Month: December 2025
Our First Wassail
Wenvoe Wildlife Group
Celebrating Our Orchards
Wenvoe Wildlife Group will be hosting our first Wassail to celebrate our orchards in the Community Orchard on Saturday 17 January, 11.00 am- 12.00 noon at the orchard, followed by celebrations, singing and storytelling in the Community Centre.
Wassailing is an ancient new year tradition of blessing the apple orchards and to wish them and the community good health for the coming year. Bring a piece of toast if you can (for blessing the trees), a saucepan and wooden spoons to make noise for the tree blessings.
We will meet at 11.00 am at the small patch of land outside the Church Hall and toast the fruit trees there. If the weather is fair, we’ll then walk together over to the Community Orchard for more Wassailing, then back to the Community Centre for warming refreshments. If the weather is unsuitable to visit the orchard, we’ll continue directly to the Community Centre where there will be storytelling and song led by Cath Little, professional storyteller, and a chance to find out more about the Wenvoe Wildlife Group.
This will be a free event for all the family and there is no need to pre-book. Just turn up well wrapped up and in wellies if it’s wet. Dogs on leads will be welcome although they cannot enter the Community Centre.
The Community Orchard is a short walk from the centre of Wenvoe, adjacent to the Wenvoe Playing Fields. The Orchard is nurtured and maintained by Wenvoe Wildlife Group and has around 25 trees including a selection of apples, plums and pears along with medlar, quince and mulberry. The apple varieties include Tom Putt, Claygate Pearmain, Grenadier, Ashmeads Kernel, Ribston Pippin, Bardsley, Bakers Delicious and Morgan Sweet.
We are a community managed wildlife group based in and around Wenvoe, and the group is made up of local volunteers as well as other people who help with our various projects. Our activities involve conservation, hosting visits, leading wildlife and foraging walks, monitoring wildlife and giving advice on local biodiversity.
We look forward to celebrating our lovely orchard with you at this free family event.
Please contact Claire Bottomley on 074455 61389 if you need any further information and keep an eye out for reminders in the Village WhatsApp group.
“Killing Time ” by Alan Bennett
OFF THE SHELF
“Killing Time ” by Alan Bennett
We were looking forward to reading Alan Bennett’s Killing Time, but as a group we were ultimately disappointed. The story follows a group of elderly residents in a care home, among them Winnie — a once-glamorous actress whose memory and health are beginning to fail. Around her, other residents navigate the boredom, indignities and small absurdities that make up the daily rhythm of institutional life.
When COVID arrives, the home goes into lockdown. Residents are cut off from their families, routines crumble, and staff are pushed to their limits.
Although we appreciated Bennett’s flashes of wry humour and the darkly comic moments that surface as the residents pass their remaining time in confinement, the overall tone felt unexpectedly unkind. Instead of the honest, moving and bitingly funny voice we associate with Bennett. The writing struck us as dispassionate, grim, stark and often emotionally distant — at times even edging towards the hurtful in its portrayal of the characters lives.
We also felt the story was rushed and under-developed. Characters appear and disappear quickly, leaving little space to build a sense of connection or emotional investment. Rather than feeling engaged or comfortably moved, many of us were left unsettled by the book’s bleakness and its abrupt handling of both life and death in the home.
As a group we admired Bennett’s skill, but Killing Time didn’t resonate with us as hoped. We gave it 5/10.
Time of Year For a Warming Soup
Who doesn’t enjoy a warming soup at this time of year….some favourites to try…
Baked Potato Soup With Crispy Potato Skin Topping
Ingredients
2 medium–large cold leftover baked potatoes, cut in half, flesh scooped out and skins reserved
2 tsp olive oil
20g/¾oz butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely grated
400ml/14fl oz vegetable stock
100ml/3½fl oz full-fat milk (or cream for extra creaminess, or a mixture of both
20g/¾oz cheddar, finely grated, plus extra to serve
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 spring onions, finely sliced, to garnish
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/Gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Slice the potato skins into strips or cut into bite-sized pieces. Drizzle with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread them out on the baking tray and bake for 10–15 minutes until crispy. Set aside. Alternatively, preheat an air fryer to 200C and cook for 5 minutes until crispy.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, with a lid on, for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute.
Add the baked potato flesh to the pan. Stir to combine with the onion and garlic then pour in the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes to warm the potatoes through. Blend the soup until smooth and return to the pan.
Stir in the milk and cheddar, mixing until the cheese melts and the soup is creamy. Season with pepper to taste.
Serve hot, topped with the crispy potato skins, more cheese and the spring onions
Beetroot Soup With Crème Fraiche And Feta Toast
Ingredients, For the soup
1kg bunch beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges
3 tbsp olive oil
2tbsp thyme leaves, plus extra to garnish
80g butter
1.25l vegetable stock
3tbsp crème fraiche, to serve
Ingredients, For the Feta Toast
8 slices of baguette
2 spring onions, finely slice
25g feta, crumbled
Tsp olive oil, for drizzle
Method
Preheat oven to 220°C, Fan 200°C, Gas 7.
Place the beetroot in a roasting tin and drizzle with the olive oil. Scatter over half the thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper.
Roast, covered with foil, for 45 mins until tender. Set aside about 40g of the cooked beetroot and finely shred it, for garnish.
Put the butter in a pan and melt over a low heat.
Add the roasted beetroot and any juices and remaining thyme leaves.
Fry gently for a minute or two, then add the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Puree and season the soup until smooth.
Toast the slices of baguette, then top with sliced onion and crumbled feta, drizzle with little olive oil and toast again for 1 minute.
Carrot And Parsnip Soup
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
Sea salt, to season
¼–½ tsp dried chilli flakes
250g/9oz carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
250g/9oz parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
1.2 litres/2 pints vegetable stock
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat the oil in a large lidded saucepan over a medium-high heat.
Gently fry the onion with a pinch of salt until soft and lightly golden – this should take 8–10 minutes. Add the chilli flakes and fry for a further minute.
Add the carrots, parsnips, stock and a generous grinding of black pepper. Bring the pan to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid on for 20 – 25 minutes until the parsnips and carrots are tender.
Blend the soup using a stick blender. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.
“This Must be the Place” by Maggie O’Farrell
“This Must be the Place” by Maggie O’Farrell
If you haven’t noticed, it’s the award season in the film world with Oscar and Bafta nominations for the best film and TV programmes from 2025 being discussed.
To start our December Page Turner meeting, a vote was taken to decide the best book we have read in 2025…and the winner was: This Must be the Place, by Maggie O’Farrell.
There are plenty of award ceremonies in the book world: the Booker Prize, Costa Novel Award, Pulitzer Prize for fiction etc. and now Wenvoe has its very own book award! The Wenvoe Page Turner BOAT prize. BOAT? The Page Turners choice for the Book of All Time. Our favourite ever read, from the 100 plus books we have read since our inaugural meeting over 10 years ago. The nominations, chosen by the 10 current members, were:
Where the Crawdads Sing
The Paris Wife
The Bell in the Lake
The Island of Missing Trees
The Seal Women’s Gift
The Marriage Portrait
…and the winner was…The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting, a story of mystery, history, relationships and intrigue set in 19th century Norway.
Do you agree with our choices of the winning books? Maybe not but that’s what reading and book clubs are all about, welcoming and celebrating and discussing the diverse nature of literature that is available for us to read
After all the discussions and voting for the two books, it was time for Secret Santa to provide everyone with their latest read over the Christmas period and eat some well-earned mince pies!
Happy reading in 2026
A Programme for the Coming Year
THE VILLAGE GARDENER
A Programme for the Coming Year
January. Just browse the seed catalogues and, if you do venture into the garden, consider whether you’re going to make things worse by compacting the soil and trampling the bulbs that are doing their best to come up straight.
February. Weather permitting, look out for the crocus and snowdrops brightening up the garden in the last month of winter. Plant tomato seeds and put on the window sill; it’s a good feeling to see them poke through the compost.
March. Now we should have lots of colour in the borders and pots with daffodils and anemones signalling that spring is here. Weeds of course are the first to realise it’s spring and will cover the borders in no time unless we curb their activity. Do not be tempted by the new young plants in the garden centres unless you have a warm place to store these tender plants.
April. Now some of the earlier bulbs like daffs are starting to fade, you need to be deadheading and give them a liquid feed on the leaves to ensure a good display next spring. Tulips come to the fore now with brilliant displays to gladden any heart. The end of April is a good time to purchase annuals from the shops.
May. The greenhouse is full of plants that are ready to go into the garden. Look for a good spell of weather; you don’t want to put them out to get battered by heavy rain and wind in their first few days in the open and ruin your good work. Plant kidney bean seeds now, they’ll soon catch up with some you were tempted to put out early which were attacked by slugs.
June. Patience will be rewarded if you resisted the temptation to put your hanging baskets on their brackets until now. That’s why professional people always have great displays. The gardens and allotments are in full swing now. Allotment folk will be carrying water daily to look after their precious crops while house holders will be wishing they’d installed an extra water butt
July. Controlling weeds and deadheading is the order of the day. In the greenhouse tomatoes are coming faster than you can eat them. You’re afraid to go on holiday as all your hard work in the garden will just shrivel up.
August. Everything is at its maximum now and you’re starting to look like a kidney bean because you’ve eaten so much of this king of veg. The longest bean you’ve kept for the village show has been nibbled by a pest. Start to pick some apples to give the rest of the crops a chance to get bigger. Dahlias are starting to show why we love them with gorgeous displays. The village show is at the end of the month in the community centre.
September. Here we go, it must be Sept as the garden centre shelves and most of the floor space are full of Christmas stuff. If you don’t like it you have to go and look around the aquarium section with only the odd Father Christmas in a fish tank. Plant some potatoes in a spare pot to ensure new potatoes for Xmas lunch. Foxgloves, hollyhocks and Canterbury bells need to go in seed trays now for displays next year.
October. Leaves starting to fall in abundance now. If you can bear it leave the ones on the border, it’s a great mulch and the worms love them. We now buy a load of pumpkins and carve them for the kids, then leave them outside until they’re mushy and try to stuff them in the food bin.
November. A dreary month, but force yourself into the garden to tidy up; you’ll be so glad you did come the spring. Everyone loves a bonfire, so get your hedgehog recipes out in case one has decided to hibernate in yours.
December. Rummage through the shed looking for the Christmas decs and lights, wishing you’d put labels on the boxes, then finding stuff you were looking for in the summer. Give the garden waste collection workers a tip, don’t leave it all over the road. Then cancel your subscription.
January. Start again!
Take care and happy gardening
The BBC Reith Lectures 2025
WENVOE FORUM
Considering Tomorrow Today
The BBC Reith Lectures 2025
Moral Revolution – Rutger Bregman
As I write we are three-quarters of the way through the BBC Reith Lectures, given this year by Dutch historian and author, Rutger Bregman. If you have not listened to the series, you will find it on BBC Radio 4 website. He presents interesting and challenging ideas that are worth a listen.
At the heart of the message Bregman is conveying is the famous quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead.
When we set the Wenvoe Forum in motion a few years ago now, we weren’t trying to change the world. We were hopefully intending to make a few people think, change a few minds and possibly inspire individuals to consider what they could do to make a better future for Wenvoe and its community. We acknowledged that Wenvoe is an active, skilled and resourceful community, with lots being done by the community for the community. Forum members also avoided projects that were too ambitious and settled for some easier wins to start with, and indeed, over time we have contributed to a few small successful actions, activities and projects.
Rutger Bregman, however, seems to challenge us to do a bit more. Like many of us he finds a vacuum at the heart of leadership, and it seems to me that he urges us to heed the call and make the change. He warns that it takes commitment, energy and resilience. However, maybe we should indeed at least try to tackle something a bit more substantial in scale and impact. Here are some projects that other communities have succeeded in developing:
- It has taken 25 years! But a derelict industrial site has been developed into a lovely community amenity which includes a hydroelectric scheme. Profits from generation go towards community activities of all sorts, sports, drama etc.
- Many schemes that use the solar power generated on Community Buildings for community benefit.
- Car clubs that provide electric cars that are bookable by community members to use.
- EV charging services – shared to reduce cost for individuals or community charging points.
- Community composting schemes.
The success of the Wenvoe Repair Café in terms of both the number of volunteer repairers and the number of people who have been trying to avoid scrapping items and bringing them to the café, demonstrates a community keen to address climate change.
So, we will be exploring our next project with optimism in our January meeting. If you would like to be part of it e-mail Gwenfo.forum@gmail.com.
Wenvoe Repair Café – Potential New Service
One of the volunteers has an idea for a new service which, as far as the Wenvoe Café knows, is not offered anywhere else locally … read on
Do you have an old laptop that you have stopped using? Perhaps you are using Windows 10 or an earlier version that is no longer supported and are considering a new purchase. There is a possible alternative. At the Wenvoe Repair Café we are committed to avoiding the sending of electrical items to landfill and have been researching the process of migrating old laptops to the open-source Linux operating system to give them an extended life. One of our fixers is now able to offer advice on the suitability of the system for your laptop and, where appropriate, carry out the migration process for you. With effect from our repair café on 28th February 2026 you can bring along your laptop to see if we can help. As long as you have the necessary power lead and your laptop will switch on and is, at best, not more than 10 or 12 years old, then bring it along and we will see what we can do. Be sure to back up any data that you wish to keep as the process involves erasing the hard drive. We will not be able to deal with hardware problems or replacement parts, but maybe we can save some of these faithful old machines from the skip and possibly save yourselves the expense of a replacement!
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
The Cardiff Chain Ferry & Ely River Subway
ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST
SOME NOTES ON CROSSING THE LOWER REACHES OF RIVER ELY
The Cardiff chain ferry and the Ely River pedestrian subway were two remarkable transport innovations that shaped Cardiff’s docklands, reflecting both the industrial growth of the city and the ingenuity of engineers.
The Cardiff Chain Ferry which gave its name to the nearby Ferry Road, operated across the mouth of the River Ely, linking Penarth Dock with Grangetown. Its origins lay in the rapid expansion of Cardiff’s docks during the 19th century. Penarth Dock opened in 1865, As coal exports surged, thousands of dockworkers needed reliable access between the residential areas of Grangetown and the industrial facilities on the southern bank of the Ely.
The ferry was powered by a small steam engine that wound itself along a submerged chain stretched across the river. The ferry occasionally sank during storms, highlighting the limitations of such technology.
For dockworkers, the ferry was a lifeline. Without it, the nearest crossing was a road bridge at Llandough, nearly a mile upstream. However, despite its usefulness, the ferry was vulnerable to bad weather and mechanical issues. These shortcomings prompted the Taff Vale Railway Company to consider a more permanent solution by the 1890s.
The shortcomings of the chain ferry led directly to the construction of the Ely River Subway, a pedestrian tunnel beneath the river. This ambitious project was approved in 1896, with construction beginning in 1897 under the direction of George Sibbering, chief engineer of the Taff Vale Railway.
The tunnel is about 400 yards long with the 325 yards under the river excavated using a Greathead shield – the same technology employed in London’s underground railways. At its deepest point, the tunnel lay only 11 feet below the riverbed, making construction extremely challenging. Floods during 1897 and 1898 tested the resilience of workers.
The subway was officially opened in May 1900. It had a diameter of 10 feet 6 inches, with a 6-foot-wide footpath and 7 feet 6 inches of headroom. Painted with enamel and cork to reduce condensation, and lit by electric bulbs, it was a modern marvel for its time.
Pedestrians paid a penny toll, cyclists two pence, and prams four pence. Horses were even reported to use the tunnel. Beyond serving commuters, the subway also carried gas, water, and hydraulic lines essential for dock operations.
The subway was decommissioned in 1936 when Penarth Dock closed, but it remained open to pedestrians. During World War II, it was repurposed as an air raid shelter when the docks were requisitioned by the U.S. Navy. After the war, however, neglect and crime tarnished its reputation, leading to closure in 1963 and bricking up of entrances in 1965.
Although both the chain ferry and subway are long gone, their legacy remains embedded in Cardiff’s industrial heritage.
The Ely Subway stands out as a pioneering piece of engineering in Wales. Though closed, it was inspected in 1991 during the construction of the Cardiff Bay Barrage and found to be in surprisingly good condition. Instead of reopening it, planners opted to build Pont Y Werin which now serves as the pedestrian and cycle link across the Ely. This bascule bridge which contributes significantly to sustainable travel was opened in 2010 at a cost of some £4.5 million.
Tony Hodge
Stormy Weather – Senghenydd
Stormy Weather – Senghenydd
We parked on the Eglwysilan Rd near Abertridwr, next to St Ilan’s church and a closed pub, to climb up to the Rhymney Valley Ridgeway walk and do a wide circuit around Senghenydd. As we booted up the wind cut across the pub car park and we donned extra layers. Storm Amy had arrived, and we took to the plateau that surrounds Senghenydd knowing that there were no trees to pose a danger to walkers.
It was sunny but the wind was very strong, and every step needed concentration. As we set off one person was heard to say, ‘I am glad my rucksack is so heavy, it might keep me on the ground’. Cows sat in an open field and it could have been a summer’s day but of course, they were sheltering from the wind.
There was very little conversation as we could not hear above the howling of the wind and going uphill required all our breath. On reaching the plateau a rainbow appeared ahead of us. There seemed to be an amazing number of electricity pylons marching across the area. Although we had been here before we had never noticed how many there are before, but they were to be our constant companions, and we never seemed to lose the sound of the wind vibrating through their wires.
We could see a fair distance as it was clear. The track we were following was stony and wide, so we always felt safe. Horses grazed as if all was normal.
We came across a number of horses. There are around 250 semi-feral ponies living on the commons of Gelligaer and Merthyr Tydfil, the majority of which are not owned and are the result of unchecked breeding of abandoned horses and ponies. The RSPCA surveyed the ponies in 2024 and, assisted by other animal charities, agreed a plan to rehome some of them. The aim is to create a more sustainable future for the ponies and the land.
Crossing a stretch of moorland, we could see people in the distance and as we came closer realised there were dogs with horse riders. The Gelligaer hunt were exercising a pack of hounds (at least 20 beagles and wolfhounds). We stepped off the track to allow them to pass but they gave us a wide berth, and we exchanged smiles with the riders. We were probably all thinking we were mad!
One stretch of the path was flooded and around here a small herd of cows spread out some sitting, others grazing. In the distance we could see a pyramid shaped slag heap and as we got nearer could hear shooting. Red flags were placed around the perimeter of the Llanbradach shooting club. We were surprised at the large number of vehicles and men who seemed to have huge guns. A constant sound of shooting was in the air for about half an hour after we had passed them.
It was time for lunch. We were walking just below the top of a hill with no shelter from the wind, as we had stayed away from any structures, and decided to hunker down in an attempt to escape it. It was certainly a bit calmer at ground level but quite cold, which encouraged us to eat quickly.
As we resumed, we passed a radio mast which sounded a higher note than the electricity lines. Soon we were descending from the high ground and passed a stream tumbling down the hillside.
Arriving back at the cars, we briefly looked at the churchyard of St Ilan’s (which held its final service in 2023). There is a large yew tree and many of the victims of the Senghenydd colliery disaster of 1913 are buried here. It is the worst mining accident in the UK; an explosion caused by firedamp killed 439 coal miners and a rescuer.
The wind had been constant and very tiring; we all agreed it had resulted in a harder walk than more challenging walks, but the route had been excellent for the conditions. For once we headed straight home without stopping for refreshments.
Walk 7.8m 800ft Map OS166
