Oct Ist Pictures

What a good turnout on Saturday October Ist!

What a good turnout on Saturday October Ist in Rudry Village Hall!! Many thanks from Elaine, Janet and Pat from Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust.

A special thanks to Fiona Lewis, the new clerk to DWR Community Council, who sent out emails for us and helped with all the humping of tables and chairs for the event. Special thanks also for those who helped in the kitchen – a vital operation!

We were pleased that so many local Conservation Groups brought their displays. We awere all very pleased to welcome Hefin David thee Assembly Member for Caerphilly. There was a total of seven of our local Caerphilly County and Community Councillors, and four County Officers. It was so good to have all this support.

It was also good to be able show our appreciation for the Community Council grants that Ruperra Castle Preservation Trust received this year to support the Open Doors Day at Ruperra Home Farm.

We also were very pleased to see Charlie Ferris, patron of the Friends of the New port Ship, and a community councillor in Newport. He told us how communities working together can make progress.

The star turn of course was the BTM Next Generation Brass Band. They are so professional and added a really enjoyable pleasant and festive air to the occasion.

Here are some pictures from the event.  

Open Doors day in the Rain2016

What an amazingly successful Open Doors Day at Ruperra Home Farm on Saturday 3^rd!

I had wakened up in the morning with a sense of dread in view of the weather forecast. This year we had told people that they could pay at the door for their cakes. Perhaps no one would come! 

But they came and they came wearing wellies and rain coats to go on ‘The Walk’ and under the excellent guidance of Clive Elsbury, Chris Bramble, Oliver and Zach,  they even got the dripping wet walkers back to the farm at the scheduled time! 

There was reassuring support from Welsh politicians, Wayne David MP, Hefin David AM and Jeff Cuthbert, Police Commissioner for Gwent, now attending his first event as RCPT’s new president. We were able to thank Councillor Amanda McConnell, the new chair of Bedwas Trethomas and Machen Community Council, which had given us grant aid along with Caerphilly Town Council, and Draethen Rudry and Waterloo Community Council. 

It’s so good to know that people care about saving the countryside despite Brexit and the continuing scarcity  of Welsh public income.

The lovely music provided by the the South Wales Clarinet Choir, who had never played in a barn before, combined with the delicious cakes, filled up any internal or emotional parts left neglected!

The amount of voluntary help this year has been phenomenal and we must acknowledge those who added to our usual RCPT team – namely members of Caerphilly conservation groups who all rolled up their sleeves- Lynn Gazal, Kirsty Luff, Andrew Price, Clive Elsbury, Fiona Lewis, Chris and Carole Brimble, Oliver and Zach and others who had worked behind the scenes. 

The great hero of the day must be the farmer Anthony Rees who made it all possible. The hay bales were in place when we arrived and he was on a ladder fixing the ceiling lights. Without him we would be hard pushed to find a weatherproof place on the Ruperra Estate to hold an event! Whatever would Courtenay, Lord Tredegar have said!

Exhibiton Display Boards

Talking and listening and Oliver and Zach eating!

CAS Corner with their tea and cake tables in the background.

Janet and Jemma

Jeff Cuthbert

Hefin David

Andrew Price and one of the friendy farm dogs

 Clarinet Choir, Doug in his 'Flood' jacket and Farmer Anthony Rees.

Clive - intrepid adventurer

Wayne David

Amanda McConnell and friends dripping wet but cheerful

 

 

Open Doors 2016

RCPT is very pleased to welcome as our new patron the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Gwent, Jack Hanbury-Tenison. We send our thanks to Sir Simon Boyle KCVO Lord Lieutenant of Gwent, who retired as our patron n March.

Our new president is Jeff Cuthbert, retired Caerphilly AM who supported us so well over the last 20 years. He is now the Police Commissioner for Gwent. 

Our last president Edward Holland relinquished his post with RCPT due to conflict of interest when he accepted a request from the owner of the castle to help with his plans for the building.

In a meeting with Assembly Members Ken Skates and Hefin David, RCPT discussed its plans for a three counties countryside park in which it is hoped Ruperra’s vulnerable position would be protected There is talk now of a strategic regional planning scheme for south east Wales establishing conformity among the local authorities to maintain a balance between development and environmental and historic conservation, especially in areas where there is a very large population and a high demand for housing.

Caerphilly County Council Planning Division received the results of the latest Cadw 5 yearly survey of Ruperra for the Buildings at Risk Register. Apart from the Stable Block, given a grade 3 listing, since some of it is serviceable, all the other buildings including the castle are assessed at the highest risk grade possible, Grade 1.

Ruperra is also listed in the Buildings at Risk Register of the influential SAVE Britain’s Heritage, the London based heritage organisation, which has been instrumental in carrying out some structural surveys recently. 

See below for our Open Doors Day on September 3rd.

For more details phone (01656) 741622 
or e-mail Patjonesjenkins@googlemail.com

A New Beginning

Apologies for not having updated this website since last November’s annual dinner. Our picture shows the Dinner.

To read about events before this you can go to ‘Archives.

In the meantime we have been fairly busy. We have been in contact with the new owner of the 13 acres of land where the Castle and outbuildings stand. His name is Mr Hydar AlKhafaji and he came along with some f his family to the Annual Dinner which they all enjoyed very much.

Mr Khafaji has acquired the help of our president Edward Holland as a contractor advising him about the scheduled monument. As we did not wish there to be any conflict of interest, Edward resigned as our president. However we are in touch which is good.

But we now need a new president!  Added to this our Patron, Sir Simon Boyle has retired as Lord Lieutenant of Gwent and has had to say goodbye to us. So we now need a new patron as well! But we must not rush into this- both Edward and Sir Simon will be very hard to replace and while we miss them greatly, we must choose carefully.

We are in talks with the Welsh Government and with Caerphilly County Borough Council, both of which are keen to secure a positive future for Ruperra.

We have some events which we hope to arrange before the big one in  September – the Cadw Open Doors Day. Soon paid up members will receive a newsletter with more details. Anyone who wants to join can download a membership form from this website.