Printed by J & P Davison, 3 James Place, Treforest, Pontypridd CF37 1SQ Tel. 01443 400585

During week commencing Sunday6th August four teams from England,Ireland, Scotland and Walescompeted in an Under 18's girlsInternational tournament at RadyrGolf Club. Following the practicedays on Sunday and Monday thecompetition commenced on Tuesdaywith a foursomes competition in themorning and a singles competition inthe afternoon. Each country playedeach other over 18 holes. The

contest was close right up to the lastday when in the final match betweenWales and England the match waswon by England on the 17th hole.This resulted in England winning thetournament, with Ireland second,Wales third and Scotland fourth.Georgia Hall of England is the sixthbest lady amateur golfer in theWorld. The presentation was madeon the patio in bright sunlight infront of a large crowd by the ladies

captain of Radyr Golf Club, MrsKatherine Collier. Ron Jones, ClubCaptain, thanked the teams for theirquality play and making the week soenjoyable. The President of WLGU,Jill Edwards and the Internationalteam organiser praised the golf clubon their warm welcome, the clubfacilities, the excellent course and allthe staff and volunteers who hadscored, ball spotted and providedrefreshments and support whenneeded. This was a superb event andputs Radyr Golf Club on theInternational map for the future.

Dance Angels, who rehearse in the Old Church Rooms in Radyr each Wednesday evening, were delighted to be invitedto perform at Disney Land Paris in August. This follows their success in the reaching the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent

on ITV. The troupe took 50 dancers to perform in the Disney Parade celebrating 20 years of Disneyland Paris. DanceAngels are also in the process of auditioning for the hit show Sky 1 Got To Dance. to be shown later this year.

GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Winners – England

Third place – Wales

Brass in Concert, Saturday 22nd SeptemberAn entertaining evening of music with the prize winning City of Cardiff 'M2'

Brass Band at Radyr Methodist Church. It was an excellent evening with a verytalented band. The music selection (tour of the world) was very pleasing to listen to.

RADYR CHAINFree to every home in Radyr and Morganstown

Number 202 October 2012

Mrs Claire Davies – new Head Teacherfor Bryn Deri Primary School

Bryn Deri School welcomed their new headteacher, Mrs Claire Davies, at the start of theAutumn term. On her introduction to theschool, she thanked the school pupils and staff,and also the community of Radyr andMorganstown for their warm welcome. Shecommented on her invitation to our 2012Festival celebrations and experienced thewonderful community spirit with the villages.Her goal is to make Bryn Deri “the best school inCardiff and beyond”. She recognised thenumber of successful organisations within thecommunity and the number of sports facilities.She believes the success of the school will be dueto “team work” including pupils, parents, staffand the community at large. Bringing togetherall their skills and talents will make a realdifference at the school.

WONDERFUL SUMMER OF SPORTThe “Wonderful Summer of Sport” isfading into memory as the leavesstart to fall from the trees and welook forward to yet anotherChristmas. I’m not sure whether myfavourite events were the rowing orthe equestrian. Probably theequestrian. Who could fail to bemoved by the beauties of GreenwichPark with the Queen’s House and theRoyal Naval College as a foregroundand Canary Wharf as a backgroundand the handsomely turned outhorses. Pampered, beautifullygroomed and well cared for.

Unfortunately, the reality for manyhorses is far from this. The economicdownturn has led to many moreanimals than usual being neglectedand this is particularly true of horsesas a recent visit to Val Allen informedme. Val, who runs the Ty GwynFarm Young Riders Club in Radyr, is a

founder member of the Horse andPony Rescue Society. Val told mehorrific stories of male foals beingkilled at birth and their bodiesthrown into other people’s fields.The landowner on whose land thedead foal is found is responsible fordisposing of the body. Many horses

are allowed to forage for foodwherever they can find it by uncaringowners i.e. school fields, councilproperty, churchyards, farmers fields,grass verges and even woodland.One group of horses starved todeath in woodland near Cowbridgewhen they ran out of food, havingeaten the grass and all the accessibleleaves from the trees. Go to page 5

Letters, articles, reports and other contributions are invited and should be submitted byNovember 15th. Submissions may be subject to editing at the Editor’s discretion.The views expressed in the Radyr Chain are not necessarily those of the Editors.Editor - Mary & Robert Pearce, 1 Windsor Grove, Radyr. 2084 2615E-Mail address - Chain@radyr.org.ukWhat’s On - Mary Pearce, 1 Windsor Grove, Radyr. 2084 2615Advertising - Jerry Bray, 41 Hazel Tree Close, Radyr. 2084 3387E-Mail address - jerrybraychain@tiscali.co.ukHon. Treasurer - Ellis Jenkins, (to whom donations may be sent; they will begratefully acknowledged) 62 Windsor Avenue, Radyr, CF15 8BYDistribution - Chris Wills, 1 Llwyn Drysgol, Radyr. 2084 2197

COMING EVENTS

N.B. Details of all coming events can be found inthe Diary section of the website

www.Radyr.org.uk

OctoberRadyr & Morganstown Indoor bowls Club.The current season has already started butthis does not mean new members will not bewelcomed. We meet at Morganstown VillageHall on Wednesdays and Saturdays 2 and6pm each day throughout the winter months.More information at www.rdyr.org.uk/i-6447 FAMILY FUN CHURCH at RADYR

METHODIST CHURCH. Children of all ages, with accompanying adult(s), are invited to join us in our new venture, FAMILY FUN CHURCH. We will meet every first Sunday afternoon of the monthfor fun, craft, Bible story and song, plus refreshments. We look forward to seeing you, 4pm to 5.15pm at Radyr Methodist Church. 6.00pm

8 Radyr & Morganstown WI, Old Church Rooms 7.30pm

10 “A Core History of Apples". A talk to be given by "A Local Pomologist". Radyr, Morganstown & District Gardening Club inthe New School Rooms, Christchurch starting at 19.30 and followed by coffee/tea and chat. All are welcome.For more information please contact Richard Gregory (029 20842084). 7.30pm

11 Tenovus Coffee Morning at Radyr Golf Club. All welcome. Please ring 20843108 or 20842096 for tickets £2. 10.30am

17 Tenovus Charity Bag Collection in RadyrA Tenovus van will be parked at the Guide Centre for one and a half hours. Donations of shoes, handbags, clothes, books and bric a brac will be appreciated.For more information please ring 20842096. 12.30pm

20 Posh Nosh Supper, Radyr Guide Centre -An evening not to be missed with good food, wine & friends. Further information & Tickets £18 available from Judith Turnbull 20843371 or Julie Davies 20842923 7.00pm

25 Radyr & Morganstown Community Council. Main monthly meeting of R&MCC. Chain Room, Old Church Rooms, Park Road CF15 8DF 7.30pm

25 Indulgence Evening. Bryn Deri PTA are hosting an evening where you can shop, catch up with friends over a drink or take a beauty treatment to soothe away your worries. Free entry, everyone welcome.

7.30pm

www.radyr.org.uk is…a one-stopshop for local information 3

DO YOU WISH TO SENDGREETINGS TO FAMILY &

FRIENDSTHIS CHRISTMAS?

Why not use Scouts ChristmasPost 2012

Once again Radyr Scouts areproviding the opportunity for you

to send Christmas Greetingsthrough the Scout Post to family

and friends living in the Cardiff and Vale areas.

If you wish to support scouting inRadyr and Morganstown, pleasepurchase your scout stamps from

the local area outlets:

Pugh’s Garden Centre,Morganstown

P’zazz Hair Designers, CastleCourt, Caer Graig

Radyr Library, Park RoadSection Leaders and members of

Radyr Scout Group

We are grateful to these localbusinesses that support scouting inRadyr and Morganstown by sellingstamps during such a busy period.

Can I thank all those people whohave supported Scout Christmas

Post in previous years. Bypurchasing your stamps locally, you

are providing the Radyr ScoutGroup with its largest source of

fund raising during the year.

Leaflets giving information onScout Post 2012 will be delivered to

your door at the beginning ofNovember. Stamps costing 20p will

be available at the local outletsfrom the start of November.

Please note that scout post greetingswill ONLY be delivered to the

CARDIFF AND VALE AREASindicated on the Scout Post 2012

Leaflet.

The last date for posting this year isMonday, 3rd December, 2012.

Please use the post boxes providedat the above outlets and the scout

hall.

Be prepared to post early and savemoney by using Scout Christmas

Post 2012.

JBT

November12 Radyr & Morganstown WI. Old Church

Rooms 7.30pm14 "Growing and Selling Christmas Trees"

A seasonally appropriate talk by John Hunt relating his experiences of commercial "farming" and marketing Christmas Trees. Radyr, Morganstown & District Gardening Club in the New School Rooms, Christchurch starting at 19.30 and followed by coffee/tea and chat. All are welcome. For more information please contact Richard Gregory (029 20842084). 7.30pm

17 Get Ready for Christmas. Christ Church, Heol Isaf 11am to 2pm. Seasonal stalls, delicious food and drink, great gifts to buy, kids' craft activities, seasonal music, entertainment, fantastic raffle. 11.00am

19 R&M ASSOCIATION GENERALMEETING, OCR. The speaker wiil be Dr Rhys Jones of BBC Wales, who will give a talk on his programme “Rhys to the Rescue”, dealing with creatures all great and small. All Welcome. 7.30pm

20 PACT Meeting. Old Church Rooms. All residents welcome 7.30pm

22 NSPCC Coffee Morning at Radyr Golf Club - cake stall, tombola, jewellery, scarves, handbags. 10.30am

22 Radyr & Morganstown Community Council. Main monthly meeting of R&MCC. Chain Room, Old Church Rooms, Park Road CF15 8DF 7.30pm

22- Radyr Drama Society Production. RDS 24 presents two plays from the comedy

‘Plaza Suite’ by Neil Simon, at Morganstown Village Hall at 7-30 pm. Tickets (£8, £7, £5) available from Vintage Gem at 1B Station Road, Nicky Webber (02920 843582), Allan Cook (02920 843176) and Sheila Phillips (02920842585). 7.30pm

FOR SALEM&S BED THROW - PURPLE

(ONE SIZE)Plus two matching small pillows.Pretty beaded edging to throwNever used. Cost new £150

£50.00 ono

Telephone: 029 2084 2289

FOR SALETWO BOYS’ BIKES

1 suitable for 5-7 years £251 suitable for 7-10 years £35

both in good conditionAlso, FREE, three 26” wheel

mountain bike tyres

Telephone: 029 2084 3832

www.radyr.org.uk is…a photo-archive for our local community 5

Horses on roads should be reported tothe police. A horse on your propertyshould be reported to the Pound, whowill collect the animal. Distressedanimals should be reported to theRSPCA or the Horse Hospital inMonmouth. Val tells me that all theRescue Centres are overcrowdedbecause of the downturn. RescueCentres need a lot of money to keepgoing, food and vets bills being twomajor costs.

On the 27th October, members ofVal’s Pony Club will be taking part inthe Annual Sponsored Fancy DressHalloween Ride in Caerphilly to raisefunds for the Horse Hospital inMonmouth. Last year they raised£500. This year they’ll need to raise alot more.

Useful numbers – Cardiff Pound 2078 8344

Horse Hospital Monmouth 01600 750233

WONDERFULSUMMER OF SPORT

from front cover…

FIREWORKS TERRIFY ANIMALS.For many people Bonfire Night isan enjoyable evening watchingspectacular fireworks, but foranimal owners it can be a time ofconcern and distress. Please let offyour fireworks responsibly.

HISTORY SOCIETY NOTESThe next talk in the Autumn season willtake place on Thursday, 8th November,when Dr. Anita Jordan will give a talk onPaupers.

The meeting will take place in the OldChurch Rooms at 7.30pm. All arewelcome.

JOTTINGS FROM THER&M ASSOCIATION

We are still working on the actionitems that arose from the jointCommunity Council/Associationheld in June (see last edition of theChain). In terms of highlights, AllanCook is updating the publication“What is there to do in R&M?” Wewill be changing the format so it iseasy to update and look at on-line.Copies of the present (rather out ofdate) edition can be found in thelibrary. We know Allan (2084 3176)would be very grateful if everyonewere to look at that and tell him thechanges that need to be made. Wealso think it would be a good idea ifthere was a regular time slot at thelibrary (weekly?) when R&Msocieties put on a display, explainwhat they do and seek to interestnew members. We will be talking tothe library and also to the manyR&M societies to see if a schedulecan be drawn up.

We were very shocked to find twoof our traders in Station Roadsuddenly gone – Seasons andWelsh’s. Seasons is a particular loss.We always had good reports of thefood there and it also brought awonderful ambience to StationRoad with the tables outside (whensunny). Local residents commentedthat there had even been less youthannoyance in the immediate areasince the restaurant opened in theevenings. We cannot comment onthe business issues surroundingthese closures but we sincerely hopethat Seasons will re-open shortly. Ifit does, make sure you use it!

We are now working (with theCommunity Council) on this year’sChristmas Tree Lighting Ceremonywhich will be on Friday, 7thDecember. The Community Councilare again funding the erection ofthree main trees around the village –including a potential new site onLychgate Gardens. In Station Road,the Community Council have alsoprovided funds for the extension ofthe lights we had last year; they willnow extend down to the corner ofRadyr Eyecare. We will be

providing the trees in Station Road,as usual. We are even getting anew sleight built for Santa!

So the ‘Community Plot’ onLychgate Gardens has gone. Weare sad about that but the fight tokeep it for Community use was lostyears ago. Although it has nothingto do directly with the Association,we are now getting concernedabout the building plot at the otherend of Lychgate Gardens where theintention originally was to buildsome form of retirement home. Weunderstand that no proposals havecome forward from anyone todevelop such a home so there is areal risk that we shall simply havemore houses. If you have any viewson this, do speak to Cllr. RodMcKerlich or the CommunityCouncil. We may not have manylevers to change things locally butto allow opportunities to slipthrough our metaphorical fingers isa bit foolhardy.

You may have heard that a horsewas injured when it panicked duringthe letting off of the Jubileefireworks. Just a reminder to becareful and consider animals whenletting off fireworks on 5thNovember, or at any time and if youare an animal owner, to takeprecautions at obvious times.

We had a very successful meetingon 3rd September when Jill Jones ofBBC Wales told us about herexperiences in producing“Crimewatch”. Our next meetingwill be on Monday, 19th Novemberat 7.30pm in the Old Church Roomswhen Dr. Rhys Jones, also of BBCWales, will give a talk on hisprogramme “Rhys to the Rescue”,dealing with creatures all great andsmall. If you would like to becomea member of the R&M Association(there is no charge for membershipand you will receive our regulartwo-monthly Newsletter) or wouldlike to hear more about Associationactivities, contact the Secretary, NickHawkins (2084 2561 orrma@radyr.org.uk) or the Chairman,Cyril Williams (2084 2250).

Charities Fairat

Radyr Methodist ChurchSaturday 3rd November

10-12 am

entrance £1.50 (to include refreshments)

Come and buy your charityChristmas cards, Scout stamps,

Traidcraft gifts and more.

www.radyr.org.uk is…a window on our local history 7

RADYR DRAMASOCIETY

In November, Radyr Drama Societywill present “Visitor fromMamaroneck” and “Visitor fromForest Hills” from “Plaza Suite” byNeil Simon. It will be performed atMorganstown Village Hall onThursday to Saturday, 22nd to 24thNovember.

Neil Simon’s plays are justly famousfor being both funny and intelligent.Among his hits on Broadway and inthe cinema are “Barefoot in thePark”, “The Odd Couple”, “Last ofthe Red Hot Lovers” and “TheSunshine Boys”. “Plaza Suite” is aportrait of different couplessuccessively occupying the samesuite at the Plaza Hotel, New York.

The first is a funny yet touching storyof a marriage in tatters as the wifetries to bring back the romance ontheir wedding anniversary in a suitewhere they spent their honeymoon,or so she thinks. The second couple,in an uproarious farce, try to get theirdaughter to come out of the locked

bathroom and go down to theballroom where she is due to bemarried. In the process, theirrelationship comes under thespotlight as disaster piles on disaster.

Farcical action and witty dialogueshould make this a very entertainingevening.

Tickets (£8. adults, £7. seniors,£5. students) are available fromVintage Gem in Station Road,

Nicky Webber (20843582),Sheila Phillips (20842585) and

Allan Cook (20843176).

BORED WITH WINTER MONTHS?COME AND JOIN

Radyr and MorganstownIndoor mixed bowls club

(lads and lasses)

2012/13 season starts on 19th September

We meet at Morganstown Village HallTwo sessions on Wednesdays and Saturdays

Afternoon 2 – 6pm and evening 6 – 10pmBut you can choose when you come, no obligation

We have friendly matches with other clubs, competitions,Special afternoons and evenings, fun sessions

BUT MAINLY JUST TO ENJOY OURSELVESYOU DO NOT NEED PREVIOUS EXPERIENCEOr any special gear until you decide its for you

(no age barriers)

Don’t stay at home and be miserable, come and learn a newskill and laugh at the same time – you never know YOU could be our next

CHAMPION!

INTERESTED? Contact our secretary, Jerry Bray029 2084 3387 email: jerrybray4@tiscali.co.uk

or simply wander down to the Village Hall and be captivated!

FAMILY FUN CHURCHAT RADYR METHODIST

CHURCHWe had a super ‘taster’ day inAugust when eighteen childrenplus assorted Mums, Dads andGrandparents joined us for anafternoon of fun, craft and aBible story and song, not tomention cakes, biscuits, fruitand freshly-made toast andjam!

Our regular Family Fun Churchafternoons, 3.30pm to 5pm,start on Sunday, 7th Octoberand every first Sunday of themonth from then on. We lookforward to meeting lots morechildren (with accompanyingadult) and hope you will comeand enjoy our new venture –FAMILY FUN CHURCH

Catherine Hewett

www.radyr.org.uk is…a place for you to air your views on local matters 9

principal in many other renownedorchestras and tutor of horn at theRoyal Welsh College of Music andDrama. A natural communicator andan enthusiast, he had his audienceenthralled. Though a virtuosoperformer on the French horn, hereceived a great round of applause forproducing musical sounds from acoiled length of garden hose!

Moving on into the Autumn, WIhopes to take part in the “Keep BritainTidy” campaign between 17th and24th September. Our Birthday Partyat Radyr Golf Club is planned for 1stOctober and a trip to London with achance to visit the “Ideal Home atChristmas” Exhibition is arranged forThursday, 15th November. For veryfit members, the Autumn FederationWalk on 19th October is a challengingeight miles with 24 stiles, one event inwhich I will not be participating!

Should anyone wish to join us, Radyr& Morganstown WI holds meetings at7.30pm on the second Monday of themonth at the Old Church Rooms, ParkRoad, Radyr. There are severalsubsidiary groups including threebook groups, genealogy group andcraft group. Weekly and monthlywalking groups meet for long andshort walks and lunch and supperclubs eat and socialist together. Addto all these regular outings and visitsand there is, in short, something foreveryone. Come along to one of ourmeetings – we would be delighted tosee you.

For further information contactradyrandmorganstown.wi@gmail.com

or ring our President, Pat Williams on2084 3843

emailmpwradyr/@btinternet.comL.H.

RADYR, MORGANSTOWN& DISTRICT GARDENING

CLUBSomehow we have survived it, but asgardeners it is hard to remember awetter summer. The high rainfall ofJune, July and August has notencouraged plants to grow andflower in abundance and this has notbeen helped by the continual battleagainst slugs and snails which appearto have grown into monster plantmunching machines. However, the

NEWS FROM RADYR &MORGANSTOWN WI

On Thursday, 16th August we held atrip to the beautiful National Trustvillage of Lacock. The sun shone allday and the village, the setting formany television productions, lookedits best and offered a wealth of inns,coffee shops and opportunities forretail therapy, not forgetting thebeautiful Abbey and grounds and theFox Talbot photographic museum. Infact, something for everyone.

There was no meeting in August butnow at the end of this golden summer– I refer to the sporting achievementsnot the weather – WI has resumed itsactivities and the Autumn term hasgot off to a flying start. The“Olympian” Big Walk, Little Splash,has been completed, the total 209miles has been achieved and thejournal recording it all, compiled byour secretary, Gaynor Leaf, is nowready for submission to the FederationOffice.

On Saturday, 8th September, our WIand all its activities were show casedand celebrated in the communityspace in the newly refurbished RadyrLibrary. Anyone interested was ableto pick up a programme and a bookmark listing all we offer. Examples ofour craft work were on display and acollection of book reviews by readinggroup members. This portfolio willremain in the library and furtherreviews will be added.

Our Institute is planning to use thecommunity space in the library on aregular basis on a Wednesday forbook group meetings, craft andgenealogy workshops and mostimportantly, one to one computerclasses. Hopefully, this initiative willbe up and running by the start ofOctober. In conjunction with thelibrary theme, a visit to the LibrariesStacks, accompanied by our RadyrLibrarian, will take place on Thursday,17th September.

The September meeting took place onMonday, 10th, with a change to theadvertised programme. We wereprivileged to be educated andentertained by Ian Fisher, PrincipalFrench Horn player in the BBCNational Orchestra of Wales, guest

first weeks of September havebrought some drier and warmerweather and plants are catching upwith a good show of Autumn coloursin the garden and a decent harvest ofAutumn vegetables.

The Gardening Club has come tothat time of the year when we lookforward to those bright spots whichlight up the Winter months. OurWinter programme started with anillustrated talk on The GlamorganHeritage Coast and DunravenGardens given by Helen Mills, one ofthe Heritage Coast Rangers. HelenMills described the diversity of herwork as a Ranger, the geologypeculiar to the area and the flora thatthis supports many of which are rarespecies and a few occurring onlywithin the heritage coast area. Thetalk was illustrated with many superband stunning photographs.

Our programme continues inOctober and November with:

10th October – A Core History ofApples An illustrated talk by a local

Pomologist

14th November – Growing andSelling Christmas Trees A talk by

John Hunt relating to hisexperiences of commercial

“farming” and marketing ofChristmas Trees

Meetings are open to all and takeplace on the second Wednesday ofeach month from September to April(with the exception of December)with illustrated talks anddemonstrations. Some speakersbring examples of the plants theytalk about and others bring plants forsale.

All meetings (apart from visits) are atthe New School Rooms (adjacent toChristchurch), Heol Isaf starting at7.30pm and are followed byrefreshments.

We hope that there is something foreveryone and look forward tomeeting you.

Please see Village notice boards andRadyr website (www.radyr.org.uk)for programme details and anychanges or contact our Chairman –Richard Gregory (2084 2084)

AN EVACUEE’STALE

The article below was published in thehouse magazine for retirees of the SouthStaffs Water Co. A friend being one suchand spotting the reference to Radyr sent iton to me. The author, a Mr. Mountford, hasbeen contacted and an edited version ofhis article follows. Clearly any village inSouth Wales was a mining one!

An Evacuee in RadyrThe commencement of air raids in June1940 perturbed my parents sufficientlyto decide that my sister and I should besent away. Our school party eventuallyended at the mining village, this beingRadyr some miles north of Cardiff.

A quiet lane on a gradual incline ran thelength of Radyr. At the lowest end wasa row of miner’s cottages, alongside thelocal railway. Higher up were a fewshops, post office and church. Furtherup still were a number of post houses.These houses were occupied bywealthy people, escaping from Londonfor the duration.

A large house at the highest point ofthe village road had its name “TheTops” on its driveway gate. It was herethat a small group of waifs includingmyself, arrived with our WVS escort.The owners of this house, Major & Mrs.Holt, were having a party. To request aroom for an evacuee was clearly anintrusion. Nevertheless the lady of thehouse quickly picked me out.

To me, entering this house was just likestepping into an Ealing filmextravaganza (in colour). There waswall to wall ankle deep carpeting andattractive pictures on the walls, silverand china artefacts on display and therewas so much lighting, all with elegantshades.

I was hastily despatched to the rearquarters of the house, the kitchen area,which was occupied by Lily the cookand Annie the maid who were told tolook after me. My sister had beenaccepted earlier at a house nearby.

My first face-to-face with Mrs. Holt wasnext day in her sitting room where Iwas quizzed to establish my status, ormore importantly, my parents’ status. Iwas totally intimidated by her, so I lied.

www.radyr.org.uk is…a record of the work of our Community Council 11

My story raised “The Mountfords” upthe ladder of affluence quite a numberof rungs. I could tell that Mrs. Holt didnot believe a word. The interrogationwas followed with a rundown of thebehaviour rules that would apply to me

1. Live and eat with Lily and Annie

2. Always use the side entrance

3. Do not go into the front of the house uninvited

4. Make sure to attend school and church

5. The special coloured toilet paper was reserved for the major (piles!)

I think that after our “chat” Mrs. Holtmay have felt a slightly warmer regardfor this “Brummie Stray” she hadlanded herself with. Neither Lily orAnnie liked me at first. In fact I knewthat any of my misdemeanours,however small, were reported to “HerLadyship” for which I would besummoned to her inner sanctum to betold off.

Mrs. Holt owned a large Austin car, forwhich there was no room in theirgarage, as this was mostly full oftrophies dating from the Boer War. Thecar was fitted with a tow bar. This wasto be used for taking out a mobilecanteen after air raids on Cardiff, ofwhich there were many. The intensityof these raids made compelling viewingfrom my bedroom window. One night,it must have been quite late aseveryone had gone to bed, I wassuddenly awakened by a franticknocking and ringing on the front door.This continued on and off for sometime. Eventually I ventured from mybedroom to see Lily and Annietransfixed with fear, standing at the topof the stairs. After a while at Mrs.Holt’s insistence, Lily went down andcautiously opened the door. There wasnot a soul to be seen or heard.

“The Tops” was at the highest point inthe village and a late night pranksterwould have been easily detected. A dayor so later Lily, Annie and myself weretold by a local man a story that wasbelieved by many of the villagers. Thisconcerned the suicide of a previousoccupant, the anniversary of this eventbeing marked by an assault on the frontdoor. [Mr. Mountford also writes aboutrevisiting this house in the 1990’s].

I’m not too sure how long my sisterand I stayed in Radyr – probably a year.A number of small events happened,hardly worth mentioning, but theycome to mind from time to time. Forinstance going to the local schoolwhere the headmaster was determinedto try and teach us Welsh; also winninga new stamp album in the school rafflewhich pleased me no end. One thingthat never pleased me was beinginspected, head to foot, in my Sundaybest, by Mrs. Holt before I accompaniedher to church on Sundays.

On a more sombre note, I rememberwalking back to the coach after a shortschool visit and passing by thecathedral grounds. We were able toobserve the damage (due to theprevious night’s raid) and also manyparts of exposed “remains” yet to bereburied. A lasting memory. Annie hadobtained permission to take me toMerthyr Tydfil to visit her parents. Iwas looking forward to a trip up theRhondda Valley by train but it didn’thappen.At this point my story ends abruptly; Ihave no memory of events that tookplace over the next day or so. In someway, my sister and I returned home.The bombing had become much worse.It was now the middle of 1941.

www.morganstown.org.uk is…a one-stopshop for local information12

Letters…

COPY OF EMAIL FROM RALPHVAUGHAN REGARDING LEARNER

DRIVERS

Dear Editors,

At a recent meeting of PACT, severalresidents complained about the numberof cars used for driving lessons at alltimes of the day and indeed at night.Their main concerns were that therewere times when the volume of carscould be dangerous particularly duringschool arrival and departure times.

I subsequently wrote to the Driving &Test Centre in Fairwater expressingconcern. Some weeks later I received areply from Newcastle upon Tyne which isattached. I have received similar repliesin regard to village and paving parking.It is not unusual to receive such replieswhich, to my mind, fail to address theproblems.

It does beg the question as to who willissue a definitive statement and how itcan be policed.

I therefore wonder if you would considerpublishing this reply to let residentsknow how difficult it is to make progress.

Yours sincerely,Ralph Vaughan

A LETTER FROM DRIVINGSTANDARDS AGENCY TO R.S.

VAUGHAN

Thank you for your letter received on 29June about learner drivers in your area.

I am sorry that you are experiencingproblems with learner drivers in yourarea. I can appreciate the inconvenienceand distress this situation can cause. Thetest centre manager, Nia Irvin, hasdisplayed a notice in the test centreasking the local instructors and schoolsto consider the residents in the area.

Nia confirms that we only use one testroute in the Radyr area and therefore ourexaminers do not over-use it. The roadis a public highway and as such we haveno jurisdiction to prevent instructors anddriving schools using a certain area.

Displaying a notice in our test centreshould alleviate the situation. However,if the matter persists please contact yourlocal Council.

Yours sincerely,S. FarrerCorporate Correspondence.

NEWS FROM RADYRLIBRARY

We’ve had a really busy summer in thelibrary with over 350 children enrollingon the reading challenge and most ofthem reading six books over theholidays. Those who completed thechallenge will be presented withmedals and certificates in school.

Jen has been doing a great job withour story and rhyme times for under5s. Each session includes a story, songsand nursery rhymes and a craft activity.The sessions are on Tuesdays at 10.15and 2.15 in term time. All under 5sand their carers are welcome, so whynot come along? Kelly James from theFamily Information Service has beenattending some of the sessions withinformation on childcare, events andactivities for children and some greatcookery booklets. The Bookstart Bearwill be joining in with the fun onTuesday, 2nd October to celebrateBookstart Day. Don’t miss him!

We are starting to see more new adultbooks arriving and they are provingvery popular with readers. Don’tforget you can always reserve yourbooks on-line. The community area ofthe library is already being used bylocal groups and Councillor RodMcKerlich will be holding surgeriesthere on two Saturdays, 27th Octoberand 8th December.

Cardiff celebrates 150 years of publiclibraries in 2012. We were the firstauthority in Wales to set up a publiclibrary service. We held a number ofevents throughout Cardiff inSeptember and will be holding aspecial coffee morning in Radyr libraryin October or November and will beasking for your thoughts on why youlove libraries. Look out for furtherdetails in the library.

We are considering setting up amonthly reading group in the library,possibly in the early evening. If youwould be interested in joining thisgroup please let us know.

Would you like to learn to knit orcrochet? Or brush up your knittingskills? Come along to our free monthlyknitting group on the first Monday ofthe month starting on 1st October at10.15am. Suitable for beginners orthose with some knitting experience.

We have now received our collection

boxes for recycling small batteries. Sobring your old batteries along on yournext visit. Don’t forget you can collectyour recycling and food bags at thesame time.

Found on Heol Isaf, near Dan-y-Brynand handed in to the library – a pair ofglasses in a black case. Are theyyours?

Finally, if you are not already amember of the Cardiff libraries, youcan join by bringing along a proof ofi.d. (driving licence, bill, bank card etc.)and find out just how much yourlibrary card entitles you to.

Don’t forget to bring your library cardalong each time you come to thelibrary.

Happy reading.Caroline, Jen and Anne at Radyr

Library2078 0996

radyrlibrary@cardiff.gov.uk

MISSING SILVERCUP???

With a degree of difficulty I hope Ihave located the right people. Ifnot, I do apologise for theinterruption.

I spent most of my childhood inthe village attending Mrs.Stanford’s school on Heol Isaf nearthe church. My grandfather,Walter Watkins, was well knownto the village having commandedthe first aid post in the ChurchRooms during the last war.

He was, as I remember, the firstchairman of the Tynant FC thatplayed on the mound field inMorganstown. He died verysuddenly in March 1969 and thefollowing summer mygrandmother and I attended thevillage fete to see a competitionplayed for the “Walter WatkinsMemorial Cup”, although I cannotremember what the competitionwas about.

I wonder if there is anyone still inthe vicinity that might know thewhereabouts of this item?

Dr. Tim Watkin Jones.

www.radyr.org.uk is…a one-stopshop for local information 13

Children’s back health is important.A new school year has now begunbut how much is your child carryingevery day? According to researchcarried out by BackCare (a charityfor healthier backs) 80% ofchildren carry 20% or more of theirbody weight on their back.Equivalent to a 70kg adult carrying15kg!

In my career I have treatedhundreds of backs and workedwithin occupational health settings.This research struck a chord withme as my daughter has now startedschool and I remember vividly theweight of my own school bag.Frequently lifting a bag of 11kg iscategorised as a medium physicaldemand job for an adult so I wasshocked to see research has shownthat the average 10 year old wascarrying approximately 10.5kg!

My advice to parents and childrenregarding their school bag: Is itcomfortable, will the weight beevenly distributed across the back

when carrying it and does it havegood shoulder straps and a waiststrap?

Ideally the bag should be arucksack worn on both shoulderswith wide padded straps and awaist strap. However, if fashionhas superseded comfort in yourchild’s choice of bag then it shouldat least have one good shoulderstrap which will allow your child toeasily swap the bag from shoulderto shoulder to balance the load.

Look at the amount carried. Doesyour child need everything … everyday? If possible re-pack the bagevery morning to minimise theamounts carried. Ideally bagsshould weigh no more than 10% ofthe child’s body weight. Distributethe weight so that the heaviestitems are carried nearest to thebody around waist height.

And finally, think posture … tummyin, head up and shoulders back!Might be difficult in the teenageyears!!

HOW HEAVY IS YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL BAG?

Children aged 11-18 years can helpBackCare by taking part in theSchool Bag surveywww.schoolbag2012.com

If you would like any furtherinformation or advice pleasecontact me I treat a variety ofmusculoskeletal conditions rangingfrom postural pain at work to sportinjuries, from chronic arthritis toworkplace accidents.

Clare Rayner BSc (Hons) MCSP

Phone: 07551991773

Email: clare@gngphysio.co.uk

www.gngphysio.co.uk

More Dance Angels photographs… see back cover

www.radyr.org.uk is…a one-stopshop for local information 19

TREFORGAN WITreforgan WI has had mixedexperiences since the last bulletin.Our decorum slipped somewhatwhen we took our first bellydancing lesson andenthusiastically modelled theglitzy costumes. At the sametime, a plate of Turkishsweetmeats, kindly donated for araffle by the demonstrator, wasinadvertently eaten by membersbefore the draw could be made!

In August, our ‘Trelympics’,brilliantly hosted by Margaret atGelynis Farm, were not toodignified either but enormous fun.Those of us with replaced hipsand knees were banned from thehula hoop spinning enduranceevent but all were able to fiercelycontest the bean bag throwingcompetition and the egg andspoon heats in order to win thechocolate ‘gold’ medals melting inthe rare flashes of sunshinebetween the showers. Our guestof honour was one of theOlympic torch bearers. Photoswith him were posed in front ofthe camping lantern – animaginative substitute for thecauldron of flames. Weadjourned to a barn forsandwiches and a union flag cakepresented as usual by ourindefatigable catering team. Itwas they who provided ascintillating spread whenTreforgan entertained other localWIs to ‘high tea’ in July.

Of course, over the months wehave also been ‘normal’ dignifiedWI members – enjoying our bookclubs and craft classes, walking,bowling, skittling and supportingthe Radyr Festival.

We have noted on an importantnational resolution to increase thenumber of UK midwives, visitedSt. Fagan’s museum and thestacks library, learned about Mrs.Beeton and chemical freegardening.

If you would like moreinformation about Treforgan WI,contact Judy Grundy on 20810243.

CHAIN COOKERYCORNER

PROVENCIALCHICKEN BAKE

A very tasty ‘all in one’ dish. It is packedwith flavour and just needs to be servedwith a mixed green salad. The mostdifficult part is shopping for and sortingout the ingredients. This is a large recipebut can obviously be halved. Serves 8

8oz/225g dried pasta shells (e.g.orechiette – cats ears!)8oz/225g onions2 garlic cloves3 tbsp/25ml olive oil2tbs fresh thyme/1tbs dried thyme1/4 pint/150ml white wine or drywhite vermouthTwo 14oz(400g) cans choppedtomatoes11/4lb (550g) tomato passata1 dessert spoon sugar11/2lb (700g) skinless chickenbreasts/boned chicken thighs1oz/25g butter1oz/25g flour3/4 pint/250ml milk7oz/200g soft cheese2oz/50g pitted black olives5 tbsps/75ml pesto sauceSeasoning

Cook pasta in boiling salted water untiljust tender. Drain, pour cold water overand set aside.Peel and roughly chop onions, peel andcrush garlic.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large pan, addonions, garlic and thyme. Cook for 2minutes.Pour in wine and bubble for 3 minutes.Add tomatoes, passata, seasoning andsugar. Bring to boil. Simmer for 20minutes until reduced by one third.Heat oven 400F/200C/Gas 6Cut chicken into chunks and place inroasting tin. Pour over remaining oil andseason. Cover with foil.Cook for 10-15 minutes until just cooked.DO NOT OVERCOOK.Melt butter in small pan, stir in flour,gradually add milk, stir and simmer for 10minutes.Remove from heat and add cheese.In large bowl mix chicken, pasta, olivesand pesto sauce.Place in 6 pint/3.4litre ovenproof dish.Lightly stir tomatoes and white sauce –try to create marbled effect.Pour over chicken and lightly stir.Cook in oven for 30-35 minutes untilgolden and hot through.Suitable to freeze.

A.M.P.

OLYMPICVOLUNTEER

Every day before I leave for work I puton the most important part of myuniform, my smile, in readiness forwhat is one of the many highlights ofmy day; the commute to work.

Every day I have the pleasure of a tenminute walk across the park to the tubeand every day without fail, I’m touchedby the welcome I receive. Youngchildren run up to me and ask whatsport I do. Buses full of inquisitiveheads all turn in unison as they drivepast. Homeless people wake from theiruneasy slumbers and mutter aninaudible message of appreciation.

The Tube ride is just as good. Strangerssmile and talk to me; something I’mtold is unheard of in London.

I never tire of telling my ten minutefriends how much I have enjoyed mytime in London. Being a Games Makerisn’t a role, it’s not an appointment, noteven a job – it’s a duty, a calling that isrecognised and acknowledged by allwho have had the pleasure to know us.

I only hope that when it’s all over,when the last medal won, then in somesmall way the spirit of the GamesMakers will live on in all of us. That isour legacy, that is our gift to this greatcity.

Michael Deem (EVS Team NGA)

‘QUINS COMING EVENTS6th October

Cardiff ‘Quins RFC v BreconDivision 3 South-East

KO 2:30pm at the “Diamond”Ground, Forest Farm Road,

Whitchurch

20th OctoberCardiff ‘Quins RFC v Pentyrch

Division 3 South-EastKO 2:30pm at the “Diamond”

Ground, Forest Farm Road,Whitchurch

8th DecemberCardiff ‘Quins RFC v Fairwater

Division 3 South-EastKO 2.30pm at the “Diamond”

Ground, Forest Farm Road,Whitchurch

The Community Council is preparing torespond on behalf of R&M to the latestconsultation on Cardiff Council’s LDP(Local Development Plan). There hasbeen some publicity on this in the localnews and we have information on theoverall plan. Full details will be madepublic in October when the draft LDP(called the Preferred Strategy) goesbefore Cardiff Council. There will be apublic consultation starting in Novemberand ending in December. We hope thatCardiff will run events where you can seethe plans in detail and comment. Theevents run for the previous LDP weresuccessful and one held at RadyrComprehensive School was wellattended.

Once the documents are released theywill be put on the community website inthe R&MCC pages with a note on thewebsite’s front page. If anyone wants tocome to see a copy of any documentsyou are welcome to arrange to visit mein the Old Church Rooms.

www.radyr.org.uk is…a place for you to air your views on local matters 15

MESSY TIMES ONWEDNESDAY AFTERNOONMessy times is busy this Autumn term socome and join us at the Old ChurchRooms on Wednesday from 1.30pm-3pm! This term we will be singing ourway through different nursery rhymes …always ending up with the Grand OldDuke and Hokey Cokey. Craft activitieswill be based around the nursery rhymeof the day!

We started with “Here we go round theMulberry Bush” and will end up with“We wish you a Merry Christmas” withMiss Polly, frogs and music in between.Making, sticking and baking everythingfrom bubble painting to teddy cake popsto noise makers and dancing ribbons.

Pop in for a coffee and a biscuit. Only£1. per adult and 75p per child. See theprogramme on the Radyr &Morganstown Community website.

Contact: Clare Rayner 07551991773 orclare@raynerzoo.com

Radyr & Morganstown Community CouncilCyngor Cymuned Radur a Threforgan

In September councillors visitedRadyr Primary School to makebird and bat boxes with the

Year 6 pupils. We hope to do thesame with Bryn Deri Primary School andRadyr Youth Club later in the year.

The issue of parking and trafficcongestion is a long-runningconcern in R&M and the

Community Council has raised itwith Cardiff Council frequently over theyears. We have done so again. Wewould like to see a plan to address thehot spot of Station Road and the over-spill from Radyr Station and the effect onlocal streets.

New curtains have beenordered for the Weir Room ofthe Old Church Rooms. Over

the summer our hard working andmuch-valued volunteers completed a listof improvements and most of thedownstairs was repainted.

Congratulations to the Friendsand Wardens of Radyr Woods.They entered the RHS ‘It’s your

neighbourhood scheme’ andwon the highest Champion Award.There were 600 entrants in UK forschemes including allotments,woodlands, street and neighbourimprovement schemes.

Helena FoxClerk to R&MCC

The Old Church Rooms, Park Road, Radyr, Cardiff CF15 8DF

Tel. 029 2084 2213

Email : clerk@radyr.org.uk

www.radyr.org.uk is…a record of the work of our Community Council 17

Articles in recent editions of theRadyr Chain have recorded someof the great developments andachievements of Radyr CricketClub over the past few monthsand how the club is going fromstrength to strength. This has notalways been the case for exactlyforty years ago, almost to theday, the club almost ceased toexist.

On the morning of September 5th1972 the then captain of the club,John Eddy, telephoned Keith Terry,the skipper of the Overseas XI, toinform him that Radyr Cricket Clubwould be unable to fulfil the fixturethat afternoon at Radyr as theywere unable to raise a team. Indeedhe went on to say that unless therewas a significant influx of newplayers then the club would belikely to fold. As the Overseas XIwas a nomadic team without aground but with plenty of playersand Radyr CC was a team with aground but with a shortage ofplayers, the prospect of anamalgamation of the two wasdiscussed.

As a result of this conversation eachof the clubs convened extra-ordinary general meetings of theirmembers and the amalgamationwas duly agreed and the future ofRadyr Cricket Club was secured.

The newly formed club was to facemany challenges in its first season.The most significant of theseoccurred when the club went ontour to Pagination in Devon in June1973. They returned to find thatthe pavilion had burned down andall that was left was a smoulderingpile of ashes. Undaunted the clubfulfilled all of its fixtures usingtouring caravans as changing roomsand set about a range offundraising ventures to pay for anew clubhouse which was openedon 5th March 1974. All that is leftof the old pavilion is a charred pieceof wood mounted and on displayon the wall in the current clubhouse

Radyr Cricket Club now fields foursenior league teams each Saturday

and has junior sides for underseven, nine, eleven, thirteen andfifteen year olds. Fifteen of the boysand seven of the girls representcounty teams at a variety of agegroups. Four of these girls arecurrently in the Welsh team. Thisyouth section continues to go fromstrength to strength and is thelifeblood of the club and asignificant factor in the future of theclub and its on-going success.

Earlier this month, Tony Butlin, avice-president of the club, its headgrounds man and a coach to avariety of youth age groups was thewinner of the ‘Behind the Scenes’award from the Cricket Board ofWales for all of his endeavours inpromoting and supporting thedevelopment of cricket. Tony, alongwith all of the regional finalists fromall over the country, is going toLords Cricket Ground on the 22ndOctober for a presentation lunch,when the national winner will bedecided. Our best wishes go withTony and we will all keep ourfingers crossed for his furthersuccess at this prestigious event.

Two members of the 1972 Radyr Cricket Club Team. Colin Jones(left) past Chairman andnow Life Vice-president and Robert King (right) past secretary and now club Patron

Tony being presented with his ’Behind theScenes’ award

www.radyr.org.uk is…a photo-archive for our local community 21

ROTARY IN RADYROver the last few months we havehad a packed programme. In mid-July we were very fortunate to bevisited by District Governor BobLewis of Porthcawl Rotary Club. Hespoke to us very enthusiasticallyabout the year ahead and its themeof “Peace Through Service” andtalked of the importance ofincreasing the profile of rotary.

President Stephen has chosen tosupport this year and some of ourmembers have helped out atcollections held over the last coupleof months.

We are now on twitter! You canfollow us on @CardiffWestRota.

Upcoming meetings –

Tuesday, 2nd October “The Jubilee Sailing Trust”

August began with a fascinating talkfrom Dr. Ralph Vaughan about theintroduction of anaesthesia and theadvances that have occurred in the180 years since. Also in August wehad a talk from Rotarian ManselThomas on the land speed recordfrom the first record set in 1898 tothe latest in 1997.

At the beginning of September wehad a visit from Paul Godding, aformer maths teacher who nowdevises board games and puzzles tohelp improve numeracy in children.As well as holding workshops inschools Paul has a puzzle atTechniquest that has proved verypopular. He also has his own websitewww.7puzzleblog.com which posts adaily maths puzzle. During anenjoyable evening he challenged usto a number of games which broughtout the competitive side in somemembers!

We were also very lucky to haveRebecca Parke from MacmillanCancer Care come to talk to us inSeptember. She highlighted to ushow important Macmillan is to thosewith a cancer diagnosis as theysupport patients throughout theirwhole journey. They provideessential support in ways that areoften neglected such as financial andbenefits advice and dietary advice.Macmillan is one of the charities that

Tuesday, 9th OctoberDr. Andrew Richardson

“The History of Cardiff Castle”

Tuesday, 23rd OctoberGlyn Evans

“The Work of The Health & SafetyExecutive”

Tuesday, 6th NovemberPhilip Pinder

“The Royal Society for theProtection of Birds”

In November, we will be holding a quiz to raise money for charityso here’s a quick teaser.

What do the following test abbreviations stand for?

1. LOL 6. TTYL

2. ROFL 7. FE

3. BRB 8. BTW

4. AFK 9. BYOB

5. GTG 10. IRL

Details are on our website www.cardiffwestrotaryclub.wordpress.com as areour other club evenings or you can email sec.cardiffwestrotary@gmail.com

for further details.Answers – 1. Laugh out Loud. 2. Rolling on floor laughing. 3. Be right back 4. Awayfrom keyboard 5. Got to go 6. Talk to you later 7. Fair enough 8. By the way 9.Bring your own beer 10. In real life

New fun mums and toddler class coming to Radyr in October!Occupational Therapist and founder of Discotots, ZoeJefferies, has developed a unique music and movementprogramme for preschoolers, with an upbeat andcontemporary twist! Discotots offers fun learningthrough funky action songs, dancing, musical gamesand exciting props! It’s also a chance to have a boogie in a friendly, relaxedenvironment with disco lights and bubbles, to feel good tracks that will evenhave the nans bopping! Zoe says ‘After having my son, I wanted to create aclass or an activity that would be just as much fun for the mums(and dads, andgrandparents!), as it is for the tots.

What better way to start a bleak autumn morning, than in a fun-filled discosession?!’ Funky Discotots birthday parties also available(up to 10yrs).

For more details and to book a free taster session, contact: Zoe JefferiesT: 029 20 706502 M: 07970 626318W: www.disocotots.com E: info@discotots

www.radyr.org.uk is…a window on our local history 23

There are few places in Waleswhere the marriage of cultural,historical and environmentalvalues has been so fulfilled asat Dinefwr Park and Castle byLlandeilo in Carmarthenshire.

Dinefwr Park covers over 338hectares (811 acres) and consists ofrolling ancient grassland and wood-pasture, wetlands and woodlands.Parts of the park are a remnant ofmedieval woodland featuring manyancient trees at least 400 years old.And at its core, the wood pasture isdominated by nearly 300 huge oaktrees, including some of the oldestand largest trees in the UK – one isthought to be over 700 years old!

The park was in the ownership ofthe Rice/Rhys family forapproximately 500 years until the1970s. Part was sold for farmingand significant pieces of woodlandwere acquired by The Wildlife TrustSouth and West Wales. The deerpark remained in the ownership ofLord Dynevor until 1987 when itwas bought by the National Trust(NT) which went on to acquire theouter park an wet meadows. Thehouse came into the Trustownership in 1990, followed by theEast Drive. Home Farm wasacquired in 2005 and InnerCourtyard in 2006.

There are many sides to the park.Dinefwr is also of exceptionalsignificance for its archaeology,designed landscape and buildings.The present day landscape was setout by George Rice and his wifeCecil with some assistance fromLancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in thesecond half of the eighteenthcentury. It has been widely admiredever since with impressionsrecorded by means of painting,sketching and the written word – iteven appeared on a dinner plate,part of a service commissioned byCatherine the Great. Today, it is

A DAY OUT…

Dinefwr Parkwidely acknowledged to be one ofthe finest designed landscapes inthe UK. At the centre of this isNewton House. Originallyconstructed in the seventeenthcentury to a simple but elegantdesign, it was encased in limestoneto a Venetian-gothic design in the1850s. Silhouetted against thesouthern sky are the ruins ofDinefwr Castle, once occupied bythe Lord Rhys, one of the mostinfluential of the Welsh princes.

Dinefwr’s ancient trees, importantin their own right, are host to aremarkable assemblage of wooddecay invertebrates including 400saproxylic (dead wood) beetlespecies, 26 of which are NationallyScarce. More than 160 species oflichen have been recorded in thepark, several of which indicate along history of ecological continuityand one, Collema Fragrans is a RedData Book species.

Archaeological survey has revealedevidence of earlier landscapes,including the defensive structures ofan Iron Age fort and mostremarkable of all, two overlappingRoman forts. Faint earthworksmark the outlines of tracks and fieldboundaries that pre-date theconstruction of the deer park in themiddle of the seventeenth century.

However, despite extensiveinvestigation, nothing has beenfound of the two towns, Dinefwrand Newton, which documentaryaccounts describe. The parkboundaries include two ScheduleAncient Monuments and fourteenlisted buildings. The site is aRegistered Park and Garden (GradeI) and a Registered Landscape ofOutstanding Historical Importance.

After exploring Dinefwr the town ofLlandeilo has several cafes andhotels and interesting small shops todiscover.

The Church of St. Teilo has afascinating exhibition of the St. TeiloGospel, the original of which arekept at Lichfield Cathedral.

Have a good day out. Dinefwr is aNational Trust property.