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News From The Vale
We’ll bring you stories from all across the Vale over forthcoming issues. Here’s a few stories we thought you may find interesting.
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CORNTOWN
Vale ‘cowboy couple’
The Royal Welsh Show is one of
the most prestigious events of its
type in Europe, bringing together
the farming industry and rural
communities in a celebration of
the best of British agriculture.
This year the show’s horticulture tent
will have a unique cowboy flavour.
Bob and Sue Priddle, who live in
Corntown, will be creating a garden
to celebrate the National Day of the
Cowboy. The garden will feature a
chuckwagon and cowboy artefacts
from Bob’s collection.
Bob has had an interest in the
American West for many years.
“The first film my father ever took
me to see was Davy Crockett and
the River Pirates in the Washington
Cinema in Penarth - from that point
I was hooked. The National Day of
the Cowboy is on the 28th July and
the Royal Welsh is on 23-26th July
and I thought it would be a great way
of combining both of my interests. ”
The planting will be of flowers, trees
and shrubs that are associated with
the Texas prairies. Many of the plant
subjects can also be grown in Wales
and will be of interest to gardeners
as the summers become drier.
Bob has won numerous gold medals
as part of Neath Port Talbot Colleges
Horticulture department where he
works as a lecturer in horticulture.
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RHOOSE
Rhoose Primary School innovates
and inspires
Enter any classroom at Rhws
Primary School and chances are
you’ll find pupils engaged in
many innovative and exciting
learning experiences designed
to stimulate and challenge.
Pupils in the Reception classes will
whisk you into their airport departure
lounge and invite you to travel to
some exotic destination. Enthusiastic
Year 4 children will recount their
recent visit from George Fuchs, the
head chef at the St. David’s Hotel in
Cardiff Bay, while those in Year 5
demonstrate the intricate skills they
learned working with artist in
residence, Andy O’Rourke.
The school always has an air of
excitement which is precisely the
way head teacher, Louise Lynn, likes
it. “I believe that schools should be
dynamic, vibrant environments where
the focus is very much on the learner.
Rhws Primary School is fortunate to
have a very creative and highly
motivated team of staff constantly
striving to improve the learning
experience for all. Couple this with
happy, enthusiastic pupils, supportive
families and a dedicated Governing
Body and you definitely have a
winning formula”.
Preparing pupils for the challenges
of the future is also a priority for the
staff at Rhws. Ian Roe, ICT
coordinator, believes that it is never
too soon to begin the process.
“It is amazing to observe how quickly
even our youngest pupils grasp the
basics of computer use. The key skills
they establish here will be invaluable
in later life”. The staff and pupils are
currently celebrating the achievement
of the Becta ICT Quality Mark. The
award recognises good practice in the
teaching and management of ICT and
Rhws is one of only a small handful of
schools in Wales to reach the required
standards.
So what next for Rhws Primary?
Just the small matter of the school’s
75th anniversary. Archives record
the official opening of the school as
February 1933 so it has been decided
that the next academic year will be
one of celebration. Trish Beer, Year 4
teacher, will be coordinating events
along with the School Council.
“We have lots of exciting ideas for
our anniversary. We are very keen
to contact as many former pupils,
parents and staff as possible so that
we can build up an accurate picture
of what school life was like in the
past. ”
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LLYSWORNEY
Village Tidy Up
Driving through Llysworney the
other day, we happened upon a
small group of adults and
children working around the
village pond. Some of them were
in their wellies, knee deep in
pond water and appeared to be
very busy.
We stopped and had a chat and
discovered that they were on a village
tidy up day. We were told that
Llysworney is involved in the Open
Gardens Scheme which takes place
on Sunday June 10th. Twice a year a
group of helpers take the opportunity
to tidy up their village. Residents are
also encouraged to pull a few weeds,
mow their fronts and trim their
bushes. What a fantastic idea!
Admittedly Llysworney is a small
village and easier to maintain than
larger villages or towns but, as they
say, from little acorns! So if you would
like to set up a group in your
community, like Llysworney have, let
us know and we’ll promote it free!
For more information on what
Llysworney villagers do to improve their
village, visit www.llysworney.com
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WORLDWIDE
Saab range goes flex-fuel
With the arrival of the 1. 8t
BioPower engine across the
Saab 9-3 range, Saab is proud to
become the first, and only, car
company in the UK to offer an
alternative fuel engine choice in
every single model in its line-up.
Available in all three 9-3 bodystyles
of Sport Saloon, SportWagon and
Convertible, Saab’s pioneering
BioPower flex-fuel engines are now
available at Concept Saab.
The 1.8t BioPower engine offers 50-
70 per cent less fossil CO2 emissions
than its 1. 8t petrol engine equivalent,
yet produces 17 per cent more
maximum power and ten per cent
more torque when running on the
eco-friendly yet potent fuel source
bioethanol E85. In the 9-3 Sport
Saloon that translates to projected
acceleration from zero to 62 mph in
8.4 seconds and 50 to 70 mph in fifth
gear in 13.9 seconds compared to
9.5 seconds and 15.0 seconds
respectively, on petrol.
The 1. 8t is the third Saab BioPower
engine to be launched in the UK.
Two Saab 9-5 BioPower variants
are already for sale here - the 2. 0T
and the 2. 3T - both offering
significantly reduced fossil CO2
emissions and substantially increased
power and performance.
Bioethanol fuel is produced
commercially from agricultural crops,
such as wheat, corn, grain, sugar beet
and sugar cane. Unlike petrol, its
consumption does not significantly
raise atmospheric levels of CO2, which
some scientific research suggests is a
major contributor to global warming.
This is because emissions released
during driving are balanced by the
amount of CO2 that is removed from
the atmosphere when crops for
conversion are grown.
For more information visit:
Concept Saab on Penarth Road, Cardiff
call 029 2039 1200
or visit the Saab website at
www.concept-saab.com
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WICK
Well done Ed!
Congratulations to Ed Evans, 27,
from Wick for raising £20,000 for
Cancer Research at a Spring Ball
held at Sophia Gardens.
Ed, who was diagnosed with an
inoperable brain tumour four years
ago while in the Navy, receives
regular treatment at Velindre Hospital
in Cardiff. He managed to organise
the event and sell nearly 800 tickets.
If selling that many tickets wasn’t
enough, Ed also organised an auction
of amazing prizes which included a
week of white water rafting, a holiday
in Turkey, a gite in France and a
weekend cottage, to name but a few.
He also organised an auctioneer -
estate agent Andrew Thomas of
Herbert R Thomas of Cowbridge -
and the booking of the Big Macs
Wholly Soul Band.
The marquee was provided by Cresta
Caterers who also assisted with the
organisation of event. Duncan Gray,
manager of the firm offered to help
after he read Ed’s story in the local
newspaper where he mentioned that
he was struggling to find a venue big
enough for his next fundraising event.
Ed set up his own fundraising
foundation, The Ed Evans Foundation in
2005. Ed hopes to continue his
fundraising efforts with a summer ball
to be held this year.
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COWBRIDGE
Physic Garden
Hidden in the heart of Cowbridge
and bounded by its medieval
walls are Old Hall gardens, a long
forgotten patch of ground which
will soon be brought to life, and
turned into a tranquil ‘oasis’ in
the bustling market town.
Once a beautiful garden laid out in the
18th century by the Edmondes family,
the garden became a council nursery
before being abandoned fifteen years
ago. Following the 750th anniversary
of the town’s foundation charter, the
South and Mid Glamorgan branch of
the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust
decided to restore the over-grown
walled garden – which is next to the
old Grammar School - and create a
new, free, public garden for the people
of the town and the Vale thanks to a
Welsh Assembly Government and
European Union funded grant.
Taking its inspiration from the famous
Chelsea Physic Garden where plants
with medicinal properties have been
grown and studied since the 17th
century, the Cowbridge Physic Garden
will be laid out as a ‘parterre’with
traditional formal paths and specific
beds for certain plants. Designed by
well-known landscape gardener,
Anthony Jellard, and garden historian
Robin Whalley.
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BARRY
Support the Welsh language
Siop at Siop Y Fro
Russell Evans, owner of Siop Y Fro, a bookshop for Welsh speakers and
learners is very pleased with how things are going. The shop which is
on Island Road, just off Barry High Street and near to Barry train station,
stocks both Welsh and English language books with new books
downstairs and second-hand books upstairs.
In the basement he is stocking local crafts such as pottery, glass and greetings
cards. Russell is also intending to specialise in local history and books about
Wales. Russell has improved his own Welsh language skills by taking a GCSE and
A level in Welsh and is now following an advanced course at Glamorgan
University. We hope that the Welsh speaking community in the Vale continue to
support Siop Y Fro.
To contact Siop Y Fro, please call 01446 420729.
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RHOOSE
Rhoose remembered
At long last, a new full colour
book about Rhoose is being
published. Through personal
accounts and local history,
Rhoose Remembered will aim to
present a portrait of this unique
coastal village and its people
through the decades.
The book will include Rhoose, Rhoose
Point, west as far as Aberthaw, east to
Porthkerry and north to Fonmon and
the airport. Resource material is
currently being sought for inclusion in
the book so if you feel you have a
story to tell or images and
photographs that may be of interest,
please get in touch.
All information will be considered and
might include items such as diaries,
journals and letters, news clippings
and cuttings, information on clubs and
societies, local commerce, creative
writing and poems.
The book will be supported by a
website www.rhoose.com.
This website will include the history
of Rhoose, a database of businesses in
the village and other subjects of
interest.
A leaflet, giving more information on
the book and the type of material to
be included has been produced with
the kind assistance of local businesses
and will soon be available. Businesses
who have kindly given their support
are Cardiff International Airport,
Deano’s Barbers, Teisen Lap Tea
Rooms, Rhoose Post Office, Fonmon
Castle, Egerton Grey and a personal
donation from Cllr. Jeff James.
Jeff
said, “I am pleased to be able to
support the first of what I hope will
be many editions of Rhoose
Remembered. Rhoose has undergone
a change from rural village to the
sixth largest centre of population in
the Vale. I encourage everyone to
support this project irrespective of
whether you are a long-standing
resident or a new resident of Rhoose.
We need to ensure the history of
Rhoose is recorded and perhaps more
importantly that the record in articles
and photographs will recall many
memories for us all.”
Contributions can be posted to:
Rhoose
Remembered,
C/o Vale Life, Cardiff
House,
Cardiff Road CF63 2AW
Or
emailed to book@rhoose.com
Or
dropped off at:
Rhoose Remembered,
C/o Teisen Lap Tea Rooms,
Lower House
Farm,
Rhoose Road,
Rhoose CF62 3EP.
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SOUTHERNDOWN
James is new owner of
Frolics Restaurant
James Henry Sykes-Hagen is now
the proud owner of Frolics
restaurant in Southerndown,
formerly owned by Doug Windsor
who had won many awards at
the helm.
James is keen to put his mark on the
restaurant and has plans to redecorate
and rebrand. The cookery and wine
schools will continue as will the
dinner parties at home. James has
many hidden talents, one which
we’ve managed to discover is that he
is a singer/songwriter.
As he plans to
have live music in the restaurant –
perhaps he could be persuaded to
sing some from his repertoire.
To contact Frolics, call 01656 880127.
If you have a news story you’d like to tell us about, please get in touch by sending the information to:
Vale Life, Cardiff House, Cardiff Road, Vale of Glamorgan CF63 2AW
or emailing jennifer@valelife.co.uk or calling 0845 130 6452. |
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