Norwegian Church

Celebrate a traditional Scandinavian Christmas at the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay. There is a long tradition of celebrating Christmas at the Church and this weekend is no exception as the Church hosts its annual Christmas Market. Children and adults alike are also welcome to attend the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and Carol Service.

On 29th of November the traditional Norwegian Church Christmas market will be displaying a wide range of tasty produce. Take a relaxing stroll around the market stalls laden with decorations, cards and gifts and you can also enjoy treats available from the Norwegian Coffee Shop.

Everyone is welcome and admission is free!

Also on the day will be the annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony opening with the Salvation Army Band who will be singing from 4.30 with the annual Carol and Tree Lighting Service from 5.15. As the Christmas tree is a gift to the Norwegian Church from the people of Hordaland, Ms Ingeborg Astrup, Director of International Affairs at Hordaland Council will deliver a Christmas message, ahead of the lighting of the Christmas tree. The ceremony will conclude with a folk and jazz music ‘Concert for a Starry Night’ in the Tube (ticket holders only, limited number available).

Councillor Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture said “This is one of my favorite times of year in Cardiff Bay. With the city bustle in the distance, the waterfront comes into its own as a cosy, tranquil haven. With the traditional, festive atmosphere, there is something for everyone to enjoy here at Christmas time.”

Bute Park - Best in Wales

Bute Park in Cardiff has been awarded the prestigious accolade of the best park in Wales, in Britain’s Best Park competition.

The park scooped the regional award back in 2008 and has beat off tough competition from other parks across Wales to take the 2009 title.

Parks were judged on various criteria including environment, design, usability, access, maintenance and community involvement. Judges were particularly impressed by Bute Park’s wide variety of attractions and community events, excellent horticulture and ease of accessibility to and from Cardiff city centre.

Executive member for Culture, Leisure and Parks, Councillor Nigel Howells, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Bute Park and all the staff that work so hard to make it look so fantastic all year round. Following on from the park’s Green Flag earlier in the year this is another important accolade and a strong endorsement that we are getting it right in the park.

“Judges clearly understood the considerable benefits of our new access arrangements and the great news is that Bute Park can only improve and get better as we embark on our £5.6m conservation project, supported by the £3.1m Heritage Lottery Fund grant, to restore, enhance and help people learn about the many historic features in the park including the Animal Wall, Blackfriars Friary and West Lodge.

“Visitors to Cardiff are always impressed by the park and how much green space there is in the city centre. Cardiff Council is committed to making sure we keep winning these top awards by working hard to maintain and improve Bute Park – which really is a jewel in the crown of this city and used and enjoyed widely by the community, including disability groups.”

Ian Small, business development manager for petrol lawn mower engine manufacturer Briggs & Stratton UK Ltd, who sponsor the award, said: “Bute Park has a traditional feel, it is maintained to the highest standards and its community attractions make it a worthy winner of the regional prize.”

Jennifer Stewart, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Wales, which is supporting the restoration of the park with a £3.1m grant, said: “Bute Park is enormously popular with both local people and visitors, and deserves to be celebrated.

“When the work is complete the visitor experience will be enhanced even further as the park will once again be connected to the gardens and Castle, creating one fantastic space to explore and enjoy in the heart of the city.”

The judges for this year’s competition comprised of a panel of trade and consumer horticultural journalists. On the panel was; Peter Seabrook MBE and Steve Bradley (gardening editors, The Sun), Matthew Appleby (news editor, Horticulture Week), Anisa Gress (The Garden), Jean Vernon (freelance gardening journalist) Trevor Pfeiffer, (Garden Trade News), Laurence Gale (Pitchcare magazine) and Nicole Gritzmacher (Briggs & Stratton Europe).

The Britain’s Best Parks competition was started in 2003 by Briggs & Stratton as part of a global network of competitions recognising and rewarding excellence in park design and maintenance. Similar competitions run in six countries including Sweden, Germany, Poland, France and Italy.

The welcome will be given by The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Councillor Brian Griffiths and the service will be led by Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe. The service will contain a number of readings, poems and hymns and will conclude at approximately 3pm. Deborah Morgan Lewis Grant will sing during the service.

A collection will be held in aid of The Friends of Velindre Hospital. The Friends of Velindre Hospital are a small group of volunteers who raise money to assist with the purchase of equipment and services which ease the patients stay in hospital. The charity also provides free thermometers to all outpatients receiving chemotherapy and they operate a Samaritan Fund which provides immediate financial and practical assistance for patients when their need is greatest.

Refreshments will be available after the memorial service.

This Christmas, Bereavement Services will again be selling memorial tags for a minimum donation of £2 in memory of a loved one, which can be placed on one of the Christmas Memorial Trees in the Wenallt Chapel Courtyard. The trees will be placed from December 1st 2009 and will remain in situ until 6th January 2010 when they will be removed in keeping with ‘Twelfth Night’ tradition. All donations received will be in support of The Friends of Velindre Hospital.

Councillor Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, said: “We recognise that the festive season can be a particularly difficult time for those who have lost a loved one and we are glad to be able to give this opportunity for people to come together to pay their respects. In addition we are delighted to support The Friends of Velindre Hospital, a charity that does such valuable work throughout the year.”

Phytophthora ramorum – known as Sudden Oak Death – is a fungal infection and has been found on rhododendron in the small woodland area around the motte. DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has been informed and under its instructions the Council now has to remove and destroy all affected vegetation to limit the chance of the disease spreading.

Phytophthora spores spread through water, including airborne droplets which can be carried on animals, and through infected water in soil. The Moundfield site is extremely waterlogged and there are no footpaths.

Motte and Bailey at Radyr from the top

The area will now need to be fenced off before any works take place to ensure that there is no public access to the infected area.

All vegetation will then need to be removed from around the mound and burnt in accordance with the destruction notice issued by FERA (the Food and Environment Research Agency), an agency of DEFRA.

Because the site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, consent has been obtained from Cadw for this work to begin.

A second fenced off area in the north western corner of the field will need to be created for the burning to take place. Due to this area being close to an adult-sized football pitch, use of this pitch will be suspended while the burning operations are in progress until at least the end of the year, subject to ground conditions.

This burning is also expected to take until at least the end of 2009.

The fencing will need to be retained on the main site to exclude public access until it has been declared free of the disease, which could take between three and five years.

The infection was detected when the rhododendrons on the site were routinely tested as part of the process of preparing the Conservation Management Plan for the Moundfield Motte site in early November.

This outbreak does not appear to be linked to a similar recent infection at Parc Cefn Onn.

Councillor Nigel Howells, Executive member for Sport Leisure and Culture, said: “Outbreaks like this are beyond the Council’s control and we are acting quickly, under instruction from DEFRA, to contain and eliminate this problem. Unfortunately this area will have to remain fenced off for some while, with a football pitch out also out of commission for several months.

“However it is vitally important that we destroy all the infected plants to prevent this problem spreading and the measures we are taking are vital to ensure that this is done properly.”

A DEFRA spokesperson said: “The Food and Environment Research Agency and Cardiff Council are working to contain and eradicate Phytopthora from Moundfield Motte. All members of the public are urged to observe restrictions in the area affected, keep to public footpaths, and keep dogs on leads, in order to minimise the risk of spreading the infection any further.”

Phytophthora ramorum was first noted on oak trees in California in the 1990s, but is now affecting a wide range of plants in parts of North America and Europe.

With the exception of the large trees growing on the mound, a large proportion of the trees and shrubs will be removed so all the infected plants can be taken out. The area will be opened up allowing more light and air in, which will make conditions less favourable for the infection to spread to other plants.

The disease has been discovered as a result of the preparation of a Conservation Management Plan for the Norman motte, which is believed to have been constructed between the late 11th and mid 12th centuries.

However, the discovery of the Phytophthora infection will delay progress on some aspects of this work.

Cardiff Council in partnership with Cadw, will continue to work with the local community to develop and implement the Conservation Management Plan proposals to make the Moundfield Motte more accessible in the future and to raise awareness about the motte as an important historic feature in the local landscape. This work is being part funded by a scheduled Ancient Monument Grant from Cadw.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom. Part of its role is the protection of the countryside.

Anthony Head and Colin Morgan

There will be Christmas magic in the air on Thursday November 12 when the cast of Merlin swap Camelot for Cardiff to turn on this year’s Christmas Lights at the Civic Centre on Thursday November 12 (from 5.30pm).

Merlin stars, including Colin Morgan who plays Merlin, Bradley James who plays King Arthur Angel Coulby who plays Gwen , Katie McGrath who plays Morgana will join acclaimed British actor Anthony Head who plays Uther in switching on the lights and officially opening bmibaby Cardiff Winter Wonderland.

The BBC’s adaptation of the much loved tale focuses on Merlin as a young wizard on the cusp of adulthood and his ongoing clashes with a young King Arthur.

Entertainment also comes from Barney. The world’s favourite purple dinosaur who will lead the young and young at heart in a festive sing song!

Red Dragon FM Breakfast presenters Kam and Sally will also be on hand to get everyone in the festive mood and the Red Hot Santa’s will return with a brassy selection of Christmas classics.

bmibaby Cardiff Winter Wonderland is one of many ways to celebrate Christmas in the capital other events include the Cardiff Bay’s ‘On the Road to Christmas’ festivities on November 14th. Cardiff’s Calennig New Year’s Eve celebrations, with free live music stage supported by Queen’s Arcade, the Admiral Family Fire Show; and the Admiral Free New Year’s Eve Bus Service. Plus fabulous Christmas shopping opportunities in the city with Christmas Park & Ride facilities supported by Admiral and much, much more.

Councillor Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture said: “I am delighted that cast members from the hit series Merlin will use their magic to switch on this years Christmas lights.

“The Christmas light switch-on and bmibaby Cardiff Winter Wonderland marks the start of the festive fun in the capital and I would encourage everyone to come along and celebrate the Christmas countdown.”