The
restoration of Llanyrafon Manor in Cwmbran is complete and it has opened to the
public. For years the building languished in ruins, unloved, unwanted and
virtually unknown despite being within half a mile of the town centre.
That it is
now open and refurbished is a triumph of local activists and grant funding,
local people working with Torfaen County Borough Council and the Welsh
Government to develop a unique site and prepare it for future use as both a
historic venue and a base for future local activity.
Much of the
funding is delivered through the Rural Development Plan and the future will
involve support both - and from local farmers, producers and community groups.
This link
was very much to the fore at the official opening with a small Market section
offering foods and crafts and giving a platform for Community Groups such as
COSTAR and organisations like Friends of the Earth. What they all had in common
was a commitment to supporting and sustaining local people, businesses and our
environment.
Community
Food groups are encouraging residents to garden and grow their own vegetables,
rather like the Grow It Yourself (GYI) movement in Ireland, and they had
established a stall in the Orchard area offering a chance to identify a number
of salad plants and herbs. Some were not that easy – Red Mustard and both
Rocket and Wild Rocket along with Mizuna in one planter- and I was reminded of
the Herb Exam at Ballymaloe especially as part 2 of the test was to design a
three course menu using the plants.
Children were
encouraged to roam the grounds identifying bugs and which were beneficial to a
balanced ecosystem and their parents were given charts showing how their flower
gardens could become more Bee friendly via planting. The tie in here with local
rural crafts was the presence of a maker of Bee Hives and simple logs with
holes drilled in them to encourage Bees to take up residence. The Honey
produced by the Bees was available to buy from one of the stalls.
The local
Blaenafon Cheeses made by Sue Fiandr Woodhouse sold well though the newest one
Canalman’s Cheddar had sold out even before the show. Again the tie in with
locality and rural development was clearly demonstrated and the Pwll Du cheddar
– unique for being matured in the Coal Mine at Big Pit – is featured in the Tea
Room at the Manor.
Julie Nelson
from Raspberry Catering runs the tea room and is committed to using local
produce where possible so the tie in with Blaenafon Cheese is a no brainer. Julie
already runs her catering business using locally produced ingredients and the
Raspberry Bush Supperclubs – see earlier post- often use ingredients produced
about 100 yards away!
The one
thing lacking in Torfaen is a good craft baker so most of the bread that Julie
uses comes from Newport, still very local but a Torfaen baker would be a great
asset.
Luckily the
Manor has several out buildings and it is possible that one could be used to
establish a Community Bakery, run as a Social Enterprise, offering Real Bread
to the community, businesses and schools. Part of the remit for the bakery
would be to offer skills and training to unemployed people and to work with
schools in spreading the knowledge and love of real bread as opposed to the
synthetic stuff used by most households.
The grants
available through the Rural Development Programme would help in the creation of
a bakery and the overall experience of visiting the Manor would be enhanced if
visitors could see the bakery in action. They seem to be symbiotic.
The ground
floor of the Manor reflects its history, the Kitchen has good displays of old
Butter Churners and Butter Hands used to shape the finished product, Sugar
Snips and a table groaning with foods, as well as an interactive display about
Wartime Eating and Rationing. Costumes across the 400 year history of the Manor
are on display and on opening day tours were conducted by staff in costume,
including Jacobite Ladies and Gentlemen and Land Girls to tie in with the
Wartime exhibits.
Upstairs are
modern Committee Rooms suitable for Schools to use on visits and, most
importantly for Community Groups to use for meetings. The Local Action Group
and Producer Groups meet there to plan for the future use of the Manor and to
develop more ties with the community both businesses and residents.
One plan is
to establish a regular Producer Market at the Manor, Torfaen currently does not
have one, and the first is planned for October on a Sunday so as not to clash
with Farmers Markets in the area. The Market would combine both Food and Crafts
to fulfil the Rural Development Brief and could well be a major boost to the
local economy.
Certainly
with the planning around the Manor, the intention to use it as a hub for
community groups and small scale producers, and as the site for a regular Market
Llanyrafon Manor has the potential to be Local and Great.
Visit UK Food Bloggers Association
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