Category: General Interest Articles

Articles of general interest on no particular subject

The Blackened Oak Tree

ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST

THE BLACKENED OAK TREE

1882
The sky went dark over the area. In the small village of Wenvoe near Cardiff, people took to their homes as a great storm was coming in from the west. At the east end of the village, towards Cardiff, was a field in which stood a large oak tree reaching one hundred and thirty feet high. The tree was around four hundred years old and stood dead centre of the field. Thunder and lightning began to hit the area. A bolt of lightning hit the oak tree, splitting it and setting fire to the tree.
The rain came down hard on the oak, putting out the fire. It was covered in soot and had been reduced to twenty feet high. As the storm moved away, something moved in a crack at the bottom of the tree and disappeared into it. A small plume of smoke came out of the top of the Blackened Oak Tree.

1943
The Wenvoe Women’s WRVS Choir Committee meeting was underway in the school hall. Doris Davies was the chairwoman, leader of the choir of fifteen women and my Mam. I was watching from the corner of the hall. I was seven years old. My name is Doreen. I would take over the choir in the early sixties when it would change its name to the Wenvoe Women’s Choir.
“Right” said Doris, “we will have a space at the Wenvoe Summer Fete in one weeks’ time to sing one song – any suggestions?”
Mrs Howarth, who was the doctor’s wife, suggested a song. “How about Greensleeves? That’s always a popular song and the choir already know it.”
Everybody in the choir nodded their heads including Doris, who thought it was a good choice.
“Right” said Doris, “we will meet in two days’ time to practice the song before preforming at the fete.”
It’s up to the WRVS to arrange the seats and food and drinks at the field of the burned-out oak. The oak tree had been burned out since the end of the nineteenth century. The field had always been nutritious and a great grower of crops. The owner of the field had been told never to take out the old, burned oak tree as it contained magical qualities. Little children from the village had always played there for years since the incident of the thunderstorm, saying there was a fairy living in the tree. This used to make their parents laugh.
Nearly all the men from the village had joined the war effort and the men who were left, worked on the land. A couple of days before the fete, I was playing with my friends in the burned-out field. Billy a lad from the village, about six years old and from a poor family in the village, had rickets in his legs and had come to the field to see the other children play. He sat with his back to the tree and laughed at the other children playing. Suddenly the sky went very dark and a blinding light came from the bottom of the tree.
A beam of light touched Billy’s legs and he cried out. The light disappeared and the sky was bright again. Billy slowly stood up and shouted, “I feel better.” Billy then began running around the tree shouting “I feel better” several times. Then he ran out of the field and down to his house in the village. The rest of the children in the field didn’t seem to notice what had happened. I felt I was the only one who saw it. Billy’s rickets never returned, and he went on to live a long and happy life.
The fete went off without a hitch with the choir singing ‘Greensleeves’ at the end of the show.

2010
Bernice Watkins was the choir’s new leader since 1988. Her mother was one of the Windrush generation and had come to Cardiff from Jamaica in the 1950s. She was a nurse at Llandough hospital and married Ronnie Watkins, a young copper from Grangetown. They moved to Wenvoe in the seventies.
The choir met in the new community centre for their weekly meeting. “I’ve chosen a song for the annual Wenvoe fete in the burned oak field. It’s going to be Home in the Meadow from the movie, How the West Was Won.”
“We have two weeks to learn the song”, said Bernice.”
The choir consisted of around twenty women from the village. Doreen would co-ordinate the seating from the hall to the field. I was now seventy-five years old and still a member of the choir. I had handed the reins over to Bernice back in the early nineties. I was still fit and was able to do the small tasks that were given me.
The day of the fete came quickly; it was a beautiful sunny summer’s day in the village. All the seats and food stalls where prepared in the field. The small stage was set-up next to the old oak tree in the middle of the field. All the people who did their acts came on and did well.
The choir was the last act to go on. They started their song. In the corner of her eye Doreen could see a light come up from the bottom of the tree and a glimmer around the choir. Then, the old choir from the 1940s appeared at the back of the new choir. One choir sang the new song, and the old choir sang Greensleeves. It’s what the people called a mash-up of voices. I was sitting in the front row of the crowd and a bright light shot out of the tree and landed next to me. A voice said to me from the light “It’s time to go now Doreen.” I closed my eyes and fell into a beautiful sleep. The song finished and everybody was clapping. Everyone got up to walk back down to the village. Bernice came over to the seats, “Come on Doreen wake up, it’s all finished now. Doreen! Doreen! Oh no – someone call an ambulance.”

 

 

Stay Connected: Personal, Practical Support For Seniors

ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST

MATTERS OF HEALTH

STAY CONNECTED: PERSONAL, PRACTICAL SUPPORT FOR SENIORS

Stay Connected, founded by lifelong Penarth friends Rachel Glover and Melanie Gape‑Wood, provides practical, personalised support for older people across the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff. Their approach is simple: unhurried, personalised support that helps older people feel connected, confident and valued in their everyday lives.

Mel and Rachel created Stay Connected after they noticed a growing gap in their own community; they saw that many older people needed a little more day‑to‑day support to keep life feeling manageable, and that families were looking for reassurance without the need for formal care. Drawing on their own experiences of supporting their grandparents, they set out to offer that “missing middle”, practical, personal help delivered with warmth, consistency and genuine care. As a new local service, their focus is on support that feels calm, familiar and shaped around each individual.

Rachel and Mel each bring more than twenty years of experience working with people and supporting their wellbeing to their business. Rachel’s background as a primary school teacher and deputy head has given her a natural instinct for building confidence and independence, while Mel’s work has centred on supporting people with additional needs, particularly around mental health and emotional resilience. Friends since nursery school, their shared values and long‑standing friendship underpin a service built on trust, reliability and genuine care. Stay Connected grew from their belief that flexible, person‑centred support can make everyday life brighter and more manageable for people in later life.

Tailored Support

Stay Connected offe rs personalised support shaped around what matters to each individual. That might mean friendly conversation, shared activities, errands, appointments, shopping, organising paperwork, help with phones and tablets, or simply being a steady, reassuring presence at home. Every visit is guided by the client’s own routine and preferences, making everyday life feel easier, brighter and more manageable. Families often speak about the difference this makes. One client shared, “They are true companions…we have found friends who understand what we need.” Whilst a client’s daughter said, “Mum looks forward to her visits. The confidence and reassurance Mel and Rachel bring has made such a difference.

A Little Support That Goes A Long Way

Rachel and Mel regularly see how steady, practical support can help people regain confidence. One

Penarth resident, “Margaret”, had begun to feel overwhelmed by everyday tasks and increasingly isolated. Through twice‑weekly visits, helping with online shopping, organising paperwork, gentle decluttering and reintroducing small pleasures like walks and coffee outings, her confidence gradually returned. She described the support as “a lifeline”.

Professional, Compassionate and Trusted

Every member of the Stay Connected team comes from a background in education or healthcare and are DBS‑checked and trained in dementia awareness, safeguarding, food hygiene and first aid. Visits are unhurried, focused and shaped around the person’s own pace and routine. At the heart of Stay Connected is a simple promise: to offer warm, reliable support that helps people in later life feel respected, supported and part of a vibrant community.

At a Glance

A service providing calm, personalised support for older people across the Vale and Cardiff – always unhurried, always from the same familiar faces.

Our Visits Offer:

  • Consistent, familiar support – no uniforms, no rotating staff.
  • Reliable support without time pressure.
  • Personalised, practical support and companionship shaped around your needs and routines.
  • A steady, reassuring presence that helps life feel easier and more manageable.

 

Our Services:

Help attending appointments, assistance with household tasks, support with technology, friendly companion visits, support with errands and shopping, help with paperwork, sharing activities at home or out and about, gentle decluttering.

 

 

Matters Of Health

ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST

MATTERS OF HEALTH

THE BOND BETWEEN BREATHING AND MOVEMENT

We all know how important breathing is as it is a pre-requisite for life as we know it. What many people are unaware of is that the way we breathe can alter our posture, mood and even the way we move.

From a physiological standpoint, we breathe to get oxygen into our bodies and expel carbon dioxide. Every cell in our body needs oxygen to function and the only way for this to happen is through breathing.

So, what happens when we breathe? There are two mechanisms that our bodies use to get our breath in and out of our lungs.

Firstly, there is our diaphragm, a large dome-shaped muscle that separates the thoracic and abdominal parts of our torso. When it contracts and flattens, it creates a negative pressure in the lungs which draws breath in. As it pushes down, it causes the tummy to distend, which is why this is often referred to as belly breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing. Then, when the diaphragm relaxes back into its original dome shape, it increases the pressure in our lungs, which pushes the breath out.

Secondly, we can move the rib cage, which comprises 12 ribs, to breathe. When the external intercostal muscles between the ribs contract, the front-to-back diameter of the upper six ribs decreases, as does the side-to-side dimension of the lower six ribs. Thus, to breathe out, the internal intercostal muscles – along with the abdominal muscles – contract to decrease the space inside the rib cage, effectively ‘funnelling’ the ribs down to push the breath out.

We also have ‘accessory’ muscles (the sternocleidomastoid and scalenes) which attach the ribcage to the neck. These muscles lift the ribcage, bringing our shoulders up to our ears. ‘Accessory’ breathing is often seen in people with poor posture, in smokers and in those with lung disease. It is not an efficient way to breathe but can be used to augment the actions of other muscles when we highly exert ourselves, such as running for the bus for example. Habitual users of these muscles can suffer neck problems and arm pain.

Breathing is automatic and is controlled by our autonomic nervous system. Although we can hold our breath for varying short periods, once we pass out through deliberately not breathing, our autonomic nervous system kicks in due to carbon dioxide build up and oxygen deprivation and we start breathing again. We can also direct our breathing to certain parts of our lungs and retrain ourselves to breathe more correctly – i.e. using our diaphragm.

People who do both Yoga and Pilates may become confused by the different ways that breath is used. Both philosophies encourage us to utilise the whole of our lungs for breathing using the optimal muscles of breathing. The way the breath is used will depend on what the Yoga or Pilates teacher wants you to achieve by the particular movement / posture. Breath

is a tool and not a rule and can be changed to alter the focus of an exercise to make it easier or more challenging.

For example, an exercise such as ‘prone press’ in Pilates, where the focus is to be on achieving more upper back extension, the cue is to breathe in as we lift and breathe out as we lower. With a ‘roll up’ from a forward fold, the cue is to breathe out as we lift our heads and chests to facilitate more rounding of the back to enhance your ability to roll up. When we breathe in deeply we extend our upper back and, conversely, flex our upper back when we breath out.

Breath is also a facilitator of stabilisation of the spine. The deep tummy muscles (the transverseabdominal muscle) and pelvic floor muscles work with our diaphragm to maintain the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) which supports and protects the lower back. When doing an activity where we need greater stability in the lower back – for example when our arms or legs are moving away from our body, we achieve optimum stability on the breath out when we can engage the abdominal muscles more.

As a final thought to leave you with, it is impossible to breathe optimally if we have poor posture. Try slouching and taking a really deep breath; now straighten up and try again. You will find you are able to breathe in a greater volume of air, allowing more oxygen into your body and expelling more carbon dioxide.

Imagine how less efficient our breathing would be if we habitually were to have a poor posture, if the rib cage and upper back became stiff and rigid, if our diaphragm could not descend as far and if we were restricted to only using the upper part of our lungs.

RETRAINING DIAPHRAGMATIC OR ABDOMINAL BREATHING

  • Lie on your back with your knees bent up and feet flat on the floor / bed.
  • Place your hands on your tummy between your belly button and lower ribs.
  • As you breathe in, try to consciously push your hands away and let them fall as you breathe out. Another way of thinking of it is to try and breathe into your hands and then let them fall away.
  • You can also place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your tummy and try and ensure that there is no movement under the top hand but only under the lower hand.

As with any exercise or skill that we learn to do, it is never easy at the beginning when we first start and requires often great concentration. But it does become easier and therefore more habitual with practice.

I would suggest trying initially for about 10 minutes before going to sleep at night. Any longer before it becomes easier to do can lead to frustration. DON’T give up, try again the next night and the next…!

As it becomes easier and you can take deeper breaths using just your diaphragm, this encourages relaxation and can lead to improved sleep!

AGEING ACTIVELY

Baseline Activities for All

I believe that there are certain baseline activities that we must never lose the ability to do:

  • Getting up from a chair without using your hands to help. This keeps your legs strong.
  • Getting down on the ground and back up again. This is great for overall strength and provides peace of mind should you fall.
  • Lying flat on your tummy on the ground. This prevents the front of your body getting progressively tighter and avoids getting a ‘dowager’s hump’.
  • When lying on the ground, using your arms to push up into a back extension. This is beneficial to the discs in your back, counters all the sitting and bending we do and keeps your arms strong.
  • Reaching your toes and feet. This facilitates self-care of your feet and toes.
  • Being able to stand on one leg, even for a couple of seconds. This improves general stability.

All of these exercises should be performed regularly – ideally daily – to prevent de-conditioning. If illness or injury prevents you from doing any of these, aspire to get yourself back to where you were as soon as possible.

There is no reason why a 90 year old should not be able to do all of the above.

 

New Cemetery And Park For Wenvoe

ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST

NEW CEMETERY AND PARK FOR WENVOE

A major step in the development of Wenvoe Community was taken by Wenvoe Community Council at its April 2026 meeting, when the Council approved the full business plan for the provision of a Cemetery and nature reserve at the Whitehall Quarry site in Wenvoe. This plan has now been submitted to The Vale of Glamorgan Council under the Community Asset Transfer process. This scheme provides for the transfer of assets of a local authority to Community Councils at no cost and for the public benefit of a community.

This project was conceived in the mid 1990’s when the Whitehall Quarry access road was planned.

The need for extra cemetery space was becoming apparent as the existing cemetery was running out of capacity to meet forecast demand. There was an opposition movement to Whitehall Quarry access road by a small number of residents, but the Community Council was united in supporting the plan to fill Whitehall Quarry with inert waste materials and return the site to agricultural use, and remove an eyesore to the community with its evident danger.

The Vale of Glamorgan Council with Welsh Office support approved the application with an anticipated 10-15 year lifespan to fill the quarry. In practice the quarry was not deemed to be full until 2020, meanwhile the original owner RMC was taken over by Cemex. RMC constructed the access road and Cemex own the filled in quarry site. The access road was given consent over land, formerly Caewal farmland, bought by the Vale of Glamorgan Council much earlier. The access road was only given consent until the quarry was filled in, after which it had to be returned to agriculture.

Only since 2020 has the Community Council actively moved to develop the site, which is approximately 14 acres in total, to the original intention. The original plan was to retain the access road, to transfer the land to the Community Council which is the statutory burial authority for Wenvoe, to include a carpark, formerly adopt the upper orchard field as a nature reserve and create a recreational park with footpaths from Wenvoe and Twyn yr Odyn.

Many of you will know of the sterling work of Bruce McDonald and his group (The Wildlife Group) conserving and maintaining the natural meadow of the orchid field. Placing the ownership of the orchid field with the Community Council will greatly enhance its status and protection.

Although the Community Council has been developing the takeover of the access road site since 2020, much work has been going on behind the scenes in support of this project since its conception in 1995. The Vale of Glamorgan Council planning department has always been supportive but could not go public on this as it was beyond their forward planning period. The Director of Environment and Economic Regeneration always gave his support in letters discussing this. Special mention must be given to Phil Morant, former Clerk to the Council who was excellent in his role and an active supporter. Also, supportive was Richard Millard, Regional Director of RMC, the initial operator of the infill scheme and owner of the access road.

The project is now being managed by Cllr Paul Freeman, who is Chairman of the Wenvoe Rural Action Advisory Committee. This project is of major significance for the village and is one of three major developments over the last 50+ years by your Community Council. It ranks alongside the acquisition of the Station Road playing field and the acquisition of the old school and its site, now the Community Centre, Library/Hub and carpark both in the early 1970’s.

At a future date when detail is settled and planning permission applied for; a plan of detail will be made available in What’s On.

Cllr Mike Harvey

Ol’ Man River

ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST

OL’ MAN RIVER

This story is set in 1938, just before the onset of war with Germany. Paul Robeson, a famous black singer and actor from America, visited Mountain Ash in the valleys and sang for the people who died in the Spanish Civil War. Rick was Mr. Robeson’s driver who brought him back from Mountain Ash.

“How long till we get to Cardiff Station?” asked Paul.

“We should be in Cardiff in about one hour, but your train won’t be arriving till five, so you have about a four hour wait.”

“That’s great” said Paul, “I can go and visit my friend for lunch in a village called Wenvoe.”

“Wilf Goodbody had lived in Wenvoe for around twenty years and had asked Paul if he had time to come to lunch in the local pub. Wilf was a director of the theatre in Cardiff and had met Paul on numerous occasions. When the car pulled up outside the pub, Wilf directed Paul to a room upstairs as the culture of the area and the time dictated, most people in Wenvoe had never seen or talked to a black person.

The two men had a great time in a snug upstairs of the Wenvoe Arms. Both men had a
lovely ploughman’s lunch and two pints of Scrumpy/Cider. They could hear the hustle and bustle of voices below them; it sounded like the pub was filling up. Paul looked out of the window onto the fields. It was a beautiful winter’s day in December, but it looked like a spring day over the village.

As Paul turned around to speak to Wilf, he heard singing rising from downstairs in the pub. Paul looked at Wilf as he heard “Men of Harlech” resonating through the floorboards. “I am sorry about that” said Wilf, “it’s the Barry Male Voice choir. They heard you might call in and would like to sing for you.”

The men went down the stairs towards the courtyard next to the First World War Memorial. There stood around thirty men, all dressed up in black tie suits finishing their song. There was a standup piano in the corner, and a big crowd gathered around the pub to listen to the choir. When the song was finished everybody clapped and the man on the piano came up to Paul. “Mr. Robeson, it would be our great pleasure to sing with you, if it’s possible?”

“Wilf” said Paul, “you are a scoundrel.”

“Ok” said Paul to the piano player, “do you know Ol’ Man River in C Major?”

“Yes” said the piano player “we were hoping you would say that.”

The next five minutes of music was fantastic, as Paul’s voice rode out into the village. At the end of the song everyone in the village seemed to be watching the free show. Paul shook each of the choir’s hands, gave Wilf a big hug, jumped into the car and headed towards Cardiff. As the crowd dissipated, Mrs. Jones said to Mrs. Thomas, “There’s lovely. You don’t see that in Wenvoe every day.”

What’s In A Name?

ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

A short time ago Rhun ap Iorwerth was elected as our new First Minister here in Wales. Since then, I have been surprised by the number of people who have contacted me asking me to translate and explain his name! As for explaining the meaning of a name, this is not always possible! How would you explain the meaning of ‘William Henry’ for example? Suffice to say that Rhun is an ancient name of Celtic origin – which predates the 5th Century and is known to have been the name of some of the Kings of Gwynedd. It also appears in ancient Welsh tales. It has no translatable meaning as such but is associated with such words as ‘mighty’, ‘ruler’, ‘great’ – entirely appropriate for someone in the position of First Minister!

It has surprised me that so many people have been perplexed by the full name! Surely people are aware of the Patronymic system of names – used before fixed surnames were introduced – where ‘son of’ is the means of identification. It is a system used in a great many countries. Here in Wales it had been used for centuries until a change to fixed surnames was forced on the population following, to a large extent, the Acts of Union in the 16th Century. The Welsh system used the connecting word ‘ap/ab’, derived from ‘mab’ (son). In time this pattern produced surnames such as Pritchard (ap Rhisiart), Puw / Pugh (ap Huw), Benion, Beynon (ap Einion), Bevan (ab Ifan / Efan), Bowen (ab Owain), Probert (ap Robert), Preece, Price (ap Rhys).

Our Celtic cousins in Ireland and Scotland use ‘Mac / Mc’ of course. And in England, the word ‘son’ itself was added to the father’s name – a system which has given us today surnames such as Johnson, Robertson, Davidson, Thom(p)son and so on.

To return to the name Rhun ap Iorwerth! Rhun’s father’s name is Edward, the Welsh equivalent of which is Iorwerth. Apparently when he and his wife came to register the baby, Rhun, the powers that be refused their request to register him as Rhun ap Iorwerth. They insisted on a surname – so the family surname, Jones, was added. But he doesn’t use it. I have known a number of people over the years who have chosen to keep the traditional Patronymic system – Myrddin ap Dafydd, Pwyll ap Siôn, Gwyn ap Gwilym, Gwilym ap Robert, and so on. And one of the greatest European poets of the 14th Century – and who happened to be Welsh – was named Dafydd ap Gwilym.

Pronunciation is no real problem. Rhun – ‘Reen’ is perfectly acceptable. But in order to sound authentically Welsh, it might be interesting to know that in Welsh the letter ‘Rh’ sounds slightly different from ‘R’. ‘R’ is well rolled and voiced, whereas ‘Rh’ is unvoiced, uttered with a release of breath. Iorwerth consists of two syllables ‘Ior – werth’. Take a tip from the Irish and Scots and roll your ‘Rs’.

So there we are – the name Rhun ap Iorwerth analysed, dissected and explained. All that remains is to welcome the new First Minister and to wish him well – ‘Croeso Rhun ap Iorwerth. Pob lwc!’

Ann M. Jones

 

Hiking And Biking With Richard Trevithick

ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST

HIKING AND BIKING WITH RICHARD TREVITHICK

Of the delights to enjoy locally, the Taff Trail must surely be up there amongst the top and to this must be added the Trevithick Trail. The former covers a distance of some 54 miles from Cardiff Bay to Brecon and the latter some 7 miles from near Edwardsville to Merthyr Tydfil with some of that mileage co-incident. Both are mostly routed along former railbeds, canals and the like. This article is about the historical background of a five-mile section of both. But firstly, an introduction to Richard Trevithick and industry at this time, is called for.

Richard Trevithick (1771 – 1833) was a pioneering British engineer and inventor whose bold use of high-pressure steam transformed the possibilities of mechanical power at the turn of the nineteenth century. Born in 1771 in Cornwall which at the time was Britain’s most important tin and copper mining region. The mines were constantly threatened by flooding, and the demand for powerful pumping engines created an environment ripe for innovation. From an early age he was surrounded by the practical challenges of mining engineering. Although he received only a limited formal education he possessed exceptional mechanical insight and mathematical ability.

During Trevithick’s youth, steam engines were already in use, particularly those developed by Watt and Boulton. These engines operated using low-pressure steam and separate condensers, which made them efficient but large, complex, and protected by strict patents. Trevithick took a radically different approach. He believed that high-pressure steam, considered dangerous by many engineers of the time, could produce more compact, powerful engines,

By the late 1790s, Trevithick began constructing high-pressure steam engines for use in Cornish mines. They were smaller and lighter than Watt’s models and capable of generating greater power relative to their size. In 1801, he demonstrated one of his most famous creations, known as the “Puffing Devil,” a steam-powered road carriage.

Soon after, Trevithick was travelling and supplying his high-pressure steam engines far and wide. Witness some of his endeavours: London (for road transport and Thames Tunnel construction); Coalbrookdale (for a locomotive), Peru and Costa Rica (for pumping water from silver mines); a variety of maritime applications; and to South Wales which has been the precursor of this article.

Just a further step back in history. When the iron works in Merthyr Tydfil were first established in the mid-1700s, iron products were carried to the coast by pack animals for onward shipping. In 1790 the ironmasters and the 2nd Marquis of Bute promoted the construction of the Glamorganshire Canal between Merthyr and a sea lock to the south of Cardiff into the Bristol Channel. It was opened in 1795 But subsequent disputes between the iron masters led to a “plateway” also running from Merthyr and Cardiff, being partly constructed. The plateway had L shaped iron rails on which horse drawn wagons carried iron products and later coal. It reached as far south as Abercynon before agreements between the ironmasters were reached. It was however convenient to keep the plateway operating as far as Abercynon, from there cargo was transferred to barges on the canal for onward travel to the Cardiff sea lock for shipment by sea.

Back to Trevithick. In 1802 he built one of his high-pressure steam engines to power a forge hammer at the Penydarren Ironworks for Samuel Homfray, one of the iron masters (the others being Richard Crawshay and the Guests father and son). Homfray encouraged Trevithick to mount that engine on wheels in the hope that it would make a better locomotive than others that had been trialled elsewhere in Britain. Result: success!

Homfray was so impressed with Trevithick’s locomotive that he made a bet of 500 guineas with Crawshay that this locomotive could haul ten tons of iron along the tram way from Penydarren to Abercynon, a distance of some 10 miles. On 21 February 1804 this was achieved, hauling five wagons and 70 men the full distance in 4 hours and 5 minutes, at an average speed of 2.4 mph. Having proved the engine’s capability for locomotion, it returned to its original function for powering the forge hammer.

The routes I am describing for this article start on the Taff Trail in an industrial estate in Abercynon where the plateway and canal formerly met. From here one hikes or bikes north along the west bank of the Taff on the Taff Trail which utilises the bed of the tram way. After passing under the modern viaducts for the A470 and then the A472 the valley becomes well wooded. Near Quaker’s Yard and Edwardsville, the trail is bridged over the Taff twice before resuming its progression on the west bank.

After about 3 miles, where the only sounds to be heard are bird song and rushing water, a junction is reached. Here the Taff Trail (NCR 8) branches left to cross the Taff via the historic Pont y Gwaith to follow the west side of the A470. The Trevithick Trail proper (NCR 477) takes the right fork. Evidence of the plateway now presents itself as stone blocks with drilled holes which once held bolts that secured the “plates”. From here NCR 477 continues for a further 8 miles to Merthyr Tydfil, this is to be the subject of a further article.

Tony Hodge

 

Crufts 2026

ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST

CRUFTS 2026

Eva and Asher were doggy superstars at Crufts 2026.

Asher made his debut in the Dog Obedience Championship on Saturday 7th March. His owner, Carolyn, was thrilled to be placed 4th with him.

Eva was first to work her obedience test the following day and was also placed 4th.

Both dogs came home with Crufts rosettes and glass trophies.

 

Competing In the Crufts Obedience Championships

ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST

COMPETING IN THE CRUFTS OBEDIENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Two local canine residents Eva and Asher Heath have made their dog mum very proud as they both won championship dog obedience classes last year which meant they were invited to compete in the annual Crufts Obedience Championships in 2026. They can often be seen training for competition at Station Road playing fields. Eva is Asher’s mother and qualified for last year’s Crufts, but she now returns there after becoming an Obedience Champion. Eva and dog mum, Carolyn (of Greave Close), are the only team from Wales competing. Asher is competing for the first time and is the youngest dog to do so.

 

The Vernal Equinox And The Porthkerry Witch

ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST

THE VERNAL EQUINOX AND THE

PORTHKERRY WITCH

Along with St David’s Day, St Patrick’s Day and Mothering Sunday, March brings the vernal equinox, celebrated in both Christian and pagan traditions. In 2026 it occurs on March 20 at 10:46 a.m. marking the astronomical start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and bringing nearly equal lengths of day and night worldwide. In Christianity, Easter is linked to the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox. In pagan traditions Ostara (named after a German goddess) is celebrated honouring fertility, rebirth, and new beginnings.

Through the ages, Ostara has been celebrated by witches holding rituals and performing spells that focus on growth, abundance, and new beginnings. For most of the Middle Ages the term ‘witch’ meant the local healer, someone who made poultices and medicines and perhaps had charms or spells for healing farm animals. From the middle of the 15th century, things changed with supposed ‘witches’ being used as scapegoats and blamed for everything from bad harvests to untimely deaths. Surprisingly this darker period began with the publication of Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches). Written by a Catholic clergyman, it set out legal and theological theories to endorse the extermination of witches. Based on it, in 1484 Pope Innocent III gave the existence of witchcraft ‘official’ status by issuing a papal bull sanctioning inquisitors and starting a witch hunting hysteria, not fully lessened in Britain until laws against witchcraft were abolished in 1736.

From 1450 to 1700 in Europe alone, about 35,000 people, mainly women, were hanged or burned at the stake as suspected witches. While over a thousand people were sent to their deaths in England, curiously only 5 in Wales appear to have suffered the same fate. In 1579, Gwen ferch Ellis from Bettws in North Wales, was executed for witchcraft. She was a healer but for some reason she was persuaded by another woman, called Jane Conway, to leave an evil charm at Gloddaeth, the home of aristocrat Sir Thomas Mostyn, who died soon afterwards. Gwen was brought before a packed court in Denbigh. Seven witnesses stood against her, claiming her charms had broken bones, bewitched ale, and even stilled a young man’s heart. Gwen was convicted of murder by witchcraft and hanged.

Apart from punishing them, people looked for ways to defend themselves from witches. The National Museum at St Fagans houses a collection of 17th-century witch-related artefacts, featuring “witch bottles” designed to counteract suspected bewitchment. These bottles, often containing pins, nails, and human urine, acted as counter-magic, with the sharp objects meant to break the witch’s spell and cause them pain.

One local story concerns a lady who used to live in a cottage at Porthkerry Park. A rich young man was persuaded to pay her for a love potion, to win over the girl of his dreams. Seeing how old and frail the witch was, his servant pocketed the money and refused to pay her. Angered by the deception she cast a spell over the two of them uttering ‘May these men never leave these woods.’ The two men only got as far as the edge of the woods before turning into two trees. Research has revealed there was a woman called Ann Jenkins known as a provider of potions and remedies, inspected for witch marks by the Cowbridge magistrates. There is no record of the outcome. Official records register Ann Jenkins as being buried in the yard at the church of St Nicholas in Barry, unlikely if she had been proven to be in league with the devil.

 

 

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