Therapeutic cuddles!
Wrap up! It’s summer!
“By the time you receive this latest issue of News&Views, we hope the weather has improved enough for you to leave home without a coat and scarf. Either way, we hope you enjoy this packed edition, whether you’re in the garden under the sun or inside next to the fire.
So, what’s going on in the area at the moment?
We start with news of the progress of the Maes Ysgawen Park Improvements project. The last event brought together about 90 people who discussed and debated what was best for the redevelopment. The final plans will now be submitted, with the site works set to begin next year. Details of the Local Community Development Plan were also discussed in a recent meeting. You can find out about the future role of the Community Council in its rollout inside.
The Village Hall and St Berres bring their regular updates, Outside Lives keeps us informed about their activities and Ysgol Bro Famau presents its recent activities, including sports, nature, local history and art.
Staying with art, Sue Pyke allows us to enter her joyful space for the personification of mice. She also recounts her history with North Wales and horses and her links to a rather famous poet.
Down at the Farm focuses on Rhian Cato and how she opens up her goat herds to children with additional learning needs. The Growing Agenda brings some tips and insights for growing vegetables with Paul Eaton. For good measure, the Gardening Club reviews their talks and demonstrations and how to access their plans for the upcoming Golden
Anniversary Show. Sarah Callon writes about how she and others are working to protect and encourage the breeding of ospreys in the area.
If you are looking for a day out, we suggest Ruthin Gaol, which, in this issue, presents its new interactive escape experience. Park in the Past informs us of its rewilding programme and the successes it has achieved.
To round off this issue, local resident Rod Goslin takes us on a fascinating trip into our past as he describes his experience of living in one of the UK’s 31 pre- and post-war School Camps, which included the Colomendy Camp. We continue to look for and find interesting people and groups doing amazing things locally. If you would like to help this local resource continue and grow, please get in touch or donate to our GoFundMe page at... Gofundme.com/f/newsviews-2024
Our GoFundMe campaign is still running. We hope to raise enough to cover the cost of researching and producing this well-read resource. Our target is £3,500 for the year. We are at £830 at the moment. Many thanks to all who have contributed to it or outside of it.
Extra thanks to everyone who has contributed to this issue, as well as those who distribute the magazine and those businesses who advertise with us.
Enjoy the read. Sandrine and Dominic.
Highlights from your
Llanferres
Community Council
Drawings.
and 12 concerns over safety, limitations and maintenance costs.
The drawings are now being updated and will reflect most of the suggestions and concerns. Unfortunately, due to limited space and cost, it will not be possible to include a swimming pool, tennis court, basketball court, mountain bike/pump track, public toilets or a BBQ area (insurance cover too high for anticipated use).
Around 90 people viewed the concept drawings presented to the Community at 4 different events during April. 41 people completed feedback forms, 4 people commented by email and a number of comments were voiced directly to members
of the sub-committee, which were noted.
Analysis of all the feedback showed there is overwhelming support for the project to go ahead. There were 19 suggestions for additional features/facilities to be incorporated in the plans
Full details of what was agreed to move this project forward can be found in the minutes of the Park Sub-committee meeting held on 30th April 2024. Please visit the Council website: llanferrescommunitycouncil. org or contact the Clerk at clerk.llanferres@gmail.com
The school will be asked if it would be possible to include a Maes Ysgawen Park Improvements
tennis and basketball court in the MUGA.
It was acknowledged that parking in Cae Gwyn is already an issue at times, however the committee didn’t feel that the proposed improvements in the park would make the situation any worse.
In addition, they could not see that the park improvements alone would result in increased house prices and prevent young people being able to afford living in the village. It was felt the greater risk of this
happening would come from the area being designated a National Park.
A small number of residents expressed concern that dogs would no longer be allowed in the park.
The Council would like to assure everyone that dogs will continue to be welcome in the park and there will still be ample space for them to run around.
Similarly, there will be no restrictions on riding push
bikes in both Maes Ysgawen park and the playing field, although e-bikes, e-scooters and motorbikes are not permitted.
The landscape architect is being instructed to preparing the necessary documentation to apply for planning permission and if granted permission, the Council will consider how best proceed including trying to raise the money required for the work to go ahead.
DD It is likely to take several months before the outcome of the planning application is known and 2025 before the Council knows if it can raise the funds to go ahead with the project. You can keep track of progress by reading the minutes of the Council meetings.
If you would like any further information, please speak to one of the committee members or contact the Clerk.
Eva’s Farewell
Thank you so much to all who attended Eva’s Service. It was truly heartwarming to see so many of her friends and neighbours.
As Eva would have said.. ’One of the many benefits of living in a lovely village like Llanferres’.
She would have enjoyed it all. You did her proud!
THANK YOU!
Rob and Pat
Audit Notice
Appointment of the Date for the Exercise of Electors’ Rights
Each year the annual accounts are audited by the Auditor General for Wales. Prior to this date, any interested person has the opportunity to inspect and make copies of the accounts and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts etc relating to them for 20 working days on reasonable notice. For the year ended 31 March 2024, these documents will be available on reasonable notice on application to: The Clerk - Llanferres Community CouncilMaesawelon, Village RoadMaeshafn - CH7 5LU Tel: 01352 810735 clerk.llanferres@gmail.com between the hours of 9 am and 12 noon on Monday to Friday commencing on 01 July 2024 and ending on 26 July 2024
Cyngor cymeithas Llanferres Community council Dates of Council Meeting 2024 -2025
Contact details for
www.llanferrescommunitycouncil.org
Meetings are usually held on the 2nd Thursday of the month in Llanferres Village Hall with remote access available via TEAMS video conference facility or on TEAMS video conferencing and start at 7.30 pm. Please refer to the Public Notice and Agenda published at least 3 days before each meeting on the Council’s website www.llanferrescommunitycouncil.org and noticeboards around the area for detail s of how each meeting will be held.
Clerk Margaret Narburgh Clerk & RFO
Tel: 01352 810735 clerk.llanferres@ gmail.com
Allan Morgans - Chair 01352 810 735 Jac Armstrong Vice Chair Tel: 01352 810 259
Review of Roads with 20 mph
The Welsh Government is reviewing the existing guidance for the recently introduced 20 mph speed limit enforced along some roads, and members of the public have been invited to put forward suggestions for which roads they think should revert back to 30 mph. If you want to make a suggestion, please contact the Clerk either by telephone 01352 810735 or by email: clerk. llanferres@gmail.com before the 10th July stating why. The Council will then forward your comments onto
Denbighshire CC for consideration. Denbighshire will then assess the proposals against the Welsh Governments revised guidance and put together a list of roads to revert back to 30 mph to the DCC’s Cabinet for approval. Once approved, a new Traffic Order will be advertised by way of a public notice, in accordance with statutory procedures. The completion of the Traffic Order will then allow the changes to the actual speed limit to be made.
Amanda Curtis 01352 810 398
Paul Sheldon 07824 099 963
Huw Williams County Councillor 07545 185 756
Lyn Gibson 07734 230 846
Proposed Local Community Development Plan Feedback & Decision
26
residents, mainly from Llanferres with a few from Tafarn y Gelyn attending the Public Meeting held on 18th April to listen to the presentation outlining the role of the Council within the community and what an LCDP is. The questions and concerns raised on the night together with both written and verbal feedback received in the 2 weeks afterwards were considered at the General Meeting of the Council on 9th May.
After due consideration, Councillors decided that the feedback was inconclusive and that it was not representative of the whole community due to the lack of input from Maeshafn, Pant Du and Cadole residents. There was a clear appetite for more engagement with the Council and the greater proportion of residents felt any initiative should be manged by the Council and not a sub-group. Councillors agreed that meetings are formal and regarded as ‘stuffy’ by
Kath and Dave Edwards raise over £6,444 for Macmillan Cancer Support
Success with fund raising by Kath and Dave Edwards of Cae Derwen, Llanferres who completed the “Mighty Hike” of 26+ miles in Eryri at the end of May to support Macmillan Cancer Support. In Kath’s words “In August 2023 I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Following my recovery Dave and I decided we would like to give something back and help raise money for this extremely important and worthy cause.” With an initial target of £500, with support from family, friends the wider community of Llanferres they have raised
some but this is the nature of local government and nothing can be done to change this. The Council was not convinced as to the support for a Local Development Community Plan and did not see the benefit warranted the work that would be involved in creating one, especially given the lack of resources available and potential cost of undertaking this work. The following actions were therefore agreed to improve engagement with the community:
1 I
Inviting residents to attend the October meeting before the start of the precept process enabling them to outline what projects they would like to see considered for inclusion in the budget to improve local facilities.
2 I
Posting more information on the Council’s Facebook group including details of forthcoming meetings with agenda to enable residents to engage more easily.
well over £6,444 including a significant donation from the Druid Inn’s regular (last Tue of the month) Quiz Night plus a £150 bonus from the winner of “Play Your Cards Right” at last Tuesday in May quiz who donated all of their prize (Thank you Sarah and Mike Callon!). You can read more of Kath and Dave’s story and see pictures of their page: justgiving.com/page/ team-edwards-dk
3 I
Continuing to post information on the website, noticeboards, email, local Facebook pages and in News & Views inviting feedback and comment.
4 I
Notify the community of any formal consultations being undertaken by outside agencies, giving residents the opportunity to express their views for inclusion in the Councils’ responses.
5 I Suggesting Llanferres residents set up their own Residents Association similar to MADRA in Maeshafn if they want to hold more informal/social meetings to gather ideas before approaching the Council for support.
Full details of the Councils’ considerations are included in the minutes of the General Meeting held on 9th May 2024 and these can be viewed by visiting the Councils’ website: www.llanferrescommunity council.org
What’s Involved?
The council meets every second Thursday of each month except August, in Llanferres village hall or by video conference facility. Its’ role in the community is to:
D Read correspondence received during the course of the month and decides how to respond
D Comment on local planning applications
D Agree actions to ensure community assets are well maintained
D Considers new projects that will benefit the community
Meetings usually last between one and two hours. To qualify to become a local Councillor you will need to be:
D A British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of any member state of the European Union
or a qualifying foreign citizen
D Over 18 years of age and meet at least one of the following criteria:
D registered as a local government elector in the Llanferres area; or
D have lived in the area as an owner or tenant of land or premises during the last 12 months; or
D your principal or only place of work has been in the area during the last 12 months or
D you have lived within 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) of the outer boundary of the area for the last 12 months.
Certain people are disqualified from standing.
These include:
D paid officers of the community council
D anyone subject to bankruptcy restriction orders
D those subject to recent prison sentances
Village Hall News
Abusy period ahead in the hall, not least with the General Election to be held on July 4th - polling starts from 7am until 10pm.
Of equal importance the day before is the Playing Fields AGM from 7.30pm - please come along and hear how well the park is progressing and future plans.
Prior to that on the 13th June is the regular Community Council meeting - come and listen to what is happening in your local area and ask any questions you have. Unfortunately, due to the
election, Darren Millar will not be available as planned at this meeting - hopefully he will join a subsequent meeting (July 4th dependant!)
Some improvements were made in the hall - the lights were upgraded to LEDs as planned, which unfortunately co-incided with the planned working party to tidy etc which is postponed now to the summer break.
Bookings / equiriesplease contact Noel on 07836268894 or headley889@btinternet.com. Noel
Key contacts and dates of clubs listed below, please contact the organisers if interested in joining:
D Tai Chi – (Sundays 6.30pm) Keith Gould 07766132413
D Pilates (Mondays 5.15 and 6.15pm) Janet Booth 07836 601149
D Yoga (Tuesdays 5.30pm) Jill Blandford 07449 631836
D Bowls (Tuesdays 7.30pm) Tony McKinstry 01352810506
D Whist (Wednesdays 6.30pm) – Noel Headley 07836268894
D Karate (Fridays 6.00pm) –www.llanbedrdckarate.com (first class is free)
D Gardening Club (every second Monday of month at 7.30pm) – llanferresgarden club@gmail.com
St Berres Church
Church opening
The Congregation has recently celebrated Holy Week with well attended services on Good Friday and Easter Sunday followed by Pentecost. As always the church was beautifully decorated by the usual small team of volunteers - our thanks to them and all who donated flowers, foliage and monetary donations. If you would like to donate flowers (or indeed arrange them yourself) for a special occasion or in memory of a loved one, please contact Gay on 07836268894.
More churchyard works were undertaken during April with the felling of another two dangerous trees (including a third which came down of
its own volition in the recent high winds). A large quantity of logs are now available if anyone is interested? (quite large pieces) - any donations would be much appreciated to offset the felling costs. Please contact Noel on 07836268894.
Church opening - the church is open every day during daylight hours. Please come and visit our beautiful building for a moment of quiet contemplation or prayer. A Food Bank box is at the back of the church for any contributions. In addition the list of relocated graves (as mentioned in the last edition) is located on the wall to the right of the Vestry door inside the building. We are always on the lookout for volunteers
to open and close the church. If you could spare a few days during the week we would be most grateful. Training takes all of 30 seconds!
Finally on a sad note we said goodbye to Eva Smith last month with a well attended funeral service in church. On a happier note, our congratulations to Daniel who has obtained his British citizenship (just in time for the election!)
Noel Headley
RUTHIN GAOL
New Immersive ‘Escape the Gaol’ Family Activity
Ruthin Gaol is celebrating a busy start to the summer season, marked by the success of its immersive ‘Escape the Gaol’ family activity, new for 2024.
Since 1654, prisoners of the historic jail have been putting their ingenuity and daring to the test through creative, fortuitous, and some downright haphazard attempts (of varying success!) to break free from the Gaol’s imposing walls.
Now, visitors are being invited to follow in the footsteps of former inmates Wrexham Bill and Ellen Warters, in an escape attempt of their own. Young would-be Houdini’s must find clues hidden throughout the atmospheric basement and iconic Penton-
ville-style cells, keeping their wits about them to evade warden Mr. Parry in their own bid for freedom, uncovering tales of the prison’s former residents along the way.
In addition to the Escape the Gaol activity, Ruthin Gaol offers audio-guided tours included with admission that
provide a fascinating glimpse into its history as a site of detention dating back to the 17th century. Visitors can explore the original cells and exhibits covering crime and punishment throughout the ages.
The Gaol extends a warm welcome to everyone, even four-legged visitors. Open Wednesday to Monday. Closed Tuesdays 23 March to 30 September 2024 - 10:30am to 5pm Last entry 4pm
Lôn Parcwr Industrial Estate
Ruthin - Denbighshire - LL15 1NA
Tel: 01824 702870
Fax: 01824 707862
Mob: 07971 413836 enquiries@lewisandhunter.co.uk
For further information please call 01824 708281, email gaol.reception@ denbighshire.gov.uk or visit the website. facebook.com/ruthingaol instagram.com/ruthingaol
Discover the enchanting home of an artist who transforms whimsical ideas into delightful characters and unique crafts which blend creativity and recycled materials into captivating, one-of-a-kind creations.
The Whimsical & Enchanted World of Sue Pyke
What a delightful pleasure to discover your enchanting home. Your house feels like a blend of Ali Baba’s cave and Alice’s Wonderland.. Tell us what inspired your transition from horse breeder to a multifaceted artist. I started breeding horses as a teenager when living in Oxford, I moved to North Wales
with my husband over 50 years ago, 16 horses came with us and the stud bearing the Vlacq prefix began. Concentrating on Arabian, Anglo and Part bred Arabs our stock is in much demand across various equine disciplines. Especially in Endurance and we have bred many 100 mile (160K) horses. This May, Vlacq
Elladora and her owner Georgina Vaughan have just successfully completed the Golden Horseshoe 164K ride on Exmoor for the second year running. My daughter Laura has taken over the day to day running of the stud and I just help out as needed and waste time fussing the foals.
A while ago having reached retirement age I decided I needed to overlap horses with a less physical hobby so I started painting and crafting. The house is now crammed with my paintings and creations, I’m hopeless at Marketing so most of my sales are commissions for friends and mouse enthusiasts that have come across my ‘Souris’ family.
Tell us more about the charming personalities of your mice characters. and
the creative process to bring them to life.
2015 the mouse infestation began when I discovered a pattern in a charity shop book purchase. I altered it a little and let my imagination run riot in their costumes and accessories. The first one, Claude was made of all leather and my fingers suffered somewhat in his creation. His wife Matilde and son Maurice quickly followed, then more and more characters were created, each with a label telling their background story. I love making their accessories too, handbags, hats, a bag of ferrets, sheep for the shepherd, magic wands, crowns, even armour. The glamourous ladies have lots
and some just out of my wild imagination. These creations reside in many countries including USA, NZ, Germany and al areas of the UK. I have lost count of how many but well over 100.
of jewelry and I can feminise their expression by careful placement of their ears, eyes and noses. Each mouse takes about 5 hours to make.
How many mice have you created, and do you have a personal favorite among them?
Characters created include a doctor, a nurse several farriers and horse trainers. Side saddle riders, dressage riders, horse show judges, a jockey in his colours, a wizard, Cinderella, Downton Abbey Characters, a violinist, a carriage driver, ice skater, a bagpipe player, ballerina, policeman, Prom queens and graduation lookalikes, a Viking a Sheik,
In addition to crafting, you are also an abstract painter with a tendency to recycle everything that passes through your hands. What motivates you to incorporate recycled items into your artwork and what is your biggest inspiration?
I write a few poems too, Pam Ayres and I used to ride horses together way back in Oxford so something must have rubbed off.
I take lots of photographs and use them as reference for my paintings, sometimes combining them into semi abstracts with a strong colour palette. Plus of course I paint horses too. I suppose I’m a bit of
a ‘Jack of all trades’ though I do hope the other half of the expression does not apply though I do love a challenge Being part of an Art group has enabled me to try many different media, Watercolour, inks, collage, encaustic, fabric collage, silk painting and probably my favourite Acryl-
ic. Plus I love Yupo Paper and the way paint reacts on it’s surface. My Greetings Card creations include Knitted Cottages, Fabric landscapes, Collaged items with a back story, Dried flowers and leaves, encaustic scenes and lace and fabric flowers. I also make fabric mushrooms with beaded tops and stems, Silk and lace hearts, Knitted ponies and
Teddy bears and Giant Hares. I was gifted some lovely semi precious beads and findings so embarked on some jewelry making and have created a good number of pairs of earings, bracelets and necklaces, endulging my love of colour coordination. My first attempt at ‘Sales’ was joining the ‘Hidden Talent’ Erryrys exhibition last year where I had an enjoyable and successful afternoon. Many of my paintings are framed using Charity shop purchases, sanded down and repainted to suite the subjects. Friends often donate broken jewelry items to be repurposed to adorn the mice and oddments of fabrics are utilised for mouse costumes. My Roman Gladiator’s armour was made from a plastic milk container some gold paint and sequins.
Could you provide some details about the artist group you are part of in Treuddyn? How many members are there, what types of art do they create, and how can others join the group?
Terrig Art group was formed in 2010, we meet in Treuddyn Village hall for 3, 10 week terms per year and are a friendly, mixed ability group that enjoy working on suggested topics, have a couple of visiting artist workshops or demonstrations per term and some in house workshops, a tea break to share our work and natter and the occasional gallery visit or sketching outing . With 20 a maximum number we have a few vacancies if anyone wishes to join us.
Therapeutic cuddles!at Ffrith Farm with Rhian & the Goats
Ffrith Farm, nestled on the slopes of Moel Famau, has been in Cato family for four generations. From high-class dairy cows to therapeutic goats, the farm has evolved into a haven for children with additional learning needs, offering a unique, nurturing experience.
This is a wonderful place. Can you tell us a little about the farm?
We are the fourth generation to farm Ffrith Farm, Loggerheads Road, Cilcain. Our ‘family farm’ lies on the slopes of Moel Famau, the highest summit on the Clwydian Range, an area of outstanding natural beauty in North East Wales. My sisters and I grew up on the farm. My Mum and Dad grew their high-class Pedigree Holstein Friesian milking cows here, along with a flock of Welsh mountain sheep. A few years went by and Mum and Dad decided sheep weren’t for them and concentrated on the milking cows.
As I got older, I started to show some of Dad’s cows at the local agricultural shows with some success, winning many rosettes.
In the winter months, I did relief milking for various local dairy farmers and worked in the local sawmill in Llanferres, before returning to the family farm to help with the daily work of looking after the cows. Later, my Dad had to retire due to prostate cancer. Sadly, he is no longer with us.
At this point, my Mum and I started to purchase and milk pedigree goats to make a probiotic milk drink called kefir and hand-craft goat’s milk soap.
As the rising costs of electricity, feed and sundries rocketed, we found it impossible to continue the production of kefir, although we still make goat’s milk soap.
We still wanted to keep our
herd of gorgeous, characterful and loving goats. At this point, I decided to open Ffrith Famau Care Farm for users with disabilities, so they could experience the gentle, restful and therapeutic souls of our goats. We have since added: Donkeys - Niall and Nemo Kune Kune pigs - Fudge and Pepsi
Swiss Blacknose Valais sheepDoodle and Strudel
Guinea pigs - Pumpkin and Rufus.
We have also recently hatched some hens and, at the moment, we have some runner duck eggs in the incubator, waiting patiently to hatch in 2 weeks’ time.
We have a large pond, where we do pond dipping to connect with nature within our tranquil surroundings. The goats are fantastic animals! Noisy, inquisitive and full of individual character. No two goats are the same! They just love nibbling something, anything new!
Why did you decide to open your doors to children with additional needs?
I feel lucky to have been born and bred on a livestock farm, getting to interact with all the animals on a daily basis and having that sense of pride and enjoyment in my work. I am hoping that I can pass these
on to the students and families that visit.
I feel that nature and wildlife are so important in our lives and we are excited to share that with as many people as possible. Once we introduced our lovely goat herd to the farm eight years ago, I instantly knew this was going to be a much more calming, happier environment to be working in. Three years ago, we decided to do something a little different with some of the nannies that we had retired from milking. We started doing Goat Walking Experience Days with an afternoon tea. This proved very popular during the summer months and we just loved seeing people enjoying the goats with laughter and making the most of their gentle, calming souls. I thought this would be perfect for people
with mental health needs to experience. It has taken a year to get all the relevant paperwork and policies in place but now we welcome people with a range of abilities onto Ffrith Famau Care Farm.
What activities will your visitors be able to participate in?
Firstly, I introduce the users to
the animals and then we feed the pigs, donkeys, sheep, guinea pigs, goats and poultry. We clean out the pens and lay fresh bedding during the winter months when they spend more time indoors. Along the way, they are learning about each animal and what their needs are. I teach them how to look for any unusual behaviour and possible illnesses. The users get a hands-on experience with foot trimming the goats’ feet, worming and vaccination along with an explanation of why these interventions need to be done.
They groom and get to know the goats, donkeys and the guinea pigs. Nature and wildlife play a huge part in farming. We have a large pond and, during the summer months, we use it to go pond dipping and watch the dragonflies and butterflies fluttering. When we first started, I was nervous! As the days went by, I was thrilled to see the visual benefits the users had here at Ffrith Famau Care Farm and many are returning weekly.
Are there any other group visits planned in the coming weeks?
Yes, the plan is to open the doors to as many visitors as we can, so they can all have the experiences in caring for animals other than typical domestic pets. We have the facilities on site to accommodate a variety of children and adults.
Are you open to families as well as children?
Yes, of course. We can accommodate children and adults with on-yard activities. We propose one-hour Meet and Greet sessions to allow visitors to meet some of the goats, donkeys, guinea pigs
and the Swiss Blacknose Valais sheep, Doodle and Strudel, who will do anything for a biscuit or two! They can also visit the hens and ducks.
The group is able to groom the goats and take them for a walk around the yard. They can also meet Niall, one of the donkeys, who just loves cuddles and being pampered.
What are your plans for this year at the farm?
We have lots of new and exciting plans in the making! You can follow Ffrith Famau Care Farm on Facebook for updates and to see what we offer.
Ysgol Bro Famau News
This term the children at Ysgol Bro Famau have been learning all about their local area. We are so fortunate to live in an Area of Outstanding Beauty and we enjoy using it as a focus to our topics.
Our beautiful surroundings have inspired the Junior pupils to create some great art work using the felting technique with some amazing results.
The Juniors also enjoyed a visit to our local church, Saint Berres. We have previously learnt a lot about the church and John Davies, who
contributed to the translation of the William Morgan bible in 1588. It’s fascinating to learn about the church and John Davies’ connection to our own school, which was previously known as Ysgol John Davies, in recognition of his valuable work.
Our Juniors have also been taking part in a project to work out the carbon storage of trees. We have really enjoyed using our outside area in our Forest School sessions this year, thanks to Miss Wray, our Forest School Practitioner.
As part of our TASC week, pupils in the Juniors were entrprneurs for the week and develped different initiatives to make money. The various
initiaivies inlcuded car washing, selling home made mocktails and making masks and greeting cards.
Years 5 and 6 had the opportunity to visit Outside Lives last term. This term we have received a plant stand from Outside Lives which we have placed outside our main entrance. Children, parents and visitors are encouraged to buy plants or swap plants. This is a great idea and we have already had many people participating in the scheme.
The Juniors took part in TATA Steel Kids of Steel Triathlon once gain this year in Mold. This is a fun and non-competitive introduction to triathlons. We all had a great time.
Join us for Bingo Banter! with Outside Lives
Looking for a funfilled evening of laughter, excitement, and delicious food?
Look no further!
Bingo Banter is here to spice up your Fridays!
Hosted by the incredibly talented Green Room team on the last Friday of each month, our community bingo and buffet night promises endless entertainment and unforgettable memories. With glitz and glam and musical
interludes they will be sure to bring you a full house!
And if you get hungry we’ll have popcorn and hotdogs on sale as well as the bar being open!
Entry is just £5, and all proceeds go towards supporting our Magic Monday community events. By joining us for Bingo Banter, you’re not only treating yourself to a fantastic night out but also contributing to the betterment of our community. Held at the Mold Rugby Club, the fun kicks off at 630 PM
sharp. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to win exciting prizes, enjoy great company, and support a wonderful cause!
Please note that the July bingo will be held at the Daniel Owen Centre in Mold. Mark your calendars for June 28th and July 26th and gather your friends and family for a night of Bingo Banter you won’t soon forget. See you there!
Any prize donations would be greatly appreciated and can be dropped off with the OL team on Mondays at Parkfields community centre, or Wednesdays at Mold Rugby Club
www.outsidelivesltd.org
From Sowing to Harvesting
Summer hesitates to arrive, but the garden is poised for growth. Early sowings struggle, yet resilient crops like late spinach thrive amidst unpredictable weather.
Summer is still reluctant to show its face, but surely we are on the cusp of things really starting to take off in the garden. One of the things I love about veg growing is you’ve always got one foot a few months in the future, as well as an eye on the past checking my notes to see what sowing dates have worked in
the past. All the summer crops have been sown now here, with sweetcorn, squash, beans and courgettes all growing nicely in there modules under cover. But you could still sow all of these before the end on June. I often find that putting them out to early can result in a later crop than if you sowed a couple of weeks later, as if
you put them outside when it is still cool, like at the time of writing this with temps back down to the 13-14 degrees mark, these heat loving plants just go into shock and stall for weeks, reluctant to get growing again.
Its been a tough year for early sowings and we still have fleece on a lot of beds, and its not looking like it will come of until mid June which is slowing our first boxes of the year down. But then a few things are doing quite well like late spinach, pak chois and mixed oriental greens which would be bolting now if the weather was hot and dry, so its always worth hedging your bets with April and May sowings as something will like the conditions!! And its looking like a bumper year for strawberries which like a bit of moisture when ripening too.
We are firmly in the hungry gap now which should end mid to late June, the only fresh produce that we are getting right now is Broccoli which was sown late September in the polytunnel and is on its 3rd cut now. Broccoli grows massive in a polytunnel and looks like a different plant than when grown outside. But I’m about sick of it now as it tends to all come at once and it seems like we’ve had it every meal for the past few weeks proving you can have to much of a good thing!!
Paul Eaton Perth Y Wrach Farm
Check our Facebook page !
Llanferres Parish Gardening Club
We hope you’re all enjoying the somewhat chilly start to the summer. It’s hard to believe that we’re almost at the Summer Solstice, after which the days will slowly become shorter… but enough of that –we still have the rest of the summer to look forward to and that usually means plenty to do in the garden!
Plans for the Golden Anniversary Show in September are well under way, hopefully everyone in the Parish will have received the schedule through their letterboxes by now.
If you haven’t received one yet or if you require more copies, they are available to download from the Club Facebook page or you can ask a member of the committee to send you a digital copy.
We have included some classes from the very first Show
which took place in 1975 (for a retro vibe) and other classes celebrate this year’s Golden theme.
One thing we have revived from the early shows is the Children’s Fancy Dress; it was always such a popular event until it seemed to slowly fall out of favour over the years. So for this year only as part of our celebration, we’d love to encourage as many of the kids as possible to enter into the spirit and come in costumeanything you like – it doesn’t
have to be golden or garden related but it can be if you want it to be!
We’ve also managed to collect a good deal of archive memorabilia from the early shows and plan to make a display of these for those interested.
We continued our monthly programme in April with a talk from Rachel Farr of Cae Rhug Holistic farm in Gwernaffield. Rachel spoke in detail about the therapeutic work they do there to create positive changes in the lives of those living with disabilities, ill health or other disadvantages. These changes are delivered through immersion in nature, horticulture, conservation, farm activities and rural crafts, using
MEETING SCHEDULE
D JULY 8th
Composting talk
George Pilkington
D AUGUST 12th pre-show meeting
D Sept. meeting tbc. Contact llanferresgardenclub@ gmail.com
FB: @llanferresparish gardeningclub
the permaculture principles of Earth Care, People care and Fair Share.
She also took the time to explain in detail how permaculture is an approach to land management that adopts systems seen in nature. It was both inspiring and incredibly humbling to learn about this and many of members present found it very moving. We hope to be able to visit the farm next year as a group so we can see at first hand the fruits of their labour.
In May we were treated to a demonstration of how to plant up hanging baskets and containers from Club member, Vicky.
Vicky prefers to use wicker baskets or plastic tubs rather than wire baskets with moss because of the cost to the environment. She fills these with compost – preferably peatfree – and slow-release feed granules. She then uses an upright plant
such as fuchsia or geranium in the centre and then surrounds this with smaller plug plants, then many more around the rim which can include trailing plants such as surfinias. There is so much interest to be had with various plant and colour combinations and these can provide you with a great display all summer long with careful attention to daily watering (at least once!) and supplementary feeding with tomato feed or similar.
In place of our meeting on June 10th we have visited Lima Gardens in Pentrefoelas. This private garden not only has terraces with incredible views which lead down to sloping lawns and a river, but also has a fully functioning kitchen garden.
Jenny Hunt the head gardener runs courses for beginners there throughout the year where you can learn anything from monthly gardener’s tasks to how to make a Xmas wreath and much more in between. Find out more here: www.limagardenswales.co.uk
In July we welcome back George Pilkington and his unique style of presentation. This time George will discuss all things compost, of how to make and why. This promises to be both informative and entertaining, if you missed George earlier in the year then be sure to get this one in your diary.
As always, everyone is welcome to the meetings either as members, potential members or guests, (guests pay £2, members £10 yearly).
Rewilding Success at Park in the Past
Flintshire’s premier conservation, heritage and leisure attraction - Park in the Past – is enjoying tremendous success with its imaginative rewilding programme attracting a host of rare new animals and plants to north-east Wales.
Mother Nature has been given a helping hand through the vision and hard work of the Park team over the past three years. Significant investment in planting over 30 acres of British wildflower meadows, sponsored by international sustainable packaging company Smurfit Kappa, has come to fruition. After an initially slow start, the meadows and natural landscaping in the Park’s ‘Prehistoric Realm’ have burst into life and are buzzing
with biodiversity - pollinating insects and the melodious song of birdlife including a family of skylarks who have just taken up residence.
Upon arriving, visitors pass a sacred grove of silver birch trees on one side, and species-rich reed bed pools on the other; then meander along a reconstructed avenue of standing stones and complete miniature stonecircle; then next are treated to an impressive wood henge that will eventually form the supporting timbers for a giant earth house-like activity centre. And that’s just for starters! The path gently descends to an idyllic stretch of the River Alyn – complete with a footbridge and shallow crossing ford for those who
like the refreshing feel of twinkling water between their toes - before offering visitors a choice between a magnificent fresh water lake, or onwards along a reconstructed Roman road to the only complete Roman Conquest period fort in the UK.
It’s been a super-ambitious journey from the Park’s previous life. Formerly an abandoned sand and gravel quarry, huge noisy trucks ran through the site and heavy plant machinery extracted vast quantities of building materials often at the expense of wildlife. A classic blot on the landscape.
But ever since Park in the Past acquired the site nearly 10 years ago, nature was given the boost it needed. Careful
and pragmatic management of the Park’s wealth of seven different habitats – mixed woodland, 35-acre crystal clear lake, pastures and meadows, wetland, riverside margins, scrubland and sand dunes –
has transformed and restored this disused industrial space into a vital natural resource where nature and people can happily co-exist side by side.
Kingfishers, wagtails, dippers, green woodpeckers, great crested grebes, badgers, stoats, amphibians and reptiles. Peregrine falcons too - including one who took a distinct dislike to the park ranger’s drone and decided to… well you know, oops! – and even ospreys enviously eyeing the lake’s very big fish. The
most surprising new resident is a rewilding keystone species, a beaver (possibly a family of beavers) caught on a trail camera and joyously testing its teeth or some very serious trees!
It’s a spectacular example of how nature can bounce back if we give it a chance. An achievement indeed especially as the Park – a social enterprise - is heavily reliant on the generosity of supporters and visitors who believe in the place.
The team are putting additional processes in place to increase the diversity of species on the extensive 120-acre site. Like four friendly Namibian goats who are grazing the grassland around the Roman fort and entertaining visitors with their mischievous antics!
All this rewilding success is now being matched with an eclectic programme of activities for people of all ages. The Park team recently won a coveted development loan to expand its exciting range of visitor facilities and family fun activities making it surely
one of the most unique tourist attractions in the UK.
And this is the secret of the remarkable ‘balancing act’ that makes this attraction so unique: Nature and humans in harmony together. The Park successfully combines dedicated reserve spaces for wildlife and an extraordinarily rich mix of pastimes for people to see and do – swimming,
kayaking, and paddle boarding on a crystal-clear 35 acre lake; walking and wildlife watching in native wildflower meadows and riverside woodlands; and the experience of being transported back in time to Roman and Celtic days - all nestled in an ancient Welsh landscape on the edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Park’s heritage centrepiece is the reconstructed full-size authentic Roman fort set within a rewilded 1st century AD landscape. Branded as ‘Britain’s Big Fort Build’, it’s the first complete Roman fort to be built in Britain for nearly 2,000 years! This unique ‘’living history’ experience is ready to explore by visitors who can meet the Romans and walk in the footsteps of their ancestors. Under construction is an impressive headquarters building with troops ‘on hand’
to share with visitors just how tough and challenging life was for a Roman soldier on the frontier.
An extra ‘wow factor coming soon is a new giant earth house will soon grace the Park’s ‘Prehistoric Realm’ too. This striking atmospheric ecofriendly structure combines the best of ancient building techniques and modern thinking to bring an awesome rustic dimension to festivals, performances, weddings and community events.
New leisure activities also coming soon include axethrowing, archery and spear throwing, weekly photo competitions with prizes, guided heritage walks - and the icing on the cake for many people and groups - wildlife safaris with rangers.
The Park is also proud to announce that professional artist Fee Jackson is expanding her ever-popular creative ‘Art for All’ workshops and offering new activities like cave painting, dry frescopainting and craft-skills for people to learn and enjoy new skills using nature and natural materials as inspiration. For those wishing to relax or even gently tone their muscles, visitors will be treated to a new lakeside café, mini-‘green gyms’ for gentle exercise and mind-friendly sensory areas to chill out in the gorgeous and tranquil surroundings of the Park. Whoever you are and whatever you fancy, be ready for some serious fun around the year at Park in the Past!
For more information, please visit parkinthepast.org.uk Facebook: parkinthepast
The Osprey comeback
The sucessful Brenig Osprey project
The osprey, a majestic and magnificent bird driven to near extinction in Wales is making a comeback thanks in no small part to the efforts of conservation projects like the Brenig Osprey Project, writes Sarah Callon, North Wales Wildlife Trust’s Birds Of Prey Project Officer.
The Brenig Osprey Project was started in 2013, a partnership project between North Wales Wildlife Trust and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, at the water company’s visitor attraction Llyn Brenig. Five nests were erected as ospreys had been previously spotted in the area. In 2015 one of the nests was chosen by an osprey. In 2017 a pair stayed around Llyn Brenig, female Blue 24 and male HR7 and to everyone’s delight in 2018 the first chick at Llyn Brenig was hatched;
Blue Z9 Luned. Blue 24 and HR7 hatched one chick, KA5 Roli, in 2019 and another, Blue KC5 Dwynwen, in 2020. Sadly Blue 24 and HR7 did not return from migration in the spring of 2021.
2021 saw two new ospreys take over the Brenig nest; female ringed Blue LM6 hatched Menteith, Stirling in 2018 and male Blue LJ2 hatched in South Argyll in 2018. Everything was going to plan for this new breeding
pair and on the 30th April 2021 LM6 laid her first egg. That evening, however, in devastating and dramatic circumstances, the nest pole was illegally felled with a chainsaw. A terrible wildlife crime had been committed and the newly laid egg was lost.
A temporary replacement nest was put up in the hope that the pair would lay more eggs but they did not. A tremendous public reaction of support and donations meant that 24-hour security could be put in place to prevent this happening again. LM6 and LJ2 did however stay around the area and set off for migration. During that winter BT Openreach donated and installed a new nest pole, LM6 and LJ2 returned to the new Llyn Brenig nest in the spring of 2022, much to the
project’s relief. The 2022 season was a most successful season, especially after the devastation of the previous year.
Two chicks were successfully raised by LM6 and LJ2 to migration; Blue X6 Olwen and Blue KA9 Gelert. KA9 Gelert has been seen visiting Llyn Brenig in May 2024, which is amazing to know he has survived his first epic 3000 mile migration and returned safe and well. He will now look for his own partner and nest. 2023 was also a successful
season as again two chicks were raised to migration; ringed Blue 7B5 Dilys and Blue 7B6 Mari. Maybe they will return in 2025.
2024 has seen changes to our pair; LJ2 our male returned to the nest on the 31st March 2024 but LM6, the female, unfortunately did not. Hanging around the nest was another female with a blue ring number 372. She was eventually accepted by LJ2 and began to bond. Blue 372 is a three-year-old Scottish female translocated to Poole Harbour in 2021. She has never bred before being only 3 years old. The project was unsure how this new female would behave, would she bond to LJ2? Would she breed? Would she lay eggs? Would she be a good Mum? Some of these questions have been answered; she is a large feisty female who has successfully
“ The ospreys attract many visitors to Llyn Brenig and there are excellent viewing opportunities at the site.”
battled for her nest against other females and has now laid 3 eggs. Everyone at the Brenig Osprey Project are waiting for these to hatch around the end of May.
The Brenig Osprey Project is a collaboration between the Welsh Water visitor attraction and North Wales Wildlife Trust. A live video feed from the nest allows viewers to follow the ospreys throughout the breeding season and offers fascinating insights into osprey behaviour. Further information about Brenig Osprey Project and access the nest-cam is at www. northwaleswildlifetrust.org. uk/days-out/ospreys-llynbrenig or https://llynbrenig. com/llyn-brenig-osprey/.
The project team also maintain a dedicated Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ brenigospreyproject/)
to keep followers up to date with what’s happening at the nest.
The ospreys attract many visitors to Llyn Brenig and there are excellent viewing opportunities at the site. A look-out manned by North Wales Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers on the western bank of the lake has viewing
equipment, live streams and osprey information to provide you with a great osprey experience. Also, visitors have the opportunity to book a discreet viewing hide to observe the ospreys up close and capture stunning photographs approximately 150 meters away from the nesting site. Supported by
volunteers, the hide is a popular attraction for birders, nature enthusiasts, and photographers throughout the summer season.
The Brenig Osprey Project ensures continuous surveillance of the nest and its surround-
ings through automatic monitoring systems and online volunteers coordinated by the North Wales Wildlife Trust. The volunteer’s unwavering commitment and tireless monitoring not only provides timely updates for the pro-
BINN’S WASTE REMOVAL
ject’s social media followers but also played a crucial role in ensuring security of the site. Let’s hope that the 2024 osprey season at Llyn Brenig is a good one, pop in to see us at Brenig Osprey Project Osprey Look-out on the banks of stunning Llyn Brenig.
The CampColomendy Schools: A Forgotten Legacy
In 1939, the British government established Camp Schools for use as educational holiday centres for children during peacetime, and as camps for evacuees during war. Today their fascinating history remains largely unknown. Rod Goslin, of Maeshafn, reminds us of their fascinating past with the help of his vintage postcards collection.
Whilst many, locally, know of Colomendy (or, better put, The Colomendy Camp School) fewer know of it’s origins, and scope. In a rare demonstration of altruism, in the late 1930’s, the Government enacted the Camps Act of 1939 into law. The National Camps
Corporation was created to build finance and run the camps as a non-profit organisation. No doubt the original workings to create the NCC,had occurred some time before. If nothing else the mills of Government grind slowly. Some thoughts were given at
the time for the camps to be a refuge, against the possibility of air raids. The efficacy of the German Luftwaffe, in the civil war in Spain, had shown the authorities, graphically, the effect of aerial bombardment of the civil population. In the event, the camps were too small, and widespread to have any significant effect.
The end of the war, had seen my Father washed up in West London. A childhood malady had left him with no heel to one of his feet, so excluded
him from Military Service. In the early part of the war he had been an engineer at the local (Nottingham) aerodrome, repairing, maintaining the East coast fleet of heavy bombers. As the war moved to a ground offensive, he was moved to the the Hayes Munitions factory, to be do
much the same with tanks and armoured cars. His marriage had failed in the early part of the war, My younger brother and myself were farmed out to his sister, married to an army man. At the end of the war. My brother and I moved to London. It might seem strange to the present nanny state. At
ten years old, I was handed the train tickets, told where and when to change, and put on the train. It was the norm. For the past five years, I had got myself and my brother to school and back, without supervision.
London at that time was not a particularly pleasant place to live. My father, who had re-married, rented a room, with his new wife. My brother and I in ‘digs’ with a family he knew from his work. My brother suffered badly from asthma, and the notorious London Fogs had begun. Very soon, the medical authorities decided to move us to one of the new(ish) Camp Schools. So began my acquaintance with the National Camp Schools.
Lordsfield Camp School, was set outside the large village of Overton, Hampshire. My aunt’s house, was part of an estate being built by an uncle of mine, which had come a crashing to a halt at the outbreak of war. The estate was wonderful place out in the country. But it still paled in comparison with Lordsfield,, where there was little supervision by adults, and you were left to manage your own affairs and finances, meagre though it was. The Government too, in those days did, at times display a degree of common sense. One of these measures was that the sweet ration was the property of the child named, rather than something doled out by the parent, if you had been good.
I only had experiences of two camp schools;. Lordsfield and Westmark school. Near Petersfield, and somewhat to the South. The camps seem to
have been laid out with some care as to their appearance. Lordsfield, I gather was one of the smaller camps. It lay on a gently rising slope to the North of the through road from Basingstoke to Andover. Facing uphill, before you was the long facade of the dining room. At the left-hand end was the headmaster’s office and to the right, the teacher’s staff room. Behind the dining room were the essential utilities, laundry, kitchens,
the boiler rooms for the site heating, etc. Coming downhill, slightly, to the left was a row of classrooms, segregated by age, and by gender, but memory is a bit patchy in this respect. Girls, at that time were essentially an alien race. Totally below notice. Balancing the classrooms, to the right, was the school hall complete with stage and curtains. The School Hall, to us boys served a very important function. Each day, at 6:45 PM would see the majority of the boys sitting on the floor. There always seemed to be a dire shortage of chairs. The purpose of our attendance was to listen to the wireless, provided by one of the teachers, to listen to the latest episode of, “Dick Barton, Special Agent”. Below that were the dormitories, six of them, set with the ends facing each other over about fifty yards of meadow grass. All the buildings seemed to be in the same style, as at Colomendy.
Unitised, the dormitories, like all the building on the site, were constructed of Red Cedar, imported from Canada. A very wise choice, as it turned out. Red Cedar is very resistant to rot and fungus. In fact during the refurbishment of Colomendy most of the huts were found to be in excellent condition. Following the American practise, the roofs were covered with ‘shingles’, which to the uninitiated are the equivalent to our traditional roofing slates. Red Cedar cleaves easily to thin laminae easily and could be secured to the roof with flat head galvanised tacks. Lordsfield at my time of residence, was under utilised. Of the six dormitories only four were in use, and the authorities were doing their best to empty the remaining. Altruism, it seems has a very short life span. Inside, the strangest aspect were the windows. Set very high in the walls, very nearly under the eaves, they were clearly not for looking out of, but were merely something to
let the natural light in. Double bunk beds were set against the walls. Separated by small personal lockers. If you were lucky enough to be assigned an upper bunk, you could see the sky, and by sitting upright a sight of the outside. Not that that was worth doing. All you were looking at was the side of the hut, next door. Halfway along one wall a door led to the outside where a lone WC, unheated and unlit, awaited those desperate enough to use it. Immediately through the ‘front’ door, there were two rooms to left and right. That to the left was a room for wellington boots and wet weather gear, if you had it. To the right was the private bedroom of one of the supervising teachers, who had at least had a window you could look out of.
At the back of the hut another door led to the bathroom complex, at some distance from the huts. Here, at least, there was some shelter from the elements. Some six feet wide, and an ordinary room
height, a cedar wood clad corridor led to the toilet block. Again oddly, natural light was available from window openings high in the walls, which, at some time had been glazed with wire mesh coated with some transparent plastic. The authorities in their wisdom must have deemed this a hazard, as the glazing had been cut away. However they did not cleared away the wood fillets that had held the mesh in place, so an unwary hand exploring the construction was likely to lead to a bleeding finger. It was all experience. Do not do this again. The puzzle though still remained.
Needless to say the mesh’s removal opened up the corridor to the wind and the rain. The toilet block had all the l(ack) of appeal of the average school toilet facilities. In those days, universally, Friday night was bath night. A habit I’ve followed for years. The human body is waterproof and water tight, I’ve never seen the appeal of immersing it in water at frequent intervals. Whenever my daughter comes to stay, my first action is to turn on the immersion heater, which stays on, until she has left. I must admit to a liking for showers, however, and in the two houses that I have occupied lately, taking out the bath and fitting a shower was a priority. This abhorrence of baths stems from my experience in National Service in the RAF, viewing the ring of grease around any bath within half an hour after the weekly Duty Officers inspection.
As well as providing new, natural-looking dentures from our Clinical Dental Technician, Mark Jones, we offer a denture repair service from our Mold laboratory.
Can my denture be repaired?
In most cases, yes We can replace chipped or missing teeth, cracked or broken dentures, and remove stubborn stains such as plaque, tartar, discoloration from tea, coffee, red wine, nicotine deposits and denture adhesive
Can't I repair my own denture with superglue?
Please don't try to repair a broken denture yourself! The glue is not something you want in your mouth, it's also difficult to remove and makes repairing the break accurately almost impossible.
What is a Clinical Dental Technician?
A Clinical Dental Technician or CDT is a registered Dental Care Professional who is qualified to offer a range of Denture Services which were previously only available through your Dentist
Why go to a CDT rather than my dentist?
Traditionally, a dentist takes the patient’s impressions and sends them to a Dental Technician who makes the dentures. A CDT is qualified to both take the impression and make and fit the dentures. This gives the CDT invaluable first-hand insight into the patient's anatomy and requirements, resulting in comfortable, functional cosmetic dentures
Customer Testimonial
I appreciated the friendliness & efficiency of every member of staff I spoke to, thank you all, it DOES make a difference!
I was delighted too at the quality of the repair which was invisible and although I had fretted that the comfort might be affected, I was soon proved wrong
With my sincerest thanks
M.R – Ruthin 10th June 2020
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