Whitchurch and Llandaff Living Issue 33 by Whitchurch and Llandaff Living

WHITCHURCH AND LLANDAFF

Living

Issue 33 May/June 2015

HISTORY REVEALED: Discover the past on your doorstep

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Welcome Croeso

contents 3 News 5 Letters in Flats 8 Stumbling y News 13 Communit n 14 Competitioealed 16 History Rev ns 25 Pet Questio 26 Gardening 29 Deals ith 31 Interview w Mary Black

We all love a bit of sunshine and over the last few weeks, we’ve been getting it in bucket loads. Okay, so it’s not exactly been tropical, but it’s getting there. The one problem with sunny weather is that is shows up all the dirty windows and dust in the house. Several weeks ago, I caught a window cleaner in the street and asked him how much GAZINES A M R U O O it would be to clean our windows. We agreed on T E IB SUBSCR ELIVERED D the price and I paid him in advance, pointing out M E H T E V A H AND my house and hoping to come back to gleaming HE UK ANYWHERE IN T windows. w offering Sadly, when I returned from the wedding I’d unce that we are no no an to ed ht lig de been at all day, mine were still as dirty as they were We are to Whitchurch when I left. Worse still, next door’s windows looked yearly subscriptions . spotless. and Llandaff Living ar, we will send ye r pe For just £9.99 Anyway. What have we got for you this month? to any UK address. Well, we’ve been delighted to speak to Whitchurch one copy per issue g to loved ones It’s ideal for sendin author Barbara A. Stensland. Barbara has recently still like to keep in who live away but published her critically-acclaimed blog as a book. touch with home. Find out what all the hype is about on page 8. es of We publish five issu ff Living each On page 13, we’ve got a roundup of local anda Whitchurch and Ll copy as soon community news and on page 14, we’ve got a great ta year. We’ll send ou rop us a line at competition to win tickets to this year’s Welsh D d. te ils. as they are prin Proms. o.uk for more deta s.c ag gm in liv r@ edito Page 16 will give you some local history that you might not know about and on page 21, we hear from Neighbourhood Watch’s Bill Farnham. Heath Vets’ Chris Troughton answers your pet questions on page 25 and on page 26, columnist Kevin Revell puts forward the argument for more trees in North Cardiff. ardiff ad, Rhiwbina, C Ro h c a We were also honoured to speak to legendary Irish tb n Pa 2 A: 22 singer Mary Black, who visits Cardiff this month. She CF14 6AG / 07974 022920 reminisces about her successful career as she hits the T: 07772 081775 ags.co.uk m road for one last time. E: editor@living ags.co.uk m g Hopefully, the next time you pick up an issue of W: www.livin publisher of the contents, the ing Whitchurch and Llandaff Living, we’ll all be enjoying e the accuracyfor any way arisrigh sur in r en tte to ma de y ma an t en s be s, or contact any. copy ors or omission to err While every effortanha de for ty ma bili en nsi the heady heights of summer. be po s res on ha ati ort eff blic pt y ry pu l Eve ica ial. olit ter ap cannot acce ma blication ofdthis is an independent, from the puitch an Llandaff Living Oh. And don’t forget to support all our wonderful e for holders. Wh urch d copy deadlin n a g n ki o o b g advertisers who make your magazines possible. Advertisin 26th June 2015. Patric and Danielle (editors) Issue 34 - Friday 2015. ion date - July es a year. Issue 34 publicat 2 published 5 tim Llandaff Living is Whitchurch and

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LLANDAFF SOLICITOR FIRM CLOSED DOWN It has been reported that Llandaff law firm Temple Law Solicitors has been closed with immediate effect following intervention by the Solicitors Regulating Authority

LLANDAFF FIELDS TO ‘GROW WILD’

Llandaff Fields are set to become part of a ‘pollinator project’, designed to encourage biodiversity and protect important wildlife across the city. The park is one of sixteen open spaces that have been chosen for the project, which will be left to ‘grow wild’. The fields are home to wildflower species that need protecting, and that means that the fields will only be mown once a year. Cardiff council’s cabinet member for environment, councillor Bob Derbyshire, said pollinators such as bees and butterflies have been in decline in recent years. He said: “These pollinators are a familiar part of our warm summer days but more importantly they play a key role in our food supply chain. “If their numbers continue to decrease then it could have potentially serious consequences.” The other areas chosen are Fairwater Park, Hendre Lake, Glastonbury Terrace, Colwinstone Road, Westfield Park, Sanatorium Road, Wiggins Teape, Drope Open Space, Melfa Banks, Pant Glas, Youghal Close, Central Park, Trelai Park, Parc Coed Y Nant and Wern Goch.

news

LOCAL SCHOOLS SCORE TOP MARKS

Newly-built Whitchurch Primary School has passed its first ever inspection report. Whitchurch Primary School, which was recently opened by football superstar Gareth Bale, was formed in 2012 following the amalgamation of Eglwys Newydd with Eglwys Wen. The new school was originally met with opposition. Campaigners had challenged the Welsh Government’s decision to allow Cardiff Council to redevelop the primary provision in the High Court. Estyn praised the school’s ‘calm and purposeful atmosphere’, adding that ‘teachers plan interesting lessons and most pupils make good progress as they move through the school.’ The school’s ‘double good’ inspection report marks an important step in its development. Howell’s School in Llandaff has also been highly praised in their latest Estyn report. The education and training inspectorate for Wales reported

that: “Across the school, teaching is of a consistently high quality, building successfully on pupils’ earlier learning and preparing them particularly well for the next stage of their learning. “The school’s nurturing ethos, and its rigorous approach to health and safety and safeguarding pupils, helps them to become mature, self-assured and responsible contributors to society.” Principal Sally Davis told Living Magazines: “I am absolutely delighted that Howell’s has received such an excellent report from Estyn following February’s inspection. It could not have been achieved without the exceptional work and commitment of all of our staff, parents and students and I am enormously grateful to them all.” Watchdog Estyn also said that Thornhill Primary School has made “good progress” since its last full inspection in January 2014.

TRIBUTES PAID TO JOHN HICKEY

Cardiff Blues remembered John, saying: “He played a total of 218 games with the club up until the 1974/75 campaign, scoring 17 tries and was club captain in 1970/71. John will be missed by all and our thoughts go out to his family at this sad time.”

Tributes were paid last month to former Llandaff Youth and Cardiff RFC legend John Hickey, who died after a long illness.

news

LLANDAFF VOTED ONE OF BEST PLACES TO LIVE IN THE UK

Llandaff has recently been named as one of the best urban places to live in the UK. Featured in the Sunday Times Best Places to Live Guide, Llandaff was picked based on local schools, transport link, local amenities and crime rates. Resident Sarah Morgan, who has lived in the village for the last seven years, told Living Magazines: “I’m not surprised to hear this news. Llandaff is a wonderful place to live. It’s big enough to home some of the UK’s most recognisable landmarks yet

it’s still small enough to be considered cosy and homely.” Helen Davies, home editor of the Sunday Times, said: “Much of our population lives in cities, but they are often maligned as loud, polluted and unwelcoming, so The Best Places to Live 2015 celebrates the thriving and bustling areas that offer the best things about urban living.” She added: “That could be as a hub of culture, a hotbed of entrepreneurial spirit, a reputation for culinary excellence, a shopping heaven, great schools, or all of the above and more.”

MASTERCHEF FINALISTS EYE UP WHITCHURCH Masterchef finalists Larkin Cen and Dale Williams are looking to open one of their new restaurants in Whitchurch. Their Hokkei restaurants recently launched at their first venue in Crwys Road. Dale told the press: “Our goal is a UK-wide network of restaurants. We are both ambitious and passionate about authentic Asian food. After our first four restaurants in Cardiff, we will be looking at opening one 4

in Swansea, then Bristol and then we will look at a franchise model and taking things from there.” The pair were finalists in the 2014 series of Masterchef. They became good friends after finding out that they both come from Cardiff.

LLANDAFF NORTH LIDL PLANS STILL ‘UNDER CONSIDERATION

Plans for a new LIDL store on the site of the old James and Jenkins garage are still being considered, according to Cardiff Council.

LLANDAFF RESIDENTS VOTE TO SAVE RECYCLING CENTRE Residents in Llandaff have voted in favour of reopening of Waungron Recycling Centre. The poll was called for after a public meeting where residents applied for the vote. It was the latest poll to try and save the former recycling centre. The centre was closed in April 2014, meaning that local residents had to travel to Bessemer Close or Wedal Road in Roath. Fairwater councillor Neil McEvoy, who set up an online petition, said: “The Waungron facility was really well used and massively popular in the city. Now there are problems with traffic and difficulties in accessing the site at Bessemer Close. People are having to drive miles to get to it.” Some residents have told Living Magazines that they have noticed a rise in fly-tipping and attribute it to the closing of the centre. The Waungron Road Household Waste and Recycling Centre was closed last April in a bid to save the council £200,000 a year.

If you’d like to get in touch, you can find our address on the inside front cover. Alternatively, you can email us at editor@livingmags.co.uk

WHAT WAS THE POINT?

letters

For the last two or three months, the residents of Llandaff and Danescourt have had to put up with what can only be described as ‘the biggest waste of time and money this Council has enforced on us’. Work began digging up Llantrisant Road at the end of January and it had an immediate impact on our already-stretched traffic problems. News was that they were installing a bus lane, which on the surface, seemed like a good idea, especially as my husband likes to travel into town using the bus. However, after three months of driving hell, we have now been left with a totally pointless piece of road. For starters, there is no ‘bus lane’ as such. Heading into town, there are two new ‘lay-bys’. If these are supposed to be the new bus lane, then I’m afraid, the commuters of Llandaff have been sorely let down. You can see from the photo that I have taken, that this ‘lane’ is no longer than about 150 yards. Worse still, it’s not even wide enough to accommodate a car, never mind a bus. When the usual queues

JUNCTION PROBLEMS Some months ago, the Council went to great lengths to construct speed bumps down the length of Parc Road but did nothing along Pantmawr Road. What they did do however was reconfigure the junction from Coryton Rise into Pantmawr

of traffic stack up here, the only thing we are going to get are taxi drivers trying to jump the queue by a few cars, by nipping into this lane and undertaking traffic. There is a second ‘lay-by’, just a bit further on, similar in length and encompassing the entrance to the BBC. So guess where the bus stop is? That’s right - between the two lay-bys. Surely it would have made sense to move the bus stop into one of these lay-bys so that when a bus pulls over to pick up passengers, the traffic can drive around them. As it stands, we’re still left with the problem of buses holding up the lines of traffic while they are picking up passengers. Much was made of digging up the grass verges which line the sides of Llantrisant Road. I, for one, thought that if they were digging up the verges, that would mean that they were widening the road. Did that happen? No. They put the verges back and are currently just mounds of mud. Up near the roundabout, further chaos ensued as the workers removed the traffic island. They installed a new one of course, exactly the same size yet strangely, more to one side. When you’re joining Llantrisant Road from the roundabout, the gap between the side of the road and the traffic island is

now a lot narrower. The tyre marks that now plaster the high kerbs installed on the island is testament to the fact that it is too narrow - and probably costing a few people hundreds of pounds in new tyres and suspension! I feel that the whole sorry episode has been a spectacular waste of time and money. What were the Council thinking when they sat down and worked all this out? Perhaps the most galling part of it all is that should the sale of the BBC building go through, this road will need to be redesigned in any case. Mrs M Drake Danescourt Cardiff

Road, making egress from Coryton Rise heart-stopping. Because Pantmawr Road residents park on the road, drivers leaving Coryton Rise cannot see oncoming vehicles until they are far enough onto Pantmawr Road to get clear vision. It makes no difference whether they be turning left or right. Speed bumps either side of this junction would go a very long way to preventing what

will one day soon be a nasty collision. Vehicles travelling along Pantmawr Road pay little or no heed at this junction and do travel this Road at excessive speed. There seems to be little thought given to the potential danger this junction holds, more so by the fact that the majority of the residents in Coryton are elderly. Mr R Dunbar Coryton Crescent Whitchurch 5

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If Bridget Jones Had MS, This Would Be Her Diary Patric Morgan speaks to Whitchurch writer Barbara Stensland about her life, her blog and her new book

“

It’s been a labour of love!” Whitchurch writer Barbara Stensland hands me a copy of her new book, ‘Stumbling in Flats’. It’s a heavy book, both in weight and as I soon find out, in content too. “In 2011, I woke up one morning unable to talk or walk properly. I was petrified and thought I was having a stroke. Soon after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, I had never been surrounded by so many people (usually of the medical variety) yet never felt so utterly alone. Being stamped with an indefinite diagnosis however, permanently removes you from normal society, whether you like it or not. I felt a sense of shame ‘admitting’ my diagnosis to friends and family and was often upset at their awkward, embarrassed reactions.” Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition of the central nervous system. In MS, the coating around nerve fibres (called myelin) is damaged, causing a range of symptoms. More than 100,000 people in the UK have MS. Symptoms usually start in your 20s and 30s and it affects almost three times as many women as men. Once diagnosed, MS stays with you for life, but treatments and specialists can help you to manage the condition and its symptoms. It took 10 months for

Barbara to get confirmation that she was one of those 100,000. “It’s completely altered everything in my life. I went from being a trusted colleague in work - who was very good at my job – yet as soon as my potential diagnosis came in to play, a year-long systematic bullying campaign took off. It was very well organised, and I was basically bullied out of my job, culminating in me being sacked purely for having MS, and told I should live on benefits. “I got in touch with an author who was featured in the Observer Review a couple of years ago, who wrote a beautiful article about her MS. We were emailing back and forth and she said my emails were so hysterically funny about MS that I should start a blog. So I did. “The blog was an outlet for my thoughts and feelings. It helped me through the grieving side of things. At times when I’m unable to speak or get words out the way I want them, the blog has been there to express my thoughts. Better still, it’s opened up a whole new world for me thanks to those who have followed and responded to my posts. When people started getting in touch to say that I had inspired them in one way or another, it made me realise that what I was doing was all worthwhile.”

So the book. “Ah yes, the book. It took me 14 edits and hours and hours of corrections. It’s not something I’d do again! But now that it’s in my hands, I’m very proud of what I have achieved.” The book, like the blog, charts Barbara’s life since her diagnosis – coming to terms with the condition, being bullied out of her job, and bringing up her teenage son, who she dubs The Teenager. Its foreword has been penned by Janis Winehouse, Amy Winehouse’s mother and a fellow MS sufferer. “We follow each other on Twitter and she’s always been an inspiration as a campaigner for MS issues. I thought I had nothing to lose in asking her if she’d help out and she replied straight away to say that she’d be honoured to. As for The Teenager – well he’s had to come to terms with things too. But he’s coped amazingly well. “I’ve dedicated the book to my late father. He had primary progressive MS, and of course there weren’t even any MRI scans back in the 1970s. There was no treatment apart from painkillers. He died in 1978. “The condition has completely altered everything in my life. I do more now with MS than I ever did before. I’ve started a Masters

in Creative Writing and English Literature at Cardiff Metropolitan University, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. Alright, so I can’t go partying or walking in high heels – but facing up to MS, living through a year of bullying at work and putting up with Alemtuzumab chemotherapy treatment has taught me that I can do anything within limits.” The book has already attracted glittering reviews from its readers. “To deal with something like MS, you have to have a sense of humour. The book isn’t therefore full of doom and gloom. Some people like all that side of it but the book, with all its ups and downs, will make you laugh.” Sales of the book have taken off but for Barbara, it’s not about making money. It’s about the positive impact that the book can bring to people’s lives. “Every now and then I get an email thanking me for writing the blog or the book, telling me I’ve put into words just how MS feels. “Going through the long diagnostic process has made me think about the possibility of writing my second book, which I’m planning to write over the summer. It’ll be more of a selfhelp book than anything. People who are in MS Limboland, waiting for a diagnosis (or not) will be able to pick it up and

will hopefully be able to make a bit more sense about what is happening to them.” For now though, Stumbling in Flats is the book that’s brightening up people’s lives where perhaps there is darkness. “It’s a book with a very strong niche but that’s a good thing - those who read it will totally empathise with my stories of everyday life.” The book also acknowledges the hard work of the MS Team at the Heath Hospital. “The staff at the Heath Hospital are amazing.” says Barbara. “They’ve given me the best possible care – they’ve been brilliant.” Stumbling in Flats by Barbara A. Stensland is available from Amazon priced at £9.56 or £3.34 for Kindle. You can also follow Barbara’s blog at www.stumblinginflats.com

Amazon Reviews “Having MS isn’t always fun and games but I love how Barbara is so articulate and funny about some of the really annoying symptoms - and how they affect everyday life as well as treatments and sideeffects. It should be on the reading list of everyone with Multiple Sclerosis - and also for their own ‘teenagers’ who need to know that there are other young ‘carers’ (Barbara’s son would probably hate that description) coping with the unpredictabilty of MS and how it affects them too. A cracking book.” “Fantastic read. Thoughtfully written with the right amount of humour. If you have MS or know somebody with it you will recognise many scenarios.” “Brilliantly written account of a journey in a new land... the world of MS. If you love her blogs then you’ll love this book too.”

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Laugh… more than you can imagine…

FOX CUB FOUND IN STREET

A tiny baby fox was found in Samuel’s Crescent, Whitchurch in early April. The pup, who was believed to have been under 10 days old, was found ‘crying’ and ‘freezing’ by residents. The fox was wrapped up in a towel and taken to a local veterinary surgery, where he was warmed up and given some food. RSPCA animal welfare officer Sian Burton said: “The people who called us said that they had found a small animal but did not know what it was. They thought it might have been a puppy but the legs were too short. “He was freezing, crying and skin had come off his tail. He still had his eyes closed so must be under 10 days old.” The fox was then taken to an RSPCA Wildlife Centre in Taunton, where he now being looked after.

HOLD A TEA PARTY AND RAISE CASH Could you host or attend a Blooming Great Tea Party between 20th and 29th June to raise funds for Marie Curie? It could be at your house, a friend’s house or anywhere you like! Last year, the Blooming Great Tea Party raised £667,000 across the UK, which paid for 33,350

News from the Community hours of vital nursing care. Everyone living with a terminal illness should have access to high quality care and support, which meets all of their needs. Marie Curie want people to be able to get the most from the time they have left. The charity is for people living with cancer or any other terminal illness and their families. The right care and support at the right time can make all the difference.

Over the last 60 years, they have helped hundreds of thousands of people and families. But the ageing population means more and more people are living with a terminal illness. There are more than 140 Marie Curie Nurses working in Wales, caring for around 2,300 terminally ill people and their families in their homes each year. These nurses work night and day, in people’s homes, providing hands-on care and vital emotional support. You can sign up to host your Blooming Great Tea Party at www.mariecurie.org.uk/teatime and also download useful material like posters, bunting and a fundraising booklet. You can also contact the fundraising office on 01554 759071 or email westwalesfundraising@ mariecurie.org.uk for advice. Please do share your event details, photos with them or get involved on social media using #BloomingGreat.

LADIES RAISE MONEY FOR WATER The Soroptimist International Club of Cardiff and District recently held a Water Tasting Evening to mark World Water Day and raise money for WaterAid, at the Holiday Inn, Tongwynlais. A pictorial quiz of Cardiff landmarks had been sold for £3 each beforehand and the winner, Anne Thomas, was rewarded on the night. The water tasting was also in the form of a quiz. Members were asked to sample three lots of still and sparkling water, and had to guess what nationality they were – English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, French, Italian or Swiss. The flavoured water was more easily detected and was all great fun. The event raised the worthy sum of £335. The whole evening made everyone aware of how lucky they are to have such easy access to so much water when 1,400 children are dying daily in Third World Countries due to dirty water and poor sanitation. Donations to Water Aid will be used to buy things like bricks and cement for walls to help communities.

WHAT’S ON Saturday 4th -Sunday 5th July Pentyrch Open Gardens Weekend Sat 10am-5pm Sun 11am-5pm Visit many varied village gardens. Be inspired, get ideas and meet the gardeners. Tickets on the day from Pentyrch Village Hall (CF15 9QR)£6 per person for a weekend pass. Accompanied children free. Guide dogs only 13

Win Tickets To This Year’s Welsh Proms at St David’s Hall Experience the 30th Anniversary of the Welsh Proms at St David’s Hall!

THE Welsh Proms is set to take St David’s Hall by storm again this summer, but this year’s series marks the 30th anniversary of the classical extravaganza! Throughout a week-long residency at the National Concert Hall of Wales (18-25 July), the 2015 Proms will include breathtaking performances from world class orchestras across a diverse and exciting programme. Opening this incredible season is the Philharmonia Orchestra (Saturday 18 July) with a repertoire including some of the most dramatic music ever composed from Star Wars to Swan Lake. The Tiddly Proms (18-25 July) offers something special for the kids too. Cherry Pie’s Holiday Adventure is a magical musical journey of seasides and safaris that is guaranteed to delight tiny tots. Likewise, the Family Prom (19 July)

This summer, St David’s Hall hosts this year’s Welsh Proms featuring breath-taking performances across a rich and diverse programme

is the perfect way to spend quality time with your loved ones as St David’s Hall is transformed into ‘A Night at the Oscars’ with Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra. Conducted by Michael Bell and compered by Wynne Evans, this rollercoaster ride along the red carpet features the world’s most memorable movie themes. The music adopts a more experimental approach the following day with the Organ Prom (20 July). Dynamic duo Robert Court and Jeffrey Howard will perform Mozart and Holst on everything from organs to iPads! Furthermore, acclaimed pianist John Lill CBE accompanies the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra the next night (21 July) with a spellbinding show featuring Wagner and Rachmaninov. And can there be any sound more evocative of the spirit of Wales than a 200-voice male choir? The Pendyrus, Dunvant and Côr Meibion Choirs are accompanied by the beautiful brass of The Cory Band for an inspirational evening of Brass & Voices (22 July). Plus, Frank Sinatra fans are in for a real treat as Ol’ Blues Eyes is back for the Jazz Prom (23 July) led by Capital City Jazz Orchestra and Matt Ford singing the hits. You’re then invited to waltz the night away to the sounds of Strauss with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra as St David’s

Hall becomes a grand Austrian ballroom for A Night in Vienna (24 July). Three decades of magnificent music is celebrated in style with the incomparable Last Night of the Proms (25 July) as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra are joined by conductor Owain Arwel Hughes CBE and international brass soloist David Childs. And you don’t have to miss the stunning 30th anniversary of the Welsh Proms at St David’s Hall! We’ve teamed up with St David’s Hall to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 children) to the Family Prom on Sunday 19 July. To be in with a chance of winning, please answer the following question: What anniversary is the Welsh Proms celebrating this year? Please email your entries to SDHpress@cardiff.gov.uk with your name, address and contact details by Friday 3 July.

An Evening with David Sedaris Monday 1 June

The Overtones Tuesday 7 July

Mary Black Friday 15 May

Emily Smith Tuesday 12 May

Rod Woodward Friday 22 May

Elvis Costello Thursday 25 June

Reginald D. Hunter Sunday 31 May

Pirates of the Carabina: Flown Wednesday 27 - Saturday 30 May

Milton Jones Thursday 14 May

History Revealed Merthyr Road Commonly referred to as the heart of the village, Merthyr Road has always been the hub of Whitchurch. The car park behind the shops once housed all the available public transport for the village.

The Brook On the left hand bank of the brook was an old sweet factory. It was first started by the Jupp family who took the name of Cecil Sweets Ltd. At first it was an old army hut erected in the lane behind Brook Road. They sold the sweets that they made there to all the children in the village. Later, the firm expanded their sales to the Rhondda and Wye valleys.

Whitchurch Common The Common has been here since ancient times. At the west end, where the brook turns right, the locals once kept pigs on a small holding. The trees that line Merthyr Road along the Common were planted by American GIs, to thank the people of Whitchurch before the GIs embarked on the famous D Day landings. 16

We often spend our days rushing around so much, that we give little thought to the history of the places that surround us. Sometimes, buildings or places that we think we know well, reveal some secret history that was never thought possible. Here are a few stories of places that are all familiar to us - from the trees that line Whitchurch Common to the houses that were bombed on Pantbach Road.

Pantbach Road In May 1943, German bombers dropped bombs on Pantbach Road. Bob Lewis, who was aged 10 at the time, recalls being in his bedroom when the air raid sirens went off. Leaving his two candles lit, his mother asked Bob and his brother Donald downstairs, where they hid under the stairs. They didn’t hear the bomb arriving but they felt it when it went off. The house was almost completely destroyed. Their next door neighbours were killed instantly. Nos.131,133,135 and 137 were totally wrecked. Bob’s two candles that he had left in his bedroom were still lit afterwards.

The Philog

Manor Way Manor Way is one of the most southerly points of the A470 that leads from Cardiff all the way to Llandudno in north Wales. The road travels through two of Wales’s national parks - the Brecon Beacons in the South and Snowdonia National Park. It measures 186 miles in total. Manor Way was opened in 1959 - the same year that Cardiff had its first lady Lord Mayor. It was also the year that Tiger Bay, the film partly shot in the city, was shown in cinemas. Map courtesy of Google Earth

On late January 1941, a German bomb landed on houses in Violet Place. The residents at No.2 were lucky to escape with their lives and were later to find out that those at No.6 weren’t so lucky. Survivors were taken to the Ararat Church and Coryton Lodge in Whitchurch to recover as there were no available lodgings to stay in.

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Local News

News in the Community NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH With Bill Farnham Neighbourhood Watch suffered a devastating loss with the tragic death of Sgt Louise Lucas, Station Sergeant at Llanishen Police Station. Louise was killed in Swansea in a collision with a bus on 31st March, 2015. She was a

great source of help and advice to us in Neighbourhood Watch; her enthusiasm was infectious and she was always willing to assist us in any way she could. Louise was a lovely lady, a great police officer, an avid supporter of Neighbourhood Watch. She was also a very good friend. We send our deepest sympathy to her family and hope that our thoughts and prayers will reach out to them and comfort and support them at this very sad time. We will miss her very much. On the Neighbourhood Watch front, I represented our Association at an Operation Perception in Rhydlafar which eventually led to the relaunch of the Neighbourhood Watch group on the Rhydlafar estate which I was very pleased about.

In my role as New Watch Launch Coordinator, I have successfully launched new watches in Ty Gwyn Crescent, Penylan, Wicklow Close, Pontprennau, and Butleigh Avenue, Llandaff. We attended a meeting of the Cardiff First Golden Oldies Group at the Roundabout Café, Whitchurch with the over 50’s group of people with learning difficulties. This was brilliant and something very different to the usual Neighbourhood Watch activities that we get involved with. We had assistance from the local Neighbourhood Policing Team and gave a brief explanation of what Neighbourhood Watch is about and what the local Policing team get involved with. Then the real fun started! We took part in some games with them, forfeits, sing a song or tell a joke and finished off with a game of Bingo. A very worthwhile afternoon indeed. We had a excellent speaker at our General Meeting in February, Penny Steinhaur, who gave a very interesting and informative talk on Keeping Safe On Line covering such topics as cyberbullying, grooming, sexting etc. She proved that while the internet is a fantastic invention, it can also be very dangerous in the wrong hands. Our next General Meeting is on Tuesday 19th May, 2015 at the Whitchurch Rugby Club, Samuels Crescent (bottom of Velindre Road), Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 2TH, starting at 7pm. Our speaker is Professor Jonathan Shepherd, Director of Violence and Society Research Group, Cardiff University, who will be talking about ‘Tackling Violence Together’. Although this is a Neighbourhood Watch meeting, members of the public are invited to attend and will be made very welcome.

Please don’t forget ‘The Big Lunch’ event which this year is on 7th June, 2015. The Big Lunch has been an excuse for many to make that first step to get to know their neighbours better and get more involved locally. It’s helping to feed community spirit, encouraging friendlier, safer neighbourhoods and celebrating local living and sharing - from ideas and conversation to skills and resources. To order your Big Lunch Pack please visit www.thebiglunch.com National Neighbourhood Watch Week this year is from 20th June until 28th June and we are very well advanced with organising our events for the week. Details of these will be announced nearer the date and will be sent via Mail Chimp (this is our new messaging service), South Wales Police Community Messaging Service and the local press. If anyone is interested in setting up a Neighbourhood Watch Group, please contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team or call our office on 02920 527301.

Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral Choristers Win CSA Football Tournament On Wednesday 4th March, boy and girl choristers from across the west of England and Wales attended the annual Choir Schools Association Sports and Evensong Day, this year hosted by Hereford Cathedral. Particular congratulations go to the choristers of Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral. In the hotly contested Football Tournament, the boy choristers were crowned overall winners, seeing off competition from the Cathedrals of Bristol, Gloucester, Hereford, Llandaff, Truro, Wells, Winchester and Tewkesbury Abbey. Girls’ Netball came third. 21

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Pet problems CHRIS TROUGHTON OF HEATH VETS ANSWERS YOUR PET-RELATED QUESTIONS

IF YOU HAVE ANY PET-RELATED QUESTIONS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE CHRIS TO ANSWER, PLEASE EMAIL US AT EDITOR@LIVINGMAGS.CO.UK AND WE’LL PASS THEM ON.

I was recently talking to a friend of mine and her dog seems to have picked up kennel cough. Her dog doesn’t mingle too much with other dogs. How contagious is kennel cough and is there anything I can do to prevent my dog getting it? I’m presuming that (rightly or wrongly if you are able to clear it up!) that prevention is included in the jabs my dog gets every six months.

Kennel cough is a highly contagious illness, the symptoms of which are a loud honking cough, sometimes with some sneezing and discharge from the nose in the early stages. Although the amount of coughing is alarming, dogs are not usually poorly with it, although on rare occasions, it can be more serious. Infection is passed from one dog to another by droplets in the air, so reasonably close contact between dogs is needed. Indoors (without wind to disperse it), the infection spreads very quickly between dogs – hence the name ‘kennel cough’. Kennel cough is actually a syndrome which can be caused by infection with a number of different bacteria and viruses, all producing the same symptoms. Some of these are protected by your dog’s annual vaccinations, for example adenovirus or parainfluenza virus. Another (common) cause is Bordetella bacterial infection. There is a vaccine against Bordetella which lasts a year and may be given when your dog has his routine shots if you ask. It is given as nasal drops, which many dogs object strongly to! Because of this, we usually only use it for dogs at high risk of infection – eg. in boarding kennels, at dog shows, or with dogwalkers – or those for whom a dose of kennel cough could have serious consequences – elderly small breed dogs with weak chests.

Over the last few months, my nine year old cat has started missing her litter box and urinating outside it. She’s never had a problem before and at present, it’s not a huge problem. I’m just a bit concerned as I don’t know whether it’s behavioural or whether there might be something more sinister behind it. Any comments would be gratefully received.

There are many reasons that a cat may start to dirty outside her litter box. Medical problems such as cystitis can cause it, as can arthritis leading to discomfort climbing into the box and thus avoidance. Senile behaviour changes can also be involved, and stress is a well-known cause of inappropriate urination in cats. Sometimes, a change of litter might have caused her to avoid the box. The texture underfoot can put some cats off, and some cats don’t like particular scents. If you have recently changed brands of litter or the litter box itself, try reverting to the original. If there are any signs your cat may be unwell, or suffering stress (for example, hiding away, avoiding going outside, vocalising more), it’s best to get her checked over by your vet. If nothing seems to help, you could try a litter box with a hood, which will force her to urinate inside the box.

I take my dog to the groomers and ask them to clip his nails but they never seem to be cut. Do dogs’ nails need to be cut right down and if they can’t do it, do vets do it? Whenever my dog tries to run through our kitchen, he ends up running on the spot like Tom and Jerry! Most dogs wear their nails down naturally during exercise and never need them cut, but some seem to grow faster than they wear and do need to be trimmed. You can buy nail clippers and try it yourself. The problem with many dogs’ nails is that they are often black in colour, so it is hard to see where the live quick is. Cutting the quick will hurt and cause bleeding but is not dangerous. I’ve found that most dogs don’t like having their feet handled – perhaps they’re ticklish? This is another reason to get a professional to do it for you. Groomers are certainly able to cut dogs’ nails, and most vet surgeries will do this for their patients. It’s probably best to leave it to an expert unless you do it very frequently so you learn exactly where to cut, and your dog learns to accept it without fuss. Page is sponsored by Heath Vets 02920 621511 25

gardening

More Trees Please by Kevin Revell North Cardiff is famed for its greenery and beautiful parklands. Kevin Revell plants the idea of more trees for our villages

Securing a Stake in the Future

There are many reasons to plant a tree or two in your garden but few excuses not to. They are easily lost from the landscape but slow to grow back so time is of the essence. Aesthetically, they give solidity and a sense of permanence to a planting scheme, making use of the vertical space above, screening neighbouring houses or blocking the view of a road. A tree will act as a focal point, breaking the monotony of a row of identical houses, a reference point on a long walk home as the tracery of branches reaches for the skies. They moderate the city heat as the sun beats down on hard concrete and tarmac surfaces, providing welcome shade in the heat of the summer, the transpired water vapour cooling the air. In season, they will provide colour from their blossom, foliage or fruit. 26

Many have attractive textured ornamental bark extending the season of interest; some are evergreen and provide permanent screening. They don’t even have to be green, as demonstrated by the huge purple forms of copper beech or purple plum, familiar to readers around Llandaff and Whitchurch. Others light up the garden with blazing autumn colours and provide the useful resource of fallen leaves which can be converted into leaf mould used to improve the soil fertility and structure. Even the smallest garden can accommodate a small tree planted in a large container or a small copse of trees which can be cut back on a regular three or five year rotation to prevent them becoming too big. Trees provide a vital resource to wildlife, providing roosts for shelter, nesting sites and hiding places from predators. They supply food to a wide range of birds, mammals and invertebrates. A large tree is more than capable of withstanding an attack of caterpillars or aphids, the birds will come from far and wide to feast on them as will wasps, ladybirds and hoverflies. A fruit tree will give a welcome

harvest of fresh nutritious fruit for many years and also provides welcome blossom in the spring. The simple act of planting a tree will take a few hours planning, deciding which type to plant but has ramifications spanning decades and perhaps even centuries so it is not a decision to take lightly. Your decision projects your thoughts and gives you a stake in the future. Whether this is considered to be a good thing by those who come to inhabit your house and garden in future generations is a moot point but if planted in the right place, it can be a thing of beauty, enhancing the garden at certain times of the year. Alternatively, it may become a looming, hulking stealer of light and water, so choose carefully! Blossom on trees is an indicator of spring from the early winter cherry, Prunus subhirtella ‘Autmnalis’ and purple plum Prunus ceracifera to the later Japanese flowering cherries such as the great white cherry, Prunus ‘Tai Haku’. Crab apples (Malus spp.) provide interest beyond this by providing ornamental fruit and are festooned with them long into autumn and in the case of the variety ‘Red Sentinel’ right

through the winter or until a flock of hungry redwings or fieldfares chance upon it. ‘Golden Hornet’ is a bright yellow form while the orange striped ‘Evereste’ is always popular. Rowan trees bear berries in a range of colours; the familiar Mountain Ash or Sorbus aucuparia bears clusters of bright red fruit in late summer but the yellow variety ‘Joseph Rock’ makes an interesting change. The more adventurous gardener might try the shocking pink ‘Pink Ness’ or the white Sorbus cashmiriana. Cotoneaster is really a shrub but can attain tree-like proportions and some such as Cotoneaster fridgidus Cornubia are evergreen whose weeping branches are spangled with berries long into the winter.

The Local Scene

North Cardiff is fortunate in having many roads with substantial front gardens which lend amenity to the whole area when properly cared for. Heol Don or Church Road in Whitchurch and Palace Road or in Llandaff are well worth a visit during March and April. We owe a debt of gratitude to previous owners who had the foresight to plant a selection of trees and shrubs which chart the passage of spring. This floral patchwork is revealed daily in subtle changes as billowing ornamental plums herald stately magnolias; blizzards of cherry blossom drift into the

fragrant confetti of crab apples; and finally dusky pink hawthorn gives way to golden chains of laburnum. In an ideal world, any one garden would contain a number of these components but realistically, each will only contain one or two trees which make it worthwhile borrowing the landscape of a neighbouring garden and planting trees to extend the season of interest rather than just keeping up with the Joneses. Seek out more unusual varieties to add interest and diversity. Of course, all this could be going on in back gardens across the city but it is in our front gardens that we share the view with our neighbours and passers by on their daily commute or walking past casting admiring glances on the way home. Many roads in Cardiff are well furnished with street trees and it is to the

council’s credit that these have been maintained and replaced over the years. Whether this level of care is continued during this time of austerity remains to be seen. The venerable cherry trees of Tynewydd in Whitchurch are worth a look in spring while a local favourite of mine is the avenue of Liquidamber trees along Aberporth Road in Llandaff North. This is a remarkable sight in autumn as they take on fiery hues over a period of six weeks. Some of the trees are quite substantial and seem incongruous in their modest surroundings but young trees have been planted to replace some of the older ones so future generations will be able to enjoy this seasonal display. Kevin Revell ‘Plant Area Manager at Caerphilly Garden

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