Month: October 2025

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

Dates For Your Diary

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

 

TUCKER’S VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS REINDEER SALE AND CAFE
Saturday 15th November 10.00am – 4.00pm

The 7th annual Tucker’s Christmas Reindeer sale and cafe will take place on Saturday 15 November from 10am to 4pm at Wenvoe Church Hall. This year we have a Victorian theme, and we would love to see people in Victorian costume. There will be some traditional Victorian food for you to buy on the day. 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 usual cakes or brownies.

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 with the church hall decorated in Victorian style. We will be joined by our good friend and talented crafter Trevor with his lovely Christmas houses and decorations. There will be other local crafters joining us too and we will give more information about this in the next issue of Wenvoe What’s On so watch this space.

We will be holding a raffle with some excellent prizes including luxury food hampers, a home baked and decorated Christmas cake, some interesting bottles and some items that would make ideal gifts for adults and children. Once again, profits from this will be donated to our charity of choice, the Wenvoe Wildlife Group. The man in red will be appearing with his sleigh which will offer an excellent, free photograph opportunity. The reindeer will be sold outside where there will be gazebos decorated in Victorian Christmas style and Victorian 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 look forward to seeing you there.

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.

 

Report from the Hub October 2025

WENVOE COMMUNITY HUB

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

Report from the Hub

September 2025

JULY 2025 IN OUR COMMUNITY LIBRARY / HUB

NEW OPENING HOURS

We are now open Monday, Tuesday and Wednes-day 10 am – 4 pm and Saturday 9 am – 1 pm.

New Books

Romance: The Maritime Librarian’s Secret by Holly Green. The secrets of the past could cost her a chance at love.

Crime: The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani. “Incredibly dark, atmospheric and utterly gripping”

Fiction: The Satisfaction Café by Kathy Wong. “Insightful, necessary and beautiful”

Non-Fiction: Allotment by Alan Buckingham. Month by month

Children’s: A Story of the Seasons by The National Trust. Discover nature through the year.

Talks at the Hub.

The Oxford Movement in Wenvoe in the 19th C

7.00pm, Friday 17th October

In our second talk of the season, Parry Edwards will take us back to Oxford in the 1830s where a handful of fiery young clergymen thought the Church of England was turning into nothing more than a branch of government, losing its spiritual roots.

They launched what became the Oxford Movement – a campaign to revive the Church’s ancient Catholic heritage. Then they set about changing parish life; out went the plain whitewashed walls, in came colour, candles, stained glass, rich music, stone altars and a new focus on the sacraments. It was exciting and controversial.

But their legacy is everywhere. The Oxford Movement re-shaped Victorian worship and transformed churches across Britain – including, as Parry will reveal, right here in Wenvoe.

We love welcoming you to our Talks at the Hub and we’re so grateful for your support. To help us cover the library’s rising running costs and keep these events going strong, we will be making a small increase to ticket prices from October to £5.00. Thank you for understanding and for helping us keep the Hub at the heart of our community

WENVOE COMMUNITY HUB

Tel: 029 2280 5574 – during opening hours. For general enquiries you can email us at wenvoelibrary@outlook.com

Like and follow us and keep up with news and events on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/WenvoeCommunityLibrary

Remembering Mr Wenvoe

REMEMBERING MR WENVOE

Ian Moody, who sadly passed away at the end of July, will be greatly missed by family, friends and our wider community. Ian committed his life to bringing the community together, working for the village and its residents in a wide variety of roles. Modest and unassuming, Ian was committed to making Wenvoe a better place for all of us. He willingly gave his knowledge, expertise and above all a huge amount of time volunteering for the benefit of the village, including a major contribution to this magazine.

Ian was born and educated in Bristol where he shone both academically (he was invited to join MENSA) and in outdoor pursuits. On leaving school he became an Apprentice Electrical Engineer at Portishead power station. Not only did he win Apprentice of the Year (chosen prize: an Outward-Bound adventure on Dartmoor) but also met his future wife, Carole there. Following marriage in 1965, Ian’s career progression took him to power stations in Sutton Coldfield (where their daughter Kim was born), Poole and finally to Aberthaw, hence Wenvoe, in 1972.

Organised chaos Over the decades that followed, Ian became passionately involved in the life of our village and this increased after he took early retirement in his mid-fifties. His contribution to the village was so great it is difficult to cover it all here. It is perhaps appropriate to begin with Ian’s support for young people in Wenvoe. He was a major figure in the Scouts, being Scout Leader or ‘Skip’ for 25 years and then a Group Scout Leader for many years. Ian’s work helped to shape many a young life and to inspire some to become future Youth and Scout leaders themselves. He also worked tirelessly in helping to organise the much-loved Christmas Scout Post. Anyone who turned up at the “post office” in the community centre to help with sorting, will remember the apparent chaos, which under Ian’s watchful gaze, was in fact completely under control.

Environmental warrior Ian’s love of the countryside, nature and wildlife was an important part of his life. Ian was a key member of the village’s Environmental and Wildlife groups. He helped the team win many prestigious Green Flag awards for work on a number of projects such as the Orchid Field. These successfully created habitats for wildlife and enhanced opportunities for fauna and flora to flourish. Ian was also part of the team that supported Wenvoe winning several awards in the Glamorgan Best Kept Village Competition. It was no surprise that he was a passionate member of Valeways, helping to clear and maintain footpaths throughout the Vale.

Two left boots as a leading member of the Wenvoe Walking Group, Ian planned many of the walks which still take place every Saturday. He even compiled and published a detailed annual record of these walks. Ian was hugely respected for his encyclopaedic knowledge of South Wales and especially public rights of way. His walking pals were grateful on so many occasions for his ability to find a better path whenever one was required. The group fondly remember one Saturday Walk, when Ian arrived with two left boots! Most people would have already thrown away the one that was completely worn out, but Ian had kept it, “just in case”. His trainers were very wet at the end of the day. His love of walking took him further afield, including the Offa’s Dyke Path which he reported to be “challenging” in places. Ian completed many a walk abroad, notably on trips with Bruce McDonald trekking around Spain, France, Italy and even Morocco.

Community champion Ian was a leading member of the Community Council and was elected Chairman on several occasions. He was involved from the outset in the Wenvoe History Group, Gwenfô Gynt. Ian made a major contribution to its research and publication of several books about the village. He instigated the production of the Parish Map and the Toposcope at Twyn-Yr-Odyn to celebrate Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. He was also a great supporter of St Mary’s Church, including as a sidesman and clock winder. He contributed to the coffers via his sometimes challenging but always fun village quizzes.

Creative grandad Ian was a proud family man, none more so than when in 1997 he became a grandfather with the arrival of Menna, followed just over a year later by Elin. He adored his new role – out came the patterns for the wooden doll’s house and rocking horse originally made for his daughter Kim. He spent hours playing with the girls in the garden on toys he had made – one of the favourites being a go-cart made from an old disability scooter found in a local skip. Today’s mantra of reduce, repair and recycle was not a new concept for Ian.

Mr Wenvoe ‘Mr Wenvoe’ is a truly apt way to describe Ian Moody. It is fitting that we pay tribute to Ian this month. He was the leading light in this What’s On magazine for many years, giving up so much time to the editing and organising of the publication every month. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him but has left us a wonderful legacy with his lasting contribution to village life and of course above all loving memories so treasured by his family.

 

 

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

 

2025 Wenvoe Village Show Results

2025 WENVOE VILLAGE SHOW RESULTS

Well, what a show that was! The sun was shining, and the entries came pouring in! We had a fab team of volunteers helping to put up the gazebos etc and register early entries on Friday evening and they were all back early Saturday morning to do it all again.

This was the best attended of the three shows we have organised, and it was lovely to get so many entries. The money raised for Wenvoe Wildlife Group from Anthony’s cafe, Mila’s lavender bags, the raffle and entry fees plus some donations came to a wonderful total of £1,217.30.

Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who volunteered, judged, sold and bought raffle tickets, donated raffle prizes, submitted entries and to those who came for a coffee and a chat outside in the sunshine.

We are so lucky to live in a supportive community which embraces these events and we are more grateful for that support than we could ever express. Time to start thinking about next year’s entries!

All in all, perfectly summed up by Brenig Davies – the winner of the limerick competition:

 

I walked around Wenvoe one day

Where the cakes and the veggies held sway

The tables were glowing

With cakes that were flowing

Glen’s brownies stole me away.

 

 


 

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