The Richard Booth Prize for Non-Fiction

 Hay Writers' Circle is sponsoring the Richard Booth Prize for Non-Fiction.  They've just announced the name of the judge on their blog - Roland White of the Sunday Times (and other publications).  

The theme of the competition is open, and the entries should be between 600 and 1950 words long, double spaced in Ariel font size 12.  Winning entries will be posted on the Hay Writers' Circle website.  The closing date for entries is 6th July, and the winners will be announced in late July.  It costs £5 to enter.

Hay Festival

 The Festival may be online, but the town still has the bunting and the flags out for it:

and the talks are being filmed in Hay.  The Bookshop Cinema is one of the venues for this:

Lady Penelope Comes to Hay

 

Seen in Hay car park.

(I know Lady Penelope travelled around in a pink Rolls Royce, but this is the closest I've ever seen.  I wonder if it also has the machine guns and grappling hooks?)

Live Music

 Hay Music is looking forward to holding live concerts again - they've been holding concerts and talks via Zoom over the last year or so.  The concerts will be planned with social distancing in mind, and they need stewards to help with this.

The first live concert will be the Choir of Clare College on 26th June, and they are also planning a Weekend Festival of five concerts between 6th to 8th August.

Meanwhile the Hay Shantymen will be singing under Hay Bridge on Sunday 30th May from 12.30, in aid of the RNLI.

Fantastic support from Michael Sheen! An introduction to Next Ten Year's...

Lovely to see this support for Bronllys Wellbeing Park and hospital!

The video can also be seen on the Bronllys Wellbeing Park website.

Trying Out the New Bus Pass

 I took my first trip to Hereford last week since I got my bus pass.  

I was pretty sure it was the case, but the bus driver confirmed it - the bus pass can be used to go into England and back again if one end of the journey is in Wales.  I couldn't, for instance, break my journey in Peterchurch and still expect to use the pass to get to Hereford.

It was pretty busy in the Big City, and there was a mobile unit testing for Covid in the square near the Old House.  

I had a Marks and Spencer's voucher to spend, and got a very smart pair of new shoes.  I was also keen to go round the charity shops for the first time in ages.  This turned out to be disappointing.  Some charity shops have closed completely, and others didn't have the sort of things I was looking for, but I did find a toy R2D2 which had once been a MacDonalds gift for 50p!  Cult Vintage were not quite ready to open, so I'm looking forward to visiting them on a future trip.

I was also looking for craft supplies - I made a cushion I wanted to stuff, amongst other things.  While wandering round Wilco's I realised that the cheapest way to get stuffing was to buy two of their cheap cushions, and use the stuffing from them.  So I've got my home made cushion and two spare cushion covers!  I used up the last of my knitting wool again for this project, but I recently acquired a fleece from one of the Stitch and Bitch ladies so I'm hand spinning again while listening to podcasts.

Old Brenin Distillery

 I had a chat with one of the stall holders on the market last week.  He was selling gin and vodka from Old Brenin Distillery in Caerphilly, and tried to tempt me with some honey infused vodka.  

For those that like that sort of thing, they have a website at www.oldbrenindistillery.co.uk

Another Poem

 

Another poem, found outside Addyman's Annexe.

Poem by the River

 A friend noticed this poem, close to the statue of the heron on the Riverside Path:

Small Business Saturday

 

The Cosy Cafe has opened for business - just from the takeaway hatch at the side at the moment, but it does look very cosy in there, with big comfy chairs draped with sheepskins.

Collective Term for Booksellers?

 I've been following a thread on Twitter started by Henry Sotheran Ltd., a London book dealer, in which someone commented that a group of crows is called a murder of crows, so what would be the term for a group of booksellers?

I don't think anyone in Hay has ever come up with a term.

So: Murder of Crows

Parliament of Owls

Exaltation of Larks

..... of Booksellers?

(suggestions on the thread include a Ream, a Volume and a Binding, none of which sound quite right to me.)

Police Commissioner

 The results of the election of the Police Commissioner for Dyfed-Powys are now available.  

Dafydd Llywelyn has been Police Commissioner since 2016, and was re-elected.  He's a member of Plaid Cymru, and was previously the Head of Intelligence Analysis, working with Police Intelligence, and he has also lectured on criminology at Aberystwyth University.

Senedd Results

 James Evans, the Conservative, has won Brecon and Radnorshire, with over 12,000 votes.

William Powell, the Lib Dem, came second, with over 8,000 votes.

The turn-out for Brecon and Radnorshire was higher than the average - 58%.  The turnout overall for the Senedd elections this time was a record high of 46.6%.

Not all the regional list votes have been counted yet, but overall, Labour remain in power in Cardiff with 30 seats, with the Tories on 12 seats and Plaid Cymru on 9 seats.  Although the Lib Dems lost Brecon and Radnorshire, they have gained one regional list seat.

The map of Welsh constituencies is very blue along the English border, and Plaid Cymru's sort of green in the West, with South and North East Wales solidly red for Labour.

I haven't seen any results for the Police Commissioners yet.

Updated Countryside Code

More people are coming out to enjoy the countryside now that lockdown is easing, and some of them seem to have no idea how to behave, judging by news reports of beauty spots choked with litter and fires starting because of disposable barbeques.  Last year near Hay I saw a dog chasing a ewe and lamb - the owner of the dog was completely unable to call the dog off.  I was there with a responsible dog owner (her dog was on a lead) and we were both furious with the family whose dog it was.  Just the other day, I met a family who were unaware that they should leave gates as they find them (closed, in this case).

I've been aware of the Countryside Code since I was a child, even though I grew up in the middle of Manchester.  I think I cut the rules out of my mum's Womans' Realm magazine - simple rules like keeping dogs under control, keeping to the footpath, not leaving litter and not starting fires.

At the beginning of April, the Countryside Code was updated on its 70th anniversary - the first Countryside Code was brought out in 1951.  Back then there were no disposable barbeques, but other things have stayed the same.  Keeping your dog under control, especially around sheep and nesting birds, is still important, but walkers in 1951 didn't need to think about collecting dog poo in little bags and taking it with them, rather than throwing the little bags to dangle from the trees.

There are horses on Cae Mawr now, and signs saying that people shouldn't feed them - there have been cases of horses and donkeys dying because they were fed something inappropriate by ignorant passers by, and feeding the horses encourages them to rush up to the next passer by to see if they've got something tasty, too, which can be frightening for someone who's not used to horses.

More people visit the countryside by car now than in 1951 - as could be seen at Storey Arms the last time there was a bit of snow, with cars abandoned up and down the road verges, making the road more dangerous for other road users.  So there are sensible rules about going slowly down country lanes, and not blocking access to fields or tracks, and being careful of horse riders, cyclists and walkers.

There are reminders, too, about dressing sensibly for the conditions if hill walking, having the appropriate maps, and following the signposts.

There are lots of public footpaths around Hay, as well as places like the Warren where people can relax and picnic, and it only takes a little thought to keep those areas beautiful for everyone to enjoy.

I've Voted!

It's a lovely spring day, and there's a steady stream of people heading down to the Bowling Club to vote.

I had wondered if it would be set up in the new Bowling Club building, since I'm nosy and wanted to see what it looked like inside, but it's in the usual place, with two people allowed in at once, and lots of perspex screens.  Voters have been encouraged to bring their own pencils.

I chatted to a lady who was a bit confused about what the Senedd does - she likes to know what it is she's voting for but she couldn't find anything in plain English online to tell her.  So I did a bit of research myself.

The Senedd website says that they have the responsibility to make laws in Wales, and to set some taxes.  The main ones are Welsh rates of income tax, a Land Transaction Tax (was Stamp Duty), and a Landfills Disposal Tax.  The Senedd used to be funded entirely from Westminster.  Now it's about 80%, topped up by the taxes the Senedd raises itself  They also have influence over the amount of Council Tax County Councils can charge.  You have to do a bit of digging to find out exactly what they are responsible for, but it's clearly set out on the Wikipedia page.

It was the Senedd that decided to abolish NHS prescription charges in Wales, and charges for Welsh university students in Welsh universities are different to the rest of the UK.  They have also set up a different system of payment for residential care in Wales, with a flat rate of contribution towards nursing care.  In practice this means that people are entitled to higher rates of state assistance in Wales than in England.

The Senedd has the powers to make law for agriculture, forestry, rural development, culture, economic development, education and training, the environment, health, highways, local government and the Welsh language.

The Senedd does not have powers in the areas of foreign affairs, police and justice, currency, most benefits and most taxes.  Those are the responsibility of Westminster.

Today we had two votes for the Senedd.  Forty Assembly Members are chosen by the usual First past the Post system, as used in General Elections.  The remaining twenty members are chosen from a regional list according to the percentage of the vote their parties received.

This is the first year that sixteen and seventeen year olds have been allowed to vote.

Joyce Jeffries, Moneylender of Hereford

 I've been following some local history accounts on Twitter, and came across a mention of Joyce Jeffries, who was a moneylender in Hereford at the time of the English Civil War.

I'd never come across a woman moneylender before, so I looked her up (she has her own page on Wikipedia).

She was born into the local gentry - her mother was the widow of  Johannes Coningsby, in her second marriage, and she had older Coningsby half-siblings, Katherine and Humphrey.  The Coningsby family was important locally - an earlier member of the family founded the almshouses at Coningsby Hospital on Widemarsh Street, which is still open to the public as a museum.

So she had good connections with the local gentry, and inherited money to start her business, which seems to have been very successful.  She lived with her cousin Thomas until he died in 1625, and after that she was able to maintain her own establishment in Widemarsh Street, with several servants.  She never married.

During the Civil War, she left Hereford to stay with relatives in the country, but she had a house built in Hereford in 1643.  Unfortunately, it was knocked down the following year as part of the defences the City was raising for the Royalists, under the governorship of  Colonel Barnabas Scudamore.  As part of the defence works, part of the old bridge across the Wye was demolished.  It was later re-built (and is still in use, of course) but the rebuilt arch is lower than the rest.

Joyce Jeffries died in 1648.  Though she lived in Hereford for much of her life, and worshipped at All Saints Church, she was buried at Clifton-upon-Teme in Worcestershire.

She kept a diary and account book between 1638 and 1648.  The original was destroyed in a library fire, but it has been published as The Business and Household Accounts of Joyce Jeffreys, Spinster of Hereford, 1638 - 48, edited by Judith Spicksley.

Food For Life

 With Bank Holiday crowds on the streets of Hay on Saturday, and the sun shining, street collections also returned.  A young man was doing a bucket collection for Food For Life under the Castle wall, and when I donated, he also gave me a booklet on yoga and meditation.

I looked up the organisation he was collecting for.  Ty Krishna Cymru are based in Cardiff.  They make meals for elderly and isolated people, low income families or individuals, people with physical or mental health problems, and anyone who needs support.  They've been working in South Wales for twenty years, and all their meals are vegetarian.

They have a website at www.tykrishna.cymru/FFL

Election Coming Soon

So on Thursday the polling station is open at the Bowling Club for the Senedd elections, and yesterday I was out delivering leaflets around Hay for one of the political parties, with a couple of other local activists.  (I'm trying to be impartial here, but anyone who looks at my front window will see how I'll be voting).

It was a lovely sunny day, and I'm pleased to say that some people actually asked for our leaflets.  I also got to introduce the others to some of the more obscure areas of Hay, which has quite a complicated street plan full of hidden corners.

There are some good local candidates, including William Powell, the current county councillor for Talgarth, for the Liberal Democrats.  He is standing because the current AM, Kirsty Williams, is standing down after many years representing the area.  There are quite a few orange posters and placards around town.

Another current county councillor, for Llangors, is Emily Durrant, who is standing for the Green Party.

One of my neighbours favours James Evans, the Conservative candidate - and one lady I spoke to while leafletting said she was going to be voting Tory "because he's done such a good job with all the vaccinations".  There really was nothing I could say in answer to that apart from "oh, dear".

Grenville Ham, who used to belong to the Green Party, is standing for Plaid Cymru (he left the Greens because they chose not to form an independent Welsh Green Party).

Gethin Jones is standing for Labour, and I met one lady who had already sent her postal vote off for him.

Other candidates are Sam Holwill for the Welsh Independence Party, Karen Laurie-Parry, an Independent, Claire Mills of the Abolish the Assembly Party and John Muir of Reform UK.

Voters have two votes this time, one local and one regional.  If a party wins enough local seats, the regional seats go to other parties to balance the Senedd.

Votes will also be cast for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

Volunteers and Trustees Needed at the Castle

 The Spring Newsletter from Hay Castle Trust includes an appeal for volunteers - one of the jobs the volunteers have been doing recently is clearing out the unsaleable stock in the Honesty Bookshop and restocking the shelves.  Volunteers will also be needed when the Castle re-opens to the public as tour guides (full training will be given) and to keep the grounds tidy.

The Castle is also looking for three new Trustees, as three present members of the board come to the end of their terms of service.  The Castle Trust is looking for people who know about historic building conservation and management, and fundraising strategy, as well as human resources - people with  prior experience would be welcome!

They are also looking for someone to run the cafe that will be in the Castle when it opens, which will be one of the main ways that the Castle can make money to keep running.  They will also be hosting private events at the Castle, especially weddings, and there will be the King of Hay Bookshop, with a selection of new and secondhand books, as well as cards and gifts (they say these will be tastefully selected, which doesn't sound much like Richard Booth the King of Hay himself, who was more inclined to bold gestures than tasteful gifts).

Other news in the latest newsletter includes the celebration of the new staircase, which had to be lifted in by crane, and the completion of the Castle roof, making the whole building waterproof for the first time since the fire of 1939!  The Castle Trust has also acquired a stained glass portrait of Richard Booth as King, which was made in the early 1980s by local artist Charlie  Janson, and the King's desk, which will be on display.

In the coming months, they will be looking for local groups which want to use the Castle as a venue, and local music, theatre and literature groups which would like to use the Castle facilities.