July 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.

The Village Clock located on Lamphey Church Tower is again with three working faces.

For reasons that the Manufacturer could not explain, the East face hands were to fracture on two separate occasions during the gales of the last few months, and in particular on the second time as the hands had been strengthened to half of their lengths---this time they broke at the end of the strengthening pieces. The latest hands fitted on Monday the 26th Feb have been strengthened for the whole length hopefully alleviating the problem.

The one good news is that the Clock Restoration Committee is out of debt, the short Term Loan has been repaid and the Clock manufacturer paid in full.

The Community Association held its Committee meeting on the 14th February, 2001 with 12 members present.

Miss Kirsty Morris of the County Council Access Department gave a talk on her work in assisting communities in expanding and improving footpaths, bridleways and cycle paths within villages.

The Time Capsule and Sun-dial were discussed and, when permission from the County Council is received, the plinth for the sun-dial will be built on the raised area to the west of the circular garden. Any contribution from anyone from within the village for the Time Capsule will be very welcome.

Miss Menna Evans, student at Swansea College, showed the plans and design for the Plaque which she intends to be built in the Bishop's Garden; permission for this has been granted by the County Council.

This years Mediaeval Fayre will be held as usual but the funds accrued will be held by the Association, so that any organisation or persons within the village who wishes to carry out any work to enhance the village in any way can request financial assistance from the Association to enable them to carry out their project. The Association would welcome many more people from the village to help to run the Mediaeval Fayre - all Volunteers will be very welcome.

With money in its Fund it is still hoped to further help the New Village Hall. The Association Funds at present are around £50.00 There is a possibility that SPARC is being disbanded and replaced with an organisation directly controlled by Pembrokeshire County Council; the final set-up should be evident in the next few months.

The following are some of the items discussed at the December 2000 - February 2001 Community Council Meetings:

Vacancy: Mr J Harries, Hodgeston Hall, Hodgeston was co-opted to fill the vacancy.

Lamphey Church Clock: The Community Council paid off the outstanding loan of the Lamphey Church Clock Restoration Committee.

Cabbagy Lane: Bags of rubbish which had been dumped at this location have now been removed by Pembrokeshire County Council.

Ponding on Carriageway near Lamphey Bus Shelter: A site meeting is to be arranged with Pembrokeshire County Council.

Signs in Lamphey: Pembrokeshire County Council have been asked to clean the signs and also to carry out this work on a yearly basis.

Lighting: Street lighting on the Freshwater East Road, Lamphey and adjacent to Lamphey Church Rooms is considered inadequate and Pembrokeshore County Council have been asked to upgrade/realign the light in these areas.

Freshwater East: Pembrokeshire Coast National Park have informed the Community Council that over 90 acres have beebn purchased from Govan Davies. Members were delighted with the news and Miss Bird was congratulated for all the hard work she had done over the years. A public meeting was scheduled for 5 March 2001.

The following plans were discussed during the period December 2000 to February 2001.

1. Conversion of outbuildings to 2 residential dwellings and 1 holiday unit; Hodgeston Hall, Hodgeston.

2. Change of use of outbuilding to holiday unit; Hodgeston Hall, Hodgeston.

3. Construction of ground floor wheelchair accessible bedroom and shower unit; 25 Flemish Court, Lamphey.

4. Conservatory, garage and store shed; Bracken Bank, Freshwater East.

5. Extension; Hazelmere, Freshwater East.

6. Proposed dwelling; Belmont, Freshwater East.

7. Garage and utility room extension; Sunblest, Freshwater East.

8. Alteration to dwelling, extension of driveway and erection of double garage; Morawelon, Freshwater East.

Pembrokeshire County Council has implemented the emergency powers recently given to local authorities and all public rights of way in the county have been closed. This includes the 186 mile long coast path which is off limits for the duration of the crisis.

Residents are being advised to adopt a "fortress" mentality, keeping dogs in the home as much as possible and under control at all times, staying away from farmland, disinfecting vehicles, etc. to help prevent the disease from spreading.

So far, the county is free of this dreadful disease although it creeps ever nearer with the latest (unconfirmed at the time of writing) case just a few miles distant at Bancyfelin.

Although the county is currently free of the disease, the television and radio news bulletins, as well as newspaper articles, clearly show how widely the effects are being felt by the community beyond the immediate slaughter and destruction of the pigs, sheep and cattle with the disease. Many farmers are encountering animal welfare problems where animals cannot be moved from winter quarters to the home farm for lambing, etc., from fields where the grass is almost eaten and the ground badly poached to other areas where there is feed available and firm ground.

The haulage industry is intimately involved with agriculture, transporting animals between farms, from farm to market and back and from farm to abattoir for slaughter. With the current restrictions in place all this has had to stop.

Tourism has already been hit badly by the crisis with possible effects being seen for many months to come, and this in a county that relies heavily on the income produced by the tourist industry. Throughout the county hundreds of gatherings of all sorts have had to be postponed or cancelled.

Nobody knows when this terrible disease is going to be cleared from the country, but, until it is, it will affect all of us in a variety of ways and to a greater or lesser extent.

Following the announcement that they had purchased a large area of land at Freshwater, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority held an open forum and pnblic meeting at the Pebbles Club,TrewentPark on Monday, March 5th.

Options covering the future management of the Wetlands and most of the Burrows, put forward by the National Park and by local organisations, were fully discussed during the afternoon session, these topics included:

The future of the Miracle Inn and Lakeside Cafe;
Car-parking;
Beach management;
Boat launching;
Cars on the beach;
Litter & Dog fouling;
Future management of the Burrows & Wetlands.

At the evening session an interim Steering Group for the future enhancement & management of Freshwater East was proposed. This would include the National Park Authority; Pembrokeshire County Council (our local County Councillor); Lamphey Community Council; SPARC; F/E Society & Community Association; Boatmen & Fishermens' Association: the Coast Care Group; Deed Holders of Burrows land; Trewent Park and the Countryside Council for Wales.

The emphasis was to be on partnership and cooperation in conserving the natural features of Freshwater for the enjoyment of everyone.

The new Pembrokeshire Greenways Initiative Partnership sprung into action on Thursday 22nd February, when Sue Essex AM, Minister for the Environment, oversaw the official signing of the Greenways Partnership Agreement at Manorbier in Pembrokeshire.

This event marked the beginning of a new phase for the initiative as the project 'springboards' out on a Pan-Pembrokeshire basis, under the management of the Greenways Partnership. This partnership is made up of Pembrokeshire County Council, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, the Countryside Council for Wales, Environment Wales, SPARC, Menter Preseli, National Trust and the Pembrokeshire Access Group.

The Greenways initiative is a project that seeks to promote sustainable recreational transport for all, throughout Pembrokeshire. The project has been managed by SPARC since it was established in 1994 as a pilot study in South Pembrokeshire and is funded by the European Union, the Countryside Council for Wales and Pembrokeshire County Council.

Examples of schemes the project has supported include the construction of disabled access facilities; the opening and promotion of way-marked walking and cycling routes with links to public transport; and the publication of a series of annual 'Guided Walks from Railway Stations' which this year encouraged over 100 day visitors to come by train.

Kirsty Morris has been appointed as the new Greenways Officer and will be responsible for the co-ordination of the project throughout the county. Kirsty is based at County Hall, Haverfordwest, and can be contacted on 01437 776 313 or via e-mail: kirsty.morris@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

The project has also been responsible for the promotion of 'car-free' walking and cycling holidays, which prompted 60 per cent of holidaymakers booking through SPARC's holiday bureau to access the county by train during the year 2000.

SPARC will continue to co-ordinate the tourism related aspects of the project, further information about which can be obtained from Sarah Worby at SPARC who can be contacted on 01834 860965 or via e-mail at: tourism@sparc.org.uk

*In Lamphey the scheme has promoted local walking and cycling routes that pass through the village. This includes the popular:

South of the Landsker walking route
Landsker Cycleways Road Routes
Lamphey Heritage Walks
'Walk & Ride' walks from train stations
'Pembroke Coast Line' Guide to exploring Pembrokeshire by rail
Summer programme of guided walks from railway stations

At a recent Lamphey Community Council meeting Kirsty Morris gave a presentation on the Greenways Project and explained that the project also aims to improve access into the countryside for disabled and less-abled people, this enabling 'Access for All'. It was put to the council that Greenways would be able to look into improving disabled access to the railway station as part of the scheme, through drop-kerbs and improved surfacing of footpaths, and the council was asked to indicate whether this would be of interest to the community.

Lamphey Tennis Club is pleased to announce that the summer season will commence on Saturday 7 April at 2 pm. New members are always welcome. Tea will be served during the afternoon.

Club sessions for adults also on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6 pm. Junior Club night will be held on Tuesdays. Coaching will be available again this year for adult beginners and juniors.

For more information please ring Mr Phill Braddon 01646 683264. For new membership please ring the club secretary Mrs Una Birtwistle 01646 672171.

The Society has had some interesting talks recently.

In January, Mr Tony Markes from Tenby spoke about the circumstances and mystery surrounding the burial in Lamphey churchyard of the remains of two bodies found on Freshwater East beach after the sinking of the "Tampa" in 1918.

In February, Mr Tom Lloyd from CADW showed slides of Pembrokeshire houses and other buildings accompanied by a fascinating commentary on the lives of the builders and occupants.

In March, Mr Robert Scourfield spoke on Conservation Areas.

Our future programme had included a guided walk over part of Castlemartin Range during April but, due to the restrictions imposed by local authorities because of the foot-and-mouth outbreak, this had to be postponed. Our April event will now take the form of a guided walk around Pembroke town led by Terry John, meeting outside the entrance to Pembroke Castle at 2.00 pm.

The Society meets at 7.30 pm in Lamphey Church Hall on the second Tuesday in every month. New members are always welcome, there is no charge to join but we do charge 50p for the tea or coffee and biscuits.

Lamphey Over-60s are holding a Coffee Morning, Saturday, 19th May 2001, Lamphey Village Hall, 10.oo am to 12 noon. Everyone Welcome

The children returned to Playgroup following the Christmas holidays in high spirits, Santa had been very generous to them all !

Kathy Brayford, Playgroup Leader, was given a very warm welcome back following her sickness leave, she is now fully recovered and looking forward to the new term. Thanks are extended to Rose for stepping in for Kathy in her absence.

Mr. Selley, Headmaster at Lamphey School, kindly donated secondhand computers to the Playgroup, the children have received these with great excitement and interest.

The Early Years Development Fund gave us a generous donation of £700, which will be used to help meet the running costs of the Playgroup and enable us to purchase safety mats and play equipment. We are always extremely grateful for all donations that we receive but we must continue to raise funds to enable the Playgroup to purchase play equipment, craft materials and afford outings for the children. To this end we have a fund raising event arranged for April and would be delighted to welcome you to join us.Wednesday April 11th - 10.30 am to 12.00 noon, Lamphey Village Hall. Coffee Morning and Easter Bonnet Parade.

If you would like any further details regarding the Playgroup or Mothers & Toddlers Group, please contact Kathy Brayford on 672346. Please come along to our Fundraising Event and help support our Playgroup.

Marcia Kidney.

Dear Sir

Further to the article by Clive Morgan relating to the problems of speeding vehicles in our village, can I suggest a further group of culprits, a group who are vulnerable to reaction by us.

The group in question comprises taxi drivers. Since most of them have the operator's name and telephone number on the car there are ready mechanisms for observers to put pressure on such speeders. The obvious one is to 'phone the operator and complain.

However, all taxi services are licensed; so telephonig the police and/or Pembrokeshire County Council Licensing Dept. are also options. So, fellow citizens, over to you.

J. Gooch

This year's Fayre will take place on 8th August in the grounds of Lamphey Palace with all the proceeds going to the Community Association funds; these funds being dedicated to village enhancements.

The Fayre Committee have felt for some time that there was room for improvement in the Fayre, and, hence, an improvement in revenue from the event. Keith Allen, whose company manages the Bishop's Palace, was invited to attend a recent meeting and advise on possible ways to improve the Fayre. He was very keen to assist us and was able to offer the use of various stalls, etc. to which he has access as well as being able to enhance our promotion of the event.

In a change in the management of the Fayre, Keith Allen Enterprises will take on the administration of the event. This should lead to a much greater potential for the Fayre. However, for this to happen, the village will need to provide more helpers, especially for the extra stalls, etc. The Fayre committee are appealing to anyone in the village who would like to help on the day to contact Keith Edwards on 01646 672194. He will then provide them with any further information needed.

There will still be the usual involvment by the local organisations in carrying out the catering and manning their own stalls, etc. but we will desparately need more help to ensure that we can fill the coffers of the Community Association and, consequently, improvements to our village.

Keith Edwards

In the Dial In Shield competition held recently in Lamphey, Dennis Nicholas of Flemish Court, Lamphey successfully beat Dianne Hodge 7-6 in an exciting semi-final before going on to win the final 8-3 from Dennis Evans. Our photograph shows Dennis holding both the Championship Shield, which he will retain for one year, and his Individual Shield.

The Autumn Term was very busy but extremely enjoyable.

Apart from the annual Christmas Concerts, held on the evenings of 11th to 14th December as well as the afternoon of 15th December, we also had to work around various amounts of building work.

I know that the members of the community that joined us for our matinee concert had a lovely time. We all enjoyed the show, the sherry and the mince pies together!

As you will have noticed, we have had a new extension built onto the east side of the school. This will be a tremendous addition to the school in terms of space and resources and everyone is very excited and we can't wait to move in. We have also had a new roof which improves the aspect of the school. Hats off to the builders who completed the task despite the atrocious weather - the worst for 250 years!

We celebrated National Number Day in the usual style and flair that we pride ourselves on with lots of pupils coming dressed as numbers and each class playing "Who Wants to be a Millionnaire" - but with sweets instead of real money!

Every day pupils in Class 6 take on the responsibility of flying the flag on our millennium flagpole. I know it has become a centre of attention in the village. The dragon proudly flies on most occasions but sometimes the school's Investors in People standard, won last year, is hoisted to the top of the mast. Recently the flag of Singapore was flown. This was donated to the school when the international school in Singapore visited us two years ago. The teacher who presented it to us, visited again on the day it was flying and was so pleased to see the red and white fluttering in the breeze.

We sometimes fly the flags of Denmark, Italy and France as the school has twinning arrangements with them. Vive la difference!

Every class has received a new computer station this term and this will certainly aid access to IT in the classrooms. The Governors are constantly reviewing the situation of computer resources and this may not be the end. The BBC computers that were in some classrooms are to be given to the Lamphey Playgroup. We hope the children there will be able to fun with them.

M J Selley - Headteacher

The W.I wall-hanging, produced by members of Lamphey and District Women's Institute, has found a new home in Lamphey C.P. School.

The wall-hanging depicts member's homes and other significant buildings in the Lamphey area and was produced to celebrate the New Millennium. It was originally intended that it should be hung in the new Village Hall but, until that is available, Mr Selley, Headmaster of Lamphey C.P. School has kindly allowed it to reside in the hall of the school. The handover took place on Monday, 19th March when Joan Elliott, President of Lamphey W.I., formally placed it in the care of Mrs Palmer, Deputy Headteacher of the school.

"What do you do down there?' mother would ask. "It can't be good for you to spend so much time alone."

Of course, I wasn't alone, but I could hardly tell my mother that I had a friend who was a little green man named Finn 0' Finn who appears from nowhere then disappears into thin air when he decides to leave. The little green man is a product of my imagination - a flight of fancy! What's that - you never indulge in flights of fancy? Frankly, I don't believe you, they make the world go round but, if true, what a bleak place your world must be without them!

What has all this to do with the Women's Institute? You'd be surprised at the breadth and depth of imagination that our members display. Ideas galore! Flights of fancy on a grand scale! Example: On 2nd January, our first meeting of the new year (and the new millennium, some would argue) they arrived in a flurry of excitement, barely recognisable. Look, there's Cardinal Wolsey deep in conversation with a Kung Fu expert! And who's this? - a Welsh Diddyman complete with giant leek to tickle your fancy! Here come two Ladies of the Harem - one a "has been' the other a "never has been"! And what fun - a wild Spanish gypsy in a swirl of skirts, playing her tambourine and dancing with, of all people a Gardener! Here's a Twenties' Flapper, outrageously gorgeous in beaded dress and red feathers! Now bend the knee, for here are two royal ladies - a Queen and a Duchess, resplendent in tiaras and jewels. And who is this comely wench, a Lavender Seller, in ruffles and lace, selling posies from her basket to a Victorian Lady in a poke bonnet? Show some respect for the approach of M'lady Upstairs attended by her Downstairs maid. But stay - here cometh the Vicar of Dibley, what will she make of the one who now enters? Ah! 'tis Merlin the Magician come to weave a magic spell. And weave it he doth, for our FANCY DRESS PARTY goeth with a swing! (we ate, we drank and we danced the night away!)

Prize winners for these flights of fancy: 1st: Ann William as The Vicar of Dibley. 2nd: Pat Parkhurst as the Twenties' Flapper. Joint 3rd: Ursula Maguire as a Gypsy and Cynthia Edwards as the Gardener. As flights of fancy go, this event was a winner!

Fast forward to Lamphey Hall Hotel on 8 February, scene of our Annual Dinner. A fancy lot of women we are, too! Rigged out in party gear, sparkling by candlelight, we eat, drink and laugh our way through four delicious courses and vow to begin dieting tomorrow - another flight of fancy, probably requiring the help of the Little Green Man!

On 27 February, a delightfully sunny day, our flourishing Craft Group, led by Anne Embrey, visited Fran Isaf, the home and studio of Angela Ramsay, specialist in hand-dyed yarns and fibres, located in beautiful countryside at Llanglydwen, Hebron. What flights of fancy we experienced in her Aladdin's Cave of a showroom! The glorious colours and textures of the materials exhibited together with examples of the craftwork to be made from them, fired our imaginations to such a pitch that we wanted to buy everything in sight! And many of us did! Our purchases will surely keep our imaginations busy for many months to come!

A flight of fancy led our guest speaker for 8 March, Dilys Howells, to take a real flight to an adventure in a mountainous region of Northern India. Together with a group of other young and intrepid travelers, Dilys was part of a three-month expedition organised by the British Schools Exploration Society. Among the many objectives of the expedition were: to compile a report on the disappearing culture of the Kullui people; to report on the health facilities available to residents of remote villages; to mark and map trekking routes in the Great Himalayan National Park; to research the effect villages within the park have on the local ecology; and mach more. The slides shown of this remote, but wildly beautiful, region where 'the scenery ranges from lush, fertile valleys to dry, barren peaks and snow fields' revealed the stark way of life in a harsh climate for the inhabitants of the mountain villages. Their self-sufficiency and lack of the material trappings which we consider essential, gave one much pause for thought. However, thanks to satellite technology, they have access to television, radio, telephones and even an Internet Cafe! A richly-deserved vote of thanks, for an informative and entertaining evening, was given by Pat Parkhurst.

In September, Miss Rosalie will begin a degree course in environmental science at Nottingham University. One hopes she will experience many more exciting flights - of fancy and otherwise - during the course of her studies and beyond!

The Drama Group will meet, on 20 March, for an informal play reading and discussion about future events. Members will bring their imaginations and be prepared to indulge in flights of fancy! It was no flight of fancy, but the stark reality of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease, which has forced the N.F.W.I. to cancel all W.I. meetings throughout England and Wales, for the time being. Consequently, our next meeting, scheduled for April 3 - a demonstration of the Craft of making 'Faberge' Eggs - is unlikely to take place. Watch the notice board for further news, or ring our President, Joan Elliott on 01046 672508

Edyth Howe. Press & Drama Secretary.

This photograph, taken from the entrance to the station, shows Station Road, looking towards the church. The gentleman on the left is thought to be the stationmaster.