Month: October 2025

Go For It – Plant The Bulbs

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Go For It – Plant The Bulbs

Go for it – plant the tulip bulbs, they will produce excellent blooms if put in this month. Just make sure the pointy bit is aiming to the sky and they are deep enough. Daffs are cheap to buy now as the success rate diminishes with each week that goes by. Don’t even think about buying snow drop corms, they never do well. Wait until they are available next year, in the green, around March and April; you will be guaranteed a display the following Spring.

Some of the begonias flowered right through October. The mild, if somewhat windy, weather saw to that. Just make sure you save the tubers by drying them out and storing in a dry place, free from frost. The roses have also been producing blooms later this year, which has delayed any pruning until November. I will be putting the hedge trimmer through the roses and leaving the real pruning until the end of March, or when the buds show signs of growth. Do not leave any of the infected leaves around the base of the plants, as the black spot spores will thrive in the soil.

A lot of berries on the holly again this year, so if you need some for Christmas then cut off what you need and stand in water, it keeps for ages. If you don’t do this the wreath makers and wood pigeons will make short work of it before the first day of advent.

November is the start of the bare root season, these shrubs and hedging plants are generally cheaper than pot grown ones and take very well when planted. Apples and pears can be pruned at the end of the month through until the end of February. Don’t prune plums or any stone fruit until the Summer.

There is still plenty to get on with at the allotments. Mike Johnson along with others will be collecting leaves to fill the compost bins along with waste generated off his patch. This Autumn Mike is going to dig some of the leaves directly into the soil so the worms can speed up the process of decomposition. In the village you can leave the leaves on top of the soil for the same effect but up at Twyn Yr Odyn the wind will blow them into the Bristol Channel if you use this method.

Old hands Colin and Bernard have been pleased by the way the allotments have been cared for this year, producing good results in what has been a challenging year weather wise.

Reminder, if you’re having a bonfire, please check for hedgehogs. If you leave them in for too long they become crispy and take on a barbecue flavour. Barry Oliver wraps his in foil, to avoid any mishap.

Take care and happy gardening.

An Historical Panel in the Village

An Historical Panel in the Village

Not much to report since the Village Show but I have made contact with Gwenfo C/W Primary School and the Headteacher, Nicola Starke, is extremely supportive of the possibility of an historical panel in the village and one in which the children could take part regarding the content and design of such a panel. I also met with Reka Roberts, the activities manager of Glenburnie Lodge – so covering both ends of the spectrum! I intend to keep the momentum and discussion on the idea of a panel going, particularly with the Community Council and the Vale of Glamorgan. If anyone wants further information or is still looking for Wenvoe maps or booklets – please contact me on skjo@btinternet.com

Stephen K. Jones

50 Years of Faithful Service and Counting…

50 Years of Faithful Service and Counting…

Please join us on Sunday 16th November at our 9:30am Eucharist in St Mary’s Church followed by refreshments in the Church Hall.

We will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Parry Edward’s licensing as a Reader in the Church in Wales.

A Licenced Reader is someone who has trained for two years in theology. They are given responsibility to preach and to lead funerals and baptisms. Parry has done all of this and so much more.

Currently, Parry’s official title is Reader Emeritus, but we all know his work continues!

So, please join us in celebrating this milestone with Parry. All are welcome.

Vicar Lyndon

From The Silent To The Topless

FROM THE SILENT TO THE TOPLESS:
BOOK CLUBS ON THE MARCH!

It seems that Gen Z and Millennials are catching on to what we in Wenvoe have known for ages – there’s nothing quite like a good book club as an antidote to today’s increasingly digital world. Free online event platform ‘Eventbrite’ report that local book club events have increased by over 40% in the last year. Even young celebrities like singer song writer Dua Lipa and model and actress Kaia Gerber are now hosting their own book clubs.

‘The Page Turners’ and ‘Off the Shelf’ regularly provide What’s On readers with reviews and recommendations based on their recent reads. It all sounds like great fun. The reported reviews, though brief, show the wide range of responses to the various titles under discussion. One recently reviewed title was described as ‘slow, unhappy and dreadful’ by one member but ‘tragic, moving and well written’ by another.

The book club renaissance seems to have gathered steam online during the pandemic as a way of meeting safely and filling those lock down hours. The digital boom in the book club soon found a younger audience who stayed with the idea when restrictions were lifted and a passion for books found its way into the real world. As book clubs boomed, a host of bespoke groups sprang up with a focus on everything from football to feminism.

The concept of the book club began to take shape in the 18th century, particularly in Europe, during the Age of Enlightenment, with its emphasis on reason, knowledge, and education. In France, writers, philosophers, and thinkers gathered to exchange ideas and discuss the latest books, giving rise to a culture of literary salons that shared some of the hallmarks of modern book clubs. One of the earliest known book clubs was the Edinburgh Book Club, founded in 1768. This club was a forum for intellectuals to gather and discuss literature, politics, and society. London’s coffeehouses, like Garrick’s Coffeehouse, also became venues for book discussions. In the 19thcentury the rise of the middle class meant more people had access to books and education and so book clubs emerged that resembled those of today. Women, who had historically been excluded from intellectual discussions, began to form their own book club sharing and discussing books about everyday life. Another precursor to modern book clubs, were circulating libraries which allowed readers to borrow books for a fee. They often functioned as informal gathering places for book discussions. In the 20th century of course the expansion of public libraries and the rise of commercial publishing led to a further boom in book clubs.

The latest fad is the Silent Book Club! The original, started in San Francisco in 2012with two friends – Guinevere de la Mare and Laura Gluhanich – reading together at a neighbourhood wine bar. There are now 1,600 of these clubs in 54countries, including over 100 in the UK. All readers are welcome- eBooks, audiobooks, textbooks, comic books etc. Friends and strangers gather at a set time and location, order food or drinks, share what they’re reading, and settle in for an hour or so of sustained silent reading. At the end of the hour, attendees can socialise- or not!

There are inevitably some very strange book clubs. The Peculiar Book Club focuses on strange history, medical marvels, and weird science. It has nothing it seems on the New York Topless Book Club! ‘Burn Bras, Not Books’ is the motto of this free-wheeling New York City book club. Members take advantage of little-known city laws that allow both male and female toplessness with alfresco reading sessions in public spaces. It’s apparently all done with safety and decorum. Somehow one doesn’t see this catching on in Wenvoe.

October Letters

 

 

As Chair of the Wenvoe Village Hall, I would like to apologise to anyone that was offended or got caught up in the aftermath of the disturbance that happened on Friday 29th August at the Village Hall.

This was a 16th Birthday party that was “gatecrashed” by a crowd of youths and as soon as we were informed of this, members of the committee, Gail, Carol & Debbie, went down to stop the party. The Police were called, by whom we don’t know, (but thank you) and they did an admirable job in handling the crowd.

In my many years of being involved with the village hall this was a rare occurrence. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend as I had just had an operation and was laid up.

We have a good rapport with our neighbours of the hall and I apologise to them.

A big thank you to Gail Adams, Carol Jenkins and Debbie Bourge from the committee who handled the situation very well.

Thanking you,

Bernard Jenkins, Chairman

On behalf of my family, I would like to express my deepest thanks to everyone in the community who offered their kind words of condolence and support following the passing of my dad Ian Moody.

Your messages, cards and comforting words have been a great source of strength to us all during this difficult time. We are also truly grateful to all who attended his funeral service – your presence was a touching reminder of the many lives he touched.

We were able to give a donation of £1100 to the Brain Tumour Charity in his memory.

Many thanks,

Kim Jones

 

My family and I would like to thank everyone for
their support as we participated in the Alzheimer’s
Society Memory Walk last month. With everyone’s
help we raised £1,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society.
A big thank you also to the nursing staff on St
Barruc’s Ward at Barry Hospital who care for Terry
and all the other patients. They don’t only look after
the patients, but the families too, and we really
appreciate them.

Gillian Richards, Brooklands Terrace, with son Scott.

Colin and I would like to thank our family and
friends from Wenvoe and far and wide for their
cards, kind wishes and presents on the occasion of
our 60th Wedding Anniversary on 4th September. We
hope all who attended our party at Wenvoe Castle
Golf Club on 6th September had a good time.
Thank you all,
Colin and Janet Williams, Whitehall Close

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
(The Editors are not responsible for opinions expressed, although
every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information.
The editors reserve the right to protect the anonymity of anyone
who wishes to contribute articles or letters for the magazine
provided they are aware of the identity of any such person. )
Gillian Richards, Brooklands Terrace, with son Scott.

Many Tributes to The Late Ian Moody

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Many Tributes to The Late Ian Moody

There were many tributes to the late Ian Moody in the last issue of What’s On but he also played a major role in the Wenvoe Wildlife Group. A founder member, it was Ian who started the ball rolling by suggesting we formed a group to start maintaining the Upper Orchid Field. Ian was closely involved with the planting of the orchards, the design and construction of the Bee Hotels, excavation and stocking of the ponds and clearance of vegetation. Ian also instigated and ran the monthly conservation sessions on the Upper Orchid Field. One of the activities Ian participated in was the recording of Ancient and Veteran trees. These receive no special protection and only by recording them on the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Register can we reduce the risk that they will be cut down. Ian and Bruce recorded these whenever they came across them on their walks around South Wales. On one occasion Ian spotted a large Oak near Tretower.

The tree was measured and photographed, and it turned out to have been unrecorded up to that point. An Ancient, pollarded Oak proved to be one of the oldest in Wales. A WWG member subsequently mentioned reading a book called Running for the Hills by Horatio Clare in which he describes growing up on a farm near Tretower where there was a massive Oak. It turned out to be the same tree, so it had appeared in literature but had never been officially located and described. At over 9 metres in girth and many hundreds of years old, it was thanks to Ian’s eagle eyes that the tree was registered and celebrated.

So, the legacy is there. Orchards that should be good for 100 years and a tree that could have witnessed the times of Owen Glendower.

We shall be covering the topic of funding and what we spend it on in the next issue but meantime our grateful thanks to Glenys and Mike and everyone else who supported the event for raising the amazing sum of over £1,200 for WWG at the Village Show

There Are Good Gardeners Around Wenvoe

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

There Are Good Gardeners Around Wenvoe

The village show highlighted the fact that there are good gardeners around Wenvoe. Bernard, who judges the vegetables and takes his job seriously, was so impressed by the quantity and quality on display. There is of course a small minority that get their produce from Waitrose, but the judge has seen it all before and advises that removing the price sticker might help. He was nevertheless taken by surprise by an entry from Nicola of the Twyn, who had obviously been on her travels to Lilliput. Nicola brought along what she claimed were tomatoes, in what can only be described as a Lilliputian snuffbox. Without glue they refused to stay on the display plate, being blown off by the waft of a butterfly wing. The only way they stood a chance of being judged was a taste test; unfortunately, they slipped down the throat like a greased paracetamol before you could bite them. All this added to what was a really enjoyable day.

The garden will start to look bare after the annuals have been discarded and the perennials cut back. You have choices to make now on how you’re going to protect the soil from erosion over winter. Using the spent compost from pots that had annuals or tubers in, buying in bark or leaving the fallen leaves on the borders for the worms to mulch down for you will work. Admittedly the leaves look messy, but they will do your soil a power of good. You can, of course, dig them in which will speed up the composting process. Always collect rose leaves with black spot and burn them.

Some have managed to keep displays of begonias and dahlias going until recently. Looking after the corms and tubers of these showy plants is a must. We need to make sure there is no foliage left on them and that they are dried out properly before storing in a dry frost-free environment. The late John Rich always kept his in kiln dried sand and had a very good success rate.

Take cuttings of your favourite shrubs, just cut below a leaf joint, peel off the leaves and poke in the ground next to the shrub, so you’ll remember where it came from.

Take care and happy gardening

Cheesy Pumpkin Toastie & Plum Cake

Pumpkin season is in full swing so a great way to use up leftover Halloween Pumpkin. Any surplus plums left try a plum cake….

Cheesy Pumpkin Toastie

Ingredients

  • 350g pumpkin, deseeded and cut into wedges
  • Vegetable oil to drizzle
  • 20g unsalted butter
  • 20g plain flour
  • 1 tsp English mustard powder
  • ½-1 tsp cayenne pepper to taste
  • 100ml whole milk
  • 100g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
  • Dash Worcestershire sauce
  • 8 slices bread
  • 4 slices ham (optional)
  • 250g camembert or brie, sliced

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Put the pumpkin wedges on a tray, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes until tender. Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skins, then squeeze the flesh to remove any excess liquid.

Put the flesh in a blender and whizz until smooth or mash with a potato masher. If the purée is still quite wet (it will depend on the variety of pumpkin you’re using), cook it in a dry pan over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the flour, mustard powder and cayenne. Cook for a few minutes, stirring the mixture to a paste. Add the milk gradually, stirring well between each addition, until smooth, then stir in the pumpkin purée.

Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow it to bubble for a few minutes, then stir in the cheddar to melt. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, then add the Worcestershire sauce.

Heat the grill to medium-high. Toast the bread under the grill on both sides. Spread half the cheesy pumpkin mixture onto 4 slices of the toast. Divide the ham (if using) and camembert or brie between the slices, then top each with a second slice of toast. Coat the top with the remaining pumpkin mixture.

Put the sandwiches back under the grill for 1-2 minutes until golden, bubbling and melted

 

Plum Cake

Ingredients

• 175g butter
• Butter for greasing
• demerara sugar
• plums or you can use raspberries

For the cake

• 175g butter
• 175g dark muscovado sugar
• 140g golden syrup
• 2 eggs beaten
• 200ml milk
• 300g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp mixed spice

Method

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base of a 23cm square cake tin with baking parchment. Butter the paper generously and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Halve the plums and arrange in the base of the tin in 1 layer, cut-sides down.

For the cake, melt the butter, muscovado sugar and syrup in a large pan over a low heat, stirring until smooth.

Cool for 10 mins, then stir in the eggs and milk. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then mix to a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the tin, over the plums, and bake for 45-55 mins until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

 

Summer Surprise

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

Summer Surprise

Well, we certainly had a really good summer in ’25 and it brought with it for many gardener’s bumper crops. We have a plum tree and a damson tree neither of which had borne any fruit at all before this year, not a single plum or a single damson. But this year we were faced with a huge crop of both and apart from giving lots away we tried to find ways of preserving them for winter and turned to old recipe books. Our problem was that most of the preservation methods use a lot of energy and thus lots of carbon is released. So, it was a challenge to decide what to do.

Top of the list in terms of low carbon was Damson Gin, and fortunately wine making was also amongst the least energy hungry so that definitely was worth a try. Inexperienced as we are, the first batch went wrong and had to be discarded; the second batch seems to be working so keep your fingers crossed for us. Others were chutney and cordial, and I suppose because we would have the freezer on anyway freezing is not so bad.

One not so climate friendly product that I had to try, and which so far looks as though it could preserve our crop through the winter was dried damsons. Basically, these are like prunes but made with damsons, dried for hours in a very low oven. They are delicious, and I have a feeling we will not find out whether they would have lasted the winter.

I am told there are good crops of fruit in our community orchards, so here is a recipe for drying fruit.

How to Dry Apples and Pears

  1. Peel and core the fruit.
  2. Apples should be cut into ¼” (5mm) rings and pears into quarters. If pieces are all a similar size they will dry evenly.
  3. Make a salt solution, about 2 oz (56 g) of salt to each 1 gallon (4.5 litres) of water and put the fruit into it for a few minutes.
  4. Carefully lift the fruit out and pat fully dry with kitchen roll.
  5. Place the pieces of fruit in single layers on a drying tray (a grill pan tray will do the job)and cover
  1. Put into the oven at the lowest temperature you can get – 50°C/120°F/Gas Mark 0 for around 8 to 10 hours.
  2. Whilst the fruit is drying, keep the oven door open a crack to allow moisture to escape (use a wooden spoon) but be mindful of children or unsteady adults
  3. Check that the fruit is dry by pressing 2 or 3 pieces together and, if they feel rubbery and spring back into shape, they are ready.
  4. Remove from the heat source and leave covered for about 12 hours to cool in a dry place with some airflow if possible.
  5. Pack into boxes lined with greaseproof paper or, alternatively, airtight jars or containers and store in a very dry place.

NB There are recipes that dry fruit in the sunshine, but you need to find somewhere clean and airy and I suspect that pollution in the air would damage the resulting confectionary.

Wenvoe Hop Growers

Along with lots of fruit and veg in this very sunny summer of ’25 some of our hop growers had a good harvest this year. The brewing schedule had to be altered and brought forward a week because the hops were ready and would have been past their best had they been left till the traditional brew date. As well as the hops growing well, the group has grown as well with three members growing hops in the allotment. We had a total of 9.7kg, the most ever, which Pipes Brewery are brewing as we speak. I will let the group know when the Taff Temptress Beer is ready to taste.

The member of the group with the most Hops – Sue Hoddell with 2.59kg, second was Eirwen and Phil with 2.56kg then third, a new member Kelly Stevenson with 1.8kg.

If you are interested in joining the group please email: sianjo@btinternet.com

Sian Jones

To join our Facebook group, please ‘friend up’ with the GwenFo account @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1 and then jon the Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402

Some further information and updates, blog site https://wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/. Any Wenvoe community member is welcome to join the Forum meetings, via Zoom, which are normally held 19.00 on the second Thursday of each month. E-mail gwen-fo.forum@gmail.com if you wish to join

Castell Carreg Cennen

Castell Carreg Cennen

Castell Carreg Cennen

We parked in the castle car park, near Llandeilo, and were thrilled to spot a kite soaring directly above us as we donned our boots. The castle and farm are currently owned by the Llewelyn family, but the castle is managed by Cadw.

It is one of the most picturesque castles in Wales. Viewers of Countryfile voted it the most romantic ruin in Wales. Apparently, many people get engaged here and there is a place to tie the knot. Standing on a limestone crag, almost 300ft above the valley of the River Cennen, a tributary of the River Towy, it dominates the skyline. Our walk was a circumnavigation of the castle.

It is possible that the first stronghold here was an Iron Age hillfort and in the 12th century the fortress was a status symbol. The Welsh and English fought over it until Edward I seized it, and later the Giffards built the impressive fortress that remains today. What survives is a combination of 13th century architecture and 19th century restoration, as the castle was deliberately demolished in the 1460s.

We walked past the tea rooms, uphill towards the entrance to the castle. This would be the best point, in the walk, to visit the castle, as it is an uphill climb from the tearoom. Following the Beacons Way, we arrived at woodland, Coed y Castell. This is on the southern slopes of the limestone crag and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a local Nature Reserve, due to the habitat supporting insects and birds such as the Pied Flycatcher and Woodpecker. The castle sits on a fault known as the Carreg Cennen Disturbance which stretches from the Marches to Pembrokeshire. As well as creating the limestone outcrop on which the castle stands it also produces an unusual feature; rocks on one side of the fault are limestone and dominated by ash trees and on the other side sandstone supports oak trees.

Limestone creates sinkholes as acid rain eats away at the limestone underground until the roof falls in and a sinkhole is established. There are also grassy craters made by our predecessors looking for limestone, which was heated to make a dressing for fields. The walk descended into the valley where we found fast flowing streams which we had not seen in a long time because of the summer’s dry spell. We gained excellent views of the castle as we climbed up to Beddau’r Derwyddon. Not really Druid’s graves, as the name implies, but man-made pillow mounds, which are earthworks built as rabbit warrens, to farm rabbits for their meat and fur.

We crossed Nant Llygad Llwchwr via a sturdy bridge, built by the Army, who do a lot of work on the footpaths, as they use the Black Mountain for training exercises. The many caves in the area make the Llygad Llwchwr popular with cavers.

Now we spread out to find comfortable spots to relax over lunch. Refreshed we climbed a long flight of steps up a hill. Outcrops of the black, burnt-looking fungus which is King Alfred’s cake and a red bracket fungus were spotted on trees.

It was a hot day and, when we came to a road, a splinter group decided to take a shortcut back to the castle, as we had been told that the tea rooms closed at 3 pm and they wanted a drink before going home.

The rest of us continued through the village of Trapp and passed Carreg Cennen farm. We followed footpaths across fields and noted that the countryside seemed lush and unspoilt even though it was farmed; it is difficult to put a finger on what was different, but it felt more natural than the carefully managed farmland we see in most places. The castle loomed over us, and the Beacons Way provided the route back to the beginning of the walk.

We had heard plenty of birdsong and seen several birds of prey and dainty harebells, as well as a sign warning that adders might be basking! Apparently 100,000 people visit the farm each year but only 40,000 people visit the castle.

The day had been hot and humid, and we were glad to discover that the tea rooms were in fact open until 4.45 pm (lunch served until 3pm). We were so happy some of us had both beer and ice-cream!

Walk 6.2m 1000ft Map OL14

 

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