Council steps up its service
MISSING bins? Fly tipping? Street lighting problems? Potholes?.......

Baths to shut for lessons
SENIOR swimmers fear they could be.......

Mine for information at new site
MORE than three hundred years........

Schools team has recipe for award triumph
RHONDDA Cynon Taf's Healthy Schools Team

Grab your grants

YOUNG people in Rhondda Cynon Taff are being urged to apply for grants of up to £5,000 that could help them get a community project off the ground.

The NatWest Community Cash Awards run by The Prince's Trust Cymru, range from £250 to £5,000 and are available to 14 to 25-year-olds who have struggled at school, have been in care, are long-term unemployed or have been in trouble with the law.

Examples of projects include producing a community newspaper for young people, starting up a community radio station, organising dance or music classes for younger children, setting up a community recycling scheme, or restoring a community garden.

Young people who participate in the scheme will be provided with support, guidance and specialist advice for up to one year from the Prince's Trust Cymru.

For more information about the Community Cash Awards, please call 0800 842 842 or visit www.princes-trust.org.uk for further information.

Fuel plans give food for thought

A MAJOR new initiative could see food waste turned into fuel.

The joint project between Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Councils is currently at the point of announcing a shortlist of companies who have been selected to bid for the scheme
The project, named Tomorrow's Valley/Cwm Yfory, will find the most attractive and affordable solution to manage waste in a sustainable manner.

It will involve the creation of a new unit to treat food waste and the remaining waste left after recycling, with Bryn Pica earmarked as a potential location for this project.
This will greatly reduce the amount of waste landfilled by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council at Bryn Pica and Merthyr Tydfil Council at Trecatti.

Coun Anthony Christopher, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council's deputy leader and Cabinet member for frontline services, said: "We currently recycle around 30% of domestic waste and we want to see these figures to continue to increase.
"We are confident that this new partnership scheme with our colleagues in Merthyr Tydfil will allow us to rapidly increase food and residual waste recycling, reduce landfill waste and make us a pioneering initiative on the green agenda."

Last week it was announced that, for the fourth consecutive year, both councils had met their waste target for 2007 to 2008 for the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill.
Due to new legislation, food waste can no longer be composted in the open air but has to be treated in an enclosed vessel.
Therefore, two possible solutions are to compost food waste in a closed unit or to process it, capture methane gas and use this gas to produce heat and power.

Sending biodegradable waste to landfill is no longer a long-term option as it can form greenhouse gases, such as methane and carbon dioxide, while the liquid residue, or leachate, can also affect the environment.
Tomorrow's Valley/Cwm Yfory was launched to divert waste from landfill and greatly reduce this environmental impact.

In an effort to find the best possible and most affordable solution, both authorities will be discussing proposals with a group of shortlisted bidders.
These discussions will result in new facilities that will deliver the best option for dealing with food and residual wastes.

Poverty report shock

A RHONDDA Fach councillor claims that more funding should be pumped into the community following a report by a university professor describing Maerdy as having a shocking level of poverty.

Maerdy, Treherbert and Penygraig are among valley communities who still have shocking levels of poverty, despite a decade of schemes aimed at making life better, says a leading expert.

Professor Dave Adamson of the University of Glamorgan has written a new essay reviewing progress since a groundbreaking study he wrote in 1996 called Living on the Edge.

In the essay, Still Living on the Edge? due to be published by the University of Wales Press in the series Contemporary Wales, Prof Adamson states: "Communities First areas I have had firsthand experience of include Maerdy (62.2% with long-term limiting illness), Penygraig (57.5%), Penywaun (60.8%) and Treherbert (57.9%).
"The consequences of such poor health within a small locality are destructive at a community level.
"Health aspiration is extremely low and local populations expect adulthood to include illness as a feature of life. Many young people carry caring responsibilities from an early age, with devastating impact on their educational achievement and their own health expectations.

"To sit in a public event in such communities is to observe community members in their 30s and 40s with severe mobility problems, respiratory difficulties, obesity, visible dental damage and no expectation that things could be different. The overall impact on the quality of life is immeasurable."

Prof Adamson contrasts the situation in Wales with that in England, where partnerships can expect to receive up to £50m over a 10-year period. He concludes that the success of the anti-poverty initiatives in Wales "will depend on the long-term determination of government and a commitment to heavy expenditure on programmes targeted at community level."

Maerdy councillor Gerwyn Evans said: "Action is needed to combat both physical and mental health in the community.

"More Communities First funding should be pumped directly into the community instead of funding buildings and staff to enable people to get a better quality of life."



New car park opens as part of congestion battle

FERNDALE'S new free car park is now open, as work to regenerate the town centre continues.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has worked for months on the new facility and is delighted it is now officially open for use.

The venue in Lime Street is open from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and it is hoped the new capacity will eliminate parking congestion in other parts of the town centre.

Additional car parking in order to reduce on-street parking and obstructions on the roads was one of the key priorities identified, with the help of residents, during consultation on the regeneration of Ferndale.
The town was earmarked for funding from the Heads of the Valleys scheme and received a £1m grant to allow the start of improvements in the town.

Coun Paul Cannon, Cabinet member for economic development and housing, said: "The work in Ferndale has taken shape nicely and we are pleased residents and businesses can now see for themselves the new improvements, which are based on what they wanted.

"The parking situation was becoming difficult and we hope the new facilities are made best use of so we can support the town centre, its trade and visitors by curbing illegal or inconsiderate parking, which can often have a detrimental impact on motorists or pedestrians."




MP's fuel payment call

RHONDDA MP Chris Bryant has urged all elderly people to get their Winter Fuel Payment claims in early this year, making sure they receive their money by Christmas.

Households with someone aged 60 to 79 will receive an extra £50 this year, bringing the total up to £250, while households with someone aged over 80 will receive an extra £100 - that's £400 this year in total for the over 80s.
Mr Bryant said: "I urge all elderly people to get their claims in by September 19 that way their fuel money will arrive in time for Christmas.

"Energy bills are high at the moment, and during winter it's important that people in the Rhondda, especially those who are elderly, warm their homes. These increased payments should help people cope much better."
The Government is also encouraging people to get decent insulation in their homes and consider shopping around for their energy supplier; swapping can save people as much as £150.



Happiness is? Tell your library

LIBRARIANS throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf have a simple question to ask - what makes you happy about your local library?

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council's Libraries and Museums Service will be asking the public to "take a fresh look at their library" as part of a national campaign to show the positive impacts libraries can have on their lives and why they can make them happy.

Throughout October and November events will be held in libraries across the county borough showcasing the range of activities and services on offer.
Welsh celebrities will be lending their support to the campaign by attending regional events.
The campaign will kick off with a national launch in Cardiff at the start of October before being introduced in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Libraries are also undertaking a survey to compile a Welsh Top 10 list of reasons why libraries make people happy.
Also, as part of the survey, people will be asked how the library has made a difference to their lives. They will be rewarded with £100 high-street vouchers for every story used as part of a national campaign.



Noteworthy effort to battle crime

A NEW project seeks to combat violent crime through the medium of music.

The Knife Crime Awareness Tour will begin by tackling knife crime, later extending to cover other issues such as gun crime, drugs and alcohol.

Local authorities and the South Wales Police will be involved in the scheme, which is eventually expected to expand to the whole of the UK.

It is also hoped that schools, colleges and charity organisations will get onboard.
Local bands will be playing alongside high profile acts who want to join the campaign.

The acts have yet to be confirmed, but contracts are currently being drawn up for the project, which is expected to receive extensive news coverage.

Linda Evans, a project organiser says: "Many people are affected by knife crime. It is such a serious issue that hits a nerve with many. We want to tackle the problem - but we don't want to isolate youngsters. Our tour will be inclusive and promote interaction and awareness."

Appeal to find fundraiser venue

LOCAL charity BETH, which stands for Beyond Everything There's Hope, was started after Beth Lawrence died last year of lung cancer.

Beth's mother Marilyn Murphy opened the Ystrad cafe Beth's Baps in her daughter's memory.

The newest fundraising venture for the charity is being organised by friends of Romi, Beth's daughter.
They are desperately searching for a suitable venue for a fundraising event, which will have entertainment in the form of local singers and dancers.

Kate Parsons, one of the event organisers, said: "We really want to do this to help a good cause, but we also really need some help. We would be very grateful if anyone can offer somewhere to hold this fundraising event."
If anyone can provide a venue for the evening, they can contact the Rhondda Leader on 01443 6655153.

Beer goggles help put the focus on effects of alcohol

TEENAGERS donned “beer goggles” and learned an early lesson in the dangers of alcohol this week.

Pupils at Porth’s Ysgol Gyfun Y Cymer were joined by medical students from Cardiff University for an Alcohol Awareness Day.

The goggles simulated the effect of drinking up to 10 units of alcohol – roughly equivalent to three or four pints of lager, or a bottle of wine.

While wearing them, and suffering distorted vision and poor co-ordination, pupils were asked to walk in a straight line, knock down skittles and drive a remote-controlled car around markers on the floor.

As well as demonstrating the physical effects of alcohol, the session also taught the 14-year-old pupils about the legal and social implications of drinking.

University undergraduate manager Glynis Wolar said: “The sessions proved very successful with the students and had a great impact, really portraying to them the severity of drinking and then trying to perform normal tasks.”

The project was conducted by medicine students Verity Oloro, Cerios Mair Jones, Emily Patterson and Megan Knipe as part of a third-year project.

The doctors-to-be also handed out questionnaires at the Graigwen Road school, and the results will be compiled into a report to help scientist better understand youngsters’ attitudes to alcohol and help the undergraduates on the way to their degrees.

Friends reunited to mark heritage group’s birthday

A GROUP of volunteers who worked tirelessly to turn a disused colliery into a leading tourist attraction are celebrating their 25th anniversary.

The Friends of Rhondda Heritage Park was founded in 1983, just a matter of months after the closure of the Lewis Merthyr and Ty Mawr collieries, and were united in their determination not to let the site fall foul of the bulldozers.

Instead, after years of perseverance, fundraising and plenty of campaigning, funding was made available to transform the empty colliery into the award-winning Heritage Park we see today.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the closure of the colliery, a special family day was held at the Rhondda Heritage Park and Friends turned out in force once more to support the cause.

Coun Robert Bevan, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s cabinet member for culture and recreation, said: “The Friends are a remarkable group and we owe them a great debt of gratitude for their perseverance in ensuring the collieries weren’t demolished and forgotten. Instead, the Rhondda Heritage Park stands as testimony to a once great industry of which the Rhondda Valleys was the heartland of the entire world.

“I congratulate them all on their milestone and hope they will continue to support this award-winning site for future generations to enjoy and appreciate.”

During an era when collieries throughout the country were closing under Thatcher’s rule, the group realised the need was greater than ever to preserve coal mining history – and where better than the very heart of the South Wales coalfield itself?

Together the group met in the RAFA Club in Porth and held regular car boot sales, gymanfa ganu services, charity concerts.

With former Bevin Boy Sir Donald Walters as president, the group went from strength to strength and began collecting memorabilia from throughout the valley to exhibit in the Park.

Within a few years they reopened the pithead baths, which they used as their meeting place, and with the support of the former Rhondda Borough Council secured funding from various sources including neighbouring authorities.

After plenty of determination and commitment to turn their dream into a reality, the Friends were overjoyed to see the official opening of the Rhondda Heritage Park in July 1989.

But for the Friends, the work didn’t end there. From buying a double decker bus, giant miners lamps and helping in every event held at the Park, the Friends remain dedicated to the success of the site.

If you would like to become a member of the Friends of Rhondda Heritage Park, go to www.rhonddaheritagepark.co.uk for an application form.