At our open evening, Jackie approached me to remind me that the woodland group in Llangattock were very keen to allow people to access their beautiful wooded area known as Alder Carr. [Wikipedia tells me that a Carr is a type of waterlogged wooded terrain that, typically, represents a stage between the original reedy swamp  and the likely eventual formation of forest- I wish we had all read this before Friday as it might have ensured everyone was properly equipped….]

Jackie and Mark spoke and very quickly a date was set for a minibus trip to the woodland from Newport. Then Mark went away, the Welsh Refugee Council had a tragedy forcing closure for a week and Sarah was hoping for a Friday escape from a frantic week.

rainbow over Crickhowell

Initially it didn’t get any better as the Sat Nav took the bus to Talybont, the food was left behind, insufficient numbers of wellies were found and others from HBTSR were unable to be part of the day. A quick phone call meant Ailsa went to Crickhowell bridge  to take the minibus to the venue, food was bought from a supermarket in Abergavenny and the sun came out…

Jackie, Mike and Phil welcomed us all with a hot drink from the kettle boiled on a fire  and the biscuits and oranges were consumed whilst we learnt a little about the woodland and each other. Lucy the special hearing dog was popular with all. Barry and Max [ black Labrador ]arrived a little later.

A walk through the swamp was facilitated by finding a few extra Wellies and some people wrapped their feet in Clingfilm and plastic bags  to offer minimal protection. The canal towpath was a walk that was greatly enjoyed and the barge trip across the canal was a source of amusement, enjoyment and bemusement in pretty much equal measure.

We returned to the shelter to have bread, cheese, hummus, fruit and more drinks and biscuits. Beaming smiles told us that the day out had been enjoyed and everyone asked if they could come again.  Several said it reminded them of home, others just showed me photos they had taken of trees and sky and water and all said it was a good day.

Thanks to Jackie and the woodland partnership for arranging the outing and to Sarah for driving everyone up and not having a breakdown.

.From Sarah

Hay and Brecon group hosted us for a lovely walk last week in the beautiful village of Llangattock. The peaceful surroundings were a breath of fresh air in more ways than one. Thank you Ailsa Dunn for arranging for us.

‘One of the guys told me how it was so good for his soul. He is an artist.’

From Jackie

’The Sanctuary Group came up on Friday and had a squidgy wander around the site and lovely walk along the canal.  We hope to foster this partnership in the future as it was a challenging but very successful day. ’.