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G R A P E V I N E
contact us: [email protected] november 2012
digwyddiadau, newyddion a barn llambed bob mis / lampeter’s events, news and views monthly
unconditionally FREE
also this month: arriva answers its critics / how sustainable is transition llambed? / more from the bottom /
nine meals from anarchy?
AUDITIONING FOR THE X FACTOR IN THE 1860S
on the beach at aberaeron, augustus welby cowell (right) and some
superannuated old git from the dancehall circuit weigh up the contenders before eating them alive . thank goodness we’ve come a long way since then
EATING OUT
2
G R A P E V I N E no. 4, November 2012
c/o Victoria Hall, Bryn Road, Lampeter,
Ceredigion, SA48 7EE
email: [email protected]
Published by Transition Llambed
Development Trust, Victoria Hall, Bryn
Road, Lampeter, SA48 7EE
www.transitionllambed.co.uk
email: [email protected]
Printed by TSD reprographics,
Lampeter, on paper from sustainable re-
sources
editor: Andy Soutter
distribution: Gro-Mette Gulbrandsen
design & page makeup: Captain Cat
To list your event, submit an article or ad,
or make an enquiry, email
[email protected], with the
appropriate subject line (‘listings’, ‘article’,
‘ad’ or ‘enquiry’).
advertising rates: 1/4 column £10; 1/2 col.
or double 1/4 col. £20; 1/4 page £25; 1/2
page £40; full page £70.
personal ads: up to 20 words £2; up to 40
words £4.
copy date: December issue: 16 November.
We prefer electronic files, and email for
communications.
circulation: 1,500 copies distributed
free in the Lampeter area.
book Victoria Hall: [email protected]
phone/text 07891 632614.
book a People’s Market stall: email
or ring 01570 471432.
movies Woman in a Dressing Gown (12) Anthony
Quinn. 9 November, Cellan Millennium Hall.
Doors open 7.15, programme 7.45. Admis-
sion by donation, £2.00.
Men in Black (PG) Will Smith. 30 Novem-
ber, Cellan Millennium Hall. Doors open
7.15, programme 7.45. Admission by dona-
tion, £2.00.
music Dominant Quartet, string quartet. Sunday 4
November, 7.30pm. Old Hall, University of
Wales Trinity St David, Lampeter Campus.
Tickets at door: £9, concessions £7.50, two
children free, students free. Info Lampeter
Music Club, 01570 422436;
www.lampetermusic.co.uk
Timothy Orpen & Alison Farr, clarinet &
piano. Sunday 25 November, 2.30pm. Arts
Hall, University of Wales Trinity St David,
Lampeter Campus. Tickets at door: £9, con-
cessions £7.50, two children free, students
free. Info Lampeter Music Club, 01570
422436; www.lampetermusic.co.uk
move your body Folk dancing. Every Wednesday, 8–10pm
Talsarn Village Hall. Everybody welcome
(incl. musicians). No partner or experience
needed. £1.50 incl. refreshments. 01974
272098.
Flamenco Dance. Tuesday evenings 6–7.15
with Dixey Ruscelli. Men and women from
15 yrs welcome at Sally Saunders Dance
Academy, Lampeter Industrial Estate, Trega-
ron Rd (next to Organic Fresh Food Store).
Tel 01570 493138 or email dix-
[email protected] for information. Also at
Aberystwyth Arts Centre with live flamenco
guitarist. Beginners/intermediate men and
women from 15 yrs. Wednesday evenings 6–
7.30. Tel. as above. Please bring strong/
chunky heeled shoes.
Cerddwyr Ramblers. Lampeter group or-
ganises a variety of weekly walks throughout
the year. Anyone interested in walking with
the group is warmly welcomed to join. A
walking programme is available from the
Town Library or from James (01570 480743).
Belly dance & Belly fit. Shiloh Church Hall
(next to the police station on the High Street).
All fitness levels welcome. Mondays. Belly
Dance 1.30–2.45 (all ages). Belly Fit 3.00–
4.00 (over 50s).
Line Dancing Mondays 7–10pm, Cellan
Millennium Hall. Info
www.cellanmillenniumhall.co.uk
storytelling Storytelling evening. Friendly, informal
group meets every third Monday per calendar
month in Cellan. Next meeting Monday 19
November, 7–9.30pm. Theme: ‘Stories From
Around the World’. Croeso i bawb / All
welcome. For details please contact
photography
Lampeter Photography meets the first and
third Friday of the month at 7.30pm in the
Kings Head, Lampeter. Monthly competi-
tions, exhibitions and workshops. All wel-
come. FREE. Details from: lampeterphotog-
[email protected], or call Stef Faloon on
07958772035.
complementary and
alternative therapists Charlotte Allen, RSHom. Homeopath. Llan-
fair Clinic, Bridge Street, Lampeter.
01570493746.
Joanne Camlin, BSc WSHom: Homoeopa-
thy: a complete system of medicine that treats
mental, emotional and physical illness, and
can be used by everyone, including babies
and children. Bridge St. Clinic, Lampeter.
01570421480, mornings.
Cathy Crick Stanton, IYN, AIYP, CNHC,–
Yoga teacher/therapist and Brennan Scientific
Healer, fully qualified and insured to work
within the energy field for healing and self-
fulfilment. Tel: 01570421144, mob.
07748031614, email:
Mindfulness-based approaches. Courses,
workshops and one-to-one coaching Stress,
anxiety management, promoting health and
wellbeing. Please contact Dr Colette Power
07890 835 873. co-
www.mindfulnesscourse.co.uk
meditation Meditation in Ffarmers. Mondays, 7.30–
8.30pm. Neuadd Bro Fana / Ffarmers Village
Hall, Ffarmers, Llanwrda, Carms, SA19 8JL.
The extension at Neuadd Bro Fana is
available for an hour’s silent meditation. The
doors open at 7pm for 7.30pm start. Hot
drinks available. Bring whatever you need to
sit comfortably. Further info from Andrew,
[email protected] or 01558 650472.
Myfyrdod yn Ffarmers. Nos Lun (yn
cychwyn ar Fedi 17eg 2012) o 7.30 hyd 8.30.
Neuadd Bro Fana, Ffarmers, SA19 8JL. Bydd
‘Yr Haulfan’ ar gael am awr o fyfyrdod tawel.
Bydd y drysau yn agored am 7.00 ar gyfer
cychwyn yn brydlon am 7.30. Bydd diod
twym ar gael. Dewch a beth bynnag y
mynnoch ar gyfer eistedd yn gyfforddus. Am
ragor o wybodaeth, neu os oes gennych
unrhyw gwestiynau,
cysylltwch ag Andrew ar [email protected]
neu 01558 650472.
NEW CLASSES IN
CRUGYBAR VILLAGE HALL
Tuesday 7.30–8.30pm Belly Dance,
£3.00. Thursday 7–8.30pm Beginner
Yoga, £5.00.
Call 01558 685 321 or email for more
information:
elenamgilliatt @hotmail.com
what’s going on these listings are free. send details of your event to [email protected]
3
friday movies
Nov. 9 “Woman in a Dressing Gown” (12) Anthony Quinn
Nov. 30 “Men In Black 3” (PG) Will Smith
(We’ll be back in February 2013)
DOORS OPEN 7.15. PROGRAMME BEGINS 7.45. ADMISSION BY DONATION £2.00
BIG SCREEN & DIGITAL THEATRE SOUND
WWW.CELLANMILLENNIUMHALL.CO.UK
CELLAN MILLENNIUM HALL CLASSES AND GROUPS
Classes subject to change: please see www.cellanmillenniumhall.co.uk for updates, contact details and the film
page for up and coming movies
MONDAY Quilting (NEW VENUE: info 01570422066) RAY Ceredigion Play Sessions 4–6pm Line Dancing 7–10pm
TUESDAY Healing Yoga 10–11.30am Lampeter Home Education Group 12–5pm Qi Gong 6–7pm Tai Chi 7–8pm Beekeepers 2nd Tuesday of month 8pm
WEDNESDAY Table Tennis 10am–11.30 Yoga 5.30–7pm
THURSDAY Yoga 10–11.30am Five Rhythms Dance 1st Thursday of Month 7pm Village Improvement Society 1st Thursday of month 7pm WI 2nd Thursday of month 7pm Portraiture in Oils 12-3pm twice monthly from 4 October to 31 January with Sarah Spencer. Details and dates School of Education and Lifelong Learning 01970 621580
FRIDAY Art Group 10–12.00am Film Night fortnightly 7.15pm
SATURDAY Seventh Day Adventists fortnightly 10.15am–3.15
SUNDAY Zumba 5pm-6pm with Julie Lancaster details 01570 470542
Lampeter Farmers
Market Market Street, Lampeter
9.00am – 2.00pm
alternate Fridays
next markets: 2nd & 16th November
Women’s Workshop
St James’ Hall, Cwmann, Lampeter 10.30am–3pm Wednesdays
The hall has disabled access and toilet, and a free car park
11am Qi Gong-gentle exercise 12 noon lunch 1pm workshop
Only £2.50 a session, pay on the day, no membership fee or advance fee to pay, drop in when you please. Come and see if you like our group. New members always welcome. £2.50 includes vegetarian lunch and all activities More details: 01570 423167 / 01545 590391
religious services and
groups
Lampeter Parish
St Peter’s Church, Lampeter. Main Sunday
Service: 11.00am (bilingual). Other services:
8am Holy Communion (English). 9.30am
Cymun Bendigaid (trydydd Sul yn y mis yn
unig, Cymraeg).
St Cybi’s Church, Llangybi. Main Sunday
Service: 9.00am (bilingual).
St Bledrws’ Church, Betws Bledrws. Main
Sunday Service: 10.45am (English or bilin-
gual).
St Sulien’s Church, Silian. Main Sunday
Service: 2.00pm (blingual or Cymraeg).
St Mary’s Church, Maestir. Main Sunday
Service: 2.30pm (second Sunday in the
month only, English).
Times apply to the first four Sundays in
each month. For the few fifth Sundays there
will be a single United Parish Service at
10am: the location will be published in the
local newspapers.
St Peter’s Church Hall in Lampeter is
available for hire at £8.50 per hour. The hire
charge includes use of the kitchen facilities.
For enquiries or bookings contact Beryl on
01570 422 324. For more information visit:
www.lampeterparish.org/
Monthly Hunger Lunch in support of
Christian Aid Food Project, St Peter’s
Church Hall, Lampeter, Friday 2 November,
12.00–1.30pm. Phone 01570 422 324 for
further details. There is no fixed fee for this
two course lunch but all donations received
go to the Christian Aid Food Project. A
warm welcome to all.
Winter Fair, Saturday 17 November, St
Peter’s Church, 10.00am–12.00. Entry by
donation, complimentary drink and cake.
Kids’ games & prizes, raffle, cakes & pro-
duce stall, lucky dip, bricabrac. A warm
welcome to all.
Raffle. St Peter’s Church will be selling
raffle tickets around Lampeter during No-
vember as part of a fundraising effort for a
new church sound system which will cost
almost £5,000. Tickets will also be on sale
at our Winter Fair (see above) and at our
stall at the UWTSD Christmas Fair on Satur-
day 24 November, where the prizewinners
will be drawn.
Seventh Day Adventists meet fortnightly on
Saturdays at Cellan Millennium Hall, 10.15–
3.15. More details:
www.cellanmillenniumhall.co.uk
Lampeter Evangelical Church meets every
Sunday at Victoria Hall, 10am–7pm. Contact
Gareth Jones at The Mustard Seed. Tel.
01570 423344
Lampeter Roman Catholic Church. Sun-
day mass is at 10am.
An introduction to Buddhism group with
Steph Jacques. 2nd Thursday of the month, 7
–9pm, Victoria Hall, Bryn Road, Lampeter.
Info 01570 422273.
Hanes Llambed
Meetings start at 7.30pm in the
Old Hall of the University.
Tuesday 20 November Selwyn Walters: From Lampeter to Salonika: Nurse Ella Richards VAD (1887–1918)
4
ARRIVADERCI II on what’s left of the buses & what might be done about it
After disdaining to comment on our report on the com-pany’s drastic (and consultation-free) reorganisation of their routes and timetables along with significant fare in-creases – in particular their action in cutting off Cribyn, Pencarreg and surrounding areas from the X40 route which has led to widespread local discontent – Arriva have finally seen fit to reply to Alex Tanner’s piece in the July/August issue of the Grapevine, where we first raised this issue. Their initial refusal to comment was because, ac-cording to their spokesperson, it was an ‘opinion-based’ piece, which seems a rather mysterious attitude to take, especially as our reporter’s take on the situation was based on delineated facts. We print their reply as follows, and don’t hold your breath:
As you are no doubt aware, from Sunday 23rd September 2012, changes have be made to some services operating in Aberystwyth. There has been some timetable changes to service 50, with some early morning and evening jour-neys withdrawn. The Sunday service will also no longer operate. From 26th October the 23:20 Aberystwyth to New Quay journey will be withdrawn. These changes have been made as a result of falling passenger numbers and the current economic climate. Although changes to services in the area have been necessary due to rising costs and falling passenger num-bers, Arriva Buses Wales is working hard to provide the best service possible in Aberystwyth area. As with all our services, we will continue to monitor and review on a regu-lar basis. Readers may notice the words ‘monitor’ and ‘review’, but will not find the word ‘consult’. The word ’insult’ may start to form in their mind, however, and they might be forgiven for concluding that this statement is utterly vacuous apart from announcing further cuts to services, and does noth-ing to address the issues and concerns that have been raised. Readers might feel that there’s a significant lack of respect operating here rather than a realistic bus service. Grapevine also understands that earlier this year a pe-tition was raised to the Welsh Government (see their web-site) calling for the restoration of the discontinued ser-vices, but that this only garnered a small handful of signa-tures and has now been closed. It would seem that the petition was not sufficiently publicised, and that a better organised one might raise hundreds of signatures instead of less than fifty. Anyone up for it? And perhaps there are other ways forward worth exploring. Let us know. Meanwhile, Natalie Dearden-Cooke reports below on the current state of affairs. Sorry, Arriva, but she too has an opinion: Recent months have seen a dramatic decrease in the buses provided
for rural areas in our community. It seems to many people living in
rural areas that those government members who make these deci-
sions regarding our buses do not think about the negative impact
that their choices are having on local people. Passengers are being
made late for work by the ever diminishing bus services, missing
important appointments and other basic day to day activities. If
they’re lucky, they might have a shelter during the harsh winter
months. In Llanybydder they no longer have a bus stop due to the re
-routing of the Arriva service. On 2 March 2012 a heavily pregnant
woman was taking a 3 year-old to school; she waited in
Llanybydder for the 20 service due at 12.34. It arrived just after the
13.04 40 service. There have been occasions when a service has left
early, perhaps due to a driver worried about not being able to stick
to the schedule. On 20 March a young child was waiting with five
others for the 17.12 Lampeter–Aberystwyth service; the bus left for
Aberystwyth at 17.55, almost 45 minutes late.
Arriva does not seem to understand the clear necessity for a
well organised, fully functioning bus service. After their shocking
decision to change the popular X40 service to three different routes
which were service 10 which operates Aberystwyth to Carmarthen
and Swansea, service 10 operates one journey on Friday and Sun-
day during term times only; service 20, which operates Aberyst-
wyth to Carmarthen and Cardiff, makes two journeys Monday to
Saturday and one journey on a Sunday. The 40 goes from Aberyst-
wyth to Carmarthen every hour Monday to Saturday with an extra
three journeys on a Sunday. The X41 was replaced by the 41 which
operates from Llynyfran Surgery to Carmarthen with five journeys
per day, Monday to Saturday and none on Sunday.
The people that faced the dramatic loss of service or the de-
pressing prospect of having their bus times changed now rely on the
Bwcabus service. This requires people to book their bus journeys in
advance. It has been widely criticised for being unreliable and a
‘waste of Government resources’. How can members of our local
community be expected to book their journeys in advance should
these become necessary at the last minute for an emergency trip to
the doctor or to do a small trip into town for food?
Many are unable to maintain parts of their lifestyle without this
resource, but people rely on Bwcabus only because of the lack of
regular bus services. Although it is more expensive than a regular
bus, it is better than the alternative of hitch-hiking, car sharing or
missing an important appointment.
Travelling up to 4 miles via Bwcabus – from Llangybi to Lam-
peter for example – costs £1.85 for an adult single and £1.25 for a
child, with returns costing £3.25 for adults and £2.10 for children.
Travelling 8 miles with this service costs £2.35 for an adult single,
£4.10 for a return, £1.55 for a child single and £2.70 for a return. (A
small advantage of the Bwcabus is the twelve-journey ticket that
they offer. This allows the ticket holder to make twelve journeys
without having to buy a new ticket with each trip.)
The decisions made by the goverment and the bus companies
continue to degrade our local community. Our communities rely on
car shares, dangerous hitch hiking or the far-from-ideal Bwcabus.
This is a far cry from the popular services that Arriva used to pro-
vide.
a rarely seen X40 pulls up to the joy of those who have waited
several centuries for it . doubtless arriva will take this tiny handful
of people as an example of falling passenger numbers
5
LETTERS
letters, grapevine, victoria hall, bryn
road, lampeter SA48 7EE
email: [email protected]
be sure to hide the roaches ...
Sir,
I expect I’m not the only one who’s been
looking at the Transition Network online.
And I like what it had to say, particularly
with regard to communication. http://
www.transitionnetwork.org/ingredients/
deepening/how-we-communicate
For those without the internet It says:
‘For many, green campaigners can appear
fanatical, naive, uninformed, smug, judge-
mental, patronising or offensive. So what is
the most skilful way to get the message
across? ... Work actively to avoid perceptions
of being ‘hippy’ or excessively rooted in
alternative culture; rather, ensure that the
project remains as accessible to as wide a
range of people as possible.’
I am anxious that we are in danger of
disagreeing amongst ourselves as to our ap-
proach rather than understanding the people
we are trying to reach.
My world and work is farming and has
been for nearly 40 years and Geoff and I
have known Lampeter and its villages for
over 50 years. We are organic farmers and
alternative by inclination. For 25 years my
paid employment was teaching at Lampeter
University and my interests are literary and
artistic. I know every aspect of Lampeter and
love every bit of it and the people in it. It’s
diverse, rich and entertaining in its wild orig-
inality. We’re lucky to live here.
But to engage with each and every sec-
tion of our community we are going to have
to tone the Transition message down. It’s
irritating to be preached to all the time, even
I find it uncomfortable and I’ve been closely
involved since the beginning. It wasn’t that
long ago that Lampeter was selling its local
produce, using its local services and engag-
ing in regular community activities that were
both entertaining and functional. The town
and its environs have had interlocking com-
munities for 800 years. Aren’t we being just
a little arrogant to dictate terms and think that
we can teach the people of Lampeter any-
thing new about sustainability or communi-
ty?
Except the threat of peak oil!
This takes nothing away from all the
people who have worked so hard to make the
Victoria Hall and Transition succeed. I don’t
think many people realise what very hard
work it was to get the lease of the Hall in the
first place and to keep the faith in the second
place. There were four gruelling years of
waiting, cajoling, fund raising, working and
many a sleepless night for our benefit. My
admiration knows no bounds for the Direc-
tors, Trustees and the many volunteers who
have put their heart and soul into keeping the
flame going and giving us such a fantastic
resource.
This may sound unfair since the whole
thrust of Transition is of inclusiveness but
it’s not such an easy thing to carry out. It’s
not easy understanding other ways of think-
ing, other ways of being. We will have to
tread sensitively and carefully.
The Grapevine is a source of interest,
entertainment and information and talks to all
kinds and conditions. It keeps our eye on the
ball.
That is, when it’s not preaching!
I would welcome comments on this let-
ter. In the interests of group solidarity and
mutual approval it’s time we aired our differ-
ences and celebrated the fact that we don’t all
think or behave alike.
Annie May
Llanfair
there’s an editor’s sermon on this sub-
ject on page 6.
sing out!
Annwyl Olygydd / Dear Editor
Diolch i Dylan Lewis. Thanks for your re-
sponse to my letter in the Grapevine. We
need information and we need to communi-
cate, which is why Transition Llambed de-
cided to create a free newsletter for our area -
a channel where people could do just that.
I suppose I knew about the Cwmann
Male Voice Choir and should have men-
tioned that, but being female that is not an
option for me and all the other females who
would like to sing. I did not know about Co-
risma and am grateful for this information.
Both choirs could be an inspiration and an
attraction for some, and I hope we will be
able to listen to them both in the not too dis-
tant future when we put on a Noson Lawen in
Neuadd Fictoria, as we are planning to do.
We are looking for talent, energy and enthu-
siasm for such an event, and badly need con-
tacts among the local Welsh-speaking com-
munity. The Events Group at Transition
Llambed has a dream of re-launching Victo-
ria Hall with a Noson Lawen when it is refur-
bished. We would also love to see the hall
being used for Eisteddfod Llambed, which is
what it was built for more than a hundred
years ago.
Back to the singing idea. Both estab-
lished choirs sound fantastic, but I assume
you need a really good voice and some musi-
cal knowledge in order to be accepted as
members. What I was thinking about when I
wrote my letter was a mixed community
choir, where enthusiasm and willingness
would be more of an asset than a pure voice.
I don’t feel that one should exclude the
other, and do hope that we could all work
together and create something that we can all
be proud of.
Thanks again,
Gro-Mette Gulbrandsen
Cellan
victoria hall: activities and classes bryn road, lampeter
Monday: 2pm till 3pm Herbalife weight watching session with Hazel Pugh. Tel: 07854 743291. 7pm till 9pm Wing Chun Kungfu. with Flo Hunt Tel: 07796 796259. Tuesday: till 8.30pm Zumba keep fit session with Julie Lancaster. Tel: 01570 470542. Wednesday: 11am till 1pm WEA Introduction to sewing machines, and 1pm till 3pm, Restyle your clothes with Hannah
Cutler. Tel: 07773 500328. 1.30pm till 4.30pm, 14 and 28 November: Young at Heart. Tea and sandwiches for the wiser folk of Lampeter. Wednesday: 7pm till 8pm. Zumba keep fit session with Louise Evans. Tel: 07584 199372. Thursday: 10pm till 3pm Welsh classes with Meryl EvansTel: 01545 572715. 6pm till 8pm Lampeter Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with Mike A. Banica. Tel: 07783 582081. Thursday: Second of the month 7pm till 9pm An introduction to Buddhism Group with Steph Jacques. Tel: 01570 422273. Thursday: Third of the month 7pm till 9pm Transition Llambed ‘Big Gathering’. A chance for all those interested and in-
volved with Transition Llambed to plan and coordinate activities. Everyone welcome! Friday: 4.30pm till 6.30pm LYTss: Lampeter Youth Theatre and Stage School with Annie May. Tel: 01570 423077.
7pm till 9pm Five Rhythms Dancing with Irene Sullivan. Tel: 07737 739998. Saturday: 2pm till 4pm Boxersize. Body conditioning and toning keep fit session with Andy Jacques. Tel: 07703 722344. Saturday: 2nd and 4th of the month, 10am till 1pm. Lampeter People’s Market. Local food, produce and crafts. Plus cafe and
other various attractions. Sunday: Lampeter Evangelical Church 10am till 7pm. Info: Gareth Jones at the Mustard Seed. Tel: 01570 423344. Sunday: 7pm till 9pm Lampeter Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with Mike A. Banica. Tel: 07783 582081.
6
It all seems so easy. You pick up the Transition Handbook writ-
ten by our Glorious Leader and read page after page of glowing
descriptions of how Britain’s first self-appointed ‘Transition
Town’ has been such a success in so short a time, and it all
seems so simple and straightforward. Yes, we’ll have a few
packed meetings and it’ll only be a matter of time before the
entire community is on board and exciting things are happening
all over the place: solar panels on every roof in town, a local
currency, vehicles running on recycled cooking oil, permacul-
ture enterprises everywhere you look, and regular packed public
meetings and film shows discussing the latest wizard schemes
while volunteers fall over themselves to join this or that action
group.
Unfortunately, as people have been discovering in the course
of Transition Llambed’s 5 years as a ‘Transition Town’, it’s not
that simple. Totnes, the Devon town in question in the above
paragraph, was a transition town long, long before the phrase
was even invented, and first set off down that road way back in
the 1920s. When Mr Hopkins eventually showed up down there
he found that he was preaching to the converted. The story of
how a couple of visionary millionaires revived a moribund rural
community is a long and interesting one for which there’s no
space in this little piece, but suffice to say that because of Doro-
thy and Leonard Elmhirst’s efforts in the Dartington/Totnes ar-
ea, that part of the planet has been cooking up recipes for radical
and sustainable life-ways for the best part of a century now. You
might call it the home of British environmentalism.
Which is why the transition thing seems to have taken off so
effortlessly there. In Totnes it was simply a matter of branding
what already existed: give it a logo, give it a flag that people can
salute, and Rob’s your uncle.
Now, ‘Transition’ is basically just another green party deal-
ing with a list of the usual suspects from pollution to climate
change to fossil fuel issues and so on. And it has its particular
take on the environment, one it has named ‘peak oil’. But what
marks it out, beyond the fact that it’s a political party with no
official leader, no offical membership, no subscription system
and doesn’t put forward electoral candidates (and has some cute
little logos), is that it seems to practise a politics of inclusion and
diplomacy, and not the usual politics of confrontation between
different interest groups. In true third-way, ‘big-tent’, all-
stakeholders-together style it seeks to get all sections of the
community on board to support its vision and its projects.
Perhaps this can succeed without too much sweat in a town
like Lewes or Norwich, where you have a pretty homogeneous
population to get to pull together; or an inner city domain like
Brixton where you have a pretty cosmopolitan bunch of inhabit-
ants open to new ideas. But not here, Jack. Here in Lampeter,
although, like Totnes, it’s a British market town with a higher
education establishment attached and has prevailing southwest-
erly winds and plenty of sheep and cattle, the resemblance ends
there and the situation couldn’t be more different. The popula-
tion is smaller, not as wealthy, has no long tradition of radical
approaches to environment and community, and certainly has no
useful billionaires about to sink their wealth into such causes.
This population, as well as being generally conservative in out-
look, is also divided along lines of nationality, and the only radi-
cal movement to have had any recent success in these parts has
been Welsh nationalism.
As those who have been working for Transition Llambed
from the off some five years ago will tell you, it’s been hard
graft, and TL hasn’t made nearly as much progress as it might
have wished for. Put simply: unlike other ‘transition towns’,
Lampeter doesn’t have the kind of support it would like from the
locals, be they English or Welsh, but particularly not from the
latter – i.e. the majority.
That, I’m told, is currently TL’s biggest headache. Things
are indeed happening, but not enough things and not sufficiently
quickly. Many still have a great deal of distrust for what is per-
ceived as a club for middle-class English hippies with socialist
leanings, and this presents more than a minor stumbling block.
Why has it been so hard for TL to get locals onside? One
view, expressed elsewhere in this issue (see Letters, p. 5), is that
TL tends to preach, and that these sermons are also pretty
gloomy ones. And maybe there’s another factor of equal if not
greater significance: that TL is simply not practising the politics
of inclusion with sufficient commitment.
For example: when we sometimes greet newcomers to the
monthly meeting by inviting them into a circle to hold hands
not dartington hall
HOW SUSTAINABLE IS TRANSITION LLAMBED? andy soutter gets preachy on the politics of inclusion
not lampeter
7
while everybody introduces themselves in turn, this is emphati-
cally not inclusive behaviour. On the contrary, it is exclusive
behaviour, a practice belonging to one segment of the wider
community, being foisted on the rest. And to many people it’s
just – there’s no polite way to say this – touchy-feely new age
hippy nonsense. It’s a sure way of turning people right off as
soon as they arrive and before they’ve had the chance to even sit
down. This is something that at least seems to have been recog-
nised by the transition network at large (again, see Letters to the
ed.).
I appreciate that what I’m referring to has been a spontane-
ous act of good faith, and I applaud it for this. But it appears to
point to the fact that at TL’s monthly meetings there has been,
at least in this writer’s limited experience of them, a lack of any
thought out and agreed protocol for making interested newcom-
ers feel welcome and comfortable. At the moment such people
find themselves in a badly lit hall, possibly unsure of who to
approach, and obliged to wander around and peer through the
gloom to discover who is doing what at which table. And the
refreshments situation is inconsistent: will there be tea, milk,
snacks? Possibly. Will they be clearly offered to people? Maybe.
Has anyone taken responsibility for ensuring that nibbles and
bevvies are available and of good quality? I suspect not. It’s all a
bit half-hearted. It may be time to instigate some kind of regular
procedure for kicking off the monthly meeting and making sure
folks feel as comfortable as possible, with procedures that abso-
lutely everyone feels at home with. We might take a leaf out of
the Chamber of Trade’s book on this one: a comfortable and
well-lit environment, newcomers/visitors introduced in a univer-
sally recognised and unintimidating manner, and yes, lots of
tasty sandwiches.
Perhaps it’s time for a Big Think about this and other areas
where we may be unwittingly turning off the wider community
(how we choose to name certain TL projects, for example), oth-
erwise TL risks becoming unsustainable.
Here endeth the lesson.
FUNGUS FORAY
COEDWIG GYMUNEDOL
LONGWOOD COMMUNITY WOODLAND
will be holding a Fungus Foray on Sunday 4th
November. This will be led by Penny David starting at
11.00am from the woodland car park off the Llanfair
Clydogau–Lampeter road.
All are welcome. Free of charge .Warm clothing and
suitable footwear advisable.
On 24 November, Lampeter’s late night shopping evening, Clwb Castanet
Club jointly with the Kings Head pub invites you to an open mike with local
performers and a bar. It will be a benefit for Ty Hafan and we appeal to
local performers to contact the Grapevine if they are interested in per-
forming or assisting. It would be nice to have a lantern procession from
High Street to Victoria Hall where the event will take place. Help us make
it happen!
8
The Rambling Pea has taken root for two
days a week in the Town Hall Café to the
delight of the diners at the inaugural evening
on Saturday October 13.
We have a truly home grown eating treat
here. Local boy Tom Holden is now the resi-
dent chef at the Town Hall Café. Tom is very
good indeed at what he can create from sourc-
ing local produce: Gower mussels, Bryn
Derw chicken, local sewin, Pembrokeshire
potatoes, a selection of artisan Welsh cheeses
and plenty of local fruit and vegetables, all
superbly cooked and presented. The Ram-
bling Pea, described as ‘Guerrilla Dining’,
has been successfully operating for over a
year now, giving us outstanding food in all
kinds of venues and conditions from pig
roasts to full scale wedding catering. Last
night it was our turn to enjoy Tom’s creative
skills.
When I walked into the Town Hall cafe
with my two bottles (it was our anniversary
treat so we had a bottle of champers and a
half bottle of Montbazillac to go with the
pud) a wonderful atmosphere met me at the
door. The tables sparkled with white napery,
glass and silver, a there was loud happy buzz
of conversation and lovely cheery greetings
from friends. This, I thought, is going to be
just great. And it was.
The food was unfussy but wonderfully
cooked. I rather wish Geoff and I hadn’t been
such inept food reporters; we chose the same
starter. But neither of us was willing to give
up the steamed Gower mussels. And what
mussels they were! More than half the skill in
serving up moules is the choosing of the
shellfish and Tom is a master at this. I’ve
never eaten such fat, succulent mussels
cooked the classic way in garlic, white wine
and parsley.
My main course of simply prepared
fillets of sewin, bream and sole with parsley
and lemon and Pembrokeshire potatoes was
enough to keep any ravenous farmer happy,
but delicate enough with its fronds of
crunchy, salty samphire to please a foody
fusspot. Geoff had the venison Wellington,
which I was a bit anxious about. Venison is
not the easiest meat to work with, especially
in pastry. But the neat, crisp parcel cut like
butter and Geoff reported that the venison
with its blackberry/spiced port juice and ce-
leriac mash was a fabulous combination.
They brought us the Montbazillac with
the dessert menu and once again we demon-
strated our total ineptness as food critics by
choosing the same one! But you can’t blame
us because it was chocolate tart with choco-
late sorbet and chocolate sauce. The tart was
made with white chocolate which normally I
hate so I was a bit disappointed to see it. But
with the subtle addition of vanilla Tom had
transformed that icky, sticky sweet white
chocolate into a dream tart filling. By now I
was beginning to flag; this was a very gener-
ous meal indeed, but Geoff, a true Cardi
Farmer, polished off the whole meal with
gusto. We’ll be going again and taking
friends next time.
The Rambling Pea will be serving dinner
every Friday and Saturday for £25.00 a head
and bring your own wine if you want alt-
hough there is a small but good wine list at
the Town Hall deli. To book ring 01570
421120, mobile: 07783806375 or find The
Rambling Pea on Facebook and join the
group. Website:
www. http://www.holdenscatering.com/
eating out in lampeter griselde griedigaats reports on a new gourmet experience that may well put
lamps on the foody map
operatic mussels pictured by spot scott
Ffarmers Market 3 November
10–12.30 Neuadd Bro Fana/Village Hall,
Ffarmers
Llansawel Market 18th November 10–12.30 Llansawel Village Hall
PEOPLE’S MARKET
VICTORIA HALL, LAMPETER 10 NOVEMBER and 24 NOVEMBER
9
shop locally, folks
is lampeter ‘nine meals from
anarchy’ ?
linda winn on supermarket brinkmanship and a
new local scheme to encourage us to buy locally
produced food
The phrase ‘nine meals from anarchy’ was coined in 2000 during the
fuel protests, when at one stage only 5% of normal fuel deliveries were
being made because of protestors blockades at oil refineries. Supermar-
kets began rationing food due to difficulties in getting food deliveries
through and there were reports of panic buying. ‘Supermarket bosses
sat with ministers and civil servants in Whitehall warning that there
were just three days of food left. We were, in effect, nine meals from
anarchy.’ Andrew Simms Guardian January 2010
Supermarkets operate a ‘just-in-time’ stocking principle – it gives
them flexibility and responsiveness to changing local conditions – and
it works a treat until something gets in the way of distributing and de-
livering ‘just-in-time’. Things like a shortage of fuel or the weather...
I remember the 2007 floods in Tewkesbury: ‘Fresh water tankers
and bottled supplies are struggling to get through to all the flooded
areas and supermarkets have had a rash of panic buying with police
being called in to control desperate crowds.’
And of course the supermarkets have to have something in their
central warehouses to distribute to us. Over the last couple of weeks the
poor harvests worldwide have been making the headlines again ‘The
extreme weather has taken its toll on the amount of food produced and
the quality of food and grain.’
Poor harvests and extreme weather have always made the news, but
there is an underlying pattern to notice and I am pondering again all the
questions about where our food comes from ... this is apparently called
‘Food Security’ and The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food
security as existing ‘when all people at all times have access to suffi-
cient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life’.
National statistics show that at the moment, for the majority of us,
our food security rests with the ‘Big Four’ supermarkets – Asda, Morri-
sons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, who hold 75% of the market share of food
bought in the UK, followed by the Co-op, Waitrose and Aldi with an-
other 15%.
Is this a problem?
It’s certainly convenient to do a ‘one stop shop’ and they tell us its
cheap, but I remember my surprise when a local farmer told me he had
stopped supplying carrots to the Co-op because he was going to have to
pay to transport everything to a central distribution warehouse in Eng-
land for sorting and packing, ready to be transported back to Wales.
How can that be cheaper?
Does it make sense to be so reliant on supermarkets when you stop
and think it through? Particularly in a time when: ‘growers and farmers
placed weather – alongside disease – at the top of their operating
risks…and nearly all businesses believe extreme weather to be more
frequent than it has been historically ... The majority of all those who
participated believed the food chain is at risk of extreme weather’.
Report for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(DEFRA) published this year (Evans, K. (2012) ‘Adapting to Climate
Change in the Food Industry’.
Food security is not just pondering the wisdom of relying on super-
markets, it’s also asking questions about what’s filling supermarket
shelves. The answers are similarly concerning to me ... did you know
that the levels of home produced vegetables reduced by 23% while
imports increased by 51% over the last 20 years? That we only produce
10% of the fruit we eat? That we are only about 50% self-sufficient in
vegetable production?
I am really not happy with the idea of ‘easily disrupted just-in-time
supermarket food supply lines, and a risky assumption that anything we
need can easily be bought on global market, when in response to global
shortages, governments around the world understandably choose to
meet their domestic needs first’. Andrew Simms again.
For all the reasons I have suggested and many more that there’s no
space to go into now, I do what I can to not be reliant on the supermar-
kets. I grow some fruit and a few vegetables, buy direct from a small-
holder around the corner, support the Peoples Market and our local
independents whenever I can, as well as buying some things from the
supermarkets. My feeling is that this is cheaper, as well as better for the
environment and offers me more food security. I am going to try to
keep a record of what I buy, where I buy it and where it comes from
over the next few weeks to gather some facts and figures to support my
feeling. Would anyone else be happy to have a go at recording the same
sort of thing? Contact me or come to a Big Gathering on the third
Thursday of the month to talk it through.
[email protected] 01570 471717.
Transition Llambed is also thinking about a new project – the ‘50
from 50 Campaign’ – to encourage people to eat more locally produced
food.
It sets the target to buy 50% of your food from producers within 50
miles of where you live. Eating more locally produced food is benefi-
cial as it:
cuts down on ‘food miles’ and the emissions involved in transport-
ing food great distances;
keeps more money in the local economy;
creates more local jobs in food producing businesses;
builds local self-reliance;
increases food security.
There are many food producers all around us – but it can be a prob-
lem to find them! To help with this ‘50 from 50’ is starting a pilot pro-
ject to produce a directory of local food producers in the Lampeter area.
More details about the campaign will be on the website:
www.50from50.co.uk
If you would like to get involved with the project follow the links
on the website or contact Chris on:
Lunar Market
Saturday 3 November at Llanfair Clydogau Village Hall
10am–3pm
Local produce and crafts
car-booters welcome
refreshments
Tel. 07920063773
10
Canolfan Gadwraeth Fferm
Denmark
Denmark Farm Conservation
Centre
Courses Autumn 2012 Wild In The Woods (ages 6-12) Tues 30 Oct: Give your children the free-dom to learn in our lovely woodland where they can enjoy learning practical skills, meet new friends and have fun. Patchwork Quilts – 3 part course Wed 31 Oct & 28 Nov 10am–2pm: A three part workshop covering all aspects of patchwork quilting and providing the support to complete a beautiful and unique quilt by the end of the course. 3 monthly 4 hours sessions allowing partic-ipants time to complete tasks in between sessions. Come along and make the ulti-mate personal Christmas present for someone who you care for. Introduction to Permaculture Sat 3-Mon 5 Nov: Would you like to learn how to live more sustainably? Then look
no further than permaculture design for how to create an ecologically sound way of living. By observing natural systems and adopting ecological principles you will be able to care for people as well as the earth. A visit to a local permaculture site to see sustainable practices in action is included in the course fee. Natural Festive Crafts Sat 1 Dec: An inspiring and practical day with talented community artist Pod Clare. Pod will demonstrate a range of simple and effective projects to decorate your home during the festive period. Projects include embossed Christmas tree decora-tions, bramble wreaths, candle holders, larch cone stars and mini wooden trees using found and recycled materials. You can choose which projects you’d like to work on and take home whatever you make plus bags of ideas to keep on mak-ing. Make Your Own Herbal Cosmetics Sun 2 Dec: Spend an informative and enjoyable day with Christine Stephenson, Medical Herbalist learning how to make herbal cosmetic items such as herbal creams and bath products from plants
that are easy to grow in your own garden in time for Christmas – making ideal Christmas gifts. All ingredients and uten-sils will be provided. The ingredients used will be of high quality, using natural ingredients, free from harsh chemicals and detergents. You will be able to take away with you four completed products. There will be some additional ingredients for sale on the day to take away and use at home.
For the full list of conservation, natural
crafts and sustainable living courses,
see our website
www.denmarkfarm.org.uk
or phone 01570 493358
Betws Bledrws, Lampeter SA48 8PB
Cysylltu pobl Cysylltu pobl â byd natur
Connecting people with nature
LOCAL FOOD no-one sent us any cheese as requested last
month, so we sent hedda tschedde in search of
some
the people’s market, victoria hall, bryn road, lampeter. fortnightly saturdays A visit to the quaintly named ‘People’s Market’ – and no it’s not
a slave market or a den of socialists but a rather nice place to
buy local produce, sit and have a coffee or a spot of lunch with
chums. Ferm Rhy y Gwyn offers high quality fruit, vegetables,
flowers, jams and honey. Gary’s shitake logs offer you the satis-
faction of being able to grow your own mushrooms and they’re
very versatile – ask him! I’m going to give them as Christmas
presents this year. There are wonderful artisan breads from a
local baker and fabulous cakes, pies, quiches, cup cakes, welsh
cakes and many other delicious home made items from the
Gegin Pant Gwyn. The Gegin will be catering for LYTss at their
children’s Christmas party.
the organic fresh food company, tregaron road, lampeter. 01570 423099 Considering that the shop is located in an industrial estate it has
a very warm welcoming atmosphere. The vegetables are of an
excellent quality, much of it local, none of it flown in, and are
displayed so attractively I found myself buying far more than I
had intended! But more than that you can get a huge range of
food and non-foods such as household detergents, soaps, sham-
poos, towels, scourers and cleaning cloths. If you are in search
of organic produce in Lampeter, look no further.
local cheese I did a very cursory trawl of the internet and a couple of food
directories. You’ll find that we’ve got plenty to feed us in
Ceredigion. If you look in Local Food Producers in Ceredigion
you won’t get much and even less if you look for producers near
Lampeter. And yet, we have local vegetables, local meat, local
bakers, egg producers, mushroom and fungi growers and vine-
yards. There is no need to go out of your county for your chees-
es. If you google ‘cheese makers Ceredigion’ you get this map
and these cheese makers. For a little county that’s a lot of cheese
makers and that’s not all of them; there’s also Teifi Cheeses,
Caws Cenarth cheeses and Gorwydd (of Llanddewi Brefi) to
name just three more.
A Merlin Cheeses (www.merlincheeses.co.uk) B Saputo Cheese UK Ltd C Caws Celtica (www.cawsceltica-farmhousecheese.co.uk) D Caws E Hafod F Carmarthenshire Cheese
11
from the bottom continuing annie may’s engaging chronicles of coming to farm in west wales
PART 4 HAY AND PHILOSOPHY
There is no doubt that in many cases your occupation defines you. New
projects and new ventures were what defined Geoff. When he lost it all
he felt that he was nothing and his self-respect took a nose dive. But as
so often, it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.
Things that threaten your survival teach you valuable lessons if you
want to learn them. As for me, I was beginning a new life of academic
exploration after the most constricting and boring work I had ever done
in my life. And any way I have never quite ‘got’ the notion of money in
the sense that the more you have the better. I am still learning the mate-
rial wisdom side of things.
For us, the thing to do was to build our lives on solid foundations of
friendship and community; something which we had been in danger of
forgetting in the town. We had forgotten that towns were not our natu-
ral habitat. We sometimes miss stepping out of our front door and
strolling up Bathurst Street to the Grand Theatre Swansea to see the
wonderful Welsh National Opera performing. I certainly miss dressing
up and going out to dine in the Mumbles. Occasionally we miss eve-
nings barbecuing in the little courtyard of our house near the beach
surrounded by geraniums and scented herbs. But the closed in feel was
uncomfortable. The streets were crowded and horizons felt limited.
This is odd because towns offer bigger economic horizons and Swansea
has vitality and a real buzz to it.
Haymaking was easy that first year at Llanfair Fawr. I have never
known a kinder, more reliable summer. Each day was hot and dry and
lasted for ever; there were no anxious eyes cast to the sky. Dot and I
brought baskets of sandwiches and flasks tea up to Cae Mawr to feed
the haymakers. By the evening the fields were full of people lending a
hand. One heavenly afternoon with the light bouncing off the golden
stubble, Dot had just finished driving the big tractor; Geoff, Arwyn and
I and several others had been swinging the bales on to the big flatbed
trailer (they were still making small bales at Llanfair Fawr in 1990);
Timothy and Jonathan and I were sitting eating ice cream perched on
the little Fergie tractor and as the men came up Dot doled out more ice
cream from her insulated box. As dusk fell we came back to the farm-
house, hungry once more. We laid out cold ham, bread and butter and
salad. Arwyn and Geoff brought in cans of lager and through the open
window of the kitchen you could hear the laughter and talk of the peo-
ple sitting eating and drinking on the little terrace outside as dusk
fell.Gwyn Evans, Arwyn, and Tim’s father used to tell me of haymak-
ing when he was a young man and the weather was bad. They had hors-
es to pull the trailers in those days and some of the cutting was still
done by hand. Getting the hay in has to go on until everything is in and
stacked. Methods were much slower and he remembered that all the
surrounding farms would get together to do the work, just as they did at
shearing time, or it would never have got done. Sometimes they worked
all night and into the next day. I can’t remember whether he told me
how they managed to see where the bales to be collected were in the
dark though.* These days Geoff can be stacking our big wrapped silage
bales until after midnight, but he’s got a big old tractor that can carry three bales at a time and has powerful lights to guide him. (cont. over)
she’s been sitting there all day trying to get that thing into gear
12
cont. from previous page
On the other hand he does it alone once Richard Eadon has cut, rowed
up and baled and David Astington has come and wrapped the big round
bales in black plastic. Yet another thing that has changed radically to
thin out the community spirit.
With regard to the black plastic wrapped bales, we talk glibly about
peak oil as if it was easy to make sure that we didn’t use oil based prod-
ucts; but we manage to feed our animals with more certainty now that
we can make and store bales of silage in the fields. Storing this kind of
long fodder would be difficult, expensive and potentially polluting
without plastic wrapping. There are more people in the country to feed
and no-one wants to work on the land, the pay is too paltry. Arable
farming relies on mechanisation to an even greater extent than livestock
farming. I leave it to you work out the ramifications of the ethics of
meat eating versus vegetarianism and subsequent social and economic
difficulties of feeding a vast population without importing our im-
portant staples. I look forward to trenchant comments from readers of
all persuasions!
Once the haymaking was over there were evenings when Dot and
Arwyn would bring their deck chairs onto the little garden that I was
making around the caravan. We would sit and drink and chat as the sun
set beyond the apple trees. Occasionally Arwyn would lurch to his feet,
startling us all, and dash round to the little shearing supplies shop
where a customer had arrived. We seldom heard the quiet crunch of
tyres on gravel, but he always did. It was his job to do that. The shop
was always open and the light from the open doorway and the gentle
sound of farmer’s voices gossiping late into the night was infinitely
soothing.
If our lives felt restricted in town they expanded mysteriously back
here in the Teifi Valley. Our own particular valley has its trees and hills
that limit the horizon, but our world seems somehow so much bigger
than the Swansea world. There is space and whatever the weather there
is something beautiful to look at. Perhaps it’s because we’ve learnt a bit
more about what survival is in here; where our shelter and or heating
and our food come from. It puts things in perspective. When we came
to Wales in the first place this was what we wanted to do, but in fact,
you can’t actually do it, not just like that. You have to learn about the
people, the animals, the wildlife and the land first and even then there’s
nearly always a compromise because it’s difficult to be pure.
The plain that stretches West to the sea between the Aeron Valley
and the Teifi is so beautiful that you can be there all year, year after
year and never see the same view twice. As the days and seasons
change, so do the trees and the winding river. Once you are there, right
in the middle of it, you are overwhelmed by the green and silver of the
hills, the river bank and the tranquillity. As you leave Lampeter going
East you begin to climb up into the Cambrian hills.
To walk up over the Sarn Helen is to walk history. It is part of the
old Roman Road that leads to more civilised lands. You go up the steep
road past Pentre Farm from Llanfair Clydogau and after a mile or two
the trees run out. A mile further on and you are on the tops looking
down at the two valleys: the steep one on your left and the gentle one
on your right, and that’s the Panteg Valley.
We were still making hay in small bales ourselves when we came to
Panteg. John Esgair Corn, our neighbour, noticed that we had no equip-
ment and offered to do our hay for us. He did that for two years until
we were able to afford a little Fergie that trundled along the roads to the
growing number of farms whose land we tacked. There’s always an
abundance of help up here but don’t ask for money. You won’t get it;
there never was much.
I always intended to take a photograph of Geoff on his little tractor:
the wheel arches came up so high that you could only just see his yel-
low checked hat above them as he passed by through the farmyard.
When we began to make big-bale hay Geoff and his tractor became a
menace on the roads. The arm of the tractor didn’t have a spike so he
had to carry the bale on the front end loader and his field of vision
along the road was completely obscured so that he had to stop and peer
round the bale from time to time. One day he peered round and saw our
neighbour frantically driving, uncomplaining and co-operative, back-
wards down the road in order to avoid him.
* I was talking to Arwyn and Gwynedd his sister recently but forgot to ask them
about it.
next month: starting again
voluntary work / work experience wanted I am 17 years old. I attend Tregaron School and live in Llanwnnen. I have learning disabilities and am interested in gaining work experi-ence in the local area. I have worked on a voluntary basis in a local cafe where I helped serve customers and helped out generally in the kitchen. I have also worked in a local garden centre and with support worked on a local farm. I am a punctual, committed, polite, caring and enthusiastic worker. I can provide references. If you are able or interested in offering me voluntary work or work experience, please ring 07875027914.
we asked don van fleet to write something about flamenco in light of a couple of new classes starting up in ceredigitland (see listings). he was on holiday recovering from a bout of pseudonym’s disease, but he managed to offer this comment: ‘it’s all about elbows, man. elbows and knees. so be careful.’
13
LAMPETER MUSIC CLUB
PROGRAMME 2012–13
University of Wales Trinity St
David, Lampeter Campus
DOMINANT QUARTET
String Quartet
Sunday November 4th –
7.30pm – Old Hall
TIMOTHY ORPEN &
ALISON FARR Clarinet &
Piano
Sunday November 25th –
2.30pm – Arts Hall
DANIEL EVANS Piano
Tuesday January 22nd –
7.30pm – Arts Hall
FABIEN GENTHIALON Cello
Tuesday February 12th –
7.30pm – Arts Hall
INNER CITY BRASS Brass
Quintet
Sunday March 10th – 2.30pm
l y t kids at work in the park. nepotism, schmepotism, this is just a great photograph. colour is cool – but tone mus’ rule.
who took it, by the way?
14
Dixey Brooks is an artist working in oils, acrylics, oil pastels and
ceramics who moved to the Lampeter area just over two years
ago. She was trained in the art of Maiolica ceramic technique in
Monte Lupo, Florence. She sells her unique and vibrant Maiolica
ceramic pieces at the People’s Market. There are many beautiful
one-off pieces as well as sets of dishes on her stall. You may also
commission personalized mugs, jugs and bowls, and christening/
wedding plates, to order, with names and dates on them , in any
theme you fancy. There are also A3 prints of Dixey’s paintings
available on her stall.
www.dixeyart.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/DixeyArt
As well as selling her ceramic art Dixey also offers her Organically
Certified Marvellous Superfood at the People’s Market. Marvellous
Superfood is a powerful food supplement in the form of a green
powder . It is a harmonious blend of seven highly nutritious organ-
ic ingredients which is easily blended with juice to create an energy
boosting drink, suitable for people of all ages. The benefits of this
great food supplement are too many to list here. Marvellous Su-
perfood is a young and thriving family business based in Llangybi,
near Lampeter, where the ingredients are blended and packaged
with care and devotion.
www.marvelloussuperfood.co.uk
people’s market people
Phil and Michelle Drayton have
farmed their land at Rhyd-y-Gwin, which
is between Temple Bar and Ffynon Oer
on the B4337, for the last six years. Their
market garden is accredited by the Soil
Association and is worked by a combina-
tion of permaculture and organic princi-
ples.
Using both outside growing areas and
their five polytunnels for protected crop-
ping, they produce an extensive range of
fresh organic seasonal vegetables, soft
and top fruit, plants and cut flowers
throughout the entire year, as well as
free-range eggs, honey, jams and chutneys
available from their farm gate or vegeta-
ble box scheme.
They share their farm with rare breed
Tamworth pigs that are used for
‘ploughing’ vegetable areas, Shetland
sheep, Brecon Buff geese, the ‘slug
patrol’ (Muscovy ducks) and ten hives of
honey bees.
So if you are passing on the B4337
just south of Temple Bar, please call into
their farm gate stall, or visit them at the
People’s Market, Victoria Hall on the
second and fourth Saturday of the month,
or telephone them on 01570471432 to
find out which other local farmers mar-
kets they attend.
15
does WWOOFing make me your
dog? by maj ikle
So it all starts off nice as cherry pies: you have a caravan in a
location I want to visit, and you also want a little work done on
your organic garden. We, like ‘fixed-up friends,’ arrange dates.
When I arrive at your home ready to labour and learn, both of us
are holding on to our hopes as well as fears. Is that why we are
each perhaps a little too ‘highly-pitched grateful’ to discover
that the other does not have two heads or vote Tory?
That night we stay up with your home-made wine, getting to
know each other. Reassured that we share sufficient politics and
permaculture, we go to bed happy. The next morning, bright and
early, you are knocking on the caravan door with a cup of tea
and a promise of cooked breakfast. Sheepish about my hango-
ver, I get up and shower in your gorgeous bathroom, asking my-
self why I don’t have a sumptuous home. I've had this ‘always
the bridesmaid and never the bride' feeling for a long time now,
so as I climb into my overalls I give myself a good talking-to
and pull it together.
You meanwhile have waited with cooling eggs and harden-
ing toast, watching rainclouds gather outside in the wet Welsh
sky. As I sit down I get the feeling that you have been let down
before and are swallowing down something not quite nutritious.
‘I would like a shed built up on that windy ridge,’ you say,
pointing, with your eyes full of expectation.
Unwilling to speak with my mouth full, I nod, cautious of
your enthusiasm. Usually I’m planting onions and weeding
beds, so the challenge of it intrigues me. I swallow and say
‘Sounds interesting.’
You pour me more strong coffee. ‘Can I start and see how I
go?’ I worry that I’m not capable, but ‘willing’ is part of my
definition, so I want to give it a go.
When she arrived I thought: ‘We are going to get on like a
house on fire, she’s the grandaughter I never had. How capable
she looks, so fit and able - oh, what I wouldn’t give to be in my
late twenties and free to travel the world.’ Then, when she ate
the best part of a whole loaf at breakfast, I thought ‘All that en-
ergy needs feeding!’ and I was excited about getting my long-
longed-for shed, so I finished the dishes and went shopping. I
bought all the branded organic goods I could, even though I was
into my overdraft - but how do I explain that I’m not as well-off
as I look? All the money’s in the house, not in my pockets.
When I got back, she was in the caravan keeping out of the
rain, so I put my waterproofs on and barrowed a few loads of
soil away myself. I’m not sure she really noticed until she came
out wondering what time lunch would be. ‘Bloody cheek’, I
thought but didn’t say. Food and drink don’t get themselves
ready, so I was grateful for the company as we prepared the veg
together.
The rain showed no sign of stopping after lunch so I suggest-
ed a trip to the sawmill for offcuts. We both mucked into chuck-
ing it all into the back of my car and that afternoon she got to
building. The music of sawing and hammering inspired me to
cook my very best stew. As I cooked I reflected on the beauty of
people helping each other; all was well in my tiny space in the
universe. I opened a bottle of shop-bought wine and went to call
my wwoofer in for her dinner and to see my new shed.
I could tell by her face that she didn’t like it. She stood for a
long time twisting a tea towel into a tight screw, her face a roll-
ing storm cloud. I don’t know what possessed me as I asked
hopefully ‘What do you think?’
I thought it was rude of her really, to turn tail like that and
slam the door in my face when I asked for my dinner. Couldn’t
see what her problem was: it was unorthodox, but serviceable as
a tool store. At least it would keep her precious stuff dry, the
amount of bitumen I painted on it.
I put her a bowl of cereal on a tray outside my back door,
with a note telling her that I simply can’t bring myself to drive
her to the bus. I know I’m being a coward, but… that look she
gave me when I couldn’t bring myself to admire her
‘handiwork’! I hide behind the curtains as I hear her shutting
the caravan door and saying goodbye to the dog. When I think
of that monstrosity and how much I will have to pay someone to
tear it all down, I feel like crying with the waste.
It all seemed such a good idea – people travelling about the
country, learning from established gardeners how to take care
of the land. Was I too ambitious, wanting a little shed to store
my tools? Should I have drawn up a little contract about hours
of work expected and stipulating how many loaves of bread
should be eaten at each meal? Capitalism and the exploitation
of the poor by the rich isn’t fair or effective, but how do I make
sure I’m neither the wolf or the gobbled-up little grandma? If
it’s the end of things being how they were, what kind of relation-
ships are we going to have in the future?
WWOOF UK holds a list of organic farms, gardens and smallholdings, all offering food and accommodation in ex-change for practical help on their land. WWOOF is an ex-change – you volunteer your help in exchange for food, accommodation and an opportunity to learn about organic agriculture. As a WWOOFer, you can expect to work about 5–6 hours per day 5 days a week, or a combination of hours/days to suit your host and yourself not totalling more than 30 hours per week. See www.wwoof.org.uk or write to WWOOF UK, PO Box 2154, Winslow, Buckingham MK18 3WS.
student volunteering
programme makes good
progress at tsd
Thanks to the initiatives started by our ‘Love Your University’
Facebook campaign, volunteering has achieved a new level of prev-
alence and recognition here on the Lampeter campus of the Univer-
sity of Wales Trinity Saint David.
In the coming academic year, and with the support of our Stu-
dents Union, we are planning to increase the scale of our volunteer-
ing activities – getting more students than ever before involved in
positive action both on and off campus.
Lampeter is a fantastic community; we want to show our stu-
dents and the townspeople that we have something special here. By
coming together and taking part in meaningful volunteering activi-
ties, that sense of community is fostered and our students gain valu
able experience, whilst in return offering themselves as an enthusi-
astic workforce.
Doing voluntary work for its own sake is important whilst stud-
ying, and this time at university probably represents the most free-
dom we students will ever see – we want to provide the opportuni-
ties for all our students to do something socially positive with this
freedom!
We’re always looking to make links with local organisations
and widen the kinds of activities available to us. If you or your or-
ganisation are interested in getting involved please contact Jo Fish-
er, CSA Co-ordinator, at UWTSD Students Union, on
colin thurston
16
HOUSING SUPPORT trouble with accomodation?
a new nonprofit outfit based in
llanybydder aims to be of
assistance
iss’s chris standen writes: Please let me introduce our organisation. Inde-
pendent Support Services is a newly formed not
for profit company operating in Ceredigion Our
aim is to provide well grounded, practical, con-
fidential housing related support to anyone who
considers themselves disadvantaged, by disabil-
ity, low income or lack confidence to tackle
social issues.
We recognise that our clients are often una-
ble or reluctant due to feelings of stigma to
attend appointments at formal offices, so all our
work is community-based in the client’s home
or a venue of their choice where they are com-
fortable; it is also strictly confidential.
We offer assistance to our clients by ad-
dressing housing issues, accessing sustainable
accommodation, managing budgets, dealing
with benefit claims, including representation at
DWP medical assessments and appeals if ap-
propriate, completion of all forms, and dealing
with official correspondence. We also assist
clients with resettlement following homeless-
ness, or relocation, including dealing with utili-
ties care providers, and acquiring suitable furni-
ture and household items and the grants to fa-
cilitate this.
We help with making and keeping essential
appointments, providing transport and accom-
panying clients where necessary until they are
confident to do so themselves. We also recog-
nise and advocate the need for independence
and where appropriate help find pathways to re-
employment or volunteering opportunities. We
assist clients to develop life skills, support net-
works and social activities that can sustain them
when our support has ended.
As a provider of support (not care) we are
organised and governed by experienced profes-
sional carers and support workers (the mini-
mum qualification on our board and at senior
management is NVQ3 in social care, and there
is over 40 years of combined experience at this
level.
We make a charge for our services to cover
expenses, and referrals are accepted direct from
clients or professional bodies using the details
below.
Tel: 07792919496. email:
Independent Support Services (UK) Ltd is a
registered company Registered in the United
Kingdom. Registration 08183214. Registered
address: Glandwr, Drefach, Llanybydder,
Ceredigion, SA40 9YB.
www.independent-support-services-uk.co.uk
