Volunteering in Rwanda – Mary Watkins

Mary Watkins began as a primary school teacher, and then worked for Welsh Water as an education officer visiting schools. Water Aid was founded by water companies in the 1980s, and Mary was selected in 2008 to go to Rwanda as their representative. This led to her and her husband volunteering for VSO in Rwanda – for one year initially, 2013 – 2014, and later for another year in 2018.

Mary described Rwanda as a beautiful, green and lush country; very hilly and with a lot of rain. Most of it is above the height of Ben Nevis and this contributes to maintaining a general temperature of 20° – 25° all year round. It is a similar size to Wales but has a much denser population at around 13.5 million. The land is terraced for farming and one main crop is tea. She informed us that 'Yorkshire' tea comes from Rwanda. The capital city is Kigali, which is modern and clean.

Mary went to Rwanda to train teachers. At the time she arrived in 2013, nursery schools were just being introduced. She knew nothing about teaching nursery age children, let alone training nursery teachers and had to learn on the job. 

A big initial obstacle that she met in all the schools she worked in was a lack of age-appropriate furniture in the schoolrooms – and sometimes a lack of any furniture at all. The second major hurdle was to move teachers away from simply 'repeating words after the teacher' as the primary method of education.

Mary is clearly a creative and natural teacher as she found ways of using whatever was available to create teaching resources, such as bottle tops for learning numbers and counting; making a dice from a toilet roll tube; cutting open milk bags, toothpaste tubes and juice cartons for all sorts of purposes. Eventually she produced a book which showed what could be used as a teaching resource, how to make it, and how to use it. She continues this work from home in Wales to this day.

Over the time that Mary was volunteering in Rwanda she worked in more than 100 schools. To travel to the different schools she was transported on the back of a motorbike through muddy dirt roads, across rickety bridges, and even occasionally by boat to reach schools on islands. 

Her husband was asked to teach tag rugby. Having expected about 18 students to turn up, over 200 arrived! This eventually led to Mary and her husband being part of the charity 'Friends of Rwanda Rugby' which has been most successful. 

As well as training teachers, Mary has also helped trained tailors through the Isooko project, by raising funds to provide sewing and knitting machines. She had brought along a selection of the colourful and beautiful products made by the women of the Isooka project, which included fabric elephant toys and giraffes, dolls, aprons, bags of various sizes, hats and other items – all very reasonably priced. She explained that 50% of sales went directly to the workers and the remainder was used to fund further projects and to provide necessary equipment. The members enjoyed browsing the items and there were quite a few happy sales.

My Life as a Butlins Redcoat

Rosemary described Billie Butlin as a genuinely nice man, and an astute businessman. He saw an opportunity in the early 1930's to provide a service and also create a business.

 

 

At that time, anyone who could not afford to stay in an hotel used a bed and breakfast place or boarding house. In these establishments holiday makers were required to be off the premises from after breakfast until early evening. This meant that holiday towns were full of people sitting on benches and frequenting coffee bars, especially when the weather was inclement. They had to be out and about with nowhere to rest, read or play games in private. Billie Butlin's first holiday camp was in Skegness. Although facilities were rather basic, every family or group had their own chalet which was available to them throughout the day. The cost of being at Butlin's included three meals a day, entertainment, competitions and activities, and every camp had a private beach. Only drinks and exceptional activities, such as horseriding, incurred an extra cost.   

 

Over time, further holiday camps were set up, such as in Brighton and Barry Island. The camps also had shops, facilities such as barbers, and beautiful, professionally maintained gardens. Photographs were taken around the camp every day and displayed the next day for people to buy. Every photograph was an advert for Butlins -- and example of Billie Butlin's skill as an entrepreneur. 

 

 

The entertainments were a good starting place for new talent. It was a great opportunity for them as they would be given a whole season of employment. Performers who later became stars appeared at Butlins, people like Ringo Starr, Dusty Springfield, Jimmy Starbuck and Rod Hull. 

 

In 1939 three of the Butlins camps were taken over and used for army training, but returned to being holiday camps after the war. Billie Butlin also branched out into hotels where the accommodation was a bit more luxurious. All camps were maintained to a high standard however, with beautifully decorated performance halls. 

 

 

Rosemary showed many fascinating photographs of Butlins holiday camps. She herself became a Red Coat in the 1960s at the Pwllheli camp. The Red Coats arose from a suggestion that the camps needed people to show guests around and inform them what activities were available that day and where they were taking place. Rosemary had trained as a dancer but worked as a general Red Coat helping in all areas of the holiday camp. She said that it was an enjoyable life but hard work. The days were long and they had to aways display a cheerful disposition even if they were very tired. 

December 2024 Meeting

The speaker for December was Peter Davis – a poet. He informed us that his love of poetry was inspired by a past Reverend of Ararat Church, Reverend George Evans, because he used to quote from 'The Hound of Heaven' by Francis Thompson.

Peter stated that even though poetry may not be everyone's cup of tea, as a topic for a WI meeting was highly appropriate for three reasons: firstly poetry is creative, and the WI is creative; secondly we all have lines of poetry in our minds – and he called for suggestions which many members provided; and finally the WI's anthem is 'Jerusalem' by William Blake.

 

 

The format for his talk was to quote several poets on a particular topic and then round up with a piece of his own poetry on that topic. Some subjects were whimsical, some amusing, some touching, and some serious and thought provoking. His poetry was most approachable and enjoyable. 

The rest of the meeting was dedicated to socialising and eating the wonderful food that everyone had brought to share. The Christmas spirit was rounded off by finishing with a rendition of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' with each table allocated one of the numbers to sing and mime to. Everyone was in good voice and had a jolly time.

 

Angels in the Line of Fire

Rosemary Chalmer presented an informative and fascinating insight into the role of women in WWI. The eestablishment of nursing as a profession began with Elizabeth Fry in the 1840s, and was contiunued by Florence Nightingale. The Welsh nurse, Betsy Cadwaldr, worked with her during the Crimean war at Scutari Hospital in Istanbul.

In 1914 the British goverment started recruiting nurses because they knew war was coming. The Queen Alexandra Imperial Nursing Service had been established in 1902 (known as the QAs) and then the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) in 1909. The QAs were trained professional nurses, and the VADs were middle-class women orgainised and trained by the St Johns Ambulance and the British Red Cross. The third important nursing organisation in WWI was the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANYs). This group of women came from the well-off classes and they provided their own vehicles to be used as ambulances. Their role was to transport the wounded from the front line to medical centres for treatment. Rosemary provided many interesting details in her talk, such as that the ambulances were not allowed to use their headlights and removed the windscreens from their vehicles so they could see more clearly. She explained that there were also hospitals establised on trains and on ships. Nurses from all these organisation worked on the Western Front and the Eastern Front.

Rosemary talked about many individuals who are mostly unknown, especially mentioning some Welsh women such as Annie Brewer and Miss Tenniswood. In Cardiff the 3rd Western General Hospital was created in 1914 which included Cardiff Royal Infirmary, Mansion House, Albany Road School and Whitchurch Hospital, plus St Woolos in Newport. Other notable British buildings used as auxilliary hospitals were Brighton Pavilion and Blenheim Palace. Many nurses died during the war, either from injuries or disease. Many received medals of honour. Rosemary read a moving piece from 'The Roses of No Man's Land' by Lyn MacDonald which described the conditions under which the nurses lived and worked.

Becoming and Artist in Retirement - Sue Trusler

(Cymraeg)

Sue began by reading from her book Time to Start your Art: 'If I can paint so can you!'

After 37 years working in finance, she retired and bought a narrow boat. On the outside it was covered with pictures of dolphins and she knew that they had to go. She and her husband had expected rest and relaxation but it turned out that they had to restore the boat . Not being able to find a canal artist to paint traditional roses, Sue decided to have a go at painting them herself. Using acrylics, she copied roses from books, and came to realise that a soft and flowing touch was needed. She also realised that she only needed to learn to paint one rose really well because then she could repeat it in different sizes, orientations, and colours. Using the same approach with painting leaves she developed some satisfactory results.

Having enjoyed painting the roses, their conservatory became a makeshift studio and Sue painted roses on watering cans, jugs, plant pots and everything! Later she moved on to watercolours and inks, making greetings cards, bookmarks and also printing her designs on fabric for cushion covers. She also creates photo books of her paintings and of inspiring photographs of things she wants to paint. She sent some of her canal boat roses to the Paint and Draw magazine, and they featured them. She joined the Orchid Society and entered their competitions three times, achieving two second places and at last first place. She then wrote an article for the Orchid Society Journal encouraging others to paint. This was her message throughout her talk: you can do this too.

Sue stressed that she painted for enjoyment and had no wish to turn it into a business despite a string of successes: giving a talk to thirty members of a women's art society; writing a book about her experience of beginning to paint; being part of a group of artists whose work was displayed in Times Square, New York; and being part of an 'Artists Talk' exhibition in tubes stations in London.

One venture that she was clearly delighted about was being asked to run a children's art class in Penarth during the half term holiday. She devised her 'art family' of introducing painting to children: characters who use a spiky, dotty, wobbly, smooth or curly method to make art. The class went really well and Sue told us that she found it moving to see just how much work the children had produced and how much they had enjoyed themselves. She eventually brought this method together in her 'Art Family' book. Sue contributes profits from sales to charity, makes calendars for charity, and donates painting to City Hospice. She is most prolific and inspired us all with her seemingly boundless energy and enterprise in producing artwork.
 

 

 

Morris Dancing – July 2024 meeting

(Cymraeg)

Speaker – Lynda Edwards

Lynda explained that she had been a dancer for over 50 years. She described it as being like ‘joining a family’. She informed us that there are various Morris dancing traditions that date back to fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

The musicians were Ian and Phil playing piano accordion and an English button melodian.

Lynda then described the costumes of the various traditions as shown in the group dancing today. Cotswold traditions use hankies and sticks, wear bells on their shins, and also crossed tapestry baldrics. Northwestern traditions dance in clogs and wear garlands. Traditions from the borders of Wales and England wear ‘tatty jackets’. They used to blacken their faces, but this tradition ceased in 2020. The reason for blackening was to disguise the dancer. Nowadays faces may be painted in any colour or a mask may be worn.

Cardiff Morris ladies took their style of costume from the traditional Welsh lady outfit (as displayed on the mannequin). Lynda also mentioned the USA style of Morris dance costume which included a bowler hat and baldrics.

Cecil Sharp was a key figure in the folk-song revival in England during the Edwardian period. He travelled around the country and collected and encouraged the dance traditions, enabling them to survive and flourish.

The dancers then entertained us with the Lichfield dance.

After this, members had a go at learning this dance.

This lively and most enjoyable session ended with the performance of a jig.

Lasting Power of Attorney

Michael Kuipers of 'LPA Made Simple' came to talk to Whitchurch WI as an additional speaker at the June 2024 meeting. This company are specialists in creating and registering Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) documents.

Michael explained that creating an LPA had two principles:

• preparing for the worst
• avoiding having to cope with difficult decisions at a time of distress

There are two types of LPA:

• property and affairs
• health and welfare 

Michael suggested that it was important to create both types of LPA to be safe and secure. Once created, they must be stored somewhere secure, such as in a safe deposit, in a fire-proof safe, or lodged with a solicitor. Don't keep your LPAs in your bread bin!

He conveyed a personal story of his mother dying during a cruise off the coast of Australia, and all the paperwork and difficulties that involved. The insurance company did pay out, but this was months later and immediate expenses had to be paid up front. 

An LPA has to be set up while the person to whom it applies has the mental capacity to understand what they are doing and is able to make the necessary decisions. An LPA cannot be created if a person is deemed incapable of making the decisions which are part of the process. If there is no LPA, the interests of a person no longer able to make their own decisions and manage their own affairs come under the Court of Protection. Michael explained that working with the Court of Protection could be expensive and difficult.

He gave as an example of one of the difficulties that could occur without an LPA in place. If one half of a couple with a joint bank account was declared mentally incapable, the bank could freeze the account or restrict access to it to the other half of the couple. If no other access to funds were in place this could make the situation very difficult.

An LPA can be set up by oneself, with only the cost of registration – currently £82 per LPA per person.* A solicitor can create an LPA. Michael stated that the cost of creating an LPA with a solicitor would be higher than using LPA Made Simple, because they are not specialists in the same way.

 

*(Personal note: there may also be additional charges when setting up an LPA oneself, such as the doctor made a charge for statements with regard to mental and physical capacity when I created an LPA for my mother – Editor.)

 

Forest Farm – Our Local Nature Reserve / Fferm y Fforest – Ein Gwarchodfa Natur Leol

Speaker: Albyn Austin

Albyn began with an outline of background and history of the Forest Farm Nature Reserve. It was originally a mixed farm and didn't become part of Cardiff until 1967. In 1982 the canal and long wood were declared an SSSI. In the 1980s the farm had become derelict and some of the land was lost when the M4 was built, and then by the creation of the industrial estate. In 1992 it formally became Forest Farm Country Park and Local Nature Reserve.

 

Dechreuodd Albyn gydag amlinelliad o gefndir a hanes Gwarchodfa Natur Fferm y Fforest. Fferm gymysg ydoedd yn wreiddiol ac ni ddaeth yn rhan o Gaerdydd tan 1967. Ym 1982 cyhoeddwyd y gamlas a'r pren hir yn SoDdGA. Yn y 1980au roedd y fferm wedi mynd yn adfail a chollwyd peth o'r tir pan adeiladwyd yr M4, ac yna trwy greu'r stad ddiwydiannol. Ym 1992 daeth yn Barc Gwledig Fferm y Fforest ac yn Warchodfa Natur Leol yn ffurfiol.

 

The canal was an important means of transport for local industry. It was used by the ironworks, and later by the coal industry. The development of the railway in the 1940s gradually took away its traffic until it was no longer being used by industry by 1944. In 1965 Forest Hall was demolished and is now the location of the car park. The Friends Group created disabled access and planted the orchard in the 1990s. The pond and its sculptures were created in 2017, and the Redwood Giant in 2018.

Roedd y gamlas yn ffordd bwysig o deithio i ddiwydiant lleol. Fe'i defnyddiwyd gan y gweithfeydd haearn, ac yn ddiweddarach gan y diwydiant glo. Symudodd datblygiad y rheilffordd yn y 1940au â'i thraffig yn raddol nes nad oedd bellach yn cael ei defnyddio gan ddiwydiant erbyn 1944. Ym 1965 dymchwelwyd Neuadd y Goedwig a dyma leoliad y maes parcio erbyn hyn. Creodd y Grŵp Cyfeillion fynediad i’r anabl a phlannu’r berllan yn y 1990au. Crëwyd y pwll a'i gerfluniau yn 2017, a'r Redwood Giant yn 2018.

The canal is fed from limestone hills in the Castell Coch area, which is the reason for the existence of some unusual plants along the canal, including toothwort and elf cap fungus can be seen. The top end of the canal has tended to be short of water, but it is 5ft deep the Melingriffiths end. There has been an ongoing problem of erosion of the towpath. A large variety of wildlife can be seen in the Nature Reserve, including owls, woodpeckers, nuthatch, herons, snipe, egrets, buzzards, foxes, rabbits, voles, shrews, stoats, weasels, grass snakes, slow worms, otters, mink, salmon, dragon flies and damsels flies – and of course kingfishers for which the canal is famous. 

Mae’r gamlas yn cael ei bwydo o fryniau calchfaen yn ardal Castell Coch, a dyna’r rheswm dros fodolaeth rhai planhigion anarferol ar hyd y gamlas, gan gynnwys llysiau’r dannedd a ffwng capan y gors. Mae pen uchaf y gamlas wedi tueddu i fod yn brin o ddŵr, ond mae'n 5 troedfedd o ddyfnder ym mhen Melin Gruffydd. Bu problem barhaus o erydu'r llwybr tynnu. Mae amrywiaeth eang o fywyd gwyllt i’w weld yn y Warchodfa Natur, gan gynnwys tylluanod, cnocell y coed, delor y cnau, crehyrod, gïachod, crëyr glas, bwncathod, llwynogod, cwningod, llygod pengrwn, chwistlod, carlymod, gwencïod, nadroedd y gwair, nadroedd defaid, dyfrgwn, mincod, eog, pryfed neidr a phryfed mursennod – ac wrth gwrs glas y dorlan y mae'r gamlas yn enwog amdanynt.  

For more information visit their website: www.forestfarm.org.uk, and follow them on Facebook: #forestfarmphotography #forestfarmwildlife

I gael rhagor o wybodaeth ewch i’w gwefan: www.forestfarm.org.uk, a dilynwch nhw ar Facebook: #forestfarmphotography #forestfarmwildlife 

April 2024 Meeting: Tangling

Cymraeg 

Main speaker: Richard Cowie: How Llanishen and Lisvane Reservoirs were saved.
Secondary speaker: Nor'dzin Pamo, one of our members: Tangling.

Tangling

Nor'dzin explained that this art form has many names, such as constructive doodling, creative patterning, zen tangling. Different groups use different names, and also the various groups give names to the patterns used. Zentangle is perhaps the most popular and well-know group.

Some tangling groups have particular rules or approaches to this creativity. Some say that tangles should only ever be made in black ink on white paper. Others are happy with colour being employed. Some groups say that the artworks created should be abstract and never figurative – and then other groups are completely open about what is created. There is an emphasis on the meditative aspect of tangling for some people.

Nor'dzin expressed that she felt that having fun was the most important thing. She follows the rules of a group when creating with them, but does whatever she likes otherwise. The purpose of tangling is to enjoy creating. It is a relaxing and pleasurable pastime. 

One principle of tangling that seems to be common to all groups, is that there is no such thing as a mistake. The creation of a tangle is a gradually developing process. Although it is inevitable that one has an idea in mind when applying the pen to the paper, if something doesn't go quite as intended, then it is an opportunity to change direction, an opportunity for a new idea. Tangles are always created in ink as part of this principle – they are not sketched out first and then 'tidied up'. The artists commits to the mark they are making as soon as the pen touches the paper. Pencil is only used for creating a basic frame and string as an opening for the tangle, and for shading. The frame and string are for inspiration and can be used—or ignored—as appropriate. The frame and string can be erased when wishes.

To end her presentation, Nor'dzin presented a short video of the process of a tangle made on her computer, followed by a slideshow of some of her work.

April 2024 Meeting: How Llanishen and Lisvane Reservoirs were saved

(Cymraeg)

Main speaker: Richard Cowie: How Llanishen and Lisvane Reservoirs were saved.
Secondary speaker: Nor'dzin Pamo, one of our members: Tangling.

How Llanishen and Lisvane Reservoirs were saved.

Richard began with the history of the resevoirs. 
In the early 19th century Cardiff had around 6,000 residents, but by 1900, this had grown to around 142,000. This was because of the importance of Cardiff for the coal industry, and for the iron and steel industry in Merthyr Tydfil.

In 1832 and 1849 there were two outbreaks of cholera, and John Snow identified contaminated drinking water as the cause in 1854. This led to Health Boards being set up in the major cities across Britain.

This in turn led to to the creation of Lisvane and Llanishen reservoirs. 

Lisvane Reservoir, completed in 1865, covers 20 acres, and Llanishen Reservoir, completed in 1886, covered 60 acres.

An extension was made to the Rhymney railway line to enable stone to be more easily brought to the site for building Llanishen Reservoir.

Later filter bed were created off Allensbank Road, Heath.

The Taf Fawr scheme was set up by John Avery Brandon Williams. This connected three reservoirs by a 30 mile pipe to Llanishen reservoir. The three reservoirs were Beacons, Cantref, and Llwyn Onn.

The reservoirs supplied Cardiff into the 1960s, but after droughts in that decade, a new reservoir was established near Pontypool, north of Newport, and the Taf Fawr scheme became redundant. Llanishen was kept as an emergency water supply, but was mostly used for recreation from then on: the sailing school, fly fishing, walking, bird watching.

Richard then gave an account of the changes of ownership of Llanishen Reservoir from 1970 and the threat to its existence. Lisvane was not under threat because it had been declared an area of special scientific interest (SSSI), but Western Power Distribution (WPD) wanted to drain and build houses on the site of Llanishen reservoir.

The Reservoir Action Group (RAG) was set up in 2001 to campaign to save Llanishen Reservoir. There was a huge response with already 1,200 members by 2002.

WPD put in a planning application for 350 houses on the site in 2002.

Fortunately for RAG, a rare type of fungi was found on the embankments of the reservoir, and these were declared a SSSI site in 2006.

WPD adapted their plans, retaining the embankments, but still intending to destroy and build 325 houses on most of the reservoir land.

Referring back to the Taf Fawr scheme, Richard explained that Cadw had already adopted Cantref and LLwyn Onn reservoirs. In 2009 they were persuaded to also adopt Beacons and Llanishen reservoirs, so that the whole scheme was included.

WPD did not want to give up, however, and eventually there was a public inquiry. They lost!

Celsa then became the owners of the reservoirs and they granted a 999 lease to Welsh Water. They overhauled the Victorian plumbing so that the reservoir could be refilled in 2019. In 2023 a visitor centre was opened and RAG was disbanded as its job was completed.

The reservoirs are a lovely place to visit and for walking, but visitors must keep to the paths. Dogs are not allowed because of the fungi which would be killed by dog pee.

Richard showed us the book he has written about saving the reservoirs and offered it for sale to members.

It was a most interesting and enjoyable presentation.

March 2024 meeting

(Cymraeg)

This was a full and lively meeting.

The guest speaker was unable to attend because of illness, so one of the members, Pat Phillips kindly stepped up to offer a presentation. Pat and her husband are professional dancers and have represented Wales in international competitions.

Pat continued the theme as advertised: Keep on Moving. She stated that the old adage 'use it or lose it' holds true, and that physical activity is important to keep the body strong, and helps in everyday activity. She told us that dance tones the whole body as well as being a workout for the brain in remembering the steps.

She start the session with a few warm up exercises with controlled breathing, and then led us in a few dances. First a tango to the tune 'Hey Mambo', then a jig to the tune 'Pot of Gold' that was quite fast. The last dance was like the movements of line dancing. A good number of members joined in.

Then Pat showed a video of her and her husband competing in the finals of a competition. It was wonderful to see their graceful and expert dancing. She had also brought a few of her beautiful dance dresses with her, including the one seen in the video.

Pat ended her presentation by demonstrating the use of the hula hoop, and then led a few simple, slow, warm-down exercises to the tune of the 'Dying Swan'.

----------- *^* ----------

Janine Williams talked to the members about her company Viney Hearing, based in Whitchurch. She gave information on the types of hearing loss and explained that hearing aids can only be aids – that is, they can only help individually, with whatever hearing loss and strength an individual has. She explained that Viney hearing off free hearing tests and a free ear health check. Wax removal costs £55 for both ears. Many people asked questions which she was happy to answer. They covered causes of whistling in a hearing aid; tinnitus; the need to change an ear mould every 4-5 years because the size and shape of the ear changes over time; preparation before having wax removed (she recommended Earol spray); and the cause of pain in the ear when flying and how to avoid it.

----------- *^* ----------

Other items:

Linda announced that raffle tickets are on sale. £1 a ticket.

Voting for this year's charity (see newletter for details of options) – Wales Air Ambulance received the greatest number of votes and was adopted.

Gill Irwin announced that the joint choir with Rhiwbina WI has restarted. The choir will meet for every Wednesday morning, 11:30 – 12:30 except for the Wednesday of the Rhiwbina WI meeting. Meetings will be in the Royal Hall, Rhiwbina and there will be a cost of £28 a term to cover the expense of an accompanist.

St Mary's Gardens, Whitchurch

(Cymraeg)

St Mary's Gardens, Whitchurch

The central feature of the Gardens is the outline of the remains of old St Mary’s Church which served the community from at least the 1500’s, the time of the Tudors. At that time, a chapel was built on the site, possibly replacing an older one. It gave the area its name: Eglwys Newydd (New Church in Welsh), or Whitchurch (White Church in English), because it was lime washed. Although minor alterations were made over the centuries the shape of the chapel remained basically the same. There is an anonymous nineteenth century painting, currently housed in The National Museum of Wales, that gives an idea of what the church looked like.

From the 1500’s until the Industrial revolution in the nineteenth century, Whitchurch was a scattered farming hamlet with a population too small to qualify as a parish with its own vicar. Llandaff Cathedral was its Parish Church and the local people had to go there for baptisms, weddings and funerals, and to receive mass at Christmas, Easter and other major festivals. On ordinary Sundays a priest came out from Llandaff to St Mary’s to conduct the obligatory Sunday Mass. In this way it was a Chapel of Ease, saving the local people from the long distance to Llandaff. In 1616 the parishioners were given greater ease when the Chapel was licensed for christenings, marriages and funerals and the churchyard was licensed for burials. 

Yew—also called the Churchyard Tree—was planted at St Mary’s. One yew is the oldest tree in the churchyard and, it is believed, in North Cardiff. It looks the worse for wear following a century of neglect but it is hoped that its health can be restored and it can live, as yew trees can do, for many more centuries.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century development of the Melingriffiths Tinplate Works and other industries changed Whitchurch from a small agricultural settlement to an industrial one. Incoming workers and their families caused a population explosion which placed ever-increasing demands on the church. The numerous Victorian gravestones in the churchyard are a fascinating social record of the time. There are memorials to the local important families such as the Bookers, three generations of whom managed the Melingriffiths Works and were well known local philanthropists.

There is a poignant group of gravestones to the Lewis family, who were politicians and major landowners in North Cardiff. The graveyard also gives a vivid picture of the more ordinary people, recording their professions and trades and giving glimpses into their personal lives. Only those social groups too poor to afford a gravestone are missing.

Because of its population growth, in 1845 Whitchurch was promoted to a parish in its own right with its own resident vicar. St Mary’s was no longer a humble Chapel of Ease but a fully functioning Parish Church. However these glory days lasted a brief forty years. By now the churchyard was crowded with gravestones and the church building was felt to be too small. The third vicar of Whitchurch, the Reverend J.T. Clarke made it his mission to acquire a new site for a modern church which would seat 400. In 1885 the new St Mary’s in Penlline Road was consecrated. Suddenly after centuries at the heart of the village the old St Mary’s had had its day and was abandoned literally, without ceremony. It was the end of a long era during which this site had been of central importance to Whitchurch.

The church then became neglected and decayed. By 1904 Old St Mary’s Church was considered dangerous so it was pulled down. Until 1967 the brambles were cleared from the graves annually and burnt on the site, but then even that came to an end – to the distress of those who had family buried there. The closed churchyard had now become what seemed an insoluble problem. There followed 70 years of wrangling between the Church-in-Wales and local authorities as to who should take responsibility and what should be done with the land. Then a visionary solution presented itself which should have ensured this site remained an asset to Whitchurch forever.

In 1972  Edward Heath’s Government brought into being a scheme known popularly as “Operation Eyesore” with the aims of giving grants to ‘improve the appearance of neglected and unsightly land in assisted areas, to remove local eyesores and to create additional jobs in those areas.’

Because of the overwhelming number of applications throughout the U.K. the Government closed the scheme almost as soon as it opened. However Cardiff County Borough Council had acted swiftly and got their foot in the door. In July 1972 they received a grant of £14,500 to take the derelict churchyard off the hands of the Church-in-Wales and turn it into a Public Open Space. A junior member of the Parks Planning Department, Richard Coleman, was given the task. Most of what is known about the 1972‒1974 creation of St Mary’s Gardens by Richard Coleman, comes from Terry Davies, a distinguished horticulturist and Grand Old Man of Cardiff Parks.

Before Richard was allowed to move a single stone in the churchyard Whitchurch Parish Council stipulated that the location and text of every gravestone had to be recorded. A further important preliminary was the gathering of the remains of over 1,000 bodies and their re-internment with due rites away from the proposed site of the Public Gardens. Now Richard could move on with his plan for the Gardens.  

All the trees from the churchyard, apart from the seventeenth century yew and a Victorian yew, had to be removed as they had become diseased after nearly a century of neglect. The collapsing walls were renovated with matching stone and the gravestones, apart from the most prominent, were moved to line the walls. Others were used to pave Richard’s intriguing path design and the outline of the church which he had controversially decided to retain.

With the enormous task of getting the basic structure in place achieved, Richard moved on to the planting ‒ and ran into trouble with his bosses over the cost of his exacting requirements. It is believed that there has never been a source of water in St Mary’s Gardens so perhaps that is why Richard’s extensive planting left out bedding plants and consisted of 28 types of heathers, shrubs and specimen trees.

The old entrance to the churchyard had been replaced with a new opening made in Old Church Road and Richard wanted an appropriate gateway. Terry Davies said:
‘Richard looked at various Lych Gates. He designed one for SMG and a contractor was engaged to build it. He was criticised for the saloon bar swing-gates because they were immediately seized by local children as play equipment and the hinges regularly broken despite the City Engineer's efforts in installing stronger and stronger, hinges.’

The children’s fun was eventually curtailed by the installation of metal gates.
Finally a full-time park-keeper/gardener was appointed with a hut in the south west corner of the Gardens. The Park was officially opened to the public only two years after receiving the Government Eyesore Grant. Later that year it won First Prize in a Wales in Bloom Competition. For a brief decade the Gardens remained a significant feature of Whitchurch.

In the 1980’s, under Margaret Thatcher, the Compulsory Competitive Tendering Policy came in which prioritised economy over everything else. The first cut made by Cardiff Parks’ Department was the St Mary’s Gardens’ Park Keeper. Thereafter the Gardens with its shrubs and young exotic trees remained untended. In an extraordinary repetition of history, it again became neglected and largely forgotten, with many residents unaware they were even allowed on to the site.

Despite difficulties, the achievements of the St Mary’s Volunteers must be applauded. They are regularly recorded as carrying out the most volunteer hours of any Cardiff Parks’ volunteer group. This, along with the over £6,000 fundraised by the Friends, finally persuaded the Parks Department to allocate one of their finest young Rangers as a regular Ranger for the Gardens, and 2023 was therefore the most successful year to date. In collaboration with Rhodri the Ranger the volunteers have a clear plan for major progress in 2024 towards restoring the Gardens to a resource of which Whitchurch can be proud. Zoe said that she had enjoyed immeasurable fellowship and fun in the Gardens and they had never failed to be  magical for her.

Sadly, once again, proposed drastic cuts in public spending are posing a threat to plans and to the Gardens’ future by cutting the number of rangers. A Ranger must be present in order to carry out working parties or hold open days, and professional direction is needed.