Other News
Childminding in Torfaen
Would you like to …
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Care for children and offer them a happy and friendly environment?
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Have a rewarding career and benefit from generous tax allowances?
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Work in your own home and do something you love for a living?
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Start your own business and get help with the set-up costs?
To care for children in your own home you must be registered as a childminder and thanks to the Welsh Assembly Government the National Childminding Association is able to offer you support and free training to help you through the registration process. Call Jo on 01633 647410 or Yvonne on 01633 255359.
Take control with Direct Payments
MORE and more people who need personal care are choosing to take control of their lives, living independently and making decisions about how they live, what they do and when they do it – by using Direct Payments.
Direct Payments gives an individual control over what support services they purchase, who delivers them and when. It can be used for transport, education, personal care, respite care, social interaction and leisure activities e.g. theatre, rugby, church. You cannot use them for health or housing services.
Call GAVO Direct Payments Support Service on 01291 672352.
New canal warden
LOCAL communities will benefit from Torfaen Council’s new Community Countryside Warden, who will be organising environmental projects on the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal. Hugh Woodford has taken on this role which has been funded through the European Interreg IIIb project Crosscut. He will be encouraging communities to become involved in the management of the canal through various events and canal-based projects.
These projects will include clearing litter, vegetation control and repairing and re-decorating seating and railings. He will also be organising a series of guided walks. To get involved or find out more call Hugh on 01633 648066.
Blaenavon blues weekend
THE second Blaenavon Blues Weekend takes place from 6 - 8 October. The event has been organised by Valley Blues with support from Torfaen Council and features free gigs around the town. Major blues artist Eddie Martin and his Big Band are in Blaenavon workmen’s hall on Saturday 7 October (tickets £5).
There will be a series of free events over the weekend. The Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway will be running special free blues trains on Saturday afternoon from 3pm – 5 pm with live music.
Call 01495 792946. Tickets are on sale at Browning’s Books, Broad Street, Blaenavon.
Special Heritage places in Torfaen
TORFAEN has some unique heritage sites that have never been fully documented. Torfaen Council needs your help to produce a list of all sites both past and present to put together a heritage plan.
What sites are special to you and why? Does your favourite place have a nice atmosphere or remind you of a family event or relative? We would like to hear from you if you have any suggestions on which sites to include, particularly neglected or unknown sites.
You can give your suggestions to Lorraine Hicks on 01633 628985 or email lorraine.hicks@torfaen.gov.uk|
Continental market
PONTYPOOL town centre will once again host an amazing shopping experience. Building on the popularity of the last European Market this event will be bigger and better with more stalls and more variety. It’s from Thursday 28 September until Saturday 30 September from 9am until 5pm.
Professional traders will sell high quality products including food, fashion and leather goods from countries including France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Austria, and Spain.
Rat run order
A traffic order on a Cwmbran road has been changed to make it more difficult for motorists to use it as a ‘rat run’. Ton Road in Two Locks is a residential street that motorists use a short cut between Henllys Way and Two Locks Road.
Only drivers with a legitimate reason such as those who live on the street, are visiting someone or delivering are allowed to use it. The restriction has been in place since 1989 but has proven difficult to enforce because it previously covered the entire length of the road.
Now it has been shortened drivers can’t claim they are going to Hollybush primary school or Coed-Eva Mill.
Local residents had made complaints to Torfaen Council and the local neighbourhood officer PC Matt Hook about cars using Ton Road as a ‘rat run.’
Torfaen local access forum
Torfaen Local Access Forum is a group of people from a wide variety of backgrounds and interests that all have one goal; to help safeguard and improve access to the countryside.
Their interests range from land management, walking, horse-riding and cycling to volunteering as a warden and improving disabled access. Member Derrick Hynam was awarded an MBE from the Queen for dedicating so much of his time to safeguarding access to the countryside.
They meet four times a year in the Civic Centre, Pontypool. To get involved call the secretary Fiona Ford, Countryside Access Of.cer, on 01495 762200.
Gold Dragon
AN officer from Torfaen’s Tourist Information Centre has been awarded the Gold Dragon Badge for tourism.
Lesley Lewis was one of only nine others in Wales who passed the Advanced Tourist Information Centre Diploma this year.
Lesley’s many hours of hard work came to fruition when Visit Wales awarded her an overall distinction for her high marks Lesley works in Torfaen Tourist Information Office which is at Blaenavon Ironworks. It provides information on days out, attractions, activities and route planning in the area.
They also offer guided tours of the Ironworks, as well as researching family histories. It is open from 9.30am until 4.30pm, Monday to Friday; 10am until 5pm, Saturday and 10am until 4.30pm on Sunday, up until the end of October.
Torfaen Trail - the long and short of it
Whether you are a long distance walker looking for a challenge, or out for a weekend stroll with the family, the Torfaen Trail has been designed to suit all ages and abilities. A new brochure details a 35 mile figure of eight walk that takes in Cwmbran, Pontypool and Blaenavon.
It has been broken down into 9 linear sections, varying from 2.5 miles to 9 miles. It takes you through ancient woodlands, the canal tow-path, open mountain top, a rich urban greenspace and parkland. For a copy call 01633 648066. It contains information about the history and wildlife along the route, as well as nine individual, pull-out maps.
Welsh Reading / Discussion Group at Cwmbran Library
CWMBRAN library’s Welsh Reading / Discussion Group has been running now for over two years and has turned out to be a huge success.
Since the initial meeting of this group the attendance has continued to increase and Welsh speakers and learners alike are glad of the opportunity to use their Welsh. Meleri Wyn James, Welsh author will be visiting the group on 14th October to talk to the Welsh learners.
The meeting on 16 September will be held in Blaenavon library from 9.30am -11.30am due to Cwmbran Library being shut. The group will continue to meet in an informal atmosphere between 10am-12pm:
Saturday 19 August
Saturday 16 September (Blaenavon)
Saturday 14 October
Saturday 11 November
Saturday 9 December
So if you are a Welsh speaker or learner, please come along and it’s free. For more information call Jill Newton, Cwmbran Library on 01633 483240.
Grwp Darllen / Trafod Cymraeg yn Llyfrgell Cwmbrân
MAE Grwp Trafod / Darllen Cymraeg a gynhaliwyd yn Llyfrgell Cwmbrân wedi bod yn rhedeg am bron i ddwy flwyddyn erbyn hyn ac mae’n dal i fod yn lwyddiant ysgubol.
Ers y cyfarfod cyntaf mae’r presenoldeb wedi parhau i gynyddu ac mae’r siaradwyr a’r dysgwyr Cymraeg yn falch o’r cyfle i ddefnyddio’r Gymraeg. Bydd Meleri Wyn James, awdures Gymraeg yn dod i ymweld â’r grwp ar y 14 o Hydref i siarad gyda’r dysgwyr Cymraeg.
Nodyn bach i’ch hysbysu bod y cyfarfod ar y 16 o Medi yn llyfrgell Blaenafon o 9.30-11.30am gan fod Llyfgell Cwmbran ar gau. Bydd y grwp yn parhau i gyfarfod mewn awyrgylch anffurfiol yn Llyfrgell Cwmbrân rhwng 10am-12pm ar y dyddiadau canlynol.
Dydd Sadwrn 19 Awst
Dydd Sadwrn16 Medi (Blaenafon)
Dydd Sadwrn 14 Hydref
Dydd Sadwrn 11 Tachwedd
Dydd Sadwrn 9 Rhagfyr
Felly, os ydych yn siaradwr Cymraeg neu’n ddysgwr, dewch i ymuno gyda ni am ddim. Am ragor o wybodaeth, ffoniwch Jill Newton, Llyfrgell Cwmbrân ar 01633 483240.