The Annual Summer Outing with the Village

July 16, 2008 Next Page »

Barry Island PleasureRemember those Summer Outings when the whole village went by train or bus to Barry Island, Porthcawl, or Aberavon for the day ?

Perhaps you are too young to remember those bygone days when whole villages from the Valleys disappeared for the day.

Nowadays we are addicted to the package-holiday where we individually pick and choose our little stretch in the sun oblivious to what our neighbours will be doing.

Turn the clocks back thirty or so years to 1977 and it was a whole different universe… Here are two excerpts from the Aberdare Leader newspaper

Colliery Outing - front page of Aberdare Leader - 10th March 1977 - Sunday, July 3, is this year’s date for Penrikyber Colliery’s annual outing. It will be to Porthcawl this year.

About 1.800 people are expected to go on the trip, and, already, 35 buses have been provisionally booked.

Mr Des Lewis, secretary of the outing fund committee, said that 38 buses went last year.

He said he hoped the by naming the date well in advance they would avoid clashes with trips being run by other organisations locally.

And there was more …

Probably the Largest Day Trip in Wales - Aberdare Leader, page 2, 4th August 1977 - The Annual exodus of Penywaun Club Members and their families needed a convey of 42 buses playing follow-my-leader to Aberavon!

Other groups in the community organised summer outings too : Aberdare Chamber of Trade organised a special mystery summer outing during the same year 1977, and local Churches and Chapels organised their own outings.

Filed Under Aberdare History 


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