Month: November 2016

IRON AND COPPER

 

 

wye-bridgesmThis year; 2016, saw a number of engineering anniversaries impacting on Wales, most of which concerned bridges, the 200th anniversary of Chepstow Wye Bridge was celebrated on 24th July with a number of events including a re-enactment of the 1816 opening ceremony. Designed and built by John Urpeth Rastrick FRS (1780-1856) it was opened on the 24th July 1816. A bridge with five spans, 372ft (113m) long, it was the third longest cast-iron arch road bridge in the world when built and it is now the largest survivor from the first fifty years of iron bridge construction. A civil and mechanical engineer Rastrick is remembered today as a railway pioneer. He built the first steam engine to run in the USA, chaired the Rainhill Trials for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway in 1829, and built numerous railways in Great Britain.mayor The iron arches were cast at the foundry of John Hazeldine at Bridgnorth in Shropshire where Rastrick was the engineer. On the 24th July 2016 a procession was led over the bridge headed by engineers, as it was in 1816, with the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers; Sir John Armitt, leading the way. Until 1989 it carried the normal road traffic through Chepstow and across the Wye into England and still carries road traffic, subject to a 7.5T weight restriction, today.

 

 

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANot quite as old, the Severn Bridge also celebrated a 50th birthday this year, on 8th September 2016. The 5,240ft (1,597m) long bridge was world’s first major suspension bridge to be built with an aerodynamic road deck it was also the lightest, and set the standard for future long span bridges, such as the Humber Bridge. Many people remember using the car ferries; Severn King and Severn Queen, to cross the Severn before the bridge opened. The Second Severn Crossing also celebrated a milestone this year, being opened on the 5th June 1996 – 20 years ago. At 5,134m long it is not a suspension bridge but a cable stayed bridge similar to the Wye (M48) Bridge – which also opened in 1966.

 

 

 

Another form of communications impacted on Wales 150 years ago with the successful completion of the laying of the Atlantic telegraph cable in 1866. On 27 July 1866 the quite Pembrokeshire bay of Abermawr became part of a trans-Atlantic

communications network with the laying of the fifth, and ultimately successful, telegraph cable between Valentia in Ireland and Trinity Bay in Newfoundland by Brunel’s Great Eastern steamship – the only ship big enough to take all the almost 2,000 nautical miles of telegraph cable required. Messages could now be transmitted from New York to Newfoundland and through the Atlantic cable to Ireland and across to Abermawr, being taken on to London via the SWR and GWR’s telegraph wires. Copper refined in Llanelli and Swansea provided the conductive core of the cable through which messages would be transmitted.

The former telegraph hut at abermawr01Abermawr, now a holiday cottage, actually predates the successful laying of the Atlantic Telegraph Cable by some four years and if we go back some fifteen years before that to 1847 we find that Isambard Kingdom Brunel had chosen Abermawr as the western terminus and port for the South Wales Railway. This was never carried out but the rural setting of the beach made it an ideal landing point for an underwater telegraph cable from Wexford, Ireland in 1862. Fear of German sabotage of the cable during the first world war saw soldiers being stationed on guard duty at Abermawr.

In 1866 the transmission speed of the transatlantic telegraph system was eight words per minute, by 1900 transmission rates of 120 words per minute were being sent reliably between continents. It was a system for business and governments, for example a ten word transatlantic message from the USA to Great Britain cost $100 or about £76 (today’s values about $2,600 or £1,980). The speed of cable borne news can be gauged with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in April 1865, then the news took 12 days to reach British newspapers, When President James Garfield was shot in 1881, and it was reported within hours. Some 25 telegraph cables would be laid across the Atlantic by 1922 – the year that the Great Storm washed away the shore ends of the cable at Abermawr and the telegraph station closed.

Stephen K. Jones 6

 

 

 

Offa’s Dyke

WHO WAS KING OFFA AND WHAT WAS HIS DYKE FOR?

offaYou have probably heard about Offa’s Dyke – but do you know who King Offa was and why he had a dyke built? Well – Offa was the King of the Mercians, a warrior tribe from central England, from 747 to 796 AD. He had seized power during a time of great unrest caused by friction between Wales and England in the border region. Offa was determined to quell the unruly Welsh and impose his authority and this he did by building one of the most remarkable structures of its time in Britain. It marked the western border of his kingdom and was to act as a defence against the Welsh.

The dyke was constructed at the end of the eighth century and consisted of a great defensive earthwork, with a ditch on the Welsh side and a high bank on the English side. It ran for 140 miles from the banks of the River Severn in the south to the mouth of the River Dee in the north. Because it was built so long ago there is very little known about who actually did the amazing amount of work and what it really looked like. But we do know that it was customary for the English to cut off the ears of every Welshman who was found to the east of the dyke, and for the Welsh to hang every Englishman whom they found to the west of it.

offasdykeParts of Offa's Dyke can still be seen in many places. The town of Knighton in Radnorshire has stretches of the dyke on both sides of the town, and at Kington in Herefordshire, there is a well-preserved section of this earthwork. The nearest part of the dyke to Wenvoe is around the Chepstow area and between Chepstow and Tintern. It is only about 40 minutes from Wenvoe to Chepstow by car on a good day, and just another 10 minutes to Tintern so it is an easy day out to go and walk along part of the great Offa’s Dyke. If you do so you will find many good pubs and cafes around that area and in the Wye valley.

If you have the time and energy you may wish to walk all of the Offa’s Dyke Path. It is a long-distance footpath following closely the Wales–England border. Opened in 1971, it is one of Britain's National Trails and draws walkers from throughout the world. Some of the 177-mile (285 km) route either follows, or keeps close company with the visible parts of Offa's Dyke. There are many miles where the dyke was not constructed as the geographical features such as rivers and cliffs made it unnecessary.

Traveling south to north, starting by the Severn Estuary at Sedbury, near Chepstow, and finishing at Prestatyn on the north coast, the walk will take an average walker roughly 12 days to complete. Following a man-made border and ancient monuments, rather than natural features, the dyke path crosses a variety of landscapes. The route crosses the Black Mountains, the Shropshire Hills, including the many ups and downs of the 'Switchback', the Eglwyseg Moors north of Llangollen and the Clwydian Range.

It is of course not necessary to walk it in one long hike, but rather one can break it into bite sized chunks by walking three offasor four days at a time. There are plenty of high quality B&Bs to stay at overnight on the way, with a room costing on average £65-80 for two people with breakfast. With a little planning one can take the train from Cardiff to various places on the route, walk for a few days and then take the train home again.

Walking through mid-Wales is particularly pleasant and quiet and it is possible to travel for a whole day without seeing anyone at all. If you do think about doing this walk it is best to go in a dry period so that the ground is not so muddy as to make it hard work. With good waterproof clothing you will not get wet but very muddy boots are heavy and that make it less fun. So make a plan for a long summer hike and remember that walking is very good for body and soul

 

 

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Tree Planting

 

Tree Planting in Wales

treescolo02We have been going on about trees in recent issues, firstly how good they are for our physical and mental well-being, but equally, how many are being cut down and how few planted. A few years ago a UK Government think tank set a reasonable target of planting 21,600 hectares across the UK each year. So, how well are they (or we?) doing. In 2013/14 they achieved 59% of their target – not too bad a start. But in 2014/15 only 48% of the target was managed and last year (2015/16) the figure had dropped to 25%. UK tree planting is now at its loweswellingtonia01-1-of-1-2t level for 45 years.

And how are we faring in Wales? With over 8% of the UK's land mass Wales managed 900 hectares in the first year, around 7% of what was planted. By the second year Wales had dropped to 100 hectares, less than 1% of the total and last year it remained at 100 hectares which was actually 1.8% of the total because everywhere else was well down. Put another way Wales's total of 100 hectares last year compares with Scotland's 4,600 hectares of tree planting. Scotland is just under 4 times bigger than Wales but managed 50 times more tree planting. Northern Ireland is two thirds the size of Wales but managed the same level of planting. It can come as little consolation that England proportionately was even worse than Wales and was described as 'appalling' by the conservation director of the Woodland Trust.

Of course virtually anyone can do something about it. You can lobby your elected people-planting-trees-clipart-1representatives, join the Woodland Trust or even go and plant a tree. If you have children or grand-children get them involved in the planting. You do not need acres of garden (which you would for the Wellingtonia in the photo) – there are plenty of small trees that will help both mankind and wildlife.

 

 

Teenage Lifestyle

skateboardPLAY HARD, WORK HARDER

Life as a teenager in this village is difficult. Standards are high and the heavy work load can seem too much some times. Yet, youth of Wenvoe: it’ll be worthhomework it. When the job you so want is waiting for you, and you are happy – the hard work will have well and truly paid off. Yet, until then you’ll have to revise and wait; luck won’t get you through your exams unfortunately. Although, just because the hard work is tough it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves. It’s important to get a healthy balance between relaxation and work, so that you don’t lose your mind!

 

 

sledging02Remember: you’re never too old to play in the park, or to sled down the hills of the field during Wenvoe’s rare winter wonderlands. Feel free to play a round of tennis with a friend in the courts, or simply get out of the house, look around and enjoy the nature that surrounds you. Join the football club, or come and punch something for an hour or so in Karate.

 

School doesn’t have to be unbearable. Merely, bearable…

 

Tirion Davies

 

 

 

 

Cheats Cauliflower Cheese with Bacon and Mushrooms

 

1 good sized cauliflower, trimmed, cut into floretschef01

250g smoked back bacon, cut into narrow strips

250g chestnut mushrooms, finely slicedrecipe01

1 pkt Schwartz cheddar cheese sauce mix

level tsp english mustard powder

125g good strong mature cheddar cheese, grated

150 ml thick double cream

salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 level tsp sweet paprika

Topping

100g ciabatta breadcrumbs.

 

Preheat oven to 180C. Cook florets until just tender, drain and set aside. Fry bacon in a dry pan until coloured but not crisp. Remove bacon and fry the mushrooms in the bacon fat until golden brown, Remove from pan and set aside with th bacon. Make the cheese sauce as per packet instructions. When almost cooked add the mustard powder, cheese and cream. Stir until cheese has melted add S & P. Fold in the bacon and mushrooms. Place the cauliflower in an oven proof dish and pour over the cheese sauce. Sprinkle the paprika over the top along with the breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for about 15 – 20 mins until crisp and golden. Enjoy with crusty bread and a green salad.

 

 

October Events

 

classroom01

It’s hard to believe that we have already completed a half term! It has been a very busy and productive time, with the Infant Department being transformed through all the building work – Year 1 and the Nursery have a super new classrooms, which is incredibly exciting for us all.

The children have been absolutely brilliant throughout the construction and have conducted themselves in such a sensible and mature manner! We really could not have asked for more – so a massive well done to all our pupils!

 

Reception parents have been treated to a nursery rhyme recitation to celebrate the end of their nursery rhyme topic- many thanks to Miss Williams, Mrs Brown and Mrs Morris and well done, Reception! Year 2 have led the Harvest Festival service – a big thank you to Mrs James and Mr Rhys – and Year 2, of course!

 

bishop01Year 1 visited St Mary’s Church – they were welcomed by Vicar Jon who then enthralled them with a wonderful talk and demonstration (using child models!) of clerical apparel. The children were also highly entertained by the font and getting splashed with water!

A massive well done to all our children for their entries into the Scarecrow Festival and congratulation on winning a prize.

A happy half term break to all – before we know it, we will soon be back, practising for our Christmas concerts!

 

 

 

 

 

Joining the Playgroup?

As I write this all 20 children have settled well into their daily routines and are enjoying activities at this time to celebrate Diwali (Hindu festival of light).diwali-lamp

We have had a great response to our new ‘Wrap around service’ with Gwenfo Nursery, with more children adding to this service in January.

We operate 5 days per week and transit the children across to the nursery for their afternoon sessions. We also collect children Monday’s and Friday’s at 11:20am and walk them to the playgroup for afternoon care until 3:15pm

There is limited space available at this time, so if you are interested in your child joining the playgroup between January and May 2017 then please get in touch a.s.a.p. not to be disappointed.

You can contact us on 029 20597494 Monday – Friday between 9am and 1pm, email us at wenvoeplaygroup@btinternet.com or view our website wenvoeplaygroup.co.uk which has a link to our email and all contact numbers.

 

Do you shop online for you or for your business?

You could earn funds for Wenvoe Playgroup just from doing your normal weekly shop, buying Christmas presents, booking the family holiday, or taking out insurance with easyfundraising.co.uk. Wenvoe Playgroup has registered with the site, where over 3,000 retailers and companies are registered. Every time you shop, it costs you nothing extra but the computershop01retailer makes a donation to our pot.

So next time your shop online, do it using this link and raise a free donation for Wenvoe Playgroup every time you shop!

https://www.easyfundraising. org.uk/causes//.

Thank you for your continued support.

 

 

 

 

 

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Church Festivals

harvestscarecrow

Looking back to the Scarecrow Festival and Harvest Festival Weekend at the end of September, the weather was dry but with always the threat of rain, the afternoon was a great success and enjoyed by all. The entries were numerous and the judging by the people was not made any easier due to the high standard of entries. For the children there was dressing up as a living scarecrow, competitions and delightful mouth-watering refreshments provided by volunteers from our Social Committee and friends.

The write up in our NEW joint Parish Magazine with Sully is well worth quoting here “Great attention to detail had been given to all the entrants in the competition and difficult choices had to be made to find the winners. Tin Beake welcomed us to the party from his orbit around the Yew tree. The Vicar of Dibley was offering bribes in the form of Quality Street whilst the Buxom wench fluttered her eyelashes and the Traidcraft entry outrageously touted for business. Peppa Pig was there along with Mr. Potato Head and a Minion, not to mention a whole cast from James and the Giant peach, very topical. Blodwen, the Welsh Scarecrow watched quietly from her corner while Fireman Sam encouraged us to be fire alert, and Down Town Abbie looked down her nose at the other entrants. The Cubs appeared to be growing little people in a night garden and the Scarecrow who slept through it all last year was wide awake on scaring duties this year”.

The winners were….

Best Individual (Child) Poppy for the Minion

Best Indiviaual (Adult) Mike and John Tucker for Tin Beake

Best Organisation was a tie between Down Town Abbie by Tuesday Group and James and the Giant Peach by Gwenfo School

People’s Favourite – Tin Beake

Da Iawn. well done and see you all next year.

The Harvest All Age Eucharist the following morning was well attended with Wenvoe School choir singing the Harvest Samba, and our Pebbles Group gave us a Harvest Presentation, which with the use of our new radio mike, enabled everybody to hear what they had rehearsed. A contribution from the morning collection and the evening Community Harvest Praise collection has been sent to Christian Aid.

The NEW joint Parish Magazine has been well received and being now a monthly magazine the items can be topical in content. The magazine is available in church on the first Sunday of the month at 50p a copy.

“Messy Church” with the theme of “Jesus the Light of the World”, was once again well attended on Saturday Oct 1st. with parents and children enjoying the activities and the meal at the end. A big thank you to all the volunteers and to the Vale Church for the help that is needed to stage this weekend event.

The Barn Dance on Saturday Oct. 15th in the Village Hall was enjoyed by all with a comment that it “was a great family night out". The main luxury hamper was won by Sandra Davies and the financial

result will be available in the Weekly Newsletter.

Traidcraft and Fairtrade. Tradecaft goods are now on sale in Sully and Wenvoe at the after church coffee and the Chattery meetings, The Christmas Range has now been launched with an increased range of goods suitable for the coming festive season. Look out for the “Real Advent Calendar, with chocolates and the real Story of Christmas Booklet plus many other gift ideas and a good range of Christmas Cards. Fair trade means that the person who produces the food and other items get a fair price for their work, and all these can be seen at Jude Billingham’s home when she and Nigel stage an OPEN DAY on November 18th at Church Rise in Wenvoe. The invitation is open to all and a warm welcome awaits, with refreshmentspoppies01-1-of-1 available.

Looking ahead the “Christmas Chattery” will be held in the Church hall on Thursday 10th November between 10.30 – 12.00 with a selection of Traidcraft and other goodies for sale.

Remembrance Sunday is on the 13th of November with a Community Remembrance Service at St. Mary’s at 10.10am followed by the service at the War Memorial at 11.00am. A contribution from the collection at church will be given towards the work of the Royal British Legion.

The year is moving on at a pace, the short season of the Kingdom is now with us, to be followed by the solemn Season of Advent. The colours used at the altar and vestments will change to Red and then Violet, as we prepare for the Christmas Celebrations. This year we shall be sending a Christmas card to every home in Wenvoe and St Lythan’s, designed by the children of “Pebbles” giving a suitable greeting and the times of all the Christmas Services.

With every Blessing and see you in church

Parry Edwards

 

 

 

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