Just a Quick Note – 20/09/17
This is a copy of the eNewsletter sent out to all members
Some details updated 3rd October 2017 (highlighted in red)
Hello Folks,
So that was Summer was it? It started off promising but soon deteriorated into typical Welsh weather but our work carried on up the Tump and here’s a quick update of what’s been going on.
But first of all let me remind you of a few events we have lined up for Autumn.
AUTUMN EVENTS
Sunday 24th September
Monthly Litterpick and Volunteer Day – meet at the car park below Twmbarlwm 10:30am. Pickers, bags and gloves will be supplied plus tea and biscuits for all helpers.
Monday 25th September – Illustrated Talk
“FINDS FROM THE FRONTIER: NEW DISCOVERIES FROM THE BRECON GAER ROMAN FORT” with Joe Lewis of St Fagans National History Museum.
- Crosskeys RFC – 7:00pm for 7:30pm
- Lots more info on our website.
- This event did not take place and will be rescheduled for the new year
Monday 16th October – (Illustrated Talk)
“UPLANDS ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE GWENT VALLEYS – The Cwmcelyn Hidden Landscapes Project” a talk by Ian Fewings of the Aberystruth History and Archaeological Society
- Crosskeys RFC – 7:00pm for 7:30pm
- More info can be found on our website.
Sunday 29th October
Monthly Litterpick and Volunteer Day – meet at the car park below Twmbarlwm 10:30am. Pickers, bags and gloves will be supplied plus tea and biscuits for all helpers.
Monday 6th November – AGM
CTS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – There will be a report of the Society’s work over the last year and Members will be asked to elect Trustees for the coming year. The Society needs the Membership to get involved.
- Crosskeys RFC – 7:00pm for 7:30pm
- More info will be on our website and Agenda will be sent out closer to the date.
Saturday 11th November – STICKMAKING – CRAFT WORKSHOP
(This was originally earmarked for the beginning of October)
“STICKMAKING” with Les Murphy – places will be limited so if you are interested in this one day workshop please contact us as soon as possible. It will consist of a morning in the field to choose and cut your stick and the afternoon in the workshop to learn how to use the tools and some tricks of the trade.
Monday 27th November – Tump Quiz
The annual “IT’S NEARLY CHRISTMAS TUMP QUIZ NIGHT – with wonderful prizes and a fabulous trophy up for grabs. Get a team together and start revising NOW!
- Crosskeys RFC – 7:00pm for 7:30pm
- More info will be on our website very soon.
Early December WALK THE DRIVE – date to be confirmed
In conjunction with “Friends of Cwmcarn Forest Drive” Rob Southall will lead a walk around the drive to give you the opportunity to see the work NRW have done in felling the Japanese larch in an effort to eradicate the diseased trees.
Wednesday 27th December – XMAS EXCESS WALK
Maggie Thomas will be leading a walk for the Cardiff Ramblers to Twmbarlwm – and they will be happy for CTS members to join them – a great opportunity to work off those Christmas excesses.
Details will be announced on our website very soon.
TWMBARLWM HONEY ALE – Launch Event
Some members may recall that a few years ago we organised for a beer to be named after our mountain and so promote the society and its work and help us raise funds.
This was a very successful enterprise so we have arranged a similar project with Tudor Brewery of Llanhilleth. The beer will be flavoured with honey from bees that graze the slopes of the mountain – it will be made available in bottles and supplied to local pubs.
We are in the process of organising a launch event in a local pub or club, details of which we will release as soon as possible. It is likely to be sometime between mid-October and mid-November. (Please contact us if you think you could help with this)
SUGGESTIONS PLEASE
We would like to organise more walks and talks – if you have any suggestions of where we could lead a walk, ideas for a talk or if you know of anyone willing to give a talk, please get in touch. Email – twmbarlwmsociety@gmail.com
OTHER NEWS
Our monthly litter picks and volunteer days continued throughout the summer and they were quite well attended – although a bit more help is always appreciated. It’s always the last Sunday of the month – see the above list for details.
On these volunteer days, apart from collecting dozens of bags of rubbish we:
- planted more trees in between the fences that we originally installed 4 years ago;
- we bashed bracken down to give the trees we planted more room to grow;
- we repaired stone walls that had been vandalised;
- we repaired the stone paths on the Tump;
- replaced many fence posts and fixed gates
- spread mulch on the eroded slopes to encourage
Although we may not physically do some of the larger works we work closely with the Commoners Association and CCBC to manage the landscape.
- For instance we have organised the delivery of large boulders that will be distributed at key locations to stop the incursion of off-roaders and scramblers.
- Large areas of bracken have been sprayed (mostly on the Penyrheol side of the mountain).
- We are also in the process of adopting the Trig Point at the summit in order to make it a useful feature for visitors to the mountain – watch the website for info as this project develops.
TWMBARLWM CALENDAR 2018
Last year we produced our first ever Calendar featuring some beautiful images of Twmbarlwm and the views from the mountain and the surrounding area. It proved to be very popular and made a tidy sum of money for the Society.
We will do the same for next year and hopefully we will have 2018 calendars for you to purchase in October/November.
You can still see the 2017 version here:
https://www.twmbarlwm.co.uk/twmbarlwm-calendar-2017/
ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
Over the past few months illegal off-roading in the area with scrambler bikes, quads and 4x4s has continued as well as many fly-tipping incidents.
This sort of anti-social behaviour can only be tackled with the help of the general public, so please make sure you report any such incidents by using the Police non-emergency number of 101 and ensure you get a log number of your report.
I often post news of these incidents online and there are often comments like “Why bother, the police are useless” or “The council can’t be bothered” – I can assure you they are not useless and they are really bothered by all this, especially when groups like ours keep on to them to try to eliminate these problems. But if the good citizens can’t be bothered to report incidents when they see them then the authorities will never react.
BE RESPONSIBLE GET INVOLVED.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
This is also the time of year when many membership subscriptions become due so please check that you are paid up to date. Go to our website to see how to pay. https://www.twmbarlwm.co.uk/membership/
Also regarding membership – we are always not very sure if our emails are getting through to you, so it would be nice if you could respond to this email – click on the reply button and just say “Received and happy to continue with CTS” – or whatever quick message you want. If you know any other past or prospective members could you check with them that they have got this message.
Those who follow our Facebook page or the “Friends of Cwmcarn Forest Drive” page are also invited to consider becoming “paid-up” members and/or take part in our projects – if you know any of them please pass this on.
I also repeat my request for persons who might have special skills or knowledge to help run the Society or assist with our projects, to get in touch.
Getting to the car park
For the Events starting at the car park on Twmbarlwm, if you would prefer to have a lift there please get in touch with me at the address below and I’ll try to arrange transport for you – or if you are able to offer transport to others also let me know. There are maps and descriptions how to get there on our website – under the menu tab “Location”
These details are posted on our website and on FaceBook – but if you know of anyone who is interested but don’t get their news through the internet – could you please let them have a copy of this message.
Many Regards
TERRY EVANS
Chairman Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society
Address general queries to: twmbarlwmsociety@gmail.com
