A celebration of Stuart Cable’s life takes place at St Elvans Church, Church St, Aberdare at 12.00 on 21st June 2010.

Procession Starts from Richard’s Funeral Services Chapel of Rest, Harriet St. in Trecynon to Mill St.
Left at The Welsh Harp into B4725,
Continue for 1 mile to town center (Canon St).
Right at Cenotaph into Victoria Sq, bear right
Right into Church St.

Procession End:
St Elvans Church can be found directly ahead.

For Parking:

From Cardiff:
Use Dukes St Car Park or continue to Tesco roundabout,
Turn left and follow road to R’bout then continue straight over
into Gadlys Pit Car Park

Secondary Parking:
YNYS Car Park. Right off A 4059 towards
Michael Sobell Sport Centre.

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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.

On Thursday 19th September 2009 between 7pm – 10pm.

There will be an open mic slot and refreshments will be provided.

Places are limited – please ring to book.

Telephone Cynon Valley Museum and Gallery on 01685 886729

More Information on Alun Lewis on Rhondda Cynon Taff Wiki here

Rhondda Cynon Taf Mental Health Partnership is working together to raise awareness of mental illness in the County Borough by hosting a series of sponsored walks as part of world mental health week.

Choose the walk that suits you best, the walks start at 11am and are taking place in the following locations on the dates listed:

• Rhondda Mile at Gelligaled Park – 5th of October,

• Cynon Mile at Aberdare Park – 8th of October,

• Taff Mile at Ynysangharad Park – 10th of October.

The mile can be walked, run, cycled, skateboarded, whatever you fancy. Come along as a group, as a family, alone or in fancy dress and the best dressed will win a prize. The routes are wheelchair accessible and are suitable for pushchairs.

If you are unable to take part in the walk, why not come along and support the walkers or become an event volunteer.

Entrance Fee is £1.00 per walker payable on the day, for more information on the Rhondda Mile call Paul Bargewell on 01443 688770, for the Cynon Mile call Angela Evans on 01685 875481 or for the Taff Mile call Nannette King on 01443 486856.

Funding secured by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, as part of the Heads of the Valley Regeneration Programme, will be used to provide improved facilities for passengers at each bus stop between Hirwaun – Aberdare – Glynhafod.

These include new bus boarders to assist passengers with boarding and alighting, new signage and service information and, at the busiest bus stops, new shelters.

This investment will raise the overall quality of public transport services in the area and coincides with the introduction of a fleet of modern, easy access buses along the route by the operator – Stagecoach.

During this year, the Council will also be carrying out improvement works to a number of other bus stops in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area as part of further investment secured through the Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership and from within the Council’s own budget.

GOLD (Guiding Overseas Linked with Development) provides members of Girlguiding UK with opportunities for personal development through participation in community development projects overseas, using the medium of guiding. Development projects vary and could include anything from teaching English as a foreign language to setting up and running a business skills training programme. On return to the UK, participants bring back and put into practice what they have learned to their own community.

Also on the menu in the coming months will be:

· Mavron String Quarter – Weds, October 7

· Smith Gilligan Duo – Weds, November 4

· Carols and Cakes – a special Christmas concert with Jennifer Walker (soprano) and Rhiannon Pritchard (piano) – Weds, December 9

Previous shows have gone down a treat with concert-goers and Cllr Robert Bevan, Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Recreation, said: “Songs and Scones is a wonderful way to bring music into our communities, so we hope many more people will enjoy the lunchtime entertainment on offer in the coming months.”

Musicians from the Live Music Now scheme perform in Songs and Scones as part of Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Arts Council of Wales-funded Take pART programme. All concerts start at 1pm in the Coliseum Theatre’s Gallery bar and entry is £3. For more information, please call the Coliseum Theatre on 01685 881188

Thanks to a £8,900 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the three-week exhibition celebrates the massive contribution made by St John to the health and welfare of the people of the Cynon Valley.

Long before the establishment of the National Health Service in 1946, St John Ambulance was often the only provider of organised first aid training, nursing care and ambulance services. They attended events, accidents and frequent colliery disasters to provide care for those who had been injured.

St John Ambulance was of particular importance in the Cynon Valley of South Wales as rapid expansion of the population during the industrial revolution and the poverty of many iron and mine workers meant that St John Ambulance services were invaluable to local people. The St John Ambulance Aberdare Division was established in 1908.

St John Ambulance Centenary Celebrated

Jennifer Stewart, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund Wales, added: “This project will stir up a lot of emotions and memories and highlight the invaluable contribution St. John the Ambulance has made to the well being of generations living in the Cynon Valley. This project will help bring young and old members of the community together to share an insight into the area’s past.”

The exhibition takes place at Cynon Valley Museum and Gallery located on Depot Road, Aberdare, CF44 8DL until August 22nd 2009. Entrance is free.

The gallery is open from Monday to Saturday 9am to 4.30pm. For further details visit www.cvmg.co.uk or telephone 01685 886729.

Photographer Rhodri Jones tells the story of the nation in a thought provoking and informative way, highlighting the day-to-day problems they face, their often desperate living conditions.

Accompanying his book ‘Made in China’ showed in the International Photo Festivals of China, Holland and Italy as well as other venues in both the UK and abroad, “GO! Internal migration in the People’s Republic of China” is on show in the Cynon Valley Museum and Gallery.

Mr Jones explained: “Over the last 25 years China has experienced a period of unprecedented economic growth. A by-product of which has been an unbelievable internal migration. During this time, according to official estimates, more than 200 million people have moved with as many again likely to be affected in the future.

GO! Internal migration in the People’s Republic of China” goes on show at the Cynon Valley Museum & Gallery from August 15th to October 3rd 2009. Entrance is free. The gallery is open from Monday to Saturday 9am to 4.30pm. For further details visit www.cvmg.co.uk or telephone 01685 886729.

The four youngsters will take the plunge at St Brides after receiving expert tuition in diving as part of a new scuba diving course, Discover Scuba, at Aberdare Pool.

The scuba diving course was developed from a larger sub aqua programme introduced at Aberdare this Easter as part of the Welsh Assembly Government Free Swimming Initiative.

Run by qualified PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructor) instructors from A1 Unisex Divers, Discover Scuba is aimed at youngsters aged 10 to 16 and Bubblemaker is aimed at children aged eight upwards.

Jean Davies, Swimming Development Manager for Rhondda Cynon Taf, said: “We are very pleased with the success of the sub aqua programme, especially the opportunity for younger children to try scuba diving, which was an instant hit.

“The course covers both theory and practical sessions, and as well as increasing fitness and ability in the water, it develops confidence and is a lot of fun.

“We had so many youngsters coming along, we are hoping that the scuba diving will develop into a regular term-time club.”

Instructor Sue Fryer who has organised the sea open dive explained: “There are lots of benefits for the children who take part. They have fun and games during training which is the best way to learn, they make friends and they overcome any fears they may have about the first breath under water.

“They will spend all day diving, having picnics and enjoying the underwater world that lies ahead of them, knowing that they will then be qualified at a very young age to dive anywhere around the world as a PADI diver.”

Following on from the successful sessions at Aberdare Pool during the Easter and Whitsun holidays, sub aqua will again take place during the summer holidays.

For more information phone Aberdare Pool on 01685 874252