News

Paratoi ar gyfer Eisteddfod 2018!

Mae’r Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yn dod i Gaerdydd yr haf nesaf – ac, fel sy’n digwydd bob tro, mae cymunedau lleol yn brysur yn codi arian i gefnogi’r digwyddiad. Gofynwyd i’r gymuned leol yn Radur a Phentrepoeth i godi £30,000 erbyn mis Awst nesaf ac, i wneud hynny, mae pwyllgor codi arian wedi ei sefydlu, i helpu trefnu ystod eang o ddigwyddiadau difyr. Os ydych am gymryd rhan, neu am ddysgu mwy, cysylltwch â ni drwy Cylchradurgarth@gmail.com.

Cadeirydd y Pwyllgor yw Huw Onllwyn Jones (sydd hefyd yn is-Gadeirydd Cyngor Cymuned Radur a Phentrepoeth). Gweddill yr aelodau yw Bet Davies, Angharad Lewis, Allan Cook, Beth Tame, Sioned Nash, Catrin Williams a Wendy Owen.

Rydym yn arbennig o awyddus i glywed gan bobl ifanc a gan siaradwyr Cymraeg a’r di-Gymraeg fel ei gilydd. Ar y llaw arall, os nad ydych yn gallu rhoi o’ch amser, mae croeso i chi gyfrannu at yr achos drwy fynd, trwy Google, at dudalen ‘Just Giving Eisteddfod Caerdydd‘ (ond cofiwch nodi ‘Radur a Phentrepoeth’ ynghyd â’ch enw, pan fyddwch yn gwneud eich rhodd).

Diolch!

Getting ready for the 2018 Eisteddfod!

The National Eisteddfod is coming to Cardiff next summer – and, as is always the case, local communities are busy fund-raising to support the event. The local community in Radyr and Morganstown has been asked to raise £30,000 by next August and, to do this, a fund-raising committee has been established to help arrange a wide range of fun and enjoyable events. If you want to take part, or just learn more, please contact us via Cylchradurgarth@gmail.com

The Committee’s Chair is Huw Onllwyn Jones (who is also Deputy Chair of Radyr and Morganstown Community Council). The other committee members are Bet Davies, Angharad Lewis, Allan Cook, Beth Tame, Sioned Nash, Catrin Williams and Wendy Owen.

We are particularly keen to hear from younger people and from Welsh-speakers and non Welsh-speakers alike. On the other hand, if you can’t give of your time, you are welcome to donate to this good cause by going, via Google, to the ‘Eisteddfod Caerdydd Just Giving’ page (but please note ‘Radyr and Morganstown’ along with your name, when you make a donation).

Thank you!

(29 September 1939 – 17 May 2017)

It is with great sadness that we record the sudden death of Rhodri Morgan on 17^th May aged 77.  Rhodri was the President of the Radyr & Morganstown Association and took great pride and interest in what we did and in the development of Radyr & Morganstown.

Born in Radyr, Rhodri was the son of a Welsh academic, Professor Thomas John Morgan, and was second cousin to Professor Garel Rhys, who sadly died in February this year.  He gave a talk to the R&M Association in November 2011 at which he dwelt on his early life.   Born in the first month of the Second World War, he lived for the first 21 years of his life in the house on Heol Isaf next to the Methodist Church (then the Wesleyan Chapel).  Radyr was much smaller then.  It was primarily a railway village, dominated by the huge sidings, and with significant social barriers both within the Radyr Community (the Golf Club did not allow members ‘who worked with their hands’; such people had to play at Creigiau Golf Course) and between Radyr and Morganstown.  He went to school at Radyr Primary in Park Road from 1944-50.  The majority of the children (66%) came from Morganstown and, in his first year, the class was dominated by evacuees.  His family was very much Welsh speaking.

He went on to Whitchurch Grammar School (now Whitchurch High School), then to St John’s College Oxford studying PPE, and finally to Harvard University, where he gained an MA in Government.

Rhodri became MP for Cardiff West in 1987 and, from 1988 to 1994, was a Shadow Environment Spokesman.  In February 2000 he was elected First Secretary for Wales and became First Minister on 16 October 2000 when the position was retitled.  He stepped down from the House of Commons at the 2001 General Election and retired from politics altogether at the Assembly elections in April 2011.

Never, ever lost for words, Rhodri was seemingly unchanged by high office.  Interested in everything and everyone, he could talk for hours with enthusiasm and great humour.  When talking to the Association he mentioned that he had been taught the piano by Helena Evans, but regretted he had not paid sufficient attention.  He was hoping to restart his lessons in his retirement.  He was always pleased to come back to Radyr to attend events – often, it must be said, looking somewhat dishevelled.  But that was his charming style; he cared little for the trappings of high office; he simply believed in trying to make the right things happen.

So we are sorry to have lost yet another of Radyr’s ‘famous people’.  Our condolences go to his widow, Julie, and the whole family.

Work is going well on our Boardwalk in Radyr Woods. Following two working parties of the Radyr Woods Wardens, the old Boardwalk has been dismantled and we are on the second day of a four day programme to replace the Boardwalk with help from Cardiff Conservation Volunteers.

Their schedule is such that they won’t be able to come back and finish it until June, so bear with us. July should see everything looking lovely again and a handsome new Boardwalk for us to enjoy. Thanks to all the volunteer teams who are making this transformation possible.

You can read more about Radyr Woods here, including how to get in contact.

Cadbury’s bunny was sighted today in Bryn Derwen handing out chocolate eggs to children.  This is part of an advertising campaign, shortly to appear on their Facebook page.

The Festival Queen and her attendants were selected at a busy audition this week.  Caitlin Jewitt was selected as the Queen and her attendants are

Pheobe Coombs

and Sharmeela Bragg.

All three will be joining the Festival Parade and will help to open the Fete on 29th April.  Caitlin will be officially crowned at the May Day Ceremony in Windsor Gardens on 1st May.  We wish them well in their busy year of office!

The City of Cardiff Council have sent a letter to Tongwynlais residents about the planned works. The construction has been programmed to start on the 20th February 2017, with an anticipated duration of three weeks.

The proposed improvement works to be undertaken include:

• The removal of the existing timber walkway and parapets.
• The reconstruction of a replacement pedestrian footway system, using GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) which will provide a more durable construction. The walkway will be widened from 0.9 to 1.5m and the parapets will be raised to 1.8m high adjacent to the water main, and 1.4m high to the northern face of the bridge.

The bridge was closed in March 2015 when damage to the walkway was spotted. Temporary repairs were made and a permanent solution was promised when money was available.

The official notice, which has contact details, is here if you have any questions.

This year’s R&M May Festival will include an ‘Open Gardens’ event on Sunday 7th May.  Would any resident who would like to ‘show off’ their garden to the public please contact Gill Evans on 07881 206745?  All monies raised will go to the R&M Association’s nominated charity, St John’s Ambulance Cymru.

Ideally, gardens should be within easy reach of the Old Church Rooms in Park Road but don’t let that put you off speaking to Gill.

Consultation results have shown public support for proposals to increase the size of Radyr Primary school. 

 

At the moment the school has a published capacity of 45 pupils in each year group, from Reception class to Year 6. But since 2012 the number of pupils starting there each September has exceeded that published figure, with the school and local authority having to use a combination of existing and temporary accommodation to cater for the extra numbers. 

The proposals being considered by Cabinet would provide the school with a long-term solution, putting in place permanent accommodation for up-to 420 pupils, 60 pupils in each year group, from September 2017.

The full press release from Cardiff County Council is available here.

Helen Lloyd Jones, Chair of the Environment Sub-Committee, R&M Community Council, writes:

Going for a walk this Christmas?  You should find that all public rights of way are open.  If you come across one that is barred or impassable, there are two ways of reporting it.  You can either send details to the County Council or you can use Pathwatch, the free app from the Ramblers’ Association.

The R&M map (link on the right-hand side of the home page of this website) shows many of the local paths, together with their official reference numbers.  Use these if you have an issue to report.

Pathwatch uses GPS on your smartphone so that your location is pinpointed if you call in from wherever you find an issue.

Finally, here’s a Report from the Community Council with footpath and cycle recommendations for R&M.

Have a wonderful time exploring our paths – we have some great walks in Radyr and Morganstown. Happy Christmas!

2nd December saw this year’s Christmas Lighting Event. It was attended by many hundreds of local people and lots of children.

The event started with the lighting of the two trees in Morganstown and Lychgate Gardens and was accompanied by carol singing by the children from Bryn Deri and Radyr Primary Schools. Everyone then joined together in Windsor Gardens to light the tree and sing some more carols.

The lights in Station Road were then switched on by St John Bertie Badger and the Festival Queen and her attendant. Santa then appeared and was immediately swamped by young children. Mulled Wine was flowing freely and Burgers and Hot Dogs were eaten by many. This year there were 16 stalls and people had a chance to purchase some gifts and enter raffles.

Many thanks go to the hard working organisers for putting the event on for the community.

The Sunday Times annual list of top performing schools has placed Radyr Comprehensive School third place in Wales.

Results are strong with 67% of entries attaining A* to B at A level, whilst at GCSE 32.1% of entries gained A* or A grades.

PACT MEETING

Notes of the November PACT meeting are posted on the PACT page.

Sunday morning’s Remembrance event was held at the War Memorial where wreaths were laid, followed by a service at Christ Church and a review parade of participants. This year there were even more youngsters than ever with wreaths laid by many local organisations from R&M. With the number of children involved the event seems very secure for the future.

Remembrance Day 2016

View this gallery on Flickr

There is a current consultation on expanding Radyr Primary School to become 2-form entry. The birth-rate in Radyr and Morganstown, for the last three years, has demanded about 90 places in the reception classes of the two local schools. This is a huge increase since 2006 when I became a governor at Radyr Primary, when the catchment areas only demanded 40 to  50 of the available 75 places. For the last four years Radyr Primary has been allowed to accept an intake of 60 rather than 45; the purpose of the consultation is to make this a permanent intake. If the consultation  does not result in the proposals being carried, this will impact severely on 30 pupils and their parents in September 2017, and increased numbers will suffer disruption as the enforced lower intake runs through the school.

To access the consutation doucment, click here.  (You have to go the bottom of the page to start  the survey.)  Note that responses must be returned by 21st November.

The pdfs below (in English and in Welsh) show the full case which is supported by me as local County Councillor and by the Community Council,

Rod McKerlich.

english-radyr-prim

welsh-radyr-prim

The hay on the Morganstown Motte site was cut by Cardiff Council last week. Until it is cut again in September next year it will be managed as a wildflower site.

The growth on the mound will be cut back once the leaves have fallen, but the management strategy is to keep the growth as saplings. These saplings will not be allowed to grow into trees because the tree roots could damage the stonework from the Norman building.  The mound is steep and not really safe to climb, so it is better to have saplings there than grass. This also preserves another habitat for wildlife.

Allan Cook, on behalf of the Friends of Morganstown Motte, thanks everyone involved in this work, and especially Cardiff Council for their valued help.

PS: volunteers will be needed in September 2017 to help with the raking!

Thriller play’s first performance in Wales!

Would you have believed that the lady author of ‘The Railway Children’ would have a penchant for the darker side? Well she certainly had. The less well-known part of Edith Nesbit’s writings were rather more for adults, and often of the ghost story/lesser horror genre. This aspect of her work is the subject of  Radyr Drama Society’s next production, being performed at Morganstown Village Hall, Cardiff, on 24^th/25^th and 26^th of November.  (Tickets available from Gill Evans (2084 2432); Ener chi in Station Road, Radyr; and ticketsource at £10, £9 (concessions) and £7 (students).

Created by script-writer and playwright Philip Meeks, this relatively new piece of work for theatre was first performed at Harrogate in 2013, and subsequently at the Edinburgh Festival in 2015.

The author has invited an unknown young male admirer of her work up to her attic writing room, in order to escape her husband’s Christmas Eve party. Aided and abetted by her housekeeper and companion Biddy Thricefold , Edith embarks on a number of readings from her ghostly tales for adults. Each member of the trio takes turns in reading in the dialogue of characters in the stories. All this takes place, while an unseen young female party guest, who earlier fainted, is recovering in an adjacent bedroom.

From time to time between stories, the young male guest’s identity is briefly questioned, but with no clear answer forthcoming as to who he is. As the tension mounts, an awful truth comes to light, and the identities of the young woman in the adjacent room, and of Edith’s young male admirer, are revealed in a dramatic and unexpected ending.

As well as such recent successes as ‘The Sunshine Boys’ and ‘Barefoot in the Park’, Radyr Drama Society aims also to be innovative in presenting some newer material. ‘Edith in the Dark’ is very much in that category, and is certainly a play not to be missed.

(You can read more about Edith Nesbit’s ‘darker side’ in a recent Guardian article – see here.)

Radyr Comprehensive School has issued the following press release about this year’s A-level results:

PRESS RELEASE 

Provisional A Level Results 2016 

Congratulations to our year 13 for achieving an outstanding set of A Level results. 

28% of our students achieved at least 3 A grades. 

Our overall provisional percentage figures are as follows: 

 A*A % – 47 %

 A*B % – 67 %

 A*C % – 86 %

 A*D % – 94 % 

 A*E % – 99 % 

We wish the students all the very best as they embark on the next chapter in their lives. 

On Saturday 23^rd July, Danybryn residents, families and friends enjoyed the fine weather at their fete and raised £600 towards a replacement vehicle.

Derek Bateman, Volunteer Co-ordinator at Danybryn Leonard Cheshire Disability, expressed his thanks to all those who helped and supported the splendid event.

A £2.6m project which uses the power of the River Taff in Cardiff to generate electricity is set to open.

The Radyr Weir hydro scheme uses the current to rotate two turbines and it is estimated it will generate enough electricity to power 550 homes.

When the system starts running on Tuesday, the section of the Taff Trail which was closed to allow work to happen will reopen.

Its design still allows migratory fish to swim upriver and spawn.

Ramesh Patel, Cardiff council’s cabinet member for transport, planning and sustainability, said: “It gives me an enormous amount of pleasure and indeed pride to open this scheme which is a permanent reminder of the council’s commitment to generate and invest in clean, locally-generated energy.”

(BBC NEWS)