Michael Finch / Mihangel Morgan

Wedi dechrau erthygl (Saesneg) ar Michael Finch / Mihangel Morgan.

Penrhiwceiber Workmens Hall photos

Penrhiwceiber Workmens Hall photos are now available in the Gallery. Click here to see them.

The Hall was built in 1888 and restored in 1992.

It’s a striking looking hall with an unusual balcony.

It’s small compared with, say, Maerdy Workmen’s Hall or Blaenavon, but then Penrhiwceiber is only a village of a few thousand.

According to the 2001 Census, the population of Penrhiwceiber was approximately 7100.

Aberystwyth Cliff Railway video

A short video clip of the uphill ride on the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway has been uploaded to the Internet Archive website.

Enjoy the spectacular views of Cardigan Bay from this rare and unusual funicular railway travelling slowly up Constitutional Hill.

Well worth three quid.

According to the Charitable Company that runs the railway, “On a clear day it is possible to see 26 mountain peaks spanning much of the length of Wales.”

Aberystwyth Cliff Railway has now closed for the winter, and will re-open in mid March 2008.

Smiles at Get Connected Shop Aberdare

A smartly-dressed member of staff at the new Get Connected mobile phone shop is amused by the sight of a man looking like Dick Turpin the Highwayman, outside his shop in Canon Street, Aberdare. The man in a big red coat with a large horn and bells ‘parping’ his horn in public is a Town Cryer heralding the start of the annual Aberdare Town Christmas Santa Parade.

The Get Connected shop opened only a few weeks ago in Aberdare. It took the place of a former card shop of which, some claim, there are far too many in Aberdare town. Get Connected claim to be the largest independent mobile phone retailer in Wales. The business began life over fifteen years ago, incorporated as a limited company ten years ago, and in 2001 re-branded itself as ‘Get Connected’.

Retailing is never a static business and Aberdare town’s retail landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years. Today there is plenty of choice if you would like to have your hair, nails or toes pampered, or if you would like to buy a new mobile phone contract (at a shop such as Get Connected). On the other hand, if you want a tin of baked beans, a pint of milk or a loaf of bread, the choices are slim.

Today’s consumers demand sophisticated services. And the choices they make each time they shop in Aberdare affects and shapes Aberdare as a retailing destination. As shoppers demand more services – as opposed to tangible products like the foodstuffs one would find in the weekly shopping basket – these services are being catered for in Aberdare Town. Witness the amount of estate agents, travel agents, hairdressers and salons now trading in Aberdare.

What does the future hold ? Perhaps we could do with a few more street entertainers in Aberdare… service with a smile

Aberdare Park delegation tread carefully in Caerphilly

A feathery delegation from Aberdare Park’s Ministry of Silly Walks recently flew southwards to Caerphilly to discuss a possible ‘twinning arrangement’.

The Aberdarian delegation were keen to tread carefully near Caerphilly Castle, home to a much larger population of Canada Geese and other wild fowl.

Caerphilly Castle is one of the largest fortresses of its type in Europe and was built around 1268.

The local population of wild birds enjoy a spectacular backdrop and are very proud of their own brand of Silly Walks.

Richard Trevithick the Terrific

A little over two hundred years ago saw the first steam locomotive haul a load on rails. Cornish Engineer Richard Trevithick’s steam locomotive ran with five wagons for five miles along the rail tramroad, from Penydarren to Navigation, Abercynon, with 70 men and 10 tons of iron on board. It was a historic journey.

What were the thoughts of the people who witnessed this noisy iron monster ?

Did they feel in awe of this spectacte and terrified by the sight ?

The Cambrian Newspaper commented on Trevithick’s terrific invention thus : “It is not doubted but that the number of horses in the kingdom will be very considerably reduced, and the machine, in the hands of the present proprietors, will be made use of in a thousand instances never yet thought of for an engine.”

Richard Trevithick’s achievement is remembered in many places in the Valleys, including a memorial at Abercynon, a memorial at Pontmorlais, Merthyr Tydfil, and a mural at Tesco’s Merthyr Tydfil. Photos of all these sites are available in the Gallery.

Merthyr Brewer wins Great Welsh Beer Award

Merthyr people raise a glass in celebration tonight as the local brewery wins the top award in Cardiff at the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival 2007.

The Champion Beer of Wales competition has been won by Rhymney Brewery of Merthyr Tydfil with their classic beer, Dark. The competition, run by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, was held at the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival at Cardiff City Hall today. The beer was judged by a panel of beer experts from a selection of more than 200 real ales that are brewed every year in Wales. The judges looked at the aroma, appearance, taste and aftertaste of the top beers of Wales and came to the unanimous decision that Rhymney Dark was the best beer brewed in Wales this year. The beer is 3.9% ABV.

Rhymney Brewery was set up 3 years in Merthyr Tydfil ago by father and son team Steve and Marc Evans. Said Steve Evans, “This award is something that we’ve been aiming for since we started the brewery. It’s a dream come to true to win Champion Beer of Wales and have the recognition from CAMRA”.

In the photograph : Steve Evans of Rhymney Dowlais Brewery

Streetcare Blitz coming to Trecynon

Trecynon will get a good spring clean in the latest round of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s street care ‘blitzes’.

Cleansing teams will be in Trecynon on Thursday December 6th with a range of equipment – including chewing gum removal machines, road sweepers and graffiti removers.

The street blitzes were launched three years ago, as part of the campaign to make Rhondda Cynon Taf a cleaner and safer place to live, work and visit.

Welsh Capital for Cwrw

Cardiff is the Capital for Welsh Cwrw this week as it hosts the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival.

The hugely successful festival, which regularly attracts over 4000 customers has been organised by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, for 7 years at the historic venue. However thousands of thirsty customers need not fear as in June next year the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival will be even bigger and better at the new venue, Cardiff International Arena.

According to James “Arfur” Daley, CAMRA spokesperson, “We’ve had a good few years at City Hall but have outgrown the venue. There is no room for expansion at City Hall and the Festival is getting more and more popular every year. CAMRA will be sorry to say goodbye to City Hall but we’re determined to make the Festival this year the best ever. We’ve ordered more beer and cider this year and also will be open 5 hours earlier. It’s the final year at City Hall but let’s all look forward to the CIA in 2008”.

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Aberdare Police show Community Spirit

Aberdare Police show their Community Spirit and help make the Santa Parade events in Aberdare run smoothly this week.

Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers from Aberdare and surrounding villages were at the event to help ensure everything ran smoothly.

Although it was cold, it wasn’t wet and many, many people came to line the route, see the procession with reindeers and the Town Christmas Lights being switched on by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Mayor Jane Ward.

There was an old-fashioned Town Cryer with bells and a horn, and Scooby Doo too!

In the photograph : Aberaman South PCSO Samantha Llewellyn Jones joins in the fun

Click here for more photos from the Santa Parade 2007 here in Aberdare

On Death Row in a Welsh Village

Wandering around Abercynon a year ago we were struck by a small post office in Glancynon Terrace. The street scene we stumbled upon seemed like a typical scene from the post-modern South Wales Valleys. The terraced houses knitted together tightly with so very few shops… a newsagents on the corner, a chinese take-away, and – thank the heavens! – a friendly post office.

Now fast forward a year to the news announcing the list of Post Offices that the powers-that-be would like to close in Glamorgan and the Valleys. On that list is poor old Glancynon Post Office, in the village of Abercynon, Rhondda Cynon Taf. It’s almost like putting the heart of the village on Death Row for the Post Office is at the heart of the village.

There are a few weeks of “public consultation” however this is merely a public relations charade. The decision will be bulldozed through come what may by a corporation now being run into the ground according to ‘market imperatives’ (or whatever other jargon they are currently spouting in the name of economic rationalisation).

To their credit, the most vociferous political opposition to the Post Office closures – at least here in the Cynon Valley – has come from certain voices within Plaid Cymru.

Leanne Wood AM writes in her blog recently, thus :

“The Post Office Network Change Programme is the direct result of Labour Government policy in London, and is the latest stage in their rationalisation agenda. The Welsh Government can not intervene. This shows another example of the weakness of the current constitutional settlement. Plaid argues that not Welsh Post Office should close as a result of a Westminster driven policy agenda. 3,500 Post Offices closed under the last Tory Government, and over 4,000 have closed under New Labour.

Labour claim that the closures are needed to create a viable network. Plaid believes that that uninhibited competition in markets is not always the best way of securing the universal service provision of our public services, particularly in isolated and deprived communities.”

The “rationalisation agenda” that Leanne Wood refers to above leads to the centralising and monopolising of services, of power and of control. It is an argument Vandana Shiva discusses in her writings on Monocultures of the Mind.

“The primary threat to nature and people today comes from centralising and monopolising power and control. Not until diversity is made the logic of production will there be a chance for sustainability, justice and peace. Cultivating and conserving diversity is no luxury in our times: it is a survival imperative.” – Vandana Shiva

Pudsey’s Pirates take over Aberdare Hospital

Pirates took over the reception for the Outpatients Clinic at Aberdare Hospital on Friday.

They were raising money in aid of the BBC Children in Need Appeal.

Congratulations to staff at Aberdare Hospital for being such good sports.

The pirates certainly cheered the waiting patients.

In Praise of Welsh Dangly Bits

Today we munched on the dangly bits of a Welsh sheep.

Fried lightly with onions to be precise.

Click on the attached photograph for a larger version.

Bought from Ken the butcher’s roadside meat emporium near Caerphilly.

Some people call them “sweet breads” and others “sweet meat”.

They are, of course, the testicles of a ram.

What do they taste like ?

De-licious. The texture is like a lighter version of liver.

There are an awful lot of sheep and cattle in Wales… but testicles are hard to come by as these animals are usually castrated young.

It seems such a pity that we waste all these dangly tasty bits !

Santa booked for Aberdare

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council have confirmed their festive Santa parade for Aberdare town as part of the Council’s winter events programme.

Reindeer will replace camels this month as the camels cannot travel in to Rhondda Cynon Taf from Oxfordshire following the recent blue tongue outbreak, so reindeer will lead the festive parades through Aberdare town centre on Thursday, November 22.

So that’s a date for Aberdare for your diary : Thursday, November 22, 5-7pm Aberdare. A Reindeer parade through the town centre, accompanied by Scooby Doo; switch on of Xmas lights, plus Santa’s Grotto and children’s funfair rides.

In the photograph : Cheerful staff at Les’ Golden Kitchen, Aberdare

Val’s Annual Aberdare Coffee Morning

Val’s annual coffee morning in aid of Save the Children was a great success this year.

The coffee morning event was held recently at St Fagan’s Church Hall, Trecynon, Aberdare.

There were delicious cakes sold, along with a bric-a-brac sale, raffle, and of course tea and coffee served all to raise money for Save the Children charity.

Congratulations to all those involved in organising this event.

Click on the thumbnail photographs to see larger versions.