Check out our past events
Geology Walk
& Breakfast.
@Toby Carvery Barry
Saturday 22nd April 8am
Please join us for a fun evening of skittles
Three Horseshoes Moulton
Tuesday 21st Feb
6.30pm
All welcome
£2 per person to play
For More information, please see
AGM
8th October 2022
Hensol Castle Creative Rural Community event
September 2022
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AGM
GLAMORGAN SMALLHOLDERS’ SOCIAL EVENT
&
NOTICE OF THE GLAMORGAN SMALLHOLDER’S AGM
TO BE HELD ON 8TH OCTOBER 2022
At The Boverton Castle, Llantwit Major, CF61 1UH from 18.30
WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU AND CATCH UP:
We have chosen The Boverton Castle for our AGM as it is an ideal location to gather beforehand for a bit of a catch up. We have not seen many members since before lock-down so now is an ideal opportunity to come down early and say hello, there will be CAKE!
WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN US?
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a couple of forward-thinking, enthusiastic people to join the Glamorgan Smallholder’s committee.
You do not have to own a duck, flock of sheep or even a solitary chicken, but you must have enthusiasm for farming and the countryside in the Vale.
No previous experience is required but you must have been a member of Glamorgan Smallholders for one year or more.
Current positions on the Committee are as follows, those in italics are available posts:
Chairman
Vice-chairman up for election
Secretary/ membership secretary
Treasurer
Events/lectures manager up for election
Advertising design manager
Website manager
Press secretary
Grants/funding manager
General committee member
If you are interested in joining our award-winning team then please step forward, we would love to hear from you. Send a couple of paragraphs about yourself with your name and contact details and let us know if you are interested in a particular post on the committee or would like to join as a general committee member.
Nominations for the committee should be submitted no later than 24th September, 2022.
If you have any items that you would like to add to the agenda, please send them to the Secretary no later than 24th of September 2022
CONTACT: Secretary Rachael Edwards at glamorgansmallholders@hotmail.com
Vale of Glamorgan Agricultural Show 2022
IN PRAISE OF A FANTASTIC TEAM
What an amazing come-back for the Vale Show this year. Our Vale Show sub-committee headed up by Helen Joy and ably aided by Maurice Price, Natalie Hepburn, Vicky Phillips, Katie Antippas, Rebecca Williams, Rachael Kemp, Tracey Inch and Gemma Haines, pulled together a fantastic marquee-full of displays for the Countryside tent. Our thanks go out to not only the show’s organisers, Sarah Fenner and her team and show president David Harris, but also and especially to all those that contributed their free time and skills to making it such a success.
Our thanks go to Mariclare Carey-Jones who officially opened the marquee getting us off to a flying start.
The space was made particularly eye-catching with bespoke hand-painted wall hangings created by Valerie Chicken, Rebecca Williams and the children of Little Ferns Day Nursery in Ferndale, with beautiful floral displays by Charlotte Adams from Cross Farm Nursery turning the space into an award-winning occasion.
We would like to thank the contributors:
Ali Leach from Ali’s Edibles
Abi Reader and Cows on Tour
Bro Radio
You & Ince, marquee sponsors
Jane & Derrek Bissett from Kennixton Sheep and goats.
Natalie, James and Ella Hepburn from Garlic Meadow goat’s milk skincare
The Glamorgan Guild Of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers
The Clergy and helpers from The Church in Wales
Tracey, Lloyd and Ebony Inch for Tracy’s Great Egg Hunt
Ellie Antippas for Fabulous Face painting
Ellie Russell from Dyffryn Golwch Farm working with fleece
Many, many thanks go to our sponsors for the ‘Guess the weight of the tractor’ hamper:
Ali’s Edibles
Anthea’s Bloomers
Garlic Meadow Soaps
Helen Joy with Valerie Chicken
Tracey Inch
Llanblethian Orchards
Rebecca Williams
And Dyffryn Golwch Farm
Congratulations go to Mr. H, who won ‘Guess the weight of the tractor’, (6950kg), he was absolutely delighted to win such a fine hamper.
The Guess the Fleece competition sponsored by Dyffryn Golwch Farm, Dyffryn, was won by Mrs J. from Gowerton, Swansea. Many thanks to Emily Scaglioni and Rebecca Williams for their incredible hard work on the ‘working with fleece’ stand.
We are also very grateful to Rebecca Williams for creating a superb cake for the Grand Cake Raffle, and congratulations to `Miss G for winning this awesome piece of culinary confection.
TELL US YOUR TALE FROM THE VALE
We would love to hear from those Glamorgan Smallholders’ members who were at the show, whether it was showing stock or just enjoying the day. Please send us your favourite photos and a brief round-up of your time at the Vale Show.
27th August 2022
Glamorgan Smallholders Monthly meeting
Saturday 20th August 2022
24th July 2022
What's the Buzzzzz?
9th & 10th July
Bridgend Show
We had plenty of interest in our Glamorgan Smallholder’s stand at the Bridgend Show 2022 with our Grand Raffle and our Guess the Fleece competition. We were delighted to win a Special Rosette for our stand.
We would like to thank all those for giving up their free time to help run our stand.
We would also like to give a very big thank you to the following for their incredibly generous donations to the raffle and ‘Guess the Fleece’ prizes:
Llanblethian Orchards Cider
Ali’s Edibles
Anthea’s Bloomers
Garlic Meadow
Rebecca Williams
Audrey Hayes
Ellie Russell
Many congratulations to the raffle prize winner and also the winner and runner-up of the Guess the Fleece competition.
Come and say hello to us at the Vale Show on 10th august in Penllyn, Cowbridge
GLAMORGAN SMALLHOLDERS WALK THROUGH TIME
Members of The Glamorgan Smallholders recently met up for a field trip with a difference. As with other communities the smallholders have also been affected by the last two years of Covid-19 restrictions and it was wonderful to be able to have the opportunity to meet as a group and to enjoy a sunny day at the coast.
The title of the walk was 'What's REALLY under your feet?. A walk through the pastures of time” and how it affects farming in the Vale of Glamorgan. The membership of the Glamorgan Smallholders is very diverse and many members have had previous careers before settling on agriculture, be it full-time, part-time or just having an interest in rural life in Glamorgan.
The introduction walk started with a social breakfast meeting before the group moved on to Barry Island with Vicky Phillips. Vicky is a Geologist, who has a wealth of experience working in the international oil industry both inland and offshore before settling back in the Vale as a lecturer. Although not her normal student base, the Smallholders made an interested and enthusiastic group.
Vicky Philips said, “The Glamorgan Heritage Coast has an abundance of geology that is highly visible so makes the ideal venue for the beginner. The natural place to start was the cliff face, Whitmore Bay, Barry, where the rock sequence is clearly exposed and is easy for the first time observer to see and understand how it formed.”
Rebecca Williams said, “I had no idea just how old and how fascinating our coastline is. Having someone talk us though the geology of the land and explain how the rock formation was created and just how long ago it happened was mind blowing. How many people just walk past and have no idea just how old the coastline is?.”
The group continued out to Friars Point where Vicky explained about the formation of the bay.
Vicky added, “I had arranged the walk as a taster and was delighted at the response from the group. They were so enthusiastic and inactive we could have done a day easily.
The plan is to revisit the coast later in the season at another location to see the geology there and compare it with what we know already about the land we farm.”
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