In this IssueWye Valley River Festival 2Harewood End Project 4Lemur success 6 Wye Valley Wanderer 7A Good Read 8MindSCAPE 10News 11

Edition 31 Spring/Summer 2014 Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Newsletter

Bridge with massed choir, fireand flame and illuminationson May 18.

Andrew Blake, Wye ValleyAONB Officer said: ‘Thenarrative of the festival hasbeen shaped by theenvironmental andconservation issues facing thevalley, its history and heritageand the concerns of localcommunities. These will behighlighted by the trial,which forms the theatricalcentrepiece, with artistic

direction from leading outdoorarts company Desperate Men.’

Alongside the narrative, aprogramme of communitycelebrations, walks, talks,debates, exhibitions and animaginative collaboration ofartists, communities andconservation experts willenable everyone to enjoy thebeautiful Wye Valley and lendtheir voice to a conversationabout the future of thecountryside.

Main image: Judge Wild Boar jails Ratty, actedby Jon Beedell and Richard Headon fromDesperate MenCover picture: Desperate Men Jon and Richardpromote the Wye Valley River Festival. Photos courtesy Jonathan Teale

Festival promises two weeksof riverside revelry

The inaugural Wye ValleyRiver Festival is a series ofstunning events that providean opportunity forcommunities and visitors tocelebrate nature, culture,landscape and life along theRiver Wye in the Wye ValleyArea of Outstanding NaturalBeauty (AONB).

The festival follows the storyof Ratty the Water Vole,leader of the Creatures'Republic of Wye (CROW),who is being pursued bypredatory Prosecutor Minkand Judge Wild Boar. Thetwists and turns of the chaseunfold in community and artsevents along the river asRatty is captured andbrought to trial at a theatricalGrand Assizes inMonmouth’s 16th centurycourthouse on May 10,leading to a spectacular finalshowdown at Chepstow

From Hereford to Chepstow, from May 3 to 18, nature is on trial - who will speak forthe spirit of the Wye? The Wye Valley River Festival illuminates the history and magicof this landscape and the issues that threaten it.

Above: River Severn Project Photo courtesy Andy Sherlock

April 26 - May 18 Ross on WyeCelebration of the Hedgehog Festival and WildThing Project

April 30 Ross on WyeWalk - Exploration of Ross and Wilton Docks andQuays led by author and historian Heather Hurley

May 5 Symonds YatWalk - with Hayley Clayton, Forestry Commissionfrom Yat Rock to Biblins

May 5 LlangroveGrand May Fayre

May 7 - 11 MonmouthWye Valley Arts Society exhibition, Shire HallMay 7 English BicknorWalk- English Bicknor and the River WyeExploring the area around Offa’s Dyke

May 7 Chepstow Drill HallTalk - All the Waters of the Wye

May 8 Babbington Centre,TrellechTalk - Soil and Water, Simon Evans, Deputy Directorof The Wye and Usk Foundation

May 9 - 26 St BriavelsThe River, Art and photography exhibition. MarianaArt Gallery, St Briavels

May 11 St BriavelsVillage Treasure Hunt with activities in the castle

May 11 MonmouthWye River Swim

May 11 MonmouthIn the Pink Walk held by The Rotary Club for breastcancer research, including the Festival Heights walk.

May 12 ChepstowScreening of the film All the Waters of the Wye

May 13 St ArvansTalk - The Landscape Inspires

May 14 The HudnallsWalk - The Hudnalls Woodland and the WyeRiverside

May 16-17 DevaudenFolk and rock music at the Devauden Music Festival

May 24 - Sept 28 ChepstowSites of Inspiration Exhibition of work inspired byTintern Abbey

July 18 -19 TinternSacred Sight and Sound Festival

Wye Valley River Festival ProgrammeMay 3, Hereford River Carnival on the Wye Produced and directed by the Hereford River Carnival Group with supportfrom Desperate Men and celebrated Irish outdoor theatre companyMACNAS. A full and exciting family day out taking place in the Cathedral, onCathedral Close, Bishops Meadow, Castle Green and on the river itself!

Vibrant processions, the world’s first underwater bicycle race, runners tryingto beat the Cathedral Bells and a riverside spectacular. Is Ratty headingdownstream in the flotilla of decorated carnival rafts?

May 4 Ross on Wye, River Pageant and Town FestivitiesEnjoy the Water Olympics, the Human Fountains and all the entertainment.The main event is at the Rope Walk from 10am. A food and craft market,Quoits making and playing, colourful displays by the Worcester Yeomanryand Welsh Fusiliers, living history camp and an historic costume display and aboat building demonstration. On the river will be a flotilla of small boats,meanwhile the police arrive in pursuit of the elusive Ratty and findthemselves caught up in a hostage crisis...

May 5, Lydbrook - Tump FeteTraditional Fete and exhibition at the Garden Café

May 9, Monmouth - The Great Outdoors Symposium & The Trial Part 1

The eve of Ratty’s trial, music, mayhem and street theatre as Judge Wild Boararrives by river to be greeted by dance, fanfares and fire and flame. Adramatic showdown in a beautiful fire garden at Dixton Church finally leadsto Ratty's capture.

May 10 Monmouth, The Trial Part 2 The Trial and Grand Assizes in the Shire Hall. This creative collaborationbetween professional artists and the community will bring to life theenvironmental issues underpinning Ratty's story and give voice to theconcerns of local communities. Performers, local witnesses and river expertswill give evidence, with live video streaming combined with outdoorperformance. Then, as the narrative unfolds, join a torch lit procession andexperience the thrilling climax at Monnow Bridge.

May 11 Llandogo,A Feast of Food, Fire and FlameRatty escapes the gallows and makes it down river, where there aresuspicions that he is among the crowds enjoying the music and merriment atthe community picnic in Llandogo. As dusk falls, is he hiding in the shadows.This stretch of river is illuminated with torches, flares and fire sculptures.

May 16, Chepstow - Wye Oh Wye! Music CelebrationA most Theatrical and Musical community celebration of the Famous WyeTour. Produced by Opera Playhouse in collaboration with Chepstow Museum.

May 17, Brockweir - Life in a River PortVillagers wind back the clock to a time when lawlessness reigned

May 17, Tintern - Goosebumps and Gothic PerformancesAn evening of gorgeous music and ghostly goings on in the glorious groundsof Tintern Abbey

May 18, Chepstow - The Turning of the TideThe thrilling climax in Chepstow, when Ratty faces his final judgement.Evidence is given by one last witness – the river. When the tide turns,Chepstow bridge comes to life with choral music, a torch-lit procession and abreathtaking fire and flame finale.

For further information about times, dates and locations ofevents in the Festival Programme please go onlinewww.wyevalleyaonb.org.ukThe Wye Valley River Festival supports the Severn Area Rescue Association(SARA), the Inshore Rescue boat and Land Search organisation coveringthe River Wye and surrounding area.

Festival ExtraA linked programme of community celebrations,walks, talks, debates, exhibitions. An imaginative collaboration of artists,communities and conservation experts

page 4

Local Historian HeatherHurley and Project LeaderJulia Wilde have beenemersed in a fascinatingsocial history project aboutHarewood End AgriculturalSociety (HEAS).

From attics and outhousesSociety members havecollected a valuable archivedating from 1890. It hasbeen listed by an enthusiasticteam who have alreadyrevealed some fascinatingstories. Further research hasdiscovered that the Societyoriginated from a meeting offarmers in 1890 at theHarewood End Inn, wherethey discussed who couldproduce the best grain andpotatoes and keep the bestlivestock. In 1891 it wasknown as the Harewood EndPloughing Society, but shortlychanged its name to theHarewood End AgriculturalSociety. With all thisdocumentation it was

decided to produce a historyto be published in 2015celebrating 125 years of theSociety. This will serve as apermanent record for futuregenerations and help tofurther our knowledge ofSouth Herefordshire and WyeValley farming communities.

The History Project started in2013 with funding of £2,000from the Wye Valley AONBSustainable DevelopmentFund and some sponsorshipfrom the society and its

members. A team ofvolunteers attended researchtraining sessions at HerefordRecords Office (HRO),Herefordshire County Library,Hereford Museum ResourceCentre and the Ross GazetteOffice where they examinedarchives and newspapers forreports, illustrations, advertsand farming news.Throughout the year teammembers have interviewedeleven individuals from anearlier generation who were

Above:1891 Ploughing Society. Photo courtesy Ross Gazette

Harewood End Agricultural Society History Project 2013 - 2014

Above: 1920 three horse reaping Photo Courtesy Hereford Records Office

Heather Hurley details thepainstaking background workundertaken by HEAS membersfor the project.

page 5

connected with the society orfarming in the area.

HEAS displays becamenewsworthy after they won a£50 first prize at the LocalHistory Day School. Otherdisplays were shown at KingsCaple, Hentland, the HEASHorse Show and the NationalPloughing Championshipswhere the project collectedmore photographs,memories and cups to add totheir growing archive.

Publicity about the projecthas regularly appeared in theRoss Gazette, HerefordTimes, local magazines, RossCivic Society and Friends ofthe Hereford Records Office(FHRO) newsletters. Heatherconducted an interview onBBC Hereford and Worcesterand the Courtyard Theatrewebsite ran publicity.

Three diaries from thefarming community, two

dating from the First WorldWar and one from the1950s, have providedcontemporary accounts forthe HEAS. The cups andtrophies have beenbeautifully photographedand their history is beingresearched by volunteers.

Research was carried out intoWomen’s Land Army duringWorld War1 and World War2 and the Young Farmers

Club researched farmingfamilies, helping withinterviews, escorting schoolvisits, planning a school filmproject, searching thearchives and creating ourdisplays.

Five chapters of the History ofthe Harewood EndAgricultural Society havebeen researched and writtenso far and numerousillustrations have beenselected. The book willcontain an appendix listingpast presidents, cups andtrophies, key dates, sponsorsand the steering committee.All chapters will becompleted towards the endof the year and thenforwarded to the publisherfor editing, printing andbinding ready for publicationin May/June 2015 tocelebrate 125 years of theHEAS.

Above: Researching at HRO from Photo courtesy HEAS archive 2013

Above : Heather interviewed for the BBCHereford and Worcester. Photo CourtesyHEAS archives

page 6

The Wye Valley AONB has been a supporter of the LEMUR (Learning Environments inMarine, Urban & Rural areas) to train the next generation of wildlife professionals

Above: Robyn Guppy studies her surveying notes

Robyn securessuccess with

The Wye Valley AONB hasprovided placements for theLEMUR Project led byHerefordshire Nature Trust,for several years and each oftheir trainees has beensuccessful in obtaining workwithin the environmentalconservation sector.

Robyn Guppy is the latesttrainee who has foundemployment after the 9month traineeship. Thetraining scheme is supportedby the Heritage Lottery Fundand designed to help tackleshortages in heritage skillsneeded by professionals toconserve the natural heritageand biodiversity of England’srural, urban and coastalareas.

Project LEMUR offers acombination of on-the-jobprofessional experience andformal training linked to avariety of work areasincluding speciesidentification, wildlife habitatsurvey, habitat management,heritage interpretation andthose all important genericwork skills such as projectmanagement and IT skills.

Robyn, who joined the AONBin 2013, received training inbotanical identification andPhase 1 Habitat Surveying,and conducted Phase 1Habitat Surveys over a totalof 25 square kilometresthroughout the AONB. Shealso conducted veteran treesurveys and mink monitoringas part of the Water Voles on

the Wye survey.

Andrew Nixon, Wye ValleyAONB officer is enthusiasticin his support of the project

‘Having a trainee added avaluable member to anexisting small team and hasenabled us to do work that isimportant to us but wouldn’tnormally have the time orresources to carry out. It isalso something we feel wehave a responsibility tosupport and provide for.’

Robyn has now joined theecological consultancyHaycock and Jay Associates,as an Assistant Botanist

For more information aboutthe work or placements, visitthe LEMUR web site.www.projectlemur.org

LEMUR

page 7

Above image: Wye Valley AONB OfficerAndrew Blake and Les Lumsden try out thenew Wye Wanderer service.

Photo courtesy Jonathan Teale

Backed by the Wye ValleyArea of OutstandingNatural Beauty (AONB)Partnership, the 34 Sundayand Bank Holiday bus, theWye Valley Wanderer,service supplements theweekday 34 service andties in with the existingdaily 69 service fromMonmouth to Chepstow.

This project has receivedfunding through the RuralDevelopment Plan for Wales2007-2014 which is fundedby the Welsh AssemblyGovernment and theEuropean Agricultural Fundfor Rural Development

It now gives locals andvisitors the chance to enjoyand explore the length of theLower Wye Valley and theswathe of beautiful countryeither side of Offa’s Dykeevery day of the week. ‘It fillsa gap in the Sunday andBank Holiday network in thearea,’ said Andrew Blake,Wye Valley AONB Officer.‘This will be the first time inten years that the bus has

run from Hereford directthrough to Monmouth viathe Wye Valley. We arebacking it in response torequests from both residentsand walking groups.’

This flagship project isdesigned to encourage morepeople to visit the Wye Valleyby bus and to sit back andenjoy the view.

The Wye Valley Wanderer isbeing supported financiallyin conjunction with theWalking with Offa project,which promotes walking andsustainable transport alongeither side of the Offa’s DykePath National Trail, allowingpeople the ‘Irresistible Offa’of exploring outstandinglandscapes and fascinatinglocal places.

The Wye Valley Wanderer willbe operated by First Bus fromMay 4 to September 28,leaving from HerefordRailway Station at 1010 andreturning from Monmouth at1715. This allowsconnections by train fromShrewsbury and Worcester as

well as from Leominster andLedbury. There will be anadditional three journeysbetween Ross-on-Wye andMonmouth leaving Ross-on-Wye at 1300, 1420 and1620 offering connectionsfrom Gloucester andHereford and with NewAdventure Travel servicesfrom Abergavenny,Chepstow and Newport.Stagecoach Explorer andSouth Wales Network Ridertickets will be valid on theservice.

Travellers can hop off whenthey want to visit pretty WyeValley towns and villages;have a Sunday stroll; a longdistance walk; a pub lunchwashed down by a guilt-freetipple (no driving!) or take inthe wonderful viewpoints ofthe Wye Valley.

A timetable is available todownload from the WyeValley AONB website atwww.wyevalleyaonb.org.uk

Make Sundays special bygetting out and about inthe footsteps of Offa thisspring and summer with anew Sunday/Bank Holidaybus service betweenHereford and Monmouth.

An Irresistible Offa

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We are always happy to review books here about the Wye Valley. Our next issue is out inAutumn 2014 so please send copies to us by August to make sure they are included. We often use these copies as draw prizes for our readers. This edition the Prize Draw willbe a the superb photographic book The Wye Valley by Chris Morris.

The Lost LakeAuthor: Stephen Clarke MBE,FSA,MIfA

with contributions from Peter Bere, John and Jane Bray,Gordon McDonald and Neil Phillips

Publisher: Monmouth Archaeological Society, The Town Wall,St James’ Square, Monmouth NP25 3DN

Price: £15 ISBN: 978-0-9558242-2-7The Lost Lake, evidence of Prehistoric Boat Building announces aninternationally significant discovery. Archaeologist Stephen Clarkebelieves this is a prehistoric boat-building site which overlooked thehuge post-glacial lake. The lake, formed some10,000 years ago, wouldhave attracted lakeside settlement during the Stone Ages, Bronze Ageand Iron Age before it was drained in the 1st century BC.

This 120pp book, with over 30 colour illustrations, drawings andphotographs, documents the archaeological dig which won the British

Archaeological Award of the Legal & General Silver Trowel for the greatest initiative in archaeology.

Books reviewed can be obtained from good local bookshops or from thepublishers websites. Wye Valley AONB does not carry copies of anypublications other than our own.

Down the DigMonmouth - An Adventure in Archaeology

Author: Stephen Clarke MBE,FSA,MIfA

Publisher: Monmouth Archaeological Society, TheTown Wall, St James’ Square, Monmouth NP25 3DN

Price: £20 ISBN: 978-0-9558242-1-0Another archaeological book by Stephen Clarke which spansfifty years of a life in archaeology. The story opens in 1986with a discovery of Norman,medieval and roman remainsunearthed in Monmouth. This rescue in Monnow Streetwon the Pitt Rivers Award for the best project byindependents in Britain. This book outlines the trials andtribulations of a variety of digs in and around Monmouth .The book has colour plates, black and white drawings andphotographs recording some unique and interesting finds. Amust for anyone interested in archaeology.

a good read

Congratulations to the winners of our prize draw questionnaire from the Autumn/Winter issue of Picturesque:

Hilary Smith from Chepstow who receives a cash prize of £25, Dr RA Sutton from Lydart who wins a copy of Overlookingthe Wye, Mrs Heynes from Cardiff who wins a copy of the Wye Valley Walk and Neil Coates from Stockport in Cheshire whowins a copy of Walk this Wye.

page 9mindSCAPE brought the outside in during a workshop for Dementia Carer’s Day atGloucester Guildhall

Birdwatching Walks in GwentAuthor: Al Venables, Andrew Baker, DaveBrassey, John Coleman,Chris Field, VerityPicken and Steph Tylers

Publisher: The Gwent Ornithological

Price: £11.99 +p&p ISBN: 978-0-9558242-2-7You don’t have to be a birdwatcher to enjoy theenormous variety of walks presented. Even regularwalkers in the county will be bound to findsomething new here.

It describes over 60 walks in Gwent, each of whichprovides an interesting selection of wild birdspecies. The walks vary in length from less thanone mile to over six miles, while some can beextended beyond this distance. Each route,provided by an expert birdwatcher who knows thearea intimately, has been checked for accuracy byother walkers.

The walks cover an astonishing range of habitatsincluding:

• the Wye Valley with its ancient woodlands andspectacular viewpoints

• deep valleys, fast-flowing rivers and highmoorlands of the north and west

• broad agricultural sweeps of the Usk andMonnow valleys

• wetlands and reedbeds of the Gwent Levels

• saltmarshes and mudflats of the Severn Estuary

and for each walk there are:

• superbly detailed maps and directions

• lists of birds you are most likely to encounter

• approximate chances of seeing notable species

• tips on how to see birds

The Wye ValleyAuthor: Chris Morris

Publisher: Tanner’s Yard Press

Price: £9.99 ISBN: 978-0-9564-3584-2Admired by visitors for centuries, the beautiful WyeValley is famous for its inspirational views andpicturesque ruins. But as Chris Morris reveals in thissuperb photographic portrait, the Wye was at thecutting edge of trade and industrial development longbefore the industrial Revolution, and has a hiddenhistory that has only recently been brought back to life.

Other features include:

• an introduction to Gwent’s habitats

• a checklist of Gwent’s birds

• what birds to expect at each season and where tofind them

• information on public transport and wheelchairaccess

The book can be ordered online atwww.gwentbirds.org.uk.

The Wye Valley Area ofOutstanding NaturalBeauty (AONB) is forgingahead with a project toreconnect people livingwith dementia with theForest of Dean landscape.

MindSCAPE, funded by theBig Lottery, will be based atBracelands, a ForestryCommission site nearColeford and will be workingin partnership with theForestry Commission, theForest of Dean DistrictCouncil, Dementia Adventureand the Alzheimers Society.The project aims toencourage and enablepeople, living with dementiaand their carers to access thelandscape and use the history,heritage and natural featuresof the area in a creative andenjoyable way. It also willprovide a link to otherdementia related services andprojects, become a hub forlocal people and will add tothe aim of the district tobecome a dementia friendlycommunity. The project willalso be looking at rolling outinto sites in Herefordshire andMonmouthshire within thenext few years.

The AONB has appointedDean based arts organisationArtspace Cinderford as

Project Co-ordinators. This artsand educationcharity, whospecialise inproviding accessibleactivities for people of anyage or ability, will beorganising the programme ofactivities. Hannah Elton-Wall,General Manager of theorganisation, will bedesigning events andworkshops over the next fouryears in conjunction withAONB officers.

‘We are so excited to beinvolved with mindSCAPE’stated Hannah Elton-Wall,

‘We want to use the next fewmonths to contactorganisations and individuals,who provide services forpeople living with dementia.We are also looking for helpin developing the programmeand will be initially organisingtaster sessions within thecommunity. We are alsoorganising a launch on Friday,May 23 at Bracelands.’

mindSCAPE will explore awide range of arts and craftsbased activities and is alreadyin the process of designing aseries of stonewallingworkshops with expert DerekCoates. Work has alreadybeen completed on a

purpose built path, funded bythe Forestry Commission andthe Wye Valley AONBSustainable DevelopmentFund. The path will enableeasier site access and furtherplans are in hand to providedisabled toilet facilities.

The project is also looking forvolunteers who would like tobecome involved withdementia issues. They willreceive training to enable themto understand the issues ofdementia on people’s lives..

If you would like furtherinformation about the projector you know of any individualsliving with dementia or theircarers who could benefit fromthe activities provided pleasecontact Hannah on tel: 01594815 111 (ext4) e:hannah@artspacecinderford.orgYou can also find out aboutthe project from the WyeValley AONB websitewww.wyevalleyaonb.org.uk

page 10

Keeping the WyeLandscape in Mind

www.wyevalleyaonb.org.uk

Above image: mindSCAPE Partnership at the newlyconstructed path at Bracelands.From left standing: Viv Shorney Alzheimers Society,Derek Coates Stonewalling Tutor, Lena MallerForest of Dean District Council and Hannah Elton -Wall Artspace. Front: Andrew Nixon Wye ValleyAONB and Hayley Clayton Forestry Commission

page 11

NEWS in brief

Heritage Bridge bid failsWe received the news in early April that the partnership bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund forthe conservation of Redbrook Bridge had been rejected. Andrew Nixon Development Officersays ‘We are obviously very disappointed by HLF’s decision not to support us, especially afterall of the hard work we and our partners put into the application. The long term future of thebridge and the access it provides is still our primary concern and we will continue to work withthe local communities and partners to safeguard this important heritage asset’

Friday, April 4, saw theofficial opening of thenewly refurbished phonebox in Pen-y-Fan by DavidDavies MP.

With the help of funding fromTrellech United CommunityCouncil, it was turned into an'Information Point' and beingclose to the Wye Valley Walk itwill prove a useful source forvisitors and passing walkers.

Inside the phone box is a largeOrdnance Survey map, a localmap of Pen-y-Fan houses, pinboards for local services, and adispenser with leaflets on WyeValley places of interest.

This particular phone box ideawas the brainchild of CllrDebbie Blakeborough, picturedleft with David Davies MP, andNick Brookes. The Wye ValleyAONB has already funded asimilar telephone boxconversion at Itton. Maybethere are more ideas out therefor utilising these iconic andredundant boxes.

Call infor Info

The Wye Valley AONB is supported by Welsh Government, defra,Forest of Dean District Council, Herefordshire Council, GloucestershireCounty Council and Monmouthshire County Council

t 01600 710846e: information@wyevalleyaonb.org.uk

t: 01600 710841e: development@wyevalleyaonb.org.uk

Andrew Blake

AONB Officer

Nikki Moore

Information Officer

Andrew Nixon

Development Officer

t: 01600 713977e: office@wyevalleyaonb.org.uk

Sharon Seymour

Finance and Administration Officer

Sarah Sawyer

Community Links Officer

Who’s whoin the Wye Valley AONB

t: 01600 713977e: aonb.officer@wyevalleyaonb.org.uk

t: 01600 710844e: community@wyevalleyaonb.org.uk

You can find information and updates on the WyeValley AONB websitewww.wyevalleyaonb.org.uk

You can like us or share information on Facebook Wye Valley AONB

Follow us on Twitter @wyewonder

DYFFRYN GWYUn o’r Teulu AHNE

WYE VALLEYOne of the AONB Family

Wye, how and when ?We aim to produce a well designed Picturesque publicationcontaining information relevant to you. Your feedback is vital forthis process and if you could take a few minutes to complete theform and send it back we would be very grateful. You could alsowin a prize, this issue we are giving away The Wye Valley, asuperb photographic record by Chris Morris. Please return theform to us by July 18 and we will put your name into the draw.

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Please send this questionnaire back to the InformationOfficer, Wye Valley AONB Office,FREEPOST SWC4106, Monmouth NP25 3ZZ