Also on a green and sustainable theme, the Town Council mentions Hayfield Garden, the community garden on the other side of Hay Bridge, on Racquety Farm. They are keen to welcome new members to the group, which grows organic fruit and vegetables which are shared among the members, with the surplus being sold. They meet on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings, but people may be there on other days as well. The girls who are in the bursary project have also been doing well, and are all moving on to the next grade. This is to provide extra support in the form of school materials which parents would usually have to buy, and to give extra training in areas like sexual health. The Farm Focus column was talking about lambing, and the Local Interest Group had visits to the castle at Llandeilo Graban and Cefnige Mill.

Give us who walk this earth sunshine, shade and rain in due season, and open eyes to see its beauty. The girl who organised the Hay School Strike march also made a speech, and then George returned to say a few words of his own, about how he often felt guilt about what his actions were doing to the planet, but that feeling of guilt could be turned into a positive force for change, and that what he saw when he looked at the crowd was hope.They started out sharing an office with Community Support, in what is now Chris the Bookbinder's workshop beside the launderette - they suffered from floods, and nightmare plumbing! A friend asked for a bit of help in researching the Forty Martyrs - Catholic saints who had been executed in England for their faith in the 16th and 17th centuries. I was already familiar with several of them - St Nicholas Owen, who built priest holes where the persecuted priests could hide from the authorities, for instance and, because we share a name, St Edmund Arrowsmith, who came from Lancashire. If you’re looking for a specific book, you can bet your bottom dollar that it’ll be here. I found books on the most niche of topics, including a book on the history of my local school. Random! The introductory session is on Saturday November 21st, in the afternoon, and then the workshops where the costumes will actually be made will be held on Saturday 16th January, Saturday 20th February and Saturday 20th March. I chose the medieval astronomy, because I went to the talk that the speaker, Martin Griffiths, did last year, and thought it was absolutely fascinating.

No, I don't remember it ten years ago and I don't much care because that was then and this is now, although I've heard conflicting reports about its popularity varying from one extreme to the other. I also don't think the owners will be selling it in the near future – not when they've just finished renovating the upper half of the building and moving into to it.

The Kingdom of Hay

I challenge you to browse the beautiful vintage section by the front window and not mentally add each and every one to your imaginary shopping basket (and hopefully at least one to your real one too!).