Many members have expressed a desire to volunteer on our monthly workdays in the Park but either cannot attend on Sunday afternoons or feel they can only do smaller gardening type work. We are pleased to announce that we now have an arrangement with the Council Parks Department to do exactly this fortnightly on alternate Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10am – 1pm in specific areas of the Park. Dates are on on our Workdays page. Meet fellow gardeners and the Park Ranger in the car park just before 10am.

In March, the Friends Workday volunteers were joined by Cardiff Conservation Volunteers (CCV) to clean out the top silt trap in the upper part of the Park. The silt traps in Cefn Onn are very important for filtering the silt out of the streams so that the main ponds do not get clogged up. Unfortunately these traps have not been cleaned out regularly in the past and both the main ponds in the upper and lower parts of the Park are relatively silted. Our first task is to prevent further silting (by ensuring the traps are regularly emptied) with the prospect of maintenance on the main ponds when this is possible and funds permit. Thank you to the volunteers and CCV for their hard work digging and barrowing during the Workday.

Cardiff Council are coordinating Cardiff’s first annual walking festival between 4th and 12 May. This will be promoting and celebrating all the great work provided by the large variety of organisations and community groups who offer walks in Cardiff. Check out the events programme on their website. In particular note the Cefn Onn Spring Walk (Sat 4th May, 10:00 – 13:00) and the North Cardiff Ridgeway Walk from Taffs Well to Cefn Onn (Sat 11th May, 10:00 – 16:00).

Congratulations to Anewn Morris (age 6) who was the first person to try out the new series of animal & plant brass-rubbings that Cardiff Council Parks Dept have just installed around the lower woodland section of the Park. Well done Anwen !

I just wanted to say hi to all the Park visitors today who stopped in at our stall and display in the entrance to find out what we are up to, brought along old photos of the Park, and have tea and cake with us. Thank you all very much for your words of support and ideas for the proposed artist mural for the wall in the underpass. Welcome also to everyone who decided to become a member either today or in the week ahead. We only get the improvements to the Park that we have done and are still hoping for by both the efforts of the members and, equally importantly, the mere weight of membership the Group represents.

Thanks to Cardff Council employees for a great job they have done refurbishing the old rusting iron bridge in the upper part of the Park. In case you are wondering why it is partly red, this is apparently the original colouring when installed many years ago.

Cefn Onn  Friends are very pleased to launch their first photography competition. There will be prizes (£20) for each of the three themes of Winter, Spring and Summer for both adult and children (<16yrs) groups. To give everyone the same opportunity to take photos all pictures must be taken within the Park during 2013. Entries must be submitted before 31 Nov 2013 electronically (max 2 MB) to photographs@friendsofcefnonn.org.uk together with a completed and signed copy of the entry form (click below and print off). If you would like us to email a copy of the entry form/ T&Cs just click on the ‘contact’ button at the top of the screen and ask. Winners and runners up will be announced in our autumn newsletter etc and the photos will form a new photo gallery on the website. Happy snapping!

As advertised in Capital Times, March 2013:

The Story of Parc Cefn Onn, Wednesday 20 March 2013, 2pm, Bute Park Education Centre. To book call Cardiff Council on 02920 87 2730.  £3.

This month’s work day involved 15 volunteers doing the ground preparation and moving & smoothing of 5 tonnes of stone/gravel to create a new footpath linking the lower woodland part of the park to the upper horticultural area. The path itself has not existed for a number of decades but the stone bridges across the streams were uncovered and the path is now almost complete. Extra materials are needed for the a small muddy section in the middle (to be completed soon) but if the weather has not been too wet is now readily passable. Let us know what you think.

Those eagerly awaiting the launch of our first photo competition will be pleased to hear that the 3 categories will be the winter, spring and summer seasons. The rules, judges, method of submitting entries, etc are almost in place and prizes identified. Watch this space for imminent info. There is nothing stopping you clicking away already though. I’d expect some great photos opportunities for the first category appearing this weekend (according to Mr Brockway)!