: Museums, Exhibitions and Events

We hope you have enjoyed watching Lambcam 2023 so far.

The live stream from our lambing shed is due to come to an end tonight. Our ewes have lambed a bit slower than expected this year and we have over 140 lambs still to come.

So we’re not quite ready to finish just yet, and are pleased to confirm that we will be extending Lambcam until 8pm Friday 24^th March.

We’ll be back from 8am tomorrow morning to bring you the latest from the lambing shed.

If you are visiting St. Fagans this month you will notice an army of gardeners and volunteers marching around the gardens with wheelbarrows full of organic matter to condition the soil of our beautiful gardens. As winter comes to an end, spring arrives with a promise of growth. This is a crucial moment in the gardening calendar to prepare for the warmer months ahead. 

Because of the over-emittance of greenhouse gases, the Earth’s surface temperature is increasing rapidly. We are noticing summer months that are hotter and drier than ever, only last year we witnessed temperatures around 40°C in some areas of the UK. The excessive heat and prolonged drought have devastating effects on our local flora and fauna. 

One of the most important tasks for this month is to mulch the soil by adding a layer of organic matter to the soil surface. Mulching brings numerous benefits to plants including moisture retention in periods of drought, weed suppression, improvement of soil structure and fertility, reducing the need for artificial fertilisers, prevention of soil erosion, and encouragement of beneficial organisms such as earthworms, soil bacteria and fungi. Additionally, it attracts wildlife to our gardens, one of my favourite memories is of being followed by Robins as we mulch the garden in spring. They patiently wait for a feast of earthworms, while gifting us with their beautiful bird song announcing the arrival of spring. 

There are many different types of mulching materials and each with their own benefits and uses. Most of our gardens are mulched with well-rotted farmyard manure sourced from Llwyn-yr-eos farm in St. Fagans and from a local farmer. The manure is gradually incorporated into the soil by the activity of earthworms and other microorganisms, which improves the soil structure and supplies the plants with nutrients. This nitrogen rich material is ideal to be used on herbaceous borders, vegetable beds, roses and newly planted trees and shrubs.

However not all plants like nutrient rich mulches, plants that are adapted to growing in hot and dry conditions often do not cope well with excessive moisture and high fertility. For example, in the Herb Garden where we have Mediterranean plants such as lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme we have opted for mulching the beds with gravel. This is an inorganic material that does not break down; therefore it does not release nutrients to the soil. In addition, gravel is great at promoting good drainage, suppressing weeds, and adding aesthetic value to the garden.  

This year we are trying new methods of mulching as a sustainable way to utilise the maximum of our local resources. We have started using raw wool provided by the Llwyn-yr-Eos farm to mulch the vines in the greenhouse. This will help with water conservation and prevention of weeds. Besides the wool fleece degrades slowly releasing nutrients into the soil and feeding the vines. Another advantage is that wool can help retain heat during colder months, keeping the root of the vines warm in winter. 

In March we cut back the ornamental grasses and perennials of the Dutch garden and a large amount of material usually ends up in the compost heap. This year we decided to skip this process and instead we added the dried grass clippings directly to the surface of the pumpkin patch. We have sprinkled a fine layer of manure on top to weigh down the grasses and prevent them from blowing in the wind. This will also aid the process of decomposition by introducing nitrogen to this carbon rich material.  While the farmers make hay for a rainy day, the gardeners mulch with hay for a hotter day.

When choosing mulches or growing mediums for your garden, prefer materials from sustainable and local sources in order reduce the carbon footprint from transportation. It is also important to avoid peat-based composts at all costs. The extraction of peat has a negative impact in the environment, it destroys the natural habitat of many species that live in peatlands, besides it releases tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere contributing to the greenhouse effect. 
For the home gardener the most sustainable and cost-effective option is to mulch using homemade compost or leaf mould. Why not try making your own compost using kitchen and garden waste? You will be surprised at the benefits you can reap from your compost heap. 

‘What a vista of possibilities is opened up in this wonderful discovery … Surely it marks the dawn of a new era – with what results, who can tell?’

With these words, the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Alderman Dr J. J. E. Biggs, opened the Cardiff Station of the British Broadcasting Company at 5.00pm on 13 February 1923. Three months after the BBC began broadcasting from its London station with the call sign 2LO, Wales had its own station – 5WA – which brought a diet of music, talks, and religious services to listeners in Cardiff, the south Wales valleys, and over the Bristol Channel in parts of the west of England.

Humble beginnings

From humble beginnings in a small studio above a cinema in Castle Street, the BBC in Wales grew to play a major part in the life of the nation. Despite being placed in the so-called ‘West Region’ in the BBC’s Regional Scheme in 1930s, pressure from institutions, groups and concerned individuals from across Wales resulted in the establishment of the Welsh Region in 1937, giving the nation a clear sense of identity. Indeed, the historian, John Davies, once argued that Wales was an entity created by broadcasting.

The advent of television and the opening of the Wenvoe transmitter in August 1952 heralded a new era in the history of the BBC in Wales. However, as transmitters did not respect national boundaries, Wales was once again ‘tied’ to the west of England, which led to complaints on both sides of the channel. The decision to create a BBC Cymru Wales service in February 1964 was a step to resolve the issue. The BBC was required to produce 7 hours of Welsh-language and 5 hours of English-language programming for Wales. Further public pressure and an increased understanding of the needs of Wales on the part of the BBC’s management in London led to the establishment of national radio stations Radio Cymru and Radio Wales in the late 1970s. The establishment of S4C in 1982 changed the broadcasting landscape of Wales and the BBC continues to play a major part in the success of the channel.

The future

And what of the future for the BBC in Wales? Well, radio is holding its ground well in the multi-platform age. Wales had the greatest proportion of radio listeners than any other nation in the UK and loyalty to BBC stations is clear. Television, which came to Wales just over 70 years ago, faces challenges from streaming services but continues to inform, educate and entertain. There are threats from a UK government which questions the whole raison d’etre of public service broadcasting and the licence fee has been called into question (although that particular debate appears to have been put on the back burner … for now).

Whatever your views on the BBC, there is no doubting the central role has played in Welsh life for a century. Happy Birthday BBC Cymru Wales – and here’s to the next hundred years!

Jamie Medhurst

Professor of Media and Communication

Aberystwyth University

The BBC 100 in Wales exhibition continues at National Museum Cardiff until 16 April 2023.

A sad fact is that this disappearance is mirroring what is happening in the outside world. Birds are suffering a pandemic of their own, the worst outbreak of avian flu ever known in the northern hemisphere. A new strain of bird flu has been attacking bird populations since the autumn of 2021, spreading from intensively farmed poultry in China. By late spring of 2022 there were increasing reports of the disease in seabird colonies in the north of the UK, and this has now spread across the whole of the country.

Avian flu is a virus that affects a range of birds but as with other viruses there are many different strains, most of which cause few or moderate symptoms. The difference is that this current strain, HPAI H5N1, is transmitted easily and causes symptoms that can be fatal to birds.

The effect on wild bird populations has been devastating, particularly on sea birds who live in large dense colonies along cliffs and islands where the virus is easily transmitted. It is estimated that tens of thousands of birds have died - you may well have seen some of the footage of dead or dying birds or even seen dead birds along our coasts.

In the UK we are privileged to host internationally important breeding populations of seabirds, a whopping 25% of Europe’s breeding seabirds. Worst affected species are the Great Skua and Northern Gannet populations. Up to 11% (over 2,200 birds) of the UK population of Great Skuas have been lost and scientists have recorded such high numbers of Gannet deaths that they think some populations are near collapse. 

The situation is continuing to be monitored, particularly with waterfowl, like geese, who overwinter in the UK. The hope is that populations will eventually develop an immunity to the disease, and there have been some encouraging signs in some birds, like Puffins, who seem to have had a good breeding year in 2022.

We hope to see the return of our seabirds both in the galleries and along our coasts soon!

You can find more information and recent updates on the situation in Wales here: Avian influenza (bird flu): latest update | GOV.WALES. You can also read a more detailed blog about it on The Wildlife Trust blog pages: Avian flu – the latest symptom of our ailing ecosystems | The Wildlife Trusts.

If you want to help, there are several organizations appealing for support to help monitor the situation and help seabirds recover: The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO): BTO Avian Influenza Appeal | BTO - British Trust for Ornithology and RSPB: Bird Flu Emergency Appeal Donation Form | The RSPB.

If you find dead wild birds, you should follow the latest guidance on GOV.WALES (Report and dispose of dead birds | GOV.WALES) or GOV.UK (Report dead wild birds - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) or  webpages. Remember not to touch or handle any dead or sick birds.

For a handy guide to identifying Welsh coastal birds, download our Nature On Your Doorstep spotters guide: Spotter's Guide | Museum Wales