Month: May 2025

Wenvoe Scouts Need Your Help!

 

Wenvoe Scouts Need Your Help!

 

We are still looking for volunteers. Fortunately, we have found a new Cub Leader, but he needs 1 or 2 Assistants to help him or long term the Group will not be able to function. Support and training is available and, from experience, working with the young people is very rewarding.

Cubs are boys and girls aged 8 to 10 ½ years. They learn new skills, whilst having fun enjoying indoor and outdoor activities and earning badges. We also need a new Treasurer as part of our Trustee Board, which oversees the governance of the Group. More information about volunteering is available on the Scout Association website.

Celebration of Wenvoe Scouting: On 1st April we held a well attended Celebration of Wenvoe Scouting. The Cubs excelled at serving us all refreshments. We saw photos and heard about the year’s activities. During the meeting Community Councillor Paul Freeman presented the Group with Nature/Wildlife packs from the Vale Nature Partnership as seen in the photo. These will be used by all sections to learn more about wildlife locally and they plan to work in areas set up by the Wildlife group in the School and the Community Orchard

We are grateful to the Vale Nature Partnership for the donation and to Paul for organising it.

 

Scout Fete, Sat 5 July Romilly Park and Unwanted Crockery: Save this and let me know if you have any donations for our fund-raising Smash a Dish Stall

Group Council AGM Monday 19 May 6.30 Community Centre: Come and meet us and find out more about Wenvoe Scout Group.

Jane Fenton-May, Chair 1st Wenvoe Scout Group.

 

jfm@fenton-may.org

Shady, Had Gone Up The Pipe

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

Shady, Had Gone Up The Pipe

After clearing the waste from the front of the Community Centre and the planting of flowers by big John (it will of course be his fault if they don’t bloom!) we were woken by the sound that resembled a jammed hoover. The sight that greeted us was a road sweeper operative trying to remove an object from the suction hose on his vehicle. After dashing to help, we recognised the blue hat in the gutter. Yes, poor Shady, whilst litter picking had gone up the pipe. Upon his release, he was inconsolable. The ignominy of a litter picker being picked up by a road sweeper, left him on his knees. Even when reunited with his hat, he refused to move. The Community Council are going to give him a hi-vis jacket. Our next work party will be on 12th May.

“Frank and Red ” by Matt Coyne

OFF THE SHELF

“Frank and Red ” by Matt Coyne

Our book club absolutely loved ‘Frank and Red’! It quickly became a favourite for many of us – with one member even saying it’s now one of their all-time top reads. We were all swept up by the imagination and humour that runs through the story and touched by its emotional depth.

The book is a heart-warming, often laugh-out-loud tale of an unlikely friendship between grumpy, reclusive Frank and kind-hearted young Red. Red is such a beautifully drawn character—curious, caring, and completely unforgettable. His warmth shines through and helps draw out empathy and change in everyone around him. Watching the characters slowly develop and open up was one of the most rewarding parts of the read.

We loved how the story made us both laugh and cry. It’s rare to find a book that delivers such humour while also tugging at the heartstrings. One member said: “It was one of the best books I’ve ever read – I’m recommending it to everyone!”

While a few of us found the ending a little far-fetched, it didn’t take away from the overall magic and joy of the book. It left us feeling uplifted, hopeful, and grateful for the small connections that can make a big difference.

A touching, funny, and imaginative story about empathy, friendship, and finding light in unexpected places. A solid 9/10 from our group – and one we’ll be recommending for a long time!

May Church News

 

May Church News

Greetings from the congregation of St. Mary’s, eager to welcome new faces to join them in worship at 9.30am on Sunday morning. Gone are the days when we could number the faithful for three services on Sundays, with extra chairs placed out in the aisle for the Sung Eucharist service. The earlier service at 8.00am also had a strong attendance and to cap it all Evensong at 6.00pm with the adult church choir was a meaningful end to the day. Many things have contributed to a decline in attendance numbers over the years. Despite all that has gone before, St. Mary’s door is still open, the bells ring out the call to worship, a welcome is given to all, and the church looks better now, than it has for many a year.

In recent weeks we had the church building and grounds inspected for the “Quinquennial” inspection. This takes place roughly every five years by a qualified architect to examine and report on any defects found within the structure which needs remedial action. This work maintains the building fit for purpose and takes into account any health and safety issues discovered. This responsibility is for the church council and officers under the direction of the Parish Priest, to ensure that our insurers are content that all is well and maintained to the highest standards for an ancient building to function safely. In addition the heating system, the lighting system, the lightning conductor and the church clock have to be checked to make sure that the building in our care is handed on for future generations to worship in. The raising of money to fund the maintenance is reliant on fund raising, (weekly or monthly giving, the 200 Club donations and legacies) and it is a constant battle to cover the everyday expenses, and our church treasurer does a superb job in keeping us in the “black” . so we appreciate any help to keep us solvent.

This Eastertide at St. Mary’s, we had ceremonies for Palm Sunday with a procession into the church from the church hall complete with donkey (two. in fact. called Vest and Knickers), kindly brought by Emily and Mathew from Vishwell Farm. This was the beginning of Holy Week and led up to the events of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Day. These days are the most important and meaningful days of the Christian Year, and there would be no church without the Resurrection of Jesus from the grave. Alleluia Christ is Risen, Yea He is Risen indeed.

Easter Sunday – the day of Resurrection. A full church awaited the arrival of the new light, kindled at an earlier service at St Lythans for the lighting of the PASCAL candle at St. Mary’s. Sitting in the darkened church with the Spring sunshine streaming through the stained-glass windows, glowing like so many jewels, heightened the expectation of Resurrection of light coming into a dark world. With the candle placed on its stand in the chancel, the church lights blazed on and the organ played the great Easter hymn “Jesus Christ is risen today. Alleluia”. The service included a renewal of our

Baptism vows with a sprinkling of water from the font, much to the amusement of the younger members of the congregation. So, we go forward into the 50 days of Easter in the company of the risen Jesus, renewed and empowered to carrying his teaching to all who will listen, bringing the truth of His presence in the world…..Alleluia, alleluia Christ is risen.

Support for the Vale Food Bank continues with weekly collections from the items left in the church porch. In addition, the donations of chocolate Easter Eggs was most welcome, plus the cash given in place of food items is always well received by the Food Bank staff to purchase groceries to cover any shortfall. Thank you for the contributions, and to Jude and Nigel who work so hard to get the offerings to Barry.

We will be supporting the Christian Aid Appeal events (see page 5) including Cake, Cake and More Cake. We hope to see you all on Saturday 17th May at the Church Hall from 10.00am-12.00 midday.

St. Mary’s Church is joining in the Commemoration of VE80 Day. During the morning service on Sunday 4th May there will be suitable prayers and a period of silent meditation in thanksgiving for the longest period of peace in the country while acknowledging the great sacrifice made by so many in the armed forces and the civilian population during the conflict.

Every blessing to all who read the church news.

Parry Edwards

Wenvoe Wildlife Group Summer Birdwatch

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

WENVOE WILDLIFE GROUP SUMMER BIRDWATCH

SUNDAY 18TH – SATURDAY 24TH MAY

Many What’s On readers will recall that they took part in the RSPB Birdwatch in January this year and the Wenvoe Wildlife Group were given people’s findings to assist us in learning about birds in the parish. The results were published earlier this year in What’s On.

We are now planning to hold our first Wenvoe Summer Birdwatch from Sunday 18th to Sunday 25th May and we really do need your involvement! You only need to give up one hour of your time during the seven days. The aim of the summer birdwatch is for us to gather more information on the birds that are in the parish and compare our summer and winter findings. This time we will be ‘going it alone’ as the RSPB organise just one UK birdwatch each year. One difference this time is that you can record any bird you see whether on the ground or in the air. This will enable us to include all our birds rather than just those that settle.

We have spread the birdwatch over a whole week to give people the best opportunity to undertake the birdwatch and avoid any days where bad weather is forecast. Many of you will recall the January weekend was terrible weather-wise. In addition, it does not get dark in mid-May until about 9.00pm so plenty of time in the evenings to carry out your birdwatch!

All you need to do is to spend one hour recording the birds you see in your garden. You record the number of each species of birds you see. So, for example, if you saw one blackbird on its own five times that counts as one. If you saw two blackbirds together at the same time that counts as two and so on.

Then please send your results to nigelrbillingham @yahoo.co.uk.or bruce7@ btinternet.com as soon as you can including your postcode and the date you carried out the birdwatch. The postcode helps us log what type of birds are in the different areas of Wenvoe. Don’t worry if your bird knowledge is limited there are plenty of identification guides online.

If you want to do more, you could carry out a second birdwatch in one of the eight Wildlife group’s sites which are listed below. This could be carried out on your own or in a small group on a day of your choosing within the above dates. Why not take a picnic whilst counting the birds? This will be the first time we have carried out a bird watch in most of our sites. If you would like to do this, please let us know which site you are interested in and we will ‘book you in’ to avoid duplication

We are delighted to say that the village school will also have one class taking part during the week.

The eight Wenvoe Wildlife group sites are:

Upper Orchid Field
Community Orchard
Elizabethan Orchard
Wild Orchard
Welsh Orchard
Goldsland Orchard
Watercress Beds
Bee Loud Glade

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. And if you want to brush up on your bird identification skills why not join the Bird Walk on Saturday 3rd May at Goldsland Farm led by Rob and Linda Nottage and setting off at 9.30am.

Crispy Filo Tart with Seasonal Veg

May is blooming marvellous!! It’s a month for lighter dishes that suit brighter days

Crispy Filo Tart with Seasonal Veg & Rhubarb Crumble Bars

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
6-8 sheets filo pastry
50g dried breadcrumbs
100g asparagus sliced in half lengthways if very thick
2 courgettes or 300g baby courgettes sliced
6 large eggs
zest 2 lemons
small handful parsley, mint or basil (or a mixture), roughly chopped
200g crème fraîche
200g block feta cheese crumbled

Method

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and pop in a baking sheet to heat up.
• Use a little of the oil to lightly grease an 18 x 25cm tart tin.
• Line the tin with a few strips of baking parchment – this will help to lift out the tart later.
• Unfold the pastry, but keep it covered with a damp tea towel. Taking 1 sheet at a time, brush each piece well with oil, then use to line your tart tin, leaving a little pastry hanging over the edges.
• Sprinkle a thin layer of breadcrumbs between each layer of pastry as you go –this keeps the pastry crisp. When you get to the final layer, brush with a little extra oil and scrunch the edges together to create a pretty border.
• Toss the asparagus and courgettes with seasoning and the remaining oil and tip onto a baking tray.
• Place the pastry case on the top shelf of the oven, with the veg on the shelf below and cook for 10 mins.
• Remove the veg from the oven. Brush the pastry case with a little beaten egg and bake for a further 5 mins until the pastry is golden brown and crunchy.
• Whisk the remaining egg with the lemon zest, herbs, crème fraîche and seasoning.
• Lay half the veg in the bottom of the pastry case and add half the feta.

Pour over the egg mixture, then top with the remaining veg and feta

• Bake for 40 mins until the filling has set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

 

Rhubarb Crumble Bars

Rhubarb Crumble Bars

Ingredients

400g rhubarb, chopped into small pieces
100g caster sugar
200g butter
200g plain flour
170g soft light brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
30g rolled oats
1 medium egg, yolk only

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6.
• Place the rhubarb into a roasting dish and sprinkle over the caster sugar. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until the rhubarb begins to soften and becomes jammy. Strain off any excess liquid. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Turn the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4.
• Put the butter, flour, brown sugar and ginger into a food processor, and whisk until fine breadcrumbs form.
• Spoon half the mixture (about 300g) into a small bowl, then stir in the oats. This will be the crumble topping.
• Add the egg yolk to the remaining mixture in the food processor and pulse until a dough forms or make dough with hands.
• Grease and line a 23cm square tin with baking parchment. Press the dough into the bottom of the tin. Prick all over with a fork, then bake for 10 minutes near the bottom of the oven to dry it out slightly.
• Strain the rhubarb and discard the juice.
• When the base is slightly crisper, spread the rhubarb on top, covering the whole base evenly.
• Gently squeeze the crumble topping using your hands so it clumps together slightly, then sprinkle it over the rhubarb. When it’s completely covered, bake for 40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the rhubarb is bubbling.
• Leave to cool for 15 minutes.

Wolvesnewton and Trebanog

Wolvesnewton

This was a walk, west of Chepstow exploring the Monmouthshire countryside, taking in three churches and passing the Model farm.

It was a clear sunny day, but the beginning of March and frost remained in shaded places all day. Someone had had some fun, models of a dragon, a green man and an otter were alongside a stream.

We reached Kilgwrrwg Church, the first of the day, within half an hour of setting out. It is tiny with good views. A remote rural spot even today, in times past food would have been provided by strip farming, rotating crops such as wheat and corn. Someone had compiled a folder with information on births, deaths and marriages in the Parish. Leaving the churchyard, we queued to climb over a fallen tree blocking the footpath.

Tramping over lush grassland we saw our first lambs of the season. The medieval, St Thomas a Becket Church at Wolvesnewton is a larger affair on a no through road which was the main road until 19thC. It has a medieval preaching cross and churchyard. A door on the north wall of the church (the wrong side) was sometimes called the Devil’s door and it would be left open during baptism to let evil spirits escape. It is now blocked up. A stained-glass window inside depicts child angels bringing light to the gentiles.

The model farm and folk museum, which opened in 1972 and closed after 14 years, was on our route and a few of us could remember visiting it. It displayed a vast array of items from rural life spanning the Victorian era to Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. There is no evidence of it now apart from a large house, some distance from the track.

Continuing we passed a wildflower meadow, a herd of llamas, and the first frog spawn of the year. At lunchtime we spread out along a bank beside the track, and a few walked to a picnic table below us. After lunch, there was some rough ground and a steep path to tackle, quite difficult after eating. At the top, there was more frog spawn and elfin cap fungus. A pony was scratching around for food in a stony field.

St Peter’s church at Newchurch was the 3rd church of the day, the land it stands on was granted to Tintern Abbey at the time of the Norman invasion. The Bristol Channel and the Cotswolds are visible from here. The yews near the gate were planted in the early 18thC and the church is built entirely of red coarse sandstone. The octagonal font is believed to originate in the 12thC.

Near the end of the walk, a house had a plaque dedicated to Martha Gellhorn (1908- 1998) who had lived there. She was an American novelist, travel writer and journalist who is considered one of the great war correspondents of the 20th C. She reported on most major world conflicts that took place over her 60- year career. She was also the third wife of Ernest Hemingway.

During the walk we had seen celandine (common name pilewort as the roots look like piles), primroses, daffodils and crocuses at the carpark. Before long we were at the nearest pub sampling delicious beer and tea. Walk 7m 1100ft. Map OL14.

 

Trebanogn

This was a bit of a surprise to most of us, Trebanog sits above Porth, and we parked there to avoid a 300ft climb. This was early April but as we got out of the cars a cold, keen wind cut into us, and we all added layers to our clothes. The surprise was the extent of the greenery up here given the large population of the valleys.

People had used stones from an old wall to create tall cairns in places. We could see the whole of Porth and even parts of the Rhondda valley. We were walking on old coal tips and found ewes with their lambs spread over a large area.

About half of us decided to add a little extra to the walk by climbing an easy short distance to a trig point. That was all very well but the steep descent through bracken was a challenge, and we were glad to get back to the rest of the group.

As we walked, Eleri a 13-year-old made up the plot for a story based on our journey, only time will tell whether it makes the pages of What’s On.

Many birds were spotted including the first swallows of the year, skylarks, buzzards, a kite, crows and ducks on a pond. We even saw another herd of llamas.

Drinks at the Cross Inn near Llantrisant rounded off the day nicely. Walk 7m 800ft Map OS166.

“The Horse Boy ” by Rupert Isaacson

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“The Horse Boy ” by Rupert Isaacson

This book is a true story of a family who embark on an epic journey across Mongolia. The author, Rupert Isaacson and his wife Kristin had one child who was diagnosed with autism at the age of two. As their son, Rowan, grew older, the couple struggled to deal with and manage his severe tantrums and meltdowns, and in the book, they describe their feelings of anxiety, depression and exhaustion dealing with Rowan’s challenging behaviour but also their overwhelming love for their son. They consulted many doctors, trying to get therapies and strategies to help Rowan progress but were unsuccessful in finding any that had a lasting effect.

Rupert noticed that his son had a strong connection with horses and that horses had a calming effect on him. Rupert decided to find an alternative source of healing for Rowan and after extensive research, found that in Mongolia, the Shamans, who practice interacting with the spiritual world through trances for the purpose of healing, had a reputation for healing children with neurological symptoms.

Rupert is a journalist and arranged for a film crew to accompany the family on their travels across the country and to document their meetings with the Shamans and the healing ceremonies they participated in. This documentary financed this epic journey, and Isaacson records it all for this book.

Our book group agreed that the author had impressive literacy skills and wrote in detail; one member really enjoyed the descriptions of Mongolian history, the cities and the vast, beautiful countryside that the family covered in their quest to meet the healers. Concern was raised in the group about the rituals that Rowan and his parents all endured as part of the healing process, and we had a long discussion regarding whether this had a positive or negative effect on the family and Rowan’s symptoms. Many of the group said that although the author described the journey in great detail, this led to chunks of repetitive dialogue and the book became a challenge to read. This was another book that split the group in their feelings towards it. If you have an interest in alternative healing therapies and in particular the autism spectrum or want to know more about Mongolia and the Shamans, this may be a book for you to read.

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