News

Taffs Well Quarry Open Day June 10 2009 invitation.

On Tuesday, 28th April Cardiff Council installed the first of 15 new hanging baskets that are bound to make Station Road, Radyr a talking point in the whole of Cardiff.

Following on from the Neighbouhood Renewal Scheme that upgraded the shopping area in 2007, we were asked whether we would like some hanging baskets installed as well. The standard baskets used in the City and elsewhere were unsuitable for the geography of the buildings in Station Road so it was suggested we might design something unique for the area.

Step forward our local artist, Keith John. He said he could design a series of 3-D models, each depicting a creature from the Taff Trail. Mark Tozer of the Council’s Parks Services agreed; the shopkeepers liked the idea as well. It has taken a while to get the design principles sorted out but the first one is here. Others will follow in time, namely a kingfisher, rook, swift, cormorant, magpie, goldfinch, owl, mallard, buzzard, fox, salmon, badger, bat, squirrel and rabbit!

Manufacture and installation is being organised by the Council Parks Service, but Keith will be individually painting every one. The Council will also be installing an automatic watering system for most of the baskets and ensure they are tested regularly for safety.

The first one is on view above the new greengrocers, who has provided the contents of the hanging basket. Come and have a look at it – and watch out for new creatures as they appear.

At the AGM of the R&M Association on 20th April, Cyril Williams was elected as the new chairman. Nick Hawkins, who had been acting chairman since the sudden death of Garry Newbould (the former chairman), in January, resumed his post as vice-chairman. Other members of the Association Executive remained the same. (See the association website for details).

Cyril Williams said he was delighted to be elected chairman and was looking forward to taking an active role in the forthcoming May Festival.

That ever resourceful Swansea company Fluellen, brings the Neil Simon’s classic American comedy THE ODD COUPLE to the Radyr and Morganstown Festival on Wednesday 6th May at 7.30.

Fluellen are the resident company at Swansea’s Grand Theatre and will have performed the Odd Couple at the Grand before going out on tour. The Odd Couple stars Kevin Johns as Oscar and Adrian Metcalfe as Felix.

Divorced from his wife, Oscar consoles himself by living in the happy-go-lucky chaos with which he thrives. In the middle of one of his boozy weekly poker sessions comes Felix, separated from his wife and – so he says – suicidal. Oscar, feeling sorry for him, invites him to stay. But Felix`s fastidiousness is soon at odds with Oscar`s natural slobishness and all comic hell is let loose.

Fluellen appear both on the main stage and in the Arts Wing at the Grand Theatre, and Arts Wing productions are in the round. This is an opportunity to get really close to the action.

The Odd Couple is at Morganstown Village Hall on Wednesday, 6th May at 7.30. For information and tickets ( £8, £7, and £4) phone 2084 2561 and 2084 3176.

Radyr and Morganstown Women’s Institute have been an integral part of village life for over 50 years and it is to mark our 50th Anniversary that we aim to contribute a substantial sum of money to help with the redevelopment of the Dan-y-Bryn Cheshire Home. To this end we are holding a Spring Market on Saturday, 4th April, 2009 at the Old Church Rooms. The event will be opened at 11am by the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales, Mr Rhodri Morgan.

We are in the process of organising a considerable range of stalls and activities which will include HOME MADE CAKES, HOMEMADE PRODUCE, PLANTS, BOOKS, FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS, BRIC A BRAC, CRAFTS, TOYS, BOTTLE STALL, SCARF STALL AND RAFFLE. In addition we are arranging various activities for children such as decorating Easter Eggs and making Easter Bonnets.

We shall also be selling food to be consumed e.g. bacon rolls, sandwiches and cakes, plus teas, coffees and cold drinks will also be available.

The success of this venture naturally depends on the efforts of the members of the Institute, who, at this very moment, are busily preparing items for the many stalls but we also need lots of customers to attend the Market and spend their money! We therefore ask you to tell your family and friends that this event is one NOT to be missed and we invite you all to join us on Saturday, 4th April at 11am at the Old Church Rooms. You will not be disappointed and we promise you all a few hours of fun whilst making a worthwhile and lasting contribution to the Dan-y-Bryn Cheshire Home. We are relying on your generosity to make this a successful and profitable venture.

SEE YOU ON 4TH APRIL!

Each Saturday morning a large group of children and adults have been meeting to learn and make costumes made out of recycled materials. The Workshop is free to children who wish to learn, make and take part in the Carnival Parade taking place on Saturday 2nd May as part of the Festival celebrations.

The Parade will be lead by a drum band, dance group and others dressed in costumes depicting Mabanogion – Myths and Legends. Come and join us at 10am at the Old Church Rooms, Park Road, Radyr each Saturday morning for creating costumes, dance and drumming.

We had 12 girls who attended the auditions for Festival Queen this year. The photo to the right shows the 12 applicants.

The Festival Queen has been appointed along with her attendants. This will be announced in the Festival Programme.

The RPMG are performing one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular operettas, the Mikado, at the Bishop of Llandaff High School, Rookwood Close from Wednesday 18th to Saturday 21st February starting at 7:30 pm. Tickets ( £7.50, Concessions £6.50) are still available from Sue Thomas 2031 0894 or Maggie Roberts 2084 2995.

This is a performance not to be missed – whether or not you think you like G&S. This is a display of local talent – young and old – at its best and you are guaranteed to come away with a smile and humming some of the tunes. The Bishop of Llandaff High School is an excellent venue with good parking and access. There is also a licensed bar!

We are delighted to welcome Alan and Mary, who today opened a new greengrocers and delicatessen in Station Road. They have taken over the shop previously occupied by Blush.

A new greengrocer is a welcome addition to our local shops. We have been without a fully equipped one since the closure of Maldwyn’s some time ago. In the recent Village Plan questionnaire, which achieved a 32% response rate, ‘new greengrocer’ was the highest rated request for new facilities.

So we wish Alan and Mary all success in their enterprise. Go and see what they have on offer. Interestingly, they have put up a board on which anyone can write what they would like them to stock in future. Give them a challenge.

R&M Association members were saddened to hear today, Tuesday 20th January, that our Chairman, Garry Newbould died today. Garry has been involved in the community over many years and will be sadly missed by friends and colleagues Garry’s funeral will take place at 2pm at Christ church followed by a family cremation service on Friday 30th January.

Many residents of Radyr and Morganstown (and people who travel from further afield) faced disruption and inconvenience in November when a major water main burst in Heol Isaf near the Comprehensive School. A picture (right) is taken at the height of the flooding.

I would like to say thank you to all residents who responded to the questionnaires sent out recently. We had a magnificent response with replies, to date, from 756 households. That is almost 32% of the properties in Radyr and Morganstown and far more than anyone could have expected. We also had 118 responses to the separate youth questionnaire.

Once data collection is completed analysis will begin and with the first results due some time in December. These will cover the questions where boxes were marked; results of the questions with comments will come later.

The Steering Group will meet in early December and decide the best way to feed results back to you. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the Steering Group for their hard work in putting together the questionnaires. These were, from the Community Council: Rachel Granger, Margaret Lloyd, Helena Fox and myself; from the RMA: Nick Hawkins, Kieran Webster and Elizabeth Fraser; and both our previous and current County Councillors: Marion Drake and Rod McKerlich.

I would like to remind you that the questionnaires are part of a bigger process. Ultimately, the results will be used to help us to produce our Village Plan.

Once again thank you to all those who have participated. The number of replies show how keenly interested you all are in the future of Radyr and Morganstown. Once we have received the results we will let you know how we intend to provide feedback to you. Watch this space!

The Radyr and Morganstown Community Council published a local map this summer. It was distributed to every household as an insert to the Radyr Chain. This map has now been made available here on-line.

Map of R&M 2008

As a PDF file you can zoom in to reveal all the detail on the original printed version. If you can’t get it to work or you need more information on how to get the latest reader, please see the Radyr Chain page.

“Dom on the Case of Cars” is a new series for BBC ONE daytime presented by Dominic Littlewood, looking at the highs and lows of British motoring. As part of the programme we are looking to find a village (or area in a village) who would be willing to take up the challenge of going car-free for five days. The BBC will then follow their progress over the course of the five days to see how difficult or easy residents find it to live car-free.

Unfortunately there is quite a quick turn around on this project (the programme is due to be aired on BBC ONE at the start of February) and so we would be looking to film the five day period from Saturday 22nd November – Wednesday 26th. Dominic Littlewood will obviously be very involved in the project, and he will come along during filming to see how the residents are progressing throughout the week.

We thought that Radyr would make a good location for the project as whilst it is away from the city centre, it is also near enough to not be too cut off or without other transport links. (also with the programme being made from BBC Wales, it works well to use a local village and promote Wales in a national programme!)

Volunteers required ! If interested ring Helena Fox on 2084 2213 or email clerk@radyr.org.uk

Heol Isaf will be closed to vehicular traffic in both directions in the vicinity of Radyr Comprehensive until Tuesday evening at the earliest. It is possible that the closure will last until Wednesday. The cause is a burst 24 inch water main which washed a big chunk of Heol Isaf away in the early hours of Sunday. Many homes were without water and Welsh Water employees are working to restore supply.

Radyr Comp will be closed until Thursday.

Heol Isaf and Golf Club Lane are likely to be closed for most of the current week. The police have placed a notice at the South end of Golf Club Lane preventing access into the village.

Buses are running from Radyr. Please see the notices placed at bus stops or click Radyr Bus Diversion or go to the Cardiff Bus Website

Update Weds:

Radyr Comprehensive School will be closed to both staff and students for the remainder of this week (up to and including Friday 7 November). The reason for closure is a burst water main on Heol Isaf. This means that, although a water supply has now been restored, a substantial part of Heol Isaf will remain closed with no pedestrian or vehicular access until at least Sunday 9 November. Following consultation with officers from Cardiffs Education and Highways departments, we are advised that, in these circumstances, risks to the health and safety of students, staff and the local community are significant and that it would be unwise to open the school until full access is restored.

The situation will be reviewed on Friday and again during the weekend if necessary in the hope that the school can be reopened on Monday 10 November. A decision about Monday opening will be made as soon as the developing situation becomes clearer. This decision will be notified as soon as possible via the school web-site and local radio stations.

On Wednesday Rod McKerlich said: I am advised that present plan is that Heol Isaf will reopen on Sunday afternoon and I will have an accurate estimate after a further meeting tomorrow.

Update Friday:

The road surface is being applied today and tomorrow (Saturday); lines will be replaced on Sunday and the road will reopen on Sunday afternoon. Only very heavy rain might delay this.

Update Sunday:

Heol Isaf is now open to traffic, but it may take a while for the Diversion signs to be recovered.

The time has finally arrived. After many months of preparation by the steering group, every house in Radyr and Morganstown should receive a copy of a questionnaire through your letter box in the next few days. This is your chance to express your views about the area you live in and help us to decide what we would like the area to look like in the future.

There will also be a copy of a young person’s questionnaire. If you need further copies of this they can be downloaded from this website.

The analysis from these two questionnaires will provide most of the information which will be used to produce the final Village Plan.

Please fill them in. It is your chance to have a say in the future of the area.

David Silver Chair of Radyr and Morganstown Community Council

Youth Questionnaire in English

This season’s wild salmon and sea trout run has started at Radyr Weir. The fish are jumping on their journey back to their spawning streams near the Beacons … the the Grey Herons and Cormorants are waiting for their chance to fatten up for the winter! Don’t miss one of our wildlife wonders.

The salmon ladder on the Taff Trail side helps the fish to pass the weir and you can sometimes see fish entering it.

Gareth Ritter, musical director of the City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) Brass Band, was faced with a dilemma when the Band’s principal Soprano Cornet player announced that he could not take part in the National Brass Band Championships at Harrogate last Saturday, due commitments with the WNO Orchestra. So he called on 11 years old protégée Alexander Rees to fill the void. This was a tremendous responsibility, as the Soprano Cornet not only plays all the highest notes, it also has a number of very exposed entries and solo passages. But he needn’t have lost any sleep over the matter, for Alexander turned in a flawless performance in helping the Band to a creditable Third Place, only three point behind the winners! Gareth said “This was a massive call for such a young player, but he was great! He rose to the occasion and played his part with a maturity well beyond his years and both adjudicators made special mention of his playing. In fact, the whole Band turned in a first class performance and I am proud that we can now be regarded as the third best Band in our class in Great Britain. We intend to continue improving our performance and go on to yet greater things.”

In order to achieve their success, the Band was required compete against eighteen other bands, all of whom were either Champions or runners up from ten regions of the UK. The set test piece was “Suite for Brass” composed by John Rutter (as “Suite for Strings”) and arranged for brass by Sandy Smith.

Alexander is a pupil at Radyr Comprehensive School, and is a product of the City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) Training Band. Along with his brother, David, he has now graduated to the senior band and both have promising musical careers ahead of them. Players of any age are always made welcome and anyone interested in joining either of the bands should contact Chairman, Dave Howard, on (029) 20552231.

The Band competes again at Ammanford on Saturday 4th October and can be heard in concert at the re-opening of Wesley Methodist Church, Cowbridge Road, Cardiff, on Saturday 25th October, at 7.30pm.

The Future Development of Cardiff. Saturday 18th October 2008, 10am to 4pm County Hall, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff.

A one-day conference jointly organised by Cardiff Civic Society, Radyr & Morganstown Association, Penarth Society, Llandaff Society & Rhiwbina Society. Supported by the Civic Trust for Wales.

The R&M Association is delighted to have had the opportunity to join forces with the other Cardiff Civic Societies and the Civic Trust for Wales in organising a significant conference which will explore the developing plans for the future of Cardiff. In the morning session three speakers (Stuart Williams, Strategic Planning Group Leader, Cardiff County Council, John Punter, Professor of Urban Design at Cardiff University, and Sue Essex, Planner and former Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government) will outline the planning process and the present state of play. John Punter and Sue Essex can be expected to provide considerable comment on and insight into the plans.

During the afternoon there will be group discussions to give everyone a chance to have their say on the issues covered by the speakers. A conference report will be produced summarising the discussions, which it is hoped will make a valuable contribution to Cardiff’s Local Development Plan process.

If you are at all interested in or worried about what is happening in Cardiff, and/or wish to know how the City’s plans may affect our local community, then this is not to be missed.

For further details and booking contact the Secretary of the R&MA, Elizabeth Fraser (secretary@rma.radyr.org.uk), 28 Junction Terrace, Radyr, CF15 8ED, 029 2084 4403. R&MA members (which local residents can join at no charge) can book places at £10 per person, which includes refreshments on arrival and a buffet lunch. The cost for non-members/students is £20 each, and for paid staff representing public, private and voluntary sector organisations £50.

Demand for places is likely to be high so book early.

The Village Hall committee wanted a very special event to celebrate their 50th Birthday and this they manage to achieve by putting on a showcase concert to celebrate this wonderful occasion. It was master-minded by committee member Maggie Roberts and involved many of the regular organisations that hire the hall.

The Village Hall Chairman, Derek Bateman, welcomed some very special guests, including our local Cardiff County Councillor, Rod McKerlick, and the Chair of Radyr and Morganstown Community Council, David Silver. Other invited guests were Olive Samuels and Tommy Sutton, founder members of the Village Hall, and Cllr David Suthers and Marion Drake. Derek mentioned that holding a concert this evening was very appropriate as 50 years ago to this very day a concert was held in the evening to mark the opening of the Village Hall. Derek thanked the people who back in 1945 proposed the idea of a village hall. He also thanked the many people who, throughout the 50 years had worked so hard for the hall both on and off the committee. Derek said two people deserved a special mention, one was the late John Foley who worked quietly and tirelessly in many capacities for very many years. The other is Maggie Roberts who has been on the committee for twenty five years this year in several different roles.

Before the concert began, Maggie, who compered the first half of the show, invited Garry Newbould, Chair of R & M Association, to receive a cheque for £405.58, presented by some of the children of Nicola’s Dance School, being the proceeds of a concert they held in the Hall in June. Nicola has donated these proceeds to this year’s Festival Charity, Dan y Bryn Cheshire Home.

The hall was filled to capacity to see the Concert open with a selection of routines performed by dancers aged from 3 to 20, all pupils of Nicola’s Dance school. This was followed by a monologue and two hilarious sketches by members of the Drama Society, our chairman, Derek, having been roped into them. There was an amazing display by the Aikido group which brought gasps from the audience, a wonderful recital by a group from City of Cardiff (Melin Griffith) Brass Band and a demonstration by brave ladies all beginners, from Carol and Sarah’s Line Dancing Club, MVH’s newest user group.

During the interval, a draw took place for a bottle of Champagne, donated by Asda Stores, Coryton and won by a very happy member of the audience.

The second half of the concert featured the Radyr Parish Music Group, with Musical Director, Tessa Davies, accompanied by Leigh Bracegirdle and compered by Brian Willis. They performed music from the 1950’s with choral pieces, several solos and audience participation in the form of sing-a-longs, performed with gusto.

Morganstown Village Hall Committee would like to thank all participants, on or off the stage with a special thanks to Allan and Ben who ran the Bar as well as performing on stage. Thanks also to Chris Dale for his unexpected role as sound engineer.

WELL DONE ALL…A SPECTACULAR EVENING……HERE’S TO THE NEXT 50 YEARS!