Tag Archives: NRW

Thank you …..

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Pen y Cae couldn’t have risen from the ashes without help – a lot of help.  

I suppose that the first mention should go to those in Natural Resources Wales (NRW) who had the foresight to realise that the building shouldn’t be left to rot and that with a bit (OK, a lot) of TLC could be made a useful resource and who then helped out when negotiations bogged down.  So, thanks to Mike, Brian and Mike for transforming our lives for the last 6 years!

TLC has a habit of requiring a lot of £££.  We were so fortunate to have found others who had the vision that Pen y Cae could be a wonderful local resource. 

First and foremost, the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Sustainable Development Fund, who have supported us from the start, through thick and thin, ups and downs, Covid and price rises.   Thank you, we couldn’t have done it without you. 

Further funding came from:

Awards for All

Natural Resources Wales, People & Places

Welsh Water Community Fund

Monmouthshire Building Society Charitable Foundation

Monmouthshire LEADER

Black Mountains Land Use Partnership 

Llangattock Green Valleys Community Fund

John and Elizabeth Gibbs

Sue and Ian Mabberley

Dominic Shorthouse and Amanda Rudman

Christopher and Yvonne Larkins

Cath Larkins

Camilla Newton

Oliver Fairclough

Deb Checkland

Vicky Jones

Charlotte Ennis

It also couldn’t have happened without the time and skills of residents of the valley and others who became involved due to their determination to make Pen y Cae happen.  Particular thanks to Andy Schultz for his pro bono work on the legal aspects, Emma Drabble (and family) for two lovely videos and  Simon Thomas, Coed Farm for donating the first load of firewood.   And Cath Larkins without whom none of this may have happened.

It also couldn’t have happened without the excellent contractors we had, who were willing to work miles from anywhere and sometimes not in the best of the weather.  Many also gave us generous discounts as they realised how important the project is. 

FWT for the water installation

Pro-Fit Energy for solar, internal lighting (and sleeping on the roof!)

Rowan of Wind & Sun for the solar design

Dave Harries for the plumbing

Stoves & Stacks for the Esse installation

Woodhouse Engineering for the security shutters

Ivor Prentice for building works and internal woodwork

Walters Heating Services for the gas cooker installation 

Mick Petts for the tables and benches

And even Thomas Waste Management for letting me persuade them to take a skip into the middle of a forest!

Not forgetting members of the Grwyne Fawr Community Interest Company and the Pen y Cae Working Group for cleaning, decorating, building works, buying bits & pieces and (lots of) meetings. 

Finally to all those who attended our Open Days and the like which gave us the impetus to carry on. 

Update on Pen y Cae

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The recent COVID problems have set us back a little in getting Pen y Cae up and running, but things are now starting to move ahead again.

Firstly we are now deep in discussion with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) who are the de facto owners of the building. With the help of our legal expert, Andy, who lives just below Pen y Cae, we are working through the various factors which will inform the wording of the final lease. We hope to finalise matters in the not too distant future.

Alongside this we have recently applied for funding from the Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) of the Brecon Beacon National Park Authority. Unfortunately their request for more detail on a couple of points means that we may not get a decision until November, but we are hopeful that they will support us. We are also working up a bid to the Awards for All funding stream and hope to get that sent off in the near future.

Finally with funding from the Black Mountains Land Use Partnership (BMLUP) we have been able to make a wonderful video about the history of Pen y Cae that can be used both for promotional purposes and as a teaching resource once we begin to welcome groups to Pen y Cae. Big thanks on this to Emma, Emma’s children, Cath, Judith and Oliver – there are others but their names escape me!