Our Autumn/Winter Newsletter

After an incredibly hectic summer period, with groups of all shapes and sizes using the St Madoc Centre none stop - amongst other things, our very busy staff were looking forward to a well-deserved quieter autumn. Instead of a restful period we happily received a far busier season than we had anticipated. 

One of the largest jobs of our autumn was preparing for our latest VisitWales inspection. We received a four star evaluation for our first inspection, which we were incredibly pleased with as it meant our accommodation was the highest rated bunkhouse in South Wales. After 3 years of constant use our dormitories required a little bit of care and attention to meet the standard we had set previously. Our mammoth repainting, scrubbing and fixing of the entire building was interspersed by visiting groups who enjoyed the smell of wet paint and tried their very hardest not to get mud on the sparkling clean floors.
After two solid weeks of getting covered in off-white emulsion we were rewarded, not only with cake, but also with the four stars from VisitWales we had worked so hard to keep.

The option to have St Madoc staff cater for your stay has become more and more popular, with a 200% increase in groups being catered by our staff. This increase brought with it an inspection by Enironmental Health who increased our kitchen rating from three to five stars, which was quite nice of them really. :)

This Autumn we also had two school groups from Cardiff come and stay on site. A lot of the children from these groups came from families with a high level of social and financial deprivation and were reliant upon a bursary grant to be able to come. Many of the children who came hadn’t slept away from home before and some hadn’t been to a beach before. We were treated to surprisingly good weather for October, with most of the days being cold, but dry. The children enjoyed a vast array of activities, from scavenger hunts and outdoor cooking, to archery and wide games, which took place in a variety of locations, from the beach and sand dunes, to our playing fields and Cwm Ivy woods.

At the end of the children’s stay everyone, including the teachers, left tired, but happy. The head teacher, who bravely stayed for both weeks of the Primary School’s stay, rebooked for the following year as he left and sent us a very positive email, with the following comment within:‘...That is the impact of your work, it can change a life, change an attitude, develop a dream and inspire a community...’

Praise such as that, and the smiling faces of the children as they sprint down the sand dunes, or hide amongst the trees and experience these things for the first time make an already fantastic job all the better. These experiences remind all the staff at the St Madoc Centre why we do what we do.
We have recently been joined by two new members of staff. Geoff White, pictured, who joins us thanks to our links with A Rocha. Geoff will be working outdoors, with and without a chainsaw, to maintain the sizeable St Madoc Centre grounds, working alone and with volunteers. Our second new staff member is Haydn, who is mysteriously absent whenever the camera is out. Haydn is being worked hard as our new Caretaker, but seems to be taking it all in his stride.

We held our first Apple Day on the 16th of October. Having busied ourselves beforehand making pies, squashing apples and stuffing a mannequin with straw for our William Tell Challenge, we were very pleased with the number  of attendees. We arranged various different appley activities, like a quiz, apple squishing, painting and a baking competition. The event was well received with many people asking for it to become an annual event. 

We are also extremely thankful to the groups of volunteers we have had coming to help us look after our land. Volunteers from the Community Justice Intervention Wales organisation as well as several different secondary schools on the Welsh Baccalaureate programme have been working brilliantly on various different projects across our 76 acre site.
Upcoming Events:

Saturday 1st December: Carols and Crafts for Christmas
Our annual Carols and Craft event will be on the 1st of December this year. With live music, hot food and free mince pies. The event will be on from 10am-3pm and entry is free.

Friday 4 January  6.30pm-9.30pm  Star Party 
– free entry
We are pleased to welcome Swansea Astronomical Observers for a fantastic night of cosmic fun!  See impressive interactive presentations about the universe and see the heavens through telescopes.  Book your soup & roll in advance by calling 01792 386291 and pay £3.50 on the night.  The evening will take place whatever the weather!  Funded by Countryside Connections and Swansea Rural Development Partnership.

2nd Sunday of every month: Eco Tribe: 3-5pm
We have been running a new Sunday afternoon youth group at the St Madoc Centre since 2011. The group is for children and young adults and is called ‘Eco tribe’. The group undertakes a mixture of wildlife and outdoor activities, as well as fun and games. Over the last few months we have been pond dipping, star gazing, tree planting, snake hunting and eating toasted marshmallows over a bonfire. Eco Tribe runs on the second Sunday of every month. If you or anyone you know is interested in coming along get in contact with the centre.

Last Sunday of every month: Archery Club: 3-4pm
The Drawforce Archery club meets in the sportshall at 3pm on the last Sunday of every month. Suitable for children and adults. The first session is free. Ring us for more details!

The Ash Grove

Written by Sarah Leedham, Environmental Coordinator.

It’s a lovely sunny day here at St Madoc Centre and many flocks of birds are passing over our land on migration.  It’s that time of year when, everywhere you look you are reminded of autumn.  Bright green mosses are asserting themselves in the dunes and weird, black Earth Tongues are pushing through sand by the volleyball court, like fingers of liquorice.  Leaves in our woods are turning spectacular crimson, orange and amber tones.  But, wind may bring us Ash dieback disease.  If you pray, please pray that its arrival won’t become a UK disaster.  We want our children to know what the lofty, lichen-clad Ash is, not what it was.

The ash grove how graceful, how plainly 'tis speaking

The harp through its playing has language for me.

Whenever the light through its branches is breaking,

A host of kind faces is gazing on me.

The friends from my childhood again are before me

Each step wakes a memory as freely I roam.

With soft whispers laden the leaves rustle o’er me

The ash grove, the ash grove alone is my home.