Cyfarthfa Castle, Merthyr, turned brown and yellow on Saturday 19th June! NO … autumn had not arrived early, but a delightful invasion of Brownies in their brown and yellow uniforms from the whole County were there to celebrate the CENTENARY of GIRL GUIDING in grand style.
The highlight of the day was the arrival of the Chief Guide, Liz Burnley, who joined in the big celebration. In each County of Wales Brownies were making a ‘takeover’ of a Castle in their County and intent on a load of FUN in the same Brownie style as the Central Glamorgan Brownies were having. Read the rest of this page »
There was big chuckles and cheers of applause tonight marking the long-awaited return of local drama sensation, the Library Luvvies.
Staff from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Libraries service – aka ‘the Library Luvvies’ – performed their own musical comedy ‘Where in the World?’ at Ton Pentre Library.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Libraries Service is holding a week of travel-related activities during its ‘Where in the World Week’, starting Monday, June 7, 2010. The local library service in Rhondda Cynon Taff offer a range of travel books and DVDs available for loan.
Tonight was an hilarious night of comedy sketches from around the world.
Mountain Ash folk are urged to line the streets of Mountain Ash this weekend to enjoy a public ceremony organised to mark the rededication of the town’s war memorial.
The event will include a parade through the town being led by local dignitaries and the Regimental Band of The Royal Welsh, which is set to please the crowds.
Significant work has taken place on and around the important memorial after it was damaged by mindless vandals in 2008.
The event takes place on Sunday, May 23 and begins with a parade that leaves the Remembrance Gardens in Oxford Street at 1.45pm.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Cabinet Members have approved action to accelerate progress towards a dedicated War Memorial and Roll of Honour in Ynysangharad Park.
The Ynysangharad War Memorial Park Cabinet Committee has decided to convene key stakeholders, with a view to launching a public appeal to raise funds for a Roll of Honour for Pontypridd, and to allocate money from the Park’s Trust Fund to contribute to the project.
Public subscription was one of the original funding methods for Ynysangharad Park itself, which since its opening in 1923 has served as a memorial to the fallen of the First World War and subsequent conflicts. It is felt that appealing for public contributions would be appropriate since it would enable greater ownership and identification from the people of Pontypridd.
No matter how far we travel, or how many holidays we take…can we ever really escape our problems, stresses or worries?
This year has been a very stressful time. Nothing negative, just trying to get my columns as well as other pieces of writing done, moving home and fitting in my job.
Hard work to say the least. In 2009, I’ve had more holidays, weekends away and days out than I can remember! I noticed this whilst looking through my calendar (trying to find a free weekend to go away) we’ve just moved and it took its toll on me, so a weekend away was just what I need.
Congratulations to the 84 pioneers who took part in Rhondda’s first Macmillan Walk today raising vital money for this cancer charity.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Mayor Robert Smith cut the starting line ribbon at 9.10 am at Tonypandy where charity walkers began the 11 mile trek to the finishing point at Rhondda Heritage Park.
Menter Merthyr have received a grant of £2100 towards developing traditional Welsh music in Merthyr.
The money has come following a number of successful pipe workshops funded by Communities First Town and Parc.
The workshops will run over a 1 year period with arch-piper Geraint ‘Jacob’ Roberts giving people the chance to play the pibgorn, tin whistle, bohdran and Welsh pipes.
If you are interested in learning to play traditional Welsh music, complete beginers or experienced musicians, contact the Menter now on 01685 722176
Macmillan Cancer Support are thrilled to announce the new Rhondda Walk 2009!
This brand new 11 mile walk, co-organised by Macmillan and Jeff Cowland, who originally thought of the walk and is a Rhondda Cynon Taf Council employee, will take place on Saturday 5 September 2009 starting by Treherbert Rugby Club at 9am, and finishing at the Rhondda Heritage Park, travelling through Treorchy, Tonypandy and Porth on the way.
WHERE : ‘Bunch of Grapes’ – Ynysangharad Road – Pontypridd
Date / Time : Wednesday 24th June @ 18:30hrs
What’s On : Welsh Cheeses – BBQ – Beers on stillage, Homemade Sausages – Small tutored Wine Tasting – a GuitarIst will be playing throughout the evening.
Guest Appearance : from Dave ‘Seidr Dai’ Matthews with some of his greatest Ciders, plus various bottled Ciders from across Wales.
Real Ales : Those outside on the night – wrapped in cooler jackets & on Gravity Dispense : Batemans – ‘GHA’ … Thornbridge – ‘Jaipur’ … Dark Star – ‘HopHead’
More choices of course on Handpull at the Bar.
Things got a bit ‘daffy’ in Pontypridd, when two giant stilt-walking daffodils visited Taff Street.
The delightful daffs were planted in town to entertain shoppers during the Six Nations weekend. Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Town Centre Team arranged the unusual entertainment to encourage everyone to celebrate all things Welsh during the rugby championships.
Ann Clwyd – Aberdare’s MP – has drawn attention to the plight of a local business suffering in the present economic downturn. In a Parliamentary debate she calls for support from Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling and recounts the example of one of her constituents who runs the last medium heavy engineering firm in the Valleys …
It’s only a matter of time before the police swoop on the publishers and confiscate all copies of Tracy’s Tits by Ponty author Amanda Weeks … so I thought I’d better blog a review here pretty sharp.
Tracy’s Tits is a collection of short stories by Amanda Weeks, a fresh and exciting new voice writing from Pontypridd, the second-most important South Wales Valleys town after Aberdare.
Several thousand people braved freezing temperatures on New Year’s Eve for the Nos Galan Races in Mountain Ash – and they were delighted to discover Olympic legend Linford Christie was special guest at the event’s 50th anniversary.
Christie – Europe’s greatest ever 100m sprinter – was the mystery runner at the 2008 Nos Galan in Mountain Ash. He lay a wreath at legendary runner Guto Nyth Bran’s grave in Llanwonno graveyard before running the route from Llanwonno to Mountain Ash town centre.
Crowds who lined the street to welcome him were given 50th Nos Galan flags to wave when he reached Oxford Street. After lighting the Nos Galan beacon, Christie said how much he had enjoyed the event: “Enjoyment is an understatement – it’s been brilliant!” he said.
On the night, he also presented a special Outstanding Contribution award to Richie Gardiner of Aberdare, who has been involved with Nos Galan as a runner and, more recently, as an organiser, since he was a child.
The famous Nos Galan Races commemorate the Welsh runner Guto Nyth Bran and his legendary athletic prowess. Held annually on New Year’s Eve in Mountain Ash, in the Cynon Valley, South Wales, the Races follow a 5km route around the town.
Cyfarthfa Castle, Merthyr, turned brown and yellow on Saturday 19th June! NO … autumn had not arrived early, but a delightful invasion of Brownies in their brown and yellow uniforms from the whole County were there to celebrate the CENTENARY of GIRL GUIDING in grand style.
Mountain Ash folk are urged to line the streets of Mountain Ash this weekend to enjoy a public ceremony organised to mark the rededication of the town’s war memorial.
Lynsey Richards muses on how to escape properly …
Christine Black Jones blogs about the loss of a great Maerdy institution …. the Maerdy Workingmens Hall and Institute.
Menter Merthyr have received a grant of £2100 towards developing traditional Welsh music in Merthyr.
Macmillan Cancer Support are thrilled to announce the new Rhondda Walk 2009!
Event : Welsh Cheese and BBQ night
Things got a bit ‘daffy’ in Pontypridd, when two giant stilt-walking daffodils visited Taff Street.
Several thousand people braved freezing temperatures on New Year’s Eve for the Nos Galan Races in Mountain Ash – and they were delighted to discover Olympic legend Linford Christie was special guest at the event’s 50th anniversary.
