Funding for the Resilience Project

 Good news from the Hay Community Resilience Initiative - they've been granted the funding they applied for!  The National Lottery Community Fund has given enough money for the project to employ a professional to work on it, rather than relying on the hard work of the volunteers who have carried it forward this far.  And with this funding in place, there are other pots of funding that they can apply for, which are more specific to the three Pillars of the initiative (Food, Energy and Mental Well-Being).

They will also be recruiting a bigger team very soon, and are almost at the point of registering HayReliance.org as a Not For Profit Organisation.

They have been working with Cultivate (Bwyd Powys Food), the Black Mountains College and Our Food 1200 to develop a local food chain, and Bwyd Powys are recruiting a Supply Chain Development Officer.  One day a week, this person will be working with HayResilience to develop the Food Hub in Hay.

They are also applying for funding to work with the Centre for Alternative Technology and Dr Caroline Verfuerth of Cardiff University's Business School to research the demand for local food in the area, so that they can develop a marketing strategy and encourage people to change their shopping habits and shop for local produce.  The Food Hub wants to make it as easy as possible for people to buy from them.

So there are lots of practical things happening about local food.  Local Community Energy and mental health are more complex problems, and are still at the early stages of research, but they are hoping to be able to share more about their progress soon. 

Rent at Theatr Brycheiniog

 

My neighbour is involved in this production!

Willow Tree

 

I took the first picture before I went away, and the second one yesterday.

It's sad to see old trees felled, but sometimes it is necessary. 

Events I Missed While I was Away

 I was still checking Facebook while I was on holiday, so I see that I missed a very good cider festival in the Buttermarket over the weekend.  I look forward to them doing it again next year.

It's also been h.arts week, with several artists in Hay taking part.  Oil and Oak had one of the signs up when I passed.  There are, in fact, four venues taking part in Hay this year - and there's still time to find them, because the week ends tomorrow.

They are: Jess Shaw, who has an exhibition of her work at Priory Wood Chapel in Clifford.  It's described in the booklet as lighting and 3D mixed media.

Oil and Oak has a variety of artists and craftspeople.

John Clare at Tinto House is exhibiting his paintings.

And in High Town, the Chair gallery has been taken by Creative Breaks.  It's their 25th anniversary.  There are thirteen members, and the theme of the exhibition is Rivers.  When I passed, some of the artists were sitting round the table in there, so you could see them creating new work. 

Back to Hay by Bus

 Back from my holidays - I had a lovely time, but the travelling was exhausting, so I pretty much got home and went straight to bed!  Luckily, everything connected, and I didn't have to wait too long for each connection - apart from a delay at Larnaca Airport which might have been due to bad weather over Manchester delaying the outbound plane that we were waiting for, or might have been a Cost of Living strike by staff at the airport!

On my way to Manchester at the beginning of my holiday, I had the opportunity to see the new Sergeants buses in action.

I had been led to believe by the timetable they sent me that there would be two buses going to Hereford early in the morning - the X15 for college and the X44. When they actually turned up, though, only the X15 was going to Hereford, and the X44 was going to Brecon.  There was a man with a clipboard there to make sure that everyone got on the right bus.  The X15 crossed the river and went into Hereford that way, dropped the students off at the college, and then went down to the train station, so I don't know what any students in the Golden Valley were supposed to do.

On the way home, I caught the first bus from Hereford after travelling through the night, which was at 9.22am.  They are still sending two staff - the driver and a man who I assume is checking the route and the timings as well as giving advice to passengers.  That went by the Golden Valley route, and had a very cheerful driver!

I did remember to check the bus stops when I got off at Hay, and the Brecon side has a new timetable, but there is nothing on the Hereford side of the road yet. 

 

Holidays

 I will be away for a week or so - which means I will miss the Cider Festival this weekend, and the Hay Music Festival on the theme of Exiles and Emigres.

In the meantime, here's a picture of Hay Castle from 2015:

 

Mass at St Mary's

 Normally I'm at work on Sundays, so it's very rare that I get the opportunity to go to a proper Sunday service.  This week, though, I'm getting ready to go on holiday, and there is someone at work who can cover the front desk, so I had the time to do it.

It's even better now that I can cut through on the little public footpath behind the Almshouses and come out right at the church.

Poor Father David was only assisting at Mass this morning, because his arm is in a sling, and for some things the presiding priest needs two hands.  He did preach, though, on the Gospel reading about Jesus warning people not to take the place of honour when they were invited to dinner parties, and to throw banquets for the poor instead.  He did say that he's not on co-codamol any more, though - so he's not as high as a kite, and he is getting better!

I didn't know all the hymns, but hymns are generally designed to be easy for the congregation to pick up, so that was all right, and I was able to belt out Tell Out, My Soul as the last hymn.

After the service, I was asked to mention the next concert at St Mary's.  Rhapsody in Blue is a concert by Mike Hatchard, assisted by Susanna Warren and Jeremy Young, and there will be jazz, and Chopin, Ravel, and Flanders and Swann.  Tickets are £15 from WegotTickets or on the door.  OAPs are £12, and it starts at 7.30pm.

Also, on Saturday 6th September, there will be coffee in the church from 10.30am, followed by the monthly organ recital at 11am, with Barrie Magill. 

A little later I met Simon the Poet in town, and he asked me if I'd like to sign up for the Parish magazine, Way-on-High - so he took my address and £10 on the spot and will add me to the list.

It means I'll have advance warning of things like Parish trips - for instance, yesterday there was a trip up to Capel-y-ffin for the annual Father Ignatius Memorial Pilgrimage.  They start at Llanthony Abbey, and go from there to Capel-y-ffin, finishing off at the ruined monastery church.  One of the banners in St Mary's Church is of Our Lady of Capel-y-ffin - a schoolboy had a vision up there in 1880.

And next year there will be the Parish pilgrimage to Walsingham - I visited Walsingham when I lived in Norwich many years ago, and it is a place with a very special atmosphere, so I'd love to go back.