We are pleased to announce the winner of our 2014 logo competition is Gwyn Hopkins.
“Flat Holm Island is known for its glorious and spectacular sunset. This gave me the inspiration for the logo. It is also a bird sanctuary. hence the birds in the distance returning home to the island.” Gwyn Hopkins
He wins a free day trip to the island and a year’s membership of the society.
Congratulations Gwyn!
At the May 2014 FHS committee meeting, we decided a Society re-brand was in order. This starts with designing a new logo. So, if you would like to exercise your imagination, this competition is for you. You don’t need specialist design skills; just a great idea about the island!
The competition closes on 31st July 2014. The prize is a year’s free Society membership and a trip to the island.
Logo competition terms and conditions
Please read very carefully the specification, and terms and conditions, before you start. You’ll also find details of where to send your logo idea.
Good luck!
Funded by our Environment Wales grant, Warden Stewart Gray and several Society members, including two of our youngest and two of our oldest, took to a flat calm Bristol Channel at dawn on St David’s Day with Ryan from Bay Island Voyages for a working weekend on the island. Due to the terrible weather, it had been several weeks since a visit.
Carwyn and Stewart raise the wind turbine
On our initial walk around in windless, gorgeous sunshine, we were relieved to find the island in a very good state, with only minor storm damage to some guttering. The island welcomed us and St. David’s Day with beefy clumps of daffodils here and there. Easter also seems well anticipated with lots of huge rabbits and extensive burrowing higher up the cliff above West Beach.
The most urgent job was to overhaul the wind turbine so it could complement the solar panel power generation once more. Engineers Lee, Peter, Stewart and Bob got on with this, ably assisted by rugby player Carwyn contributing his magnificent strength to the arduous job of winching the pylon up and down.
42 bottles, 15 balls, 5 shoes …
Meanwhile, down the hill on West Beach, Linda, Sarah and Ray conducted a beach survey. Once the Marine Conservation Society form was completed, 42 plastic bottles, 15 balls and 5 shoes were recorded … all just from West Beach. The flotsam included an intact rugby ball which Ray appropriated for an impromptu rugby game with his son Carwyn.
The boulder has moved …
Linda observed West Beach’s most famous resident, a pink granite erratic boulder, had been shifted by the huge storms. We also believe there has been some storm damage to the wave-form limestone karst pavement.
Sarah and Bob carried out a long overdue photographic vegetation survey while Linda swept the scrub with binoculars to count the impossibly elusive Soay sheep: all 26 are present and doing well.
After a toasty night in the farmhouse, where the temperamental kitchen range did a better job of cooking us than the food, we woke to a windy, grey and drizzly Sunday.
Rugby on St David’s Day with a ball found on West Beach
Kitted up in all our wet weather gear we did a bird walk, led by Stewart. Most lesser black-backed gulls are back, plump and well groomed, bickering over the prime nesting spots. A couple of ringed birds were noted but we could not get clear sight of the ring numbers. We spotted several pairs of oyster catchers on the beaches and a lone song thrush perching on an isolated cliff spot.
Vegetation and path clearing took us to mid-afternoon when the weather turned pretty dire. Those of us going back were glad to see Ryan’s lights setting off from Penarth Head in the gathering gloom.
After a surprisingly smooth and dry ride back across the rainy, westerly swell, Sam let us through the barrage lock with the usual jokes on the public(!) tannoy. We celebrated safe arrival with a naughty roar around Cardiff Bay in the dark before being dropped, exhausted, damp and happy, at Environment Quay.
Do join us for the next working weekend on 29-30 March!
Congratulations from the Flat Holm Society to Sophia and Mat on their engagement!
Flat Holm Island, sunset and sustainable development
In February this year Cardiff Council announced its intention to withdraw funding the running of Flat Holm Island and seek other parties or individuals to take over the day to day operational management of the island. Since then the Flat Holm Society have actively engaged with the Council and put forward a request that the Council continued to keep the island open for this summer period to allow time for organisations interested in taking on the running of Flat Holm to formulate management proposals.
In May, Cardiff Council formally advertised for expressions of interest (EOI) from organisations interested in taking on the operational management of Flat Holm. In response the Flat Holm Society submitted an EOI and is currently awaiting a meeting with the council to discuss their submission.
The society is seeking support from people who have skills in the following areas:
If you have skills in any of the above areas and can offer your time to help us secure the future of Flat Holm please email: flatholm.society@gmail.com