Concert in Whitchurch

Information from CFFOURTEEN

Chocolate Making Classes-Beulah Church Hall

For all chocolate lovers - classes at Beulah Church Hall for making your own chocolates!

Chocolate Extravaganza Fun Classes

BUY ONE FOR YOUR MUM FOR MOTHER’S DAY

COME ALONG YOURSELF AND HAVE FUN

Make your own scrumptious chocolates – lots of lovely fillings like toffee, creams, fruits………….

At the chocolate making class you will learn tips that make it easier to produce lovely chocolates at home

Also decorate a chocolate Easter egg and a chocolate tube (great for impressive sweets)

Have fun with chocolate – 23rd or 24th March. Come along with friends or on your own

Chocolate, moulds, fillings and all decorating ingredients, piping bags etc provided–take home the things you have made

When: Saturday 23rd March 2pm-5pm or Sunday 24th March 2pm-5pm
Where: Beulah Church Hall, Rhiwbina, Cardiff, CF14 6LT
How much: £27 per person

To book: ‘phone Carole on 07814923353 or email cupcakefunclasses@hotmail.com *classes will run if sufficient numbers
PLACES MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE

Children over 10 welcome if accompanied by a participating adult

Information from CFFOURTEEN

Guest post by Llinos - Exploration of Rhiwbina Shops

I haven't lived in the area for long, so I thought a good exploration of the shops in Rhiwbina Village was essential!

What I discovered was an array of unique and independent businesses which deserve our support, and inspire me as a budding entrepreneur!

So here is a description of some of my favourites:

The Art Workshop

I'm really interested in taking a beginners course here, as I am quite creative and I would love to be able to draw.

Nest Vintage Living

I love vintage and here I was overwhelmed with options for the home, gifts, weddings and parties.  Their china hire sounds great too.

Flower Lodge

I enjoyed browsing the beautiful array of blooms and also gift options like candles.  The shop was fresh and welcoming.  It must be wonderful to work with flowers everyday.

Victoria Fearn Gallery

Once again this appealed to me creatively, in particular the wide variety of amazing glassware, something else I'd love to try.  It seems like there are an infinite amount of possibilities and designs.

Sugar Mouse House

If you have a sweet tooth like me, then this shop has a wide variety of delicious treats for you.  And what a lovely name!

So Many Beads

Beads and jewellery fascinate me, so when I need some supplies for my designs this is where I will be going.  They also do workshops for learners, which sound like good fun.

Fragrant 227

For ultimate relaxation, this is the place to come.  I felt calm just entering the shop.  There is a treatment room as well but those just wanting to browse the products, there are lots of creams, lotions and washes to provide the ultimate home relaxation experience.

Thanks to Llinos for taking the time to write this post. You can read Llinos' blog Lilac Chic by clicking here. 

If you would like to contribute to Rhiwbina Local, please email rhiwbinalocal@virginmedia.com

Beulah Concerts - Updated

Concerts at the Crossroads 2013, Beulah URC Church Rhiwbina

Wednesday 27th. February at 1.05pm

Tickets £6/5 on the door.

The quartet is known as 4tune Brass Quartet. It comprises of:

• Stephanie Williams - Cornet
• Victoria Kennedy - Cornet
• Lowenna Taylor - Tenor Horn
• Grant Jameson - Euphonium

This quartet won the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble Prize at the RWCMD.

Dates for your diary

Wednesday the 27^th March at 1.05 pm

Tianhong Yang - Piano

Tianhong is making a return visit, playing Schubert and Chopin. Tickets on the door £6/£5

Saturday 20^th April at 7.30pm

Evening Celebrity Recital

Gary Griffiths (Welsh representative in the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition) Baritone

Hannah Stone (Harpist to the Prince of Wales) Harp

Caradog Williams Piano

This promises to be a marvelous evening with such talented artists.

Tickets £12/£10 available from Serenade in Rhiwbina Village, Marg Jones 20627987 or Trix Pryce 20765177

There is an optional buffet afterwards in which tickets are limited and should be purchased in advance

Buffet tickets £6

Information from CFFOURTEEN

Rhiwbina gets a new PCSO

This week, PCSO Lewis Andrews will be joining PC Andy Ryan and PCSO Stephen Westlake in supporting the wards of Rhiwbina and Thornhill.

Information from Rhiwbina Ward.

Please keep your eyes peeled for our interview with PCSO Stephen Westlake cominq soon!

Table top sale and Cardiff Male Choir

St Faiths Church, Morris Ave, Llanishen (Off Templeton Ave) have a table top sale on Saturday 23rd February from 10.30am. Various stalls and refreshments will be available.

Also at St Faiths on Friday March 1st at 7.00pm the Cardiff Male Choir. Tickets are £5 to include Welsh refreshments.

For further details of both events please contact Elaine on 02920 75 25 23

Information from CFFOURTEEN

Cardiff and South East Wales Friends of Welsh National Opera present Britten Remembered - My Time at Aldeburgh by John Richardson

Cardiff and South East Wales Friends of Welsh National Opera present Britten Remembered – My time at Aldeburgh by John Richardson.

In this centenary year of Benjamin Britten’s birth, John will relate to his own experiences of 3 Aldeburgh festivals as a member of the English Opera Group stage management team (1967/8/9) and other fringe meeting and associations with Benjamin Britten.

John’s illustrated talk will include memories of the premiere of The Prodigal Son, the first revival of Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Royal opening of The Maltings in 1967 and it’s subsequent destruction by fire in 1969. John will also relate some of the trials, tribulations and pleasures of touring with the English Opera Group.

On Friday 22nd February 2013 at St Mary’s Church Hall, Whitchurch Cardiff. CF14 2ED at 7.30pm. Tickets are £13.50. Please book your place at this event with Ruth Williams, tel 01656 865 001.

A voluntary organisation founded to support the work of Friends of Welsh National Opera (Charity N0. 5035838)

Information from CFFOURTEEN

Rhiwbina Library Break In

Information provided by a Council Official for the Local Councillors. Jayne has telephoned the officer and the update is as follows :-

“There was a break-in at Rhiwbina Library on Saturday night. The thieves broke in through a panel in the rear door and ransacked the main desk area, taking the staff PCs, one public PC, scanners, damaging the till and creating a mess around the main staff desk area.

County Security were called out and made the building safe. Staff are expecting the police this morning to carry out scene of crimes inspection.

Most of the building is closed to the public and will remain so until the police have completed their investigations and the area can then be cleaned and tidied. The public are currently able to return stock using the RFID machines, and can access the public PCs and children’s area. The rest of the building will be out of commission probably for the rest of the day.

I have asked ICT whether they can lend us some PCs that we can use until we manage to get permanent replacements. I will be contacting the insurance section once we have a complete list of what has been taken.

I will let you know when the building is fully up and running once again”.

Information from Rhiwbina Ward and Cardiff Council

Road Re-Surfacing

The Council have stopped the contractor planning of any further streets and instructed them to concentrate on resurfacing the streets already open. Unfortunately it is going to take 2/3 days to achieve this (weather permitting).

The Council will be introducing constraints on the contractor on the number of sites that can be planned and will ensure that Council staff enforce.

We have also expressed our views to the Council that residents need to be fully briefed on any changes to the schedule. We have offered to leaflet the houses directly as we are keen to keep residents advised and we are waiting to hear back on our suggestion.

If you have questions, please contact our Councillors by clicking here.

Information from Rhiwbina Ward.

Exciting Rhiwbina News!

We have been in touch with the lovely people over at www.visitcardiff.com and we are excited to announce that Rhiwbina has been added to their website! 

Click here to take a look!

Rhiwbina Flood Defence Scheme

What is the Rhiwbina Flood Defence Scheme?
The Rhiwbina Flood Defence Scheme is a project that will greatly improve local resilience to the type of flood events that have afflicted this popular area of Cardiff in recent years. It is a key part of the Council's vision to improve the quality of residents' local environment and this scheme will deliver significant improvements to the Rhiwbina area.

Why do we need a flood defence scheme?
In 2009, homes in Rhiwbina were hit by floods after the streams running through the area burst their banks. In response to this significant event, Cardiff Council is promoting a capital scheme to reduce the flooding that has hit the area ten times in the last 20 years.

Will this put an end to flooding in the area?
This is a flood defence scheme so although it will greatly reduce the risk of flooding, we can not guarantee that it will stop flooding altogether during the extreme weather events.

When will work begin?
Consultant Engineers and specialist Ecologists have been in the area from October 2012 carrying out preparatory survey works. Construction work is expected to start in the summer of 2013 with completion due by the end of the year. Rhiwbina residents and the general public will have the opportunity to view an exhibition of designs at convenient locations early in the new year.

How is the scheme funded?
The scheme is being funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Welsh Government and Cardiff Council.

Where can you find out more?
Please visit the website www.cardiff.gov.uk/floodscheme, email floodscheme@cardiff.gov.uk or you can view the project summary documents in Rhiwbina Library. Please note that the document is for reference only, so you will not be able to remove it from the Library.

How can you provide feedback from the scheme?
You can comment on the scheme in one of two ways:

• In person, at the exhibitions on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th February
• Download a form, fill it in and email it to: floodscheme@cardiff.gov.uk
• Pick up a form at one of our exhibitions and return it by post to: Rhiwbina Flood Defence Scheme Project, City Services, Cardiff Council, Brindley Road Highway Depot, Cardiff. CF11 8TX

Information from Cardiff Council

Click to enlarge pictures

Thornhill Cars Public Meeting

This meeting has been arranged for Wednesday, 6th March at 3.15pm at the Thornhill Cars site and is open to the public. The committee will then meet again on Wednesday, 13th March at 2.30pm in Committee Room 3, County Hall, City Hall.

Sainsbury's Application at Thornhill Cars Update

Yesterday, a planning committee was held at City Hall and our Councillor Adrian Robson spoke to briefly explain why he was against the application and accordingly requested that before the application was determined he requested that the committee members attend a meeting on site. The committee agreed to this request and that meeting will now take place on Wednesday 6th March. The actual time of the meeting will be notified to you shortly. The application has now been deferred until the meeting of the planning committee on 13th March. 

All these meetings are open to the public. 

Information from CFFourteen

Explore Rhiwbina Project

Rhiwbina Civic Society has been chosen by the Civic Trust Wales to take part in a pilot characterisation project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), and in association with CADW. 

In essence, the project is designed to encourage local people and organisations to look around their local area, and identify what exactly makes the area attractive, and why. It’s not just about buildings, but includes open spaces, street furniture, vegetation and much more. The project has three main aims:

• A report will be produced, which will, it is hoped, be a useful tool for local people and planners alike when the vexed question of development and planning applications raise their heads.
• The experience of carrying out the practical work can help to produce a ‘toolkit’, which can be used by other communities to carry out characterisation of their own area.
• Involving local people has the potential to bring together various elements of the community, with a long-term benefit for the whole area.

      In the past, Rhiwbina Civic Society has been criticised for seeming to concentrate on the village area, and ignoring what goes on in other parts of Rhiwbina. This project will enable the Society and its partners to involve those parts of Rhiwbina that other activities do not reach.

      You may wonder why Rhiwbina was chosen for this project. Originally, the three communities chosen were Newtown, Abergavenny and Machynlleth. There were obvious sensitivities surrounding Machynlleth, so Rhiwbina was chosen (with the support of the HLF and CADW). Newtown and Abergavenny are well advanced in their work, and we hope that with the support of local people, the Rhiwbina characterisation project, under the title Explore Rhiwbina will also be successful. 

At present the project group, which is at the moment composed of Rhiwbina Civic society members, are just beginning a pilot study of the Lon-Y-Deri area-toward the bottom of Lon-Y-Deri and up to Heol Llanishen Fach and between Heol-Y-Deri and the street. So, if you see some groups of people walking around the area, staring and taking photographs don't be alarmed! 

If any residents have any information or memories that you would like to share with the groups, please leave a comment below and I will pass it on for you. Once this pilot is completed and written up, the plan is to hold a public meeting in Rhiwbina to explain the project and the findings so far and also to encourage anyone else in Rhiwbina to join in the project, as the intention is to survey/explore the whole of Rhiwbina. I will be sure to post further details about when the public meeting will take place as soon as I receive further information.

     Further information can be found by clicking here and here. Information from the Civic Trust Wales.

Explore Rhiwbina Project by

Pantmawr Road Re-Surfacing

Many sections of roads on the Pantmawr estate are going to be resurfaced over the next 10 weeks or so. The contractor carrying out the work has kindly agreed to hold an open session to answer any questions which Pantmawr residents may have about the work. The session is this Friday (15^thFebruary) between 2pm and 3pm in the Hall at the rear of All Saints Church.

The venue is also hosting the Rhiwbina Flooding Defence Scheme Exhibition at the same time, so residents are also welcome to view the information available on that scheme!

Information from CFFOURTEEN

Waste Collection and Recycling in Rhiwbina

This information will be also be added to our new Waste Collections and Recycling page coming later today

The collection day for Rhiwbina is Friday.

Please note that bins, bags, food caddies and recycling bags are to be placed out kerbside no earlier than 4.30pm on the day before collection and no later than 6.00am on the day of collection.

Cardiff Council Green recycling bags are free and can be collected from the Post Office on Heol Llanishen Fach, The Deri Store and Rhiwbina Library.

You can also order bags online by clicking here or by calling C2C on 02920 872 087.

Below are details of whether it is a Garden Waste or Black Waste week:

February

Week beginning 11th February 2013 is a Black Waste Week
Week beginning 18th February 2013 is a Green Waste Week
Week beginning 25th February 2013 is a Black Waste Week

March

Week beginning 4th March 2013 is a Green Waste Week
Week beginning 11th March 2013 is a Black Waste Week
Week beginning 18th March 2013 is a Green Waste Week
Week beginning 25th March 2013 is a Black Waste Week

April

Week beginning 1st April 2013 is a Green Waste Week
Week beginning 8th April 2013 is a Black Waste Week
Week beginning 15th April 2013 is a Green Waste Week
Week beginning 22nd April 2013 is a Black Waste Week
Week beginning 29th April 2013 is a Green Waste Week

May

Week beginning 6th May 2013 is a Black Waste Week
Week beginning 13th May 2013 is a Green Waste Week
Week beginning 20th May 2013 is a Black Waste Week
Week beginning 27th May 2013 is a Green Waste Week

June

Week beginning 3rd June 2013 is a Black Waste Week
Week beginning 10th June 2013 is a Green Waste Week
Week beginning 17th June 2013 is a Black Waste Week
Week beginning 24th June 2013 is a Green Waste Week

July

Week beginning 1st July 2013 is a Black Waste Week
Week beginning 8th July 2013 is a Green Waste Week
Week beginning 15th July 2013 is a Black Waste Week
Week beginning 22nd July 2013 is a Green Waste Week
Week beginning 29th July 2013 is a Black Waste Week

What can I put in my bins?

Black bin: General waste

Green bin: Garden Waste, grass cuttings, shredded paper, hedge and tree cuttings (no thicker than your wrist), flowers and plants, leaves, clean wood shavings (no animal bedding) Garden waste and shredded paper must be loose in your green wheeled bin. No plastic bags

What can I put in my bags?

Green bag: Food tins, drink cans, aerosols, plastic bottles, yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, plastic punnets/ready meal trays, glass bottles and jars, jam jar lids, newspapers, phone directories, magazines, junk mail/flyers (remove plastic wraps), office paper, catalogues, all cardboard. Please ensure all food and drink containers are empty – NO FOOD WASTE

Black bag: General waste

White bio bag: Garden Waste, grass cuttings, shredded paper, hedge and tree cuttings (no thicker than your wrist), flowers and plants, leaves, clean wood shavings (no animal bedding) No plastic bags

What can I put in my food caddie?

Fruit and vegetable Peelings
Tea bags, coffee grounds
All left over food (e.g. pasta, rice, vegetables, baked beans, curry, chips etc)
Stale bread and cakes
Dairy products, breakfast cereal and egg shells
Meat, fish and bones
Food past its sell by date
Cooked and uncooked food

If you would like a weekly reminder via text message of your collection day and what needs to be placed out, simply text ‘TIDY’ with your house number and postcode to 60066.

For more information on Recycling and Waste, please click here.

Fundraising Concert

There is a fundraising concert with Donald Maxwell, Suzanne Murphy and Students of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama on Saturday 16th February in the Weston Studio at Wales Millenium Centre at 2.30pm.

Tickets are £15 on the door.

A voluntary association founded to support the work of the Friends of Welsh National Opera (charity number 503538)

Information from CF14

National Libraries Day - Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Saturday 9th February, 2013 is National Libraries Day. A culmination of a week's worth of celebrations in school, college, university, workplace and public libraries across the UK. This is a great opportunity to support our local library.

If you haven't yet signed the Rhiwbina Library Petition, please click here.

Rhiwbina road resurfacing delayed

Due to the weather and technical reasons, there will be delays to the resurfacing of certain roads in Rhiwbina. Correspondence to residents whose roads will be affected will soon be hand delivered. 

For more information, please contact Local Councillors by clicking here.

Weekly Update

Rhiwbina Local was launched exactly one week ago today, so I thought I would post a little update on our progress:

• We now have 181 Twitter followers. The majority of which live in Rhiwbina and surrounding areas of Cardiff
• We now have 24 likes on our Facebook page. The majority of which live in Rhiwbina and surrounding areas of Cardiff
• We have been interviewed by Jessica Best for Wales Online - To read the article, please click here
• Rhiwbina Local has been viewed 1,680 times
• We have arranged for Rhiwbina to be added to the Visit Cardiff website, along with a link to this blog

We're on Wales Online!

'New community website Rhiwbina Local launches'

To read the full story, please click here.

Farmers Market at The Butchers Arms Public House

Rhiwbina Farmer's Market runs every Friday in the car park of the Butchers Arms Public House, 10am-1pm. I met some of the stall holders this morning and took a look at some of their produce.

• Chris (pictured top left) sells local organic produce for the Welsh Food Box Company
• Amanda (pictured top right) of Seasons Farm Foods sells an extensive range of home baked products made from locally sourced ingredients
• Claire from Plant2Plate (pictured middle, left) sell speciality hand-made meals using locally sourced produce and no artificial ingredients
• Jake (pictured middle, right) sells preserves
• Celia from Phenrhiw Farm (pictured bottom left) sell free range poultry
• Linda from Onllywn Eggs (pictured bottom right) sell eggs

Hazardous Homes

Hundreds of homes across Cardiff are considered potentially hazardous new figures have revealed. Landlords have been handed almost 1000 notices across Cardiff in the past 3 years urging them to improve the standard of their properties. 

In total, 9 homes in Rhiwbina were issued notices following health and safety inspections.

Damp, mould, fire safety, electrical faults, asbestos and excess cold are just a number of the hazards found in Cardff homes during the inspections. Landlords, however are insisting that they are struggling to keep up with changing regulations and have said that the hazard notices don't necessarily mean that the homes are unsafe. 

Have you experienced a similar situation? We would love to hear your comments.

Rhiwbina Flood Defense Scheme

The aim of this project is to improve local resilience to the type of flood events that have affected Rhiwbina in recent years. Alterations will be made along some sections of the brook to alleviate possible flooding. Council officials are holding an exhibition for Rhiwbina and Pantmawr residents to see the proposals.

It is a key part of the Council's vision to improve the quality of residents' local environment and this scheme will deliver significant improvements to the Rhiwbina area.

For more information the public are welcome to attend one of the drop-in exhibitions being held on the two following dates:

* Friday February 15th at All Saints Church. 11am - 7pm
* Saturday February 16th at Rhiwbina Baptist Church. 11am - 5pm

For more information, please click here.

Sainsburys Planning Application

Sainsbury’s submitted plans to open a Local store at the former Thornill Cars Site in Rhiwbina. The plans are for 3 ground floor retail units, the largest of which will be occupied by Sainsburys with an office being retained on the first floor. Local residents have expressed concerns over this for a number of reasons including:

· The future of independent shops
· Traffic and parking spaces (18 spaces)
· Opening hours (Monday-Saturday 7am-11pm. Sunday 8am-10pm)
· Fears that it will weaken the community

It is said that the plans will create up to 50 new jobs, including 25 at the local store.

The planning application will be considered by the planning committee on Wednesday 13th February 2013 at 2.30pm in Cardiff’s City Hall. The meeting will be open to the public and residents are welcome to attend and listen to the debate. If permission is granted, local Councillors will be asking for a site visit on Wednesday 6th March (which will also be open to the public). If the committee agree the site visit, the application will be deferred until the next meeting, held on Wednesday 13th March 2013, otherwise the debate and vote will continue. If the officer recommendation refuses permission, local Councillors will speak at committee and express residents views.

The officer report to planning committee will become public on Friday 8th February. Local Councillors are more than happy to email a copy of the report to you. If you do not have access to email, a hard copy can be obtained for you and a copy of the report to will also be sent to Rhiwbina Library.

To contact your local Councillors, please click here.

Proposed reduction in Rhiwbina library opening hours

Following the recent budget announcement on Thursday evening, a proposal has been put forward to reduce the full-time branch library services from 6 to 5 days a week. This means access would be reduced from 48.5 hours to 40.5 hours per week. There are a number of libraries who will be affected by this proposal, including Rhiwbina library.

Rhiwbina Councillors have heard from many residents who are concerned about this. Therefore, a petition has been organised, which will be in local shops from Tuesday 5th February 2013. 

You can find the online petition by clicking here.

Flyers created!

Welcome to Rhiwbina Local!

What is Rhiwbina Local?

A fantastic new blog for Rhiwbina, Cardiff. Providing information about local events, shops, news and pretty much anything to do with the local area.

Who am I?
Very good question! Well, my name is Emily. I'm 26 years old and I started Rhiwbina Local after moving back to Rhiwina in 2012, after a short stint (well, 9 years short) in the neighboring Whitchurch Village!

I wanted to find out what was going on in my local area and found information scattered all over the internet, so I thought what better way for those who live in Rhiwbina to find out about local events, people and all goings on in Rhiwbina, than to start a blog covering just that! 

What do I hope for Rhiwbina Local's future?
As this is a new venture for me, I am hoping that this blog will grow into an online community for those living in Rhiwbina and of course, I would love to meet you all in person as well!

I'm hoping to cover some local news stories, get to know the local people and your stories as well as explore Rhiwbina and post all my 'findings' here for you all to enjoy! 

Get Involved!

That's the great thing about this blog! It's not MY blog! It's OUR blog! I want to hear from you! Do you have a great story that you would like to share with our local community? Or have you lost a pet? We're here to help!

As well as posting your stories and important information, I think it would be fantastic for all you budding photographers out there to send in your pictures so that we can share them online with everyone!

What do you think? I would love to hear your comments! Simply click on the title of this post, scroll down to the very bottom and add your comment!