The end of my story is this: the people of Aberdare are extraordinary, writes American Jane Powel Thomas.
The beginning lies in the very rich past of Aberdare when one (or possibly more) of my husband’s ancestors was the minister of the Ebenezer Chapel in Aberdare, now located in the Trecynon area. Both of us have a Welsh background, my husband’s family from North Wales and mine from the Brecon area. As a child, my husband was brought to Aberdare to see the church where his great, great grandfather was minister, and he was moved by the fascinating, still-operating chapel that included an interior plaque
commemorating his ancestor, the Rev. Edwards.
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Fifty years ago to the day (25th November, 1959) the
Aberdare Cancer Research Committee had their first meeting.
To celebrate the ‘golden’ occasion the members attended a presentation and buffet evening at the Gloucester Arms in Aberdare.
An evening of reminiscing on the fun and the work of the committee over the years, and a reunion of members who had not met for some time.
In recognition of their commitment members were presented with brooches appropriate to their length of service.
Enjoy the exclusive photos from the event here.

Shhhh please… for the Library Luvvies!
Staff from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Library service – aka ‘the Library Luvvies’ – perform the radio play The Minor Mysteries by Marie Arnold at Ton Pentre Library on November 11th 2009.
It was a fantastic night!
See the Full Set of Photos on Flickr here …
A few more people wanted from Aberdare…
If more people sign up for the free Hear From Your MP service, Aberdare’s MP will receive an invitation to contact her constituents via the service.
The Hear From Your MP service is free and it enables MPs to communicate with their constituents.
In the words of Tom Steinberg and the MySociety crew : “HearFromYourMP is a site which allows you, the constituent, to sign up to get emails from your local MP about local issues. When your MP writes to you and other constituents, we give you the chance to discuss what has been said in a simple online forum.”
Here’s the link to Aberdare’s MP Ann Clwyd (Labour) on Hear From Your MP.