Amazing result !

At last all the sponsor money is gathered in for our abseil and this year we have raised a wonderful

£4,007

 

 

 

 

This is the 9th year we have held our abseil and in that time we have raised £44,337. When we first started I would never have thought that was achievable.

It has all been made possible by the fantastic support we have had from all the people who have taken part and those who dug deep into their pockets to donate.

None of this would have been possible without the support of Call of the Wild, who run the event free of charge every year. Call of the Wild.

 

We need first aiders on standby (never necessary thank goodness) and that has been provided by Dulais Valley Ambulance Service (now retired) and the local St John's group www.stjohnwales.co.uk/ - again, no charge to us.

 

Also our friend Bob Grainger comes along each year to photograph our abseilers and provide them with a key ring or fridge magnet and he donates to our fund www.bobgraingerphotography.com/

 

Natural Resources Wales have also waived their fee to help us raise more money for our charity naturalresources.wales/

 

Without this support, year after year, we would never have achieved so much, so, thank you to all of you.







A visit to the National Botanic Gardens of Wales

Recently we were were lucky to be awarded a grant under the Carers Small Grant Scheme. We used this yesterday to take our members and their carers (husbands and wives) to visit the National Botanic gardens in Lanarthne.
We all had a lovely time. The Mediterranean plants in the wonderful dome, designed by Norman Foster, are always a delight. It is well laid out with plants from all parts of the world which enjoy a Mediterranean climate.
From there we went down to the restaurant for lunch and then outside to see the display by the Pembokeshire Birds of Prey. There was a Merlin, an Eagle Owl, a Vulture, a Red Kite and many more, all flying and showing off their agility or speed.




An Eagle Owl waits on its perch before the show begins

Lynne was thrilled to be able to get so close to the Eagle Owl

 



Without our mobility scooters we would never have managed to cover the gardens properly





The azaleas were a blaze of colour.
 

These gardens are well worth a visit at any time of the year. We had our own mobility scooters but they do have scooters abd wheelchairs to hire for half a day or a full day. Also there is a land train to take you up to the glass domed building at the top of the site. Then it is downhill all the way down to the restaurant, through the gardens and back to the car park.


Swansea in the 60s

Phil Treseder returned to give us one of his interesting illustrated talks about Swansea in the 60s. What a shame that most of our members who were there, couldn't make it on the day. So Phil was talking to outsiders. But it was interesting for us non locals to see how Swansea used to be and compare it to what we know today and to compare it to where we all lived in the 60s. They do say if you remember the 60s you weren't there, but this was about bricks and mortar, rebuilding and city centre planning after all the damage caused by World War II.

 

Before

 

Bomb damage was extensive, but as in all other cities in UK, it gave the chance to replan and rebuild.

 



 







After

Swansea is now a vibrant modern city, constantly changing to meet the needs of its people.