January 2001
A Newsletter for Lamphey, Hodgeston and Freshwater East
One hundred years ago Lamphey was smaller. Most people worked on the land or were associated with agriculture in some way. There was less opportunity or even need to travel very far beyond the parish. People had more chances to meet and time to talk.
Today the village is bigger, its inhabitants are drawn from all over and few work inside the village. The pace of life is faster and the car at the door takes us quickly away from our neighbours. But Lamphey has much to offer – church, school, shop, garage, Post Office, baker, pub, restaurants, football/cricket pitch, playground, tennis courts, squash courts, W.I., Brownies, play school, Bridge Club and Whist to mention but a few, with beautiful beaches at Freshwater and attractive scenery at Hodgeston.
Now, at the time of the new millennium, we are able to share information in a way that could never have been imagined a hundred years ago by way of the computer and the Internet.
But this Newsletter is not just to provide you with information. We hope you will contribute your views on the content, layout, frequency of publication, etc., also any comments you would like to make, any articles you would like to write, events to publicise, any subject you would like to discuss.
There is an editorial team who are keen to hear from you. At the moment it has been decided to publish four issues this year – January, April, July and October. In between times information can be found on the various Notice Boards around the villages.
Your past, your present, your future is a vibrant part of our Village Times.
Overwhelming opposition to “fast-track” proposals: A Public Meeting, held in the Church Rooms, Lamphey on 17 October 2000, overwhelmingly rejected proposals put forward to increase the pace of development within the village. See below for a full report.
A General Meeting of The Lamphey Community Association was held at Lamphey Church Room on Wednesday 22 November 2000 at 7.30 pm, chaired by Mr Ian White.
The collecting of the Millennium Mugs from the Bakery has been very slow, in particular from the older children. All those who have not collected their Mugs are asked to go to the Bakery as soon as possible; all children resident in Lamphey under the age of 18 are eligible.
The Time Capsule project is to be postponed until next Spring/Summer as yet we have not received the necessary permission from the County Council to dig a hole, bury the Time Capsule and build a Sun Dial. The expected permission should be available soon. Due to the complexities of burying a Time Capsule, it was felt that a more comprehensive look would be needed for the construction of the container. Artefacts to be placed in the Capsule are still required; photographs and any form of books and papers will be acceptable, but they will require special treatment prior to encapsulation. Information has been obtained from the National Library of Wales on how we can possibly carry out this work. Further information will be given in future issues of the Village Times.
It is still proposed to hold an Auction in the Village Hall towards the end of February to raise some funds for the Community Association. Please bring along anything you would like to sell. It has not yet been decided whether to make a nominal charge for entry to the Hall or take a percentage of the sale. Information will be posted on the usual Notice Boards with full Details.
Mrs Una Birtwistle and Mrs Ruth Hayward have produced their report on the footpaths within the village and copies have been sent to the Greenways Officer at Pembrokeshire County Council and SPARC.
The next Committee Meeting will be held on the 14th Feb 2001 at the Church Rooms, Lamphey at 7.30 pm. As usual, the meeting is open to all residents.
Jim Jones, Secretary
Trade was brisk at the Village Hall in Lamphey on the last Saturday in November when Lamphey Parish Church held its Annual Christmas Bazaar. The Cake Stall was, as usual, laden with all sorts of cakes from traditional bara brith to mince pies and apple tarts together with the ever-popular Christmas Cake Raffle. The Sunday School stall was decked out in many-coloured Christmas decorations and sweets with the addition, this year, of a book stall. Alongside was the “Fancy” stall with home-made toys and various household necessities. The Bottle stall proved as popular as ever with the younger patrons of the bazaar who were delighted to be able to win all sorts of odd-shaped bottles. Another popular stall was the Produce stall with its pots of home-made chutneys, jams and pickles; everyone went home well stocked for the winter. The Bric-a-brac stall, as ever, proved a magnet for bargain hunters with prices ranging from 10p to £5.
The ladies in the kitchen were kept busy throughout providing tea and cakes for both shoppers and stall-holders. Mention must also be made of the gentlemen who looked after the raffle, for which there were 23 prizes this time. The draw for the raffle was eagerly anticipated by all. Finally, the Vicar and Churchwardens have expressed their thanks to everyone for their help and support on what was a very successful day.
Freda GriffithsChurch Bazaar, 25 November 2000
The Annual Christmas Dinner for the Lamphey, Hodgeston and Freshwater East Over-60’s was held on Wednesday, 6 December at Lamphey village hall.
Eighty people sat down to a meal of cold meat and salad followed by gateau and plenty of wine and sherry to drink. Mr. Robert Thomas of Fishguard entertained everyone with his singing and guitar playing and soon everyone was joining in with him. The evening appeared to be a great success with everyone expressing their grateful thanks to all the committee members who had worked hard in putting on the dinner.
In the last issue of “Village Times” we published a letter from Keith Edwards putting forward proposals to speed up the development of Lamphey village which were due to be discussed at a forthcoming Public Meeting.
The Public Meeting was held in the Church Rooms, Lamphey on 17 October 2000 and was attended by over 50 local residents. Keith Edwards, a Community Councillor, put forward his arguments for the proposed acceleration of village development whilst Dr Clive Morgan was in opposition. Each speaker was allowed two sessions to put forward their views and arguments by the Chairman, Mr Tom Maguire.
Keith Edwards proposals were for increased development, especially in the form of low-cost housing for young couples and first-time buyers and for more business development within the village. His arguments were based on the apparent increase in the general age of the population within the village.
Clive Morgan refuted this argument with evidence taken from recent censuses which showed no such age increase and he advocated a “steady-as-she-goes” policy of allowing development to continue at its current pace.
Following the debate, the meeting was thrown open, by the Chairman, to members of the public in attendance so that they might make their views known. Throughout this part of the meeting it was obvious that the vast majority of those present agreed with the policy being advocated by Clive Morgan and this was overwhelmingly confirmed when, in a “show of hands” by the audience, only one person supported the proposals put forward by Keith Edwards.
The minutes of the Community Council meeting, which followed directly after the Public Meeting, show that the Community Council resolved “to reduce the development area to the south of Cleggar Park and allow no further development other that that which is already authorised”.
Keith Edwards is due a vote of thanks from the village and its community. His letter was intended to stimulate discussion within the community, prior to the Public Meeting, and to encourage participation by residents in the decision making process. There is no doubt that those aims were very successfully achieved.
The following are some of the items which have been discussed at the meetings held during September, October and November 2000:
Lamphey Hall Corner: A request has been made for a mini-roundabout to be installed at this junction. County Councillor Clive Collins reported that plans were being considered for the wall of School House to be repositioned to allow a pavement to be constructed around that corner.
Show Field Wall, Lamphey: The Lamphey Community Association have been asked to include the possibility of repairing the wall of the Show Field and widening the entrance.
Speeding Problems in Lamphey and Freshwater East: A survey has been carried out in Lamphey and Dyfed-Powys Police have been asked to carry out a similar survey in Freshwater East.
Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996: Signs have been ordered and the Community Council fully supports this Act and is willing to ensure that dog fouling is dealt with as appropriate (see a separate article on this subject).
Community Council Vacancy: There is now a vacancy on the Community Council and this is advertised on local notice boards. The notices explain the rules governing the appointment of a Community Councillor.
Flooding at Lake: Pembrokeshire County Council have been asked to raise the road surface slightly to alleviate this problem.
Future Development in Lamphey: Immediately following a Public Meeting on 17th October, the Community Council resolved to reduce the development area to the south of Cleggar Park and allow no further development other than that which is already authorised. See the separate article for a report on the Public Meeting.
Precept. The precept for 2001/2 has been set at £8,000, an increase of only £500 on the precept for 1999/2000
The Playgroup children have been busier than usual during the Christmas Term.
Great excitement prevailed as time passed along and Christmas got closer. The children are just starting to learn about this special time and it is certainly very magical for them and anyone involved with them.
The Dial Inn Lottery Fund very kindly gave Playgroup a very generous donation which enabled it to purchase all the craft materials needed for the children to make some wonderful Christmas mementos.
The Playgroup also held a Concert, Christmas Party and Outing, as well as a night out for Mums.
We had a lovely Term and wish everyone a very happy New Year. The Mothers and Toddlers group has re-started, meeting in the Village Hall on Wednesdays at 1.45 pm to 3.00 pm.
If you would like further details regarding either the Playgroup or Mothers and Toddlers, please call Kathy Brayford on 672346, or feel free to come along in person.
Sue Bell.
There is nothing more contentious than complaints about dogs; the owner believes the dog can do no wrong but to the person who steps in dog mess there is a definite problem.
The Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 applies to England and Wales only. Under the 1996 Act, the County Council may itself designate areas of land to which the Act applies in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary of State. Pembrokeshire County Council has designated the whole of the County as an area covered by the Act effective from the 1 June, 2000.
With certain exceptions, the Act applies to all land which is open to the air on at least one side and to which the public have access, with or without payment. Exceptions include land comprising or running alongside a highway for which the speed limit is over 40mph, land used for agriculture or for woodlands and land which is predominantly marshland, moor, heath or common land.
It is an offence for a person in charge of a dog not to remove, forthwith, faeces left by a dog following defecation on designated land. No offence is committed if the person has a reasonable excuse or the owner, occupier, etc, of the land has given consent. Registered blind persons are excepted.
Dogs must be kept on a lead in byelaw areas, must wear a collar and identification tag when in a public place, and be kept under control at all times. Provision is made for the issue of fixed penalty notices by the public authority officers. The fixed penalty is £25. There are also powers to prosecute through the courts.
Lamphey Community Council is investigating the possibility of making the Recreational Field, the School Grounds and the Bishops Garden into Dog Free Zones and, for obvious reasons, we need your support and cooperation to achieve this. If you experience dog fouling or stray dog problems you should contact Pembrokeshire County Council Dog Warden Service on 01437 775483 or 775489
Ian White
On Sunday, 2 December 2000, the Short-mat Bowls Club, meeting in Lamphey Village Hall, held their annual competition for the B. & S. James Shield. The shield is awarded to the winners of the doubles competition, a competition which has now been played every year since 1996.
This year, the final was between the doubles team of Nancy Howard and Steven James and the doubles team of Betty James and Dennis Nicholas. In an exciting match, which was decided only in the final end, Betty and Dennis won with 8 points to 5.
The 4th Pembroke Cub Scouts have had a very busy, if short, term this autumn.
We have visited the fire station in Pembroke Dock on 2 occasions, when the fire-fighters there helped the Cubs to gain their home safety and personal safety badges. While there, the boys had the opportunity to go through the training ‘rat run’ and got very grubby in the process! The highlight of our first visit was seeing the fire engines go out on a call. It fortunately turned out to be a false alarm raised by a vigilant neighbour - the Cosheston Beaver Scout colony were visiting the Martello tower and when the cannons were fired there was rather more smoke than usual. It was very interesting to see how quickly after the alarm went off the firemen got away.
Meanwhile back at our base at Lamphey village hall, the boys have gained their road safety badges and many have earned other badges by doing projects at home and school.
Also this term we have been issued with our new District badges. We were previously known as the South Pembrokeshire District, but have now amalgamated with the north of the county and are now named the Cleddau District.
During the term we have made several items for Christmas, including a calendar photo frame and a super Santa mobile with tons of cotton wool and gallons of red paint!
Several of the Cub Scouts took part in the district athletics day, and some of the Sixers and Seconders spent an activities day at the Youth Centre in Pembroke Dock. The Group has been represented at the Remembrance Day service in Lamphey church and at the recent district Carol service in Haverfordwest when 13 boys attended. We are all looking forward to our Christmas treat at Milton Manor in early January.
We have had 6 new members this term, with 3 boys going on to the Sea Scouts in Pembroke Dock. We have 15 members at present, with 2 joining us in the New Year. We are desperate to find new leaders for a Beaver Scout colony (aged 6- 8 yrs) and a Scout leader for a troop that is ready and waiting to go forward (aged 10½ - 16 yrs), so if you know of anyone who likes a fun-filled challenge and has a few hours a week to spare, please let us know.
The Cub Scouts meet in Lamphey village hall each Wednesday between 6.30 and 8 pm. If you are approaching your 8th birthday or are already 8 yrs old, get in touch with Akela (Mrs. Gill Pearce) on (01646) 687150 for details.
In more formal times when social mores dictated rules of dress and no self-respecting woman would venture forth hatless, HAT was as much a by-word for the Women’s Institute as were “JAM” and “JERUSALEM”. No member, delegated to represent her institute at special conferences, could ignore the importance of wearing a SUITABLE HAT - a real hat, that is, but she will also need some invisible ones!
Our hypothetical delegate, dressed to the nines, the expensive hat perched on newly-set hair, seated amidst other delegates is acutely aware that she will need to don several of the metaphorical hats at her disposal. At home she wears the hats of wife, mother, daughter and friend; of house manager, caterer, laundress, gardener, chauffeur, nurse and head cook and bottle-washer; she probably works on the family farm or at another outside job; she has many talents, interests and hobbies. During the proceedings, she will need the hats of listener, observer and note-taker; contributor to discussions and voter on vital issues.
In today’s less-formal society, our delegate is unlikey to wear a real hat, but she will have as many, if not more, unseen hats as her predecessor. The WI derives its strength and vitality from the ability of its members to wear a variety of hats, which they do, enthusiastically, throughout the year. This was ably demonstrated in the weeks leading up to October 19, when several of our members (some for the first time) donned their acting hats to rehearse a short play which was performed at the Penfro Group meeting at Carew Village Hall. Resulting from the success of this endeavour, it is hoped that a drama group will be formed in the new year.
In November, during the A.G.M. the committee for 2001 was elected. The
officers are: President - Joan Elliott; General Secretary - Eirwen Phillips;
Treasurer - Laureen Jones. 
Margaret
Minchin (of many talents/hats!) was presented with the Annie Phillips
Memorial Cup, an annual award for the most competition points gained.
Guest speaker was champion vegetable grower, Tommy Brown, who judged the best dressed vegetable competition. I) Cynthia Edwards; 2) Di Farrington; 3) Margaret Hobbs. Highly commended was Cynthia Richards who dressed herself as a giant carrot!
December. An entertaining evening of “Christmas Cooking and Floral Art” - demonstrated by Cynthia Richards and Adrian Cooke. As reported earlier, an entry for the Pembrokeshire F.W.I. Craft Spectacular, a pottery vase in the shape of a Green Dolphin created by Betty James, was selected to be shown at the National Exhibition at Tatton Park.
Betty is an example of another talented member and wearer of many hats! The JANUARY meeting will be a Fancy Dress Party - report in next Village Times. New members are always welcome - come along and join us.
Edyth Howe, Press & Drama Secretary.
Although Lamphey has grown in size considerably over the past forty years the layout of the village remains rural in character. The church continues to occupy a central position and the layout of the five roads coming into the village reinforces this impression.
But it is the nature of the traffic on some of these roads that is perhaps doing more than anything to alter this rural idyll. As a walker and cyclist one is repeatedly made aware that the attitude of drivers to our narrow and twisty roads is that they are an impediment to be negotiated as quickly as possible. Those of us who move along the stretches without pavement had better get out of their way as quickly as possible. It is all those tourists I hear you say, and in part that might be true.
However, as someone who often works from home and lifts his eyes from a computer screen at frequent intervals to gaze out of the front window onto the Ridgeway (to seek inspiration, relax the eyes or relieve boredom) I share with you the following observations.
The notable peaks of speeding through this stretch of the village coincide with the morning and afternoon school run and the late afternoon rush from work. It is not the same at weekends or during the school holidays. This suggests that local people are to blame, albeit many from outside the village.
Speeding motorists obviously occur at other times of day as well. Delivery drivers seem to be consistently fast, builders vans come a close second (and I mean local builders vans) and agricultural contractors certainly give the impression of going very fast because of the considerable noise that they generate. Oh, and then you have tourists, but generally not the first few times they come into the village. This past week I have noted the same family in the same white Vauxhall pass along the Ridgeway at least once a day. The week started with father driving cautiously and well within the speed limit. By Friday he was zipping through at forty something confident that he now knew the road. It only takes a week to learn to drive like a local.
What is to be done? Speed cameras I hear you say. But they only catch motorists who have been speeding, the unwitting who do not know they are there. Locals quickly get to learn when they are operating (they are never permanently on, the police authorities cannot afford the processing costs) and adjust their behaviour, relapsing into old bad habits when they know they are ‘safe’. A better strategy is to go for traffic calming measures, with cameras as a temporary feature in the early days of such a scheme, perhaps with a flashing display just outside the 30mph zone that indicates a motorist’s actual speed.
Any drivers who cross rural parts of Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Norfolk, Oxfordshire or Suffolk will have encountered such arrangements already. And mighty effective they are too, with rumble strips, mini roundabouts, and pinch points. Often they are combined with what I call ‘gates’ at the entrances to a village. Usually these are only gate posts of significant size and unusual style to make it very clear to a motorist he or she is approaching a built up area. However, I have passed through villages where there are actual gates (ornamental and permanently open) and arches.
So what should we do until we get the same level of protection from speeding motorists that other communities enjoy? One of my neighbours waves vigorously to anyone he considers to be speeding (gesticulation only begins if they fail to heed his first attempts). Perhaps the rest of us should take to waving while making sure we are brightly dressed and always carrying a shopping bag on our side facing into the road to assert our right to a bit of safe walking space?
Clive Morgan
Negotiations are still going ahead for the purchase of the wetlands and lower burrows by the National Park Authority.
A recent poll carried out by the Freshwater East Society and Community Association with reference to the new Unitary Development Plan for Pembrokeshire showed strong support for the conservation of the natural burrows and the need for a modest allocation of land for housing for local needs.
The Freshwater East Care Group has had a very successful year culminating in being amongst 18 finalists in the “Keep Wales Tidy 2000” Award. Progress has been made in the provision and emptying of litter bins and in helping the public to clean-up dog fouling, both on the beach and in the burrows. Several “Beach Cleans” have taken place throughout the year.
Members of the Group attended a First Aid Course at Broadhaven (North) in August and a one-day course for rescuing stranded whales and dolphins is being arranged for the coming spring. It is hoped that we shall be able to organise an “Eco-Club” in the near future for the younger members of our community.
Joan Bird
On 17 December, a few, brave souls met on Freshwater East beach in bitterly cold winds to clean part of the east end of the beach.
Glenyse and Graham Wharton and Denise and Richard Mills are all members of the Freshwater East Coast Care Group who have adopted this part of the beach as part of the ‘Adopt A Beach’ scheme run by the Marine Conservation Society. Four times a year, members of this group meet to clean, quite scrupulously, a 150 metre section of the beach from the high tide line to the back of the beach. Literally everything is picked up including small pieces of string and tiny pieces of polystyrene.
Everything collected is taken to a ‘logger’ who lists everything collected into a log. This log is then sent to the Marine Conservation Society’s headquarters for analysis where the data, collated with data from other beaches around the U.K., make it possible to detect trends in types and quantities of litter and, sometimes, identify the sources of the litter.
At the beginning of the Autumn Term it was pleasing to see all of our pupils returning to school happy to be embarking on the next stage of their education. Their enthusiasm is infectious and they all look rested and eager to face their new challenges.
The school pupils all received a Millennium Mug at the Year 2000 Sports Day held at the village playing fields in August. This was a lovely afternoon blessed by beautiful weather and it is a day they will all remember. Many won lovely medals after participating in sporting events and a really exciting tea was served with ample for all and ice cream to finish. I would like to thank the Community Council for their generosity in marking the Millennium in this way.
The Historical Society mounted a wonderful exhibition in the Church Hall and the school contributed by submitting written work on the village through the ages. I was honoured to open the event and I know it was enjoyed by all who visited. It is hoped that we will be able to keep a central resource library in the school of local history so that everyone will have access to this very interesting information.
The school has marked the Millennium by erecting a flagpole in the front of the school in order to fly the Welsh flag. The children proudly raise it in the morning and take their responsibility very seriously. We are in the process of contacting foreign embassies to enquire if they would like to donate a flag to Lamphey Shool so that the children can fly different flags on alternate days to symbolise our desire for internationalism as opposed to parochialism. Keep looking for the flags!
M. J. Selley, Headmaster
The Greeks were a highly sculptured people, and without them we wouldn’t have history. The Greeks also had myths. A myth is a female moth.
Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.
Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his death, his career suffered a dramatic decline.
In the Olympic games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled the biscuits, and threw the java.
Eventually, the Romans conquered the Greeks. History calls people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long. Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March murdered him because they thought he was going to be made king. Dying, he gasped out: “Tee hee, Brutus.”
Nero was a cruel tyranny who would torture his subjects by playing the fiddle to them.
Lamphey Church Choir put on their second, very entertaining, Annual Concert on 19 December to a packed Village Hall.
The Choir, conducted by Judy McGilloway, opened the concert with a series of well-known carols including “Silent Night” and “Deck the Halls”. They finished with a complicated arrangement of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” which was very well received by the audience.
Comedy
followed when some of the ladies in the choir took the parts of young
children in an hilarious re-enactment of the “Infant School Nativity Play”,
a piece especially written for them by Helen Hodges. “Angel Gabriel” had
obviously wanted to play the part of “Mary” but was not chosen and let
everybody know it, “Mary” dropped the “baby Jesus” and the narrator had
to leave the stage in a hurry to answer a ‘call of nature’.
More comedy followed when Adrian Davies, Michael Colley, Margaret Phillips and Judy McGilloway took part in “Last Panto in Lamphey”, a three act play, directed by Helen Hodges, about the trials and tribulations of the “LAMP HEY ADRAM SOC.” as they endeavour to put on a ‘sex-panto’ for Christmas. The play follows them through the initial committee meeting, the first rehearsal and the disastrous first night which never happened.
Mince pies and coffee for all the audience rounded off a delightful evening’s entertainment