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.

As well as a full repair of the structure and new plaques, important work has also taken place to improve the footways and lighting around the war memorial.

To mark the end of such an important restoration, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and its partners, including the Royal British Legion, has worked to organise a community-based event to rededicate the war memorial.

The event takes place on Sunday, May 23 and begins with a parade that leaves the Remembrance Gardens in Oxford Street at 1.45pm.

For those who feel they cannot complete the full distance from Oxford Street to the war memorial, the parade will be stopping at St Margaret’s Church, where those who can walk the final 200m to the memorial can join it.

The Regimental Band of The Royal Welsh will lead the parade, which will also include local dignitaries, including Mayors from neighbouring authorities, ward members and the Royal British Legion.

The parade will end at the war memorial, where the service will begin with a welcome from Cllr Simon Lloyd, Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taf and prayers and hymns led by Reverend Michael Jones, vicar of Mountain Ash and Miskin.

The restored war memorial will be unveiled by Lord Aberdare and Cllr Lloyd, before the Last Post is played and wreaths are laid – by the Representative of the Queen, the Mayor and the Royal British Legion.

Mountain Ash War Memorial was originally dedicated in 1922 and Reverend Jones will reflect on that service over 80 years ago in his service on Sunday.

Cllr Simon Lloyd, Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Ward Member for Mountain Ash West, said: “We were all devastated when the war memorial was damaged by mindless vandals in 2008.

She said “I was a Brownie, a Guide and gained my Queens Guide Award, a Young Leader, and then I became a Guider at the age of 18 and took over 1st Abercynon Guide unit.
I have been involved in guiding in the county continuously since becoming a guider – Outdoor activities adviser, International Adviser for Cynon Valley Guiding. I have been district commissioner for Mountain ash, International Adviser for Central Glamorgan, also Outdoor Activities Adviser for Central Glamorgan. I have been Divisional Commissioner for Cynon Valley for 5 years. Now I have been lucky to hand the post to the very capable and enthusiastic Guider Mrs. Stephanie Martin.”

Photograph by Joan Rees: On the Left is Julie Thomas. On the Right is the new Divisional Commissioner of Guiding for the Cynon Valley Mrs. Stephanie Martin.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Public Health and Protection team has been working hard for three years to deal with the unacceptable condition of a property at 54 Oxford Street in Mountain Ash, in a bid to allay the concerns of residents and traders.

A successful court hearing in 2007 saw owner David Williams convicted for failing to take heed of a legal notice served on him by officers the year before.

The order demanded he take the action needed to either bring the eyesore building up to standard or demolish it. Due to the inaction on his part, he was subjected to a daily fine of £2, to be paid for every day he failed to take the necessary action.

Despite the legal order, court hearing and daily fine, no action has been taken so the council has once again taken Williams, of Navigation Street, Mountain Ash, to court.

The latest case was heard at Aberdare Magistrates’ Court on August 10, during which Williams admitted non-compliance with the legal order made in 2006.

Sentencing was adjourned for three months to allow Williams to undertake any work that may be used as a mitigating factor when he is sentenced.

Church Village and Mountain Ash libraries are launching the innovative new scheme to encourage children to loan books and have the opportunity to take a toy with them as well.

The toys are designed for children aged under five and can be borrowed free for a week by professionals working with children as well as parents & carers.

The new toy library, which is part of Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Sure Start Department, is currently open at Church Village Library every Friday from 10.30am to 11.30am and Mountain Ash Library every Tuesday from 10.30am to 12noon.

“Staff in the Council’s Libraries Service are always experimenting with exciting new schemes in an effort to encourage more youngsters to use their local library, “ said Cllr Robert Bevan, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Recreation.

“The new toy library scheme will hopefully result in even more children visiting one of the libraries to borrow not only a book, but a toy as well to help them on their early years of learning.”

Membership of all Rhondda Cynon Taf’s libraries is free and everyone living or working within the County Borough is welcome to join

Severe weather at the start of the month delayed the proposed Sunday closures of the bridge for the essential work to be carried out.

This work has now been rescheduled for Sunday March 1st from 6am to 8pm and Sunday March 8th from 6am to 6pm.

The entire project has also consisted of environmental enhancements to Bruce Street, Knight Street and Chancery Lane. The scheme includes resurfacing of sections of footways and carriageways, which is the strategic gateway to the town.

Initially for children aged from five to 14 years, the new Junior Disability Athletics Sessions start on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 from 5-6pm at Mountain Ash YMCA, Duffryn Road, Mountain Ash, and will be held every Tuesday.

Youngsters can take part in activities including running, jumping and throwing using soft equipment, supervised by instructor Amy Bush. The course costs £20 for ten weekly sessions and places are limited.

For more information, please contact Shelley Jones, Disability Sport Wales Development Officer, Rhondda Cynon Taf Leisure Services, Llwyn Castan, Library Road, Pontypridd, CF37 2YA Tel. 01443 490242

Children from Abercynon-based Carnetown Boys and Girls FC took part in the races in Mountain Ash on New Year’s Eve and sponsorship money collected since – around £600 – will help keep their club running in 2009. Club coach Mike Byard and fellow coaches Nigel Evans and Neil Morgan thanked all the youngsters who ran and everyone who sponsored them.

Mr Byard said: “We would like to thank all the children, who are aged between eight and 13, for their efforts. Without the sponsorship money, our club couldn’t continue this year.”

More than 60 youngsters are registered to Carnetown Boys and Girls FC, training every week at the football ground at Abercynon Sports Centre. The club is looking for annual sponsors and anyone who may be able to help should contact Mike Byard on 07929 033457

The Nos Galan Races are held in Mountain Ash every New Year’s Eve and many runners taking part choose to get sponsored, raising money for charities and local organisations. Youngsters from Carnetown Boys and Girls FC who ran in 2007 raised around £700 in sponsorship.

The pupil won first prize in a ‘Design a Sign’ competition as part of the Darran Las Safe Routes to School – 20mph ‘Gateway’ signing.

Children were given the task of designing a sign that would convey to drivers that they would be entering a 20mph zone and they would need to slow down. The signs had to be innovative, colourful and to big, bold letters.

The winner was Teale Garland who received a £15 gift token and a framed copy of her own award-winning sign that will be placed on each sign on Llanwonno Road. A copy was also presented to the school for display.

Second prize of £10 token was presented to Kathryn Hall and the third prize of £5 to Katie Manning.

The Safe Routes to School design consists of road humps, 20mph ‘Gateway’ signing, one way system, parking restrictions at junctions and school keep clear markings, tactile paving crossing points and additional parking bays.

Traffic calming measures were introduced to improve safety for children at Darran Las School following extensive community consultation, following three minor accidents in recent years in the Darran Las area and there was overwhelming public support for the scheme.

The works consist of environmental enhancements to Bruce Street, Knight Street, Chancery Lane and to the Town Bridge. The scheme will include resurfacing of sections of footways and carriageways including the Town Bridge, which is the strategic gateway to the town.

Works to the Town Bridge, which links Oxford Street and Cardiff Road over the railway line, river and flood channels, will result in some Sunday closures of the bridge.

The first closure of Mountain Ash Town Bridge will take place from just after midnight Sunday January 18th to midday the same day. This will allow for essential works to the bridge to be undertaken.

Further closures will be required on subsequent Sundays until the work is complete, though at this stage, it is anticipated that only two closures will be required.

Works have already started in nearby Bruce Street and will be followed by the refurbishment of the road and footways in both Knight Street and Chancery Lane.

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.