Workdays
There have been about 20 volunteers turning out over recent
workdays, including students from the University and Welsh Baccalaureate pupils
aiming to complete their 30 hours Community Service.
Cutting back undergrowth has been one of the major tasks
after the plant growth towards the end of 2015. It’s also worthwhile to note
that the November and December workdays were dry!
In October, the wild flower area in Rhydyblewin Farm was
extended and more seeds from Grow Wild ( free native Welsh wild flower seeds
from Kew Gardens, funded by the National Lottery) were scattered. Another
application has been made for a further 100 packets for this Spring, to be
shared between us and local schools.
In November to
describe underfoot as “Boggy” was an understatement – Woods Covert had areas
which were under water. The drains were dug out to allow the water to run off a
little better. In December a group cleared drains that run underneath the path
through Boggy Meadow but Nant Fawr paths will still be an area best tackled in
wellies, especially in the aftermath of the January deluge
By December we were easy to spot in our fetching tabards.
Trees were cut back in Top meadow and overgrowth in Rhydypenau meadow was cut
back ready for planting the orchards in January.
The final task of the morning was to meet for our mince
pies, stollen, biscuits and mulled wine, and to thank Kevin for all the work he
does on our behalf.
Work on the following dates may be altered but are planned
as follows:
- 24th January meet at Rhydyblewin Farm - Start installation of park bench, continuation of wildflower area and removal of scrub from the meadow
- 28th February meet at Heol Esgyn – Removal of scrub from the gabion at the entrance from Rhydypenau Road, clearing vegetation growing over path
- 20th March (i.e. not 27th – Easter Sunday) meet at Reservoir Car Park – Putting fresh bark on to Cliffs path and preparation of the ground for the planting of the butterfly meadow
- 24th April meet at Reservoir Car Park – alder matting for the explorer posts near the seasonal pond and continuation of putting fresh bark on to Cliff’s path
School links
We continue to work closely with 7 local schools: Cardiff
and Llanishen High schools, Coed Glas, Lakeside, Rhydypenau, Ton yr
Ywen,and Ysgol y Berllan Deg Junior
schools
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Llanishen High School
November 25th 2015 saw the first joint venture of the new
school year as Llanishen HS Ecogroup ventured out to clear the area around the
Jubilee Woods planted up next to Rhydyblewin meadow.
They had taken possession of the new tools funded by KWT (courtesy of the plastic bag payment scheme) and these were put to good use. As usual, a big thank you to Derek and Mary for their dependable support.
They had taken possession of the new tools funded by KWT (courtesy of the plastic bag payment scheme) and these were put to good use. As usual, a big thank you to Derek and Mary for their dependable support.
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Cardiff High School
Tuesday 6th October saw two groups of pupils from Cardiff
High School joining Kevin (our Ranger) and some Friends volunteers (many thanks
to those who helped), venturing out into the meadows and trees next to the
school.
A group of Y10 and 11 pupils had been building bird
boxes and these were installed ready for potential occupancy next spring.
Younger pupils tackled the overgrowth of the trees planted
for the Jubilee in 2012.
These fruit and nut trees have grown well and are becoming
established. They form part of the plans to maintain and improve biodiversity
in the area and we are delighted that the school are working with us on these
projects.
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More
trees
Friday 22nd –
we take delivery of 50 trees (10 x Rowan, 10 x Bird Cherry, 10 x Field Maple,
10 x Crab Apple and 10 x Cherry Plum).These are provided free by The
Conservation Volunteers (TCV) organisation.
Most are going to the 7 local schools that we work with, and a few will
go into the Nant Fawr area
KWT (Keep Wales
Tidy) grants
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Orchards
We have been working with Llanishen High school who were
successful in their bid for a £500 grant to establish orchards in the Nant Fawr
area. The fruit can be picked by the local community but it is also an
important conservation project as all the trees planted this January are old
native Welsh species. These will be planted at the end of January.
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Pollinators
We are starting to organise the Pollinator area project for
March/April and would welcome any plant donations you would care to make. The 5
local junior schools will be growing some of their own plants from seeds and I
could donate any you could provide – if they are growing in your gardens the
likelihood is that they will grow in Rhydypennau Park. Any plants you would
like to donate could be brought on the planting days.
Other News
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Rhydypenau Primary school have booked their
second Big Schools Birdwatch Session with the RSPB on the 22nd of
January. The Birdwatch is initially in the school and then in Nant Fawr area
nearby and volunteers from the Friends will be on hand.
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Bird populations are a great indicator of the
health of the countryside. The RSPB is carrying out a Survey, Big Garden
Birdwatch, to keep an eye on the ups and downs of the wildlife where we live.
All you need to do is spend an hour over the weekend of 30th-31st January
counting the birds in your garden. It's that simple!
Membership
We would like to update our membership records, especially
email addresses. Could you please contact us with your current email address,
or your full home address and post code if you don’t have one. We shall
endeavour to ensure all newsletters and communications will be delivered to all
members unless you indicate that you no longer wish to receive them.
From now on, we shall send our renewal information in June
for payment by the end of September. The membership year will therefore run
from October 1st. We hope to be able to provide Paypal and direct
debit/standing order facilities by this Autumn. We hope that you will continue
to support us as we continue to maintain and improve the Nant Fawr area,
especially in light of Council cut backs.
For any queries re membership, please contact Jon Marsh via nantfawrcommunity@gmail.com
HELP!
We are hoping to replace old notice boards, and put in a few
extra ones, this year. We are going to apply for grants but could do with some
advice from a graphic designer. If you (or anyone you know) could be in a
position to help us, please contact us via nantfawrcommunity@gmail.com