sale and cafe on Saturday 23 November from 10am to 4pm at the Wenvoe Church Hall.
As well as the antlered stars of the show there will be some lovely things to buy and a festive atmosphere to get you in the Christmas mood. We will, of course, be joined by Trevor on the day with his lovely Christmas houses and decorations. There will be other local crafters joining us on the day. There will be beautiful turned wood items, some lovely textile gifts, painted wooden Christmas decorations as well as Laura’s ‘Flower Bunker Wenvoe’ with Christmas floral decorations and wreaths to order.
We will be holding the usual raffle with some excellent quality prizes including luxury food hampers, a home baked and decorated Christmas cake, some very interesting bottles and some items that would make ideal gifts for adults and children.
Once again, profits from this and from the sale of some crafts will be donated to our charity of choice, the Wenvoe Wildlife Group and members of the group will be manning a table with some very interesting items. There will be a visit from a man on a sleigh in a red and white suit which may offer an excellent, free photograph opportunity.
There will be tables inside the Church Hall for you to sit and enjoy a tea or coffee and maybe a homemade slice of Glen’s cakes or brownies while you catch up with old friends and meet some new ones. The reindeer and all craft tables will be under the cover of Christmas decorated gazebos and festive music will provide the backing track to the whole event. Why not join us and pick up a reindeer and some Christmas spirit! These have become collectors’ items so start making a list of people who deserve one as a gift. Bring a friend and have a festive catch up. We are so looking forward to seeing you there.
October Report
OCTOBER REPORT
We have an important message from Vicar Lyndon to share with you.
Dear Friends of St Lythans Church,
After the service this Sunday, 20th October at 8:30 am, we will be suspending regular services at St Bleiddian’s, for now. The next service after this will be the Remembrance Service at 8:30 am on 10th November. All are welcome, of course, to attend Sunday services in Wenvoe at 9:30 am or Sully at 11.00 am. If you, or anyone you know, is in need of pastoral care please let me know or pass on my contact information.
After more than 1000 years it is sad to find ourselves with insufficient numbers to continue with weekly services. However, we will continue to offer special seasonal services and be available for baptisms, weddings, and funerals. We certainly give thanks for the willing volunteers who have kept, and continue to keep, the church building in working order ready to serve.
May God guide us as we seek to continue to serve in this holy place as part of the Church in Wales.
This decision has not been taken lightly with the existing small congregation taking part in the decision-making process. It is indeed sad as Lyndon has pointed out that regular worship has been suspended, but it will remain a sacred space, kept in readiness for the special services at festival times in the church’s calendar. We thank the “friends” of St. Lythan’s in raising funds to keep the church fit for purpose and in as good repair as is possible with a mediaeval church with a II* grading.
The recent Harvest festival was well attended, and the “friends” held a very successful Cheese and Wine fund raising quiz, following the service. Thank you for all you do to fundraise and bring people together from the communities of Dyffryn, St. Lythan’s and Twyn yr Odin.
On Sunday 13th October we suffered a power failure in St. Mary’s which made us decamp to the Church Hall for the morning Eucharist. It was really good and many remarked what a change it was to have the opportunity to worship together in different surroundings. Many thanks to all who helped in transferring the liturgical items from the church and setting up the hall and for clearing up afterwards. Power is now restored and hopefully this will not happen again.
Special order of service booklets have been prepared for Remembrance Sunday and for the Community Christmas Carol service. Members of the community have been approached to take part in the readings and all are welcomed to be present at these annual community events running up to the celebration of Christmas.
Here are some dates to place in your calendar to remind you of what’s happening at St. Mary’s and St. Lythan’s
Upcoming Services and Events
2nd November at 7.00pm – Wenvoe – All Souls Commemoration of the Faithful Departed
10th November Remembrance Sunday – 8.30 at St Lythans and 10.00am in Wenvoe
Tuesdays 3rd, 10th & 17th December at 7.00pm – St Lythans – Advent meditation with harp.
Christmas Eve:
Wenvoe at 5.00pm – All Ages Christmas Service
Wenvoe at 11.00pm – Christmas Eve Eucharist
Christmas Day:
St Lythans at 9:30am – Christmas Day Eucharist
Names of the faithful departed for the All Souls service can be added to the list being prepared in church in good time for the service on Nov 2nd.
Christian Aid, Christmas Appeals and Food Bank See message from Jude on page 8.
The Result of the Wenvoe Gift Appeal
There is never a right time to appeal for funds especially this year when the cost of living, heating or eating, is a choice many are having to make in their daily lives. We are so grateful that those who donated to the appeal thought that the appeal was justified and that St. Mary’s church in Wenvoe needed their support. The amount raised was £1,483 and a big thank you for your contribution, which will be used to maintain the church building, to keep the heating on at a low level to protect the fabric from damp. St. Mary’s is a Grade II* listed building, and we are bound to hand the church on for future generations yet to be born, so that worship will continue to be offered, and the church available for family events, both joyful and sad.
November is a month when we remember many things. From the faithful departed on November 2nd, to the event when Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament on November 5th, To Remembrance Sunday on November 10th when we will gather in St. Mary’s for our annual commemoration of those lads from the village who gave their lives in World War I and World War II so that we may now enjoy the peace as a result of their sacrifice, and later at the War memorial for the Silence and laying of wreaths. As usual we shall be making a collection for the Royal British Legion to continue their work with survivors of the other wars that have taken place in recent years. We look forward to seeing you in church and at the newly cleaned War Memorial with recently installed handrail, arranged by the Wenvoe Community Council. Diolch yn fawr.
“We will not forget them”
Light refreshments of coffee, tea and soft drinks will be provided in the Church Hall following the commemoration. All are welcome.
Thank you for reading the church news.
Parry Edwards
Sharing a Box of Roses
November 2024 Diary of Events
Discovering St Donat’s
DISCOVERING ST DONAT’S
St Donat’s Castle is an intriguing place and there are plenty of opportunities to tour and visit. The site has a proud history from its use as an Iron Age fortress, home of the Celtic Chieftain Caradog, to its purchase and development by the American newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst.
As home to the world-renowned Atlantic College, alumni include our First Minister, Eluned Morgan and a host of other notables, even recently including none other than Princess Leonor, the crown princess of Spain.
Bernard Shaw described the castle after Hearst’s reconstruction as ‘what God would have built if he had had the money’. Hearst rarely visited St Donats. When he did, he often took his large entourage for drinks to the Old Swan Inn, Llantwit Major. Among his guests were the actors Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn and Clark Gable, in addition to politicians including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and a young John F. Kennedy, who visited with his parents.
Hearst was a colourful character who attracted strong opinions. President Theodore Roosevelt called him “an unspeakable blackguard with all the worst faults of the corrupt and dissolute monied man”. Winston Churchill, who stayed as Hearst’s guest at St Donat’s described him as ‘a grave simple child – with no doubt a nasty temper – playing with the most costly toys… two magnificent establishments, two charming wives (a reference to Hearst’s affair with Hollywood star Marion Davies a regular visitor to St Donat’s), complete indifference to public opinion’.
Hearst loved to put on a show. His Fourth of July celebrations in 1934 for example, included a fireworks display of such scale and extravagance that the coastguard complained it was confusing shipping in the Bristol Channel. Whether Hurst would have approved of these opportunities for all of us to get up close and personal with St Donat’s we’ll never know.
In term time you can enjoy a visit to one of the monthly Café Concerts held at UWC Atlantic Art Centre.
Performed by international students, you can enjoy a range of classical productions and in turn support them in developing their public performing skills, as they prepare for exam recitals. Concerts typically last for around 45 minutes and include a serving of tea, coffee and a biscuit – all included in the ticket price. Any profits go towards the UWC Atlantic educational charity. The cost is £6.29.
A good way to explore the history of the castle is to join a private guided tour. Tours take 90 minutes and including Afternoon Tea, cost £32.95 per person. The Afternoon Tea of sandwiches, cakes and refreshments is served in either the Dining Hall or Glassroom. You will hear more about the 19th century restoration by coal magnate Morgan Stuart Williams but it is likely to be the tales about the development of St Donats under the eccentric ownership of Randolph Hearst, which will be the most captivating.
The two-day Christmas Fayre, will be held on Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December. Over 70 local food, drink and craft traders will be exhibiting, and you can also take the opportunity to wander in the 12th century castle, arts centre and gardens. The event starts at 10.00 am and closes at 4.00pm and costs £13 per car and £3 on foot. Parking is on fields or in areas on campus a short walk from the castle so appropriate footwear is advised.