Happy Holidays from Flat Holm
Hi everyone! It’s Sarah, the Flat Holm Community Engagement Officer here, and I’m feeling festive. It’s that time of the year again and to celebrate the season, we have a special blog. During my work in schools around South Wales, I’ve asked the children to send us some island post. Island post is an opportunity for children to send in their questions that they would like to be answered by the Flat Holm team.
I’ve picked some of my favourite questions to answer in the blog below. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a special video from our warden Simon, appearing on the Flat Holm YouTube channel soon!
When can I live in Flat Holm? – Kaleb, Ysgol Bro Helyg
Hi Kaleb, that’s awesome that you want to come and work with us! You need to be 18 years old to come and live and work on Flat Holm. The reason for this is that you might have to do work that involves driving the tractor, cutting down scrub, or even catching gulls! We have to wait until you’re a bit older before you can do these types of jobs. However, you can come to visit us on Flat Holm at any age and even stay the night in our guest accommodation.
What is your favourite type of bird on the island? – Lilly, Dinas Powys Primary School
I’m pretty sure Simon will be answering your question in his video, Lilly, but I want to answer too! My favourite birds on Flat Holm are the gulls. They are really cheeky and funny, and I love how grumpy they look. My favourite gull watching experience was seeing a gull cough up a full-sized chip shop sausage for its chicks. Gulls can get a bit of a bad reputation because they steal food (and sometimes poop on people), but we love our gulls on Flat Holm.
A big part of the job of the island team is taking care of almost 2,000 pairs of lesser black-backed gulls and a few hundred pairs of herring gulls. This is such important work as both species are now on the Birds of Conservation Concern list, which means that if we don’t work to protect them now, they may not be here in the future.
Did you ever pet a bunny? – Lizzy, Dinas Powys Primary School
Great question, Lizzy. We have hundreds maybe even more than 1,000 rabbits on Flat Holm and despite them looking super cute and cuddly, we can’t pet them. All the animals on Flat Holm are wild and are sometimes scared of people. We try to leave the wildlife be, as much as we can, and let them live their little bunny lives in peace.
Have there been any new discoveries on Flat Holm Island? – Sofia, Cefn Fforest Primary
I love this question, thank you Sofia! We have had so many amazing discoveries on Flat Holm. This year we discovered a species of beetle, Dermestes undulatus,that hasn’t been seen on the mainland for over 3 years! We also have a species of spider, Kryptonesticus eremita,that was discovered in the caves on Flat Holm in 2017. This spider isn’t found anywhere else in the UK! We also have the Scarlet Berry Truffle, a bright red fungus that is usually found in New Zealand, but is also found on Flat Holm too!
One of the things that makes my job so exciting is the opportunity to be involved in the science and discoveries that happen on the island. We have so many mysteries that we still don’t have answers to, such as if there is a long-forgotten monastery below the soil, and even more insects, plants and fungi to discover!
Who lives in the light house?
This is a great question but unfortunately there wasn’t a name on it! We used to have lighthouse keepers who lived on the island and made sure that the coal fired brazier that was used when the lighthbouse was first built stayed lit! The last lighthouse keeper unfortunately left in 1988, as the lighthouse became automated. This means that the lighthouse runs without anyone on the island needing to do anything – sort of like a robot. But giant! And that lights up!
The lighthouse was improved even more in 1997, when solar panels were installed. Now the lighthouse runs completely on solar energy. We also have other solar panels near the Farmhouse and the Foghorn Cottage, which is where we get power for the rest of the island.
What toys do you have on the island? – Ollie, Dinas Powys Primary School.
Hi Ollie, unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of toys on Flat Holm, but we do keep board games for people who are staying on the island.
There are also lots of fun things to do outside on Flat Holm. Some of my favourite things to do are explore the rock pools on the beaches, look for bugs in the long grass, lift logs to look for slow worms, and watch for seals and porpoises. Sunrises and sunsets are also amazing on Flat Holm and well worth getting up early or staying up late for (while enjoying a bonfire on the beach!).
We do have one old doll however… she used to be kept in the ammunition store near the lighthouse. The ammunition store doesn’t have any lights and can be really creepy, so finding a doll down there gave some of our visitors a bit of a fright!
Do you know the name of any of the soldiers that lived on the island? What was it like to work on Flat Holm island in WWII? – Nia & Mason, Cefyn Fforest Primary.
At Cefyn Fforest Primary, I did a special session on World War Two and how Flat Holm was used during the war. Year 6 were fab – they had some amazing questions about the island and its history, and sent me some fantastic island post in Morse code!
We did some digging in the Flat Holm archives and found this account from a Second Lieutenant named David Benger stationed on Flat Holm in from a book called Flat Holm Bristol Channel Island written by Bob Jory and Friends. It’s from an account called ‘A Night on Flat Holm’.
“At One a.m., the expected happens. We are woken by the wail of the siren mounted on the roof of South Battery Command Post. No time for military formality. I pull on trousers, battle dress blouse and an old pair of flying boots, which require no lacing, seize a steel helmet, and run. Other indistinguishable forms too are racing across the island, stumbling against hammocks. Rabbits and sheep scurry away into the darkness, more scared of us than any enemy bomber. Over on the left, in the centre of the island I hear the sound of the radar diesel generator being hand-cranked – no luxurious self-starters in those day. It is near freezing, the oil is thick and cold and it is taking two blaspheming gunners to turn it, even at half compression. As I listen, it bursts uncertainly into life…’
I hope you all have a wonderful festive season! I’ll be back in the New Year with more beetles, birds, and boats!
If you would like to send us some island post – we would love to hear from you! Send an email to Sarah: sarah.morgan5@cardiff.gov.uk or post us a Christmas card or a letter:
Flat Holm Island Team,
Cardiff Harbour Authority,
Queen Alexandra House,
Cargo Road,
Cardiff,
CF10 4LY
You can also follow us on Facebook @Flatholm, on Twitter @Flatholmers or on Instagram: @FlatHolmIsland
I would love to visit your school or community to tell the stories of Flat Holm and share the adventures of the Flat Holm warden and team! To book an outreach session please email me at sarah.morgan5@cardiff.gov.uk
A massive thank you to our funders at the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the National Lottery players, who make all our work possible.
Flat Holm Island 