Spring is sprung - we hope!

 

It’s the month when Spring starts to show and our plants start to grow. Let’s hope the sun starts shining and we all start thawing out a little first. It’s been a long winter.

Our first event of the year will take place on 1^st March, a St Davids Day Fayre. We have over 60 stalls coming along, so if you are around, please come and say hello. There will be something for all the family with indoor and outdoor spaces so whatever the weather you can still enjoy the experience.

Plans are still ongoing for our VE80 commemorations and our Big Birthday Bash taking place this summer. We will be putting further details out soon but if you want to save dates its 5^th May and 14^th June. We will have assault courses, music, stalls and foods.

 If you are interested in being involved with either or both events, please get in touch at community@pontyclun-cc.gov.wales

The closure of our local Lloyds bank will be concerning for lots of you. We have spoken to Lloyds who have assured us they will be providing a banking hub here instead. We haven’t had the full details yet, typically they run them weekly in a central location. We have offered to assist with finding them space and will again keep you updated as we go through this process.

I am sure that most of you are aware RCT Learning Curve have decided to change their project and as a result will be closing their provision at Café 50 towards the end of March. The Town Council will be taking over the running and groups will continue to meet as they do now. We have been in discussions with several interested parties in taking over the catering and we are hoping there will be no break in service for our users. We do not want to lose this provision and are doing our utmost to ensure it stays the warm, vibrant and welcoming hub it is.

Many of you will have seen the notices regarding installing double yellow lines in Pontyclun, in particular in streets around the new primary school. Many residents and businesses have expressed concerns about the loss of parking and issues it will cause older and disabled visitors, residents who will no longer be able to park near their houses and businesses who will lose customers. We have strongly disagreed with the scheme as proposed.

If you have any comments regarding the proposals or questions then contact RCT’s traffic team at trafficservices@rctcbc.gov.uk

As always if there is anything you would like to share or discuss about our community, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – 01443 238500.

 "Spring adds new life and new beauty to all that is." — Jessica Harrelson

Pontyclun, having a great time this summer dispite the weather

Summer holidays have begun and that means its just over 3 weeks until our food festival, excitement is building. We can smell all the delicious treats on offer already. The festival takes place in the Heol Yr Orsaf Car Park, and we have nearly 40 stalls offering their delights this year, along with music, face painting and lots of fun for all the family. Event starts at 12pm, and there will be parking in the Football Club and Y Pant, so please follow the car parking signs and be respectful of the community when parking so as not to cause issues for residents living close the venue.

Urban Markets will be holding their annual Family Fun Day in the Park in July. Thank you to all the team for coming down to Pontyclun and putting on such a great day.

We have had lots of volunteering for litter picks over the last few months, so big thank you to Men’s Shed Pontyclun, as always, Pontyclun Road Runners, Luna Holistic and Pontyclun Brownies. Volunteering to help keep our community clean and tidy is very much appreciated. If you have a group or are an individual who would like to get involved, please contact our Community Engagement Officer on community@pontyclun-cc.gov.wales

Our Walking Rugby Team held their annual Festival at Pontyclun RFC at the end of June. Huge thank you to all the teams that travelled down and joined in the fun. It was a fantastic day, and the atmosphere was amazing, from supporters and players. If anyone would like to join in, we train twice a week – Monday evenings (6.30 at the Rugby Club) and Wednesday mornings (10.30 at Pontyclun Park). All ages and abilities welcomed.

Planning is under way for our Christmas Fayre, and we have a couple of spaces left. If anyone would like to take part, please do get in touch on the email address about or by calling 01443 238500. We are hoping to have even more stalls than usual and are always looking for new and exciting things to bring to the community.

The council offices will be working with a skeletal staff during the summer holidays so if you do need to get in touch regarding anything please bear with us.

Llantrisant Folk Group have a full programme over the next few weeks at Pontyclun Athletic Club:

Wed July 24: Truckstop Honeymoon - Hollerin' banjo, doghouse bass, witty songs.

Wed Aug 7: Les Barker Tribute Night - A mirthful evening as we remember Les.

Wed Aug 14: Song & Music night with Showcase: Wynford Jones & Geoff Cripps - Heartfelt songs of Valleys life.

Wed Aug 21: Gaudy Orde - Delightfully daft combo.

Wed Aug 28: Eilidh Steel & Mark Neal - Sizzling Scottish melodies and songs.

Wed Sept 4: Jake Leg Jug Band - The authentic sounds of Prohibition era America.

 

All that’s left to say, is have a fantastic summer and let’s hope the sun starts shining. See you all at the Food Festival.

“Any day in August is better than a day in January” – Keith Vik

Summer is here - hopefully!

“Feel the warmth outside and inside. Let this July roll out all your worries with its warm days and happening nights. Hello to July!” 

Well June flew past in a bit of a blur. With all the excitement of Picnic in the Park and the sun making an appearance on the day, it managed to feel like summer may have finally started.

Thank you to everyone who supported the event, either as a stall holder, visitor or volunteer. It was a fabulous day and we have had so much positive feedback, which is great. Next year we are hoping to be even bigger and better as it will be Pontyclun’s 175^th anniversary, so stay tuned and follow us on social media for all the updates.

Sticking with all the fun, Pontyclun RFC have their annual Ciderfest coming up on Saturday 13^th July. A full day of fun, with a BBQ and live music. Tickets are available behind the bar.

The following week – Sunday 21^st July, Urban Markets will be back for their Summer Fun Day in Pontyclun Park. I know it was a fabulous day last year so I’m sure this year will be even better. Keep an eye on local noticeboards for more information coming up.

We will be back for our Food Festival on Saturday 24^th August. We have some delicious food traders lined up this year, entertainment for all the family and of course our friends at The Pipeworks will be keeping us all hydrated throughout the day.

The Llantrisant Folk Group have a full programme throughout July at Pontyclun Athletic Club:

Wed July 3: Pete Morton - an unruly mix of comment and humour.

Wed July 10: Rattle on the Stovepipe - a touch of Old-Timey Americana.

Wed Jul 24: Truckstop Honeymoon - hollerin banjo/doghouse bass/witty songs.

Wed Aug 7: Les Barker Tribute Night - a mirthful evening as we remember Les.

All other Wednesdays are Song & Music Nights.

Moving on from the fun stuff, as many of you will have noticed, our gorgeous summer flowers have been planted and look fantastic. Unfortunately, this year we had 17 plants stolen out of them within the first week of planting. This is just awful and sad. The flowers come out every year, brightening up Pontyclun and making people smile. The cost to keep replacing them gets more expensive all the time. We have had to report this too police and thankfully most of the planters have CCTV covering them, so the footage will be reviewed.

I’m sure many of you will have seen or heard about the Safe Roads Pontyclun group that has been set up to try and campaign against the Forest Wood quarry plans. They held a protest in May on the zebra crossing and a large number of supporters turned out – Wales Online and ITV also did features on their work. Banners are available to show your support and they have set up a Go Fund Me page to take donations to assist with costs going forward. If you would like more information, please join the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/saferoadspontyclun

 

Enjoy the final push before the summer holidays and lets hope the weather stays kind. If you have anything you would like us to chat about in our August piece, please get in touch on community@pontyclun-cc.gov.wales

 

Its all aMAYzing here

May is here and personally; we are all on countdown for some consistent sunshine.

Despite the weather, we have lots going on in the town over the next few months. Our caretakers will be installing new benches at various locations; Riverside, The Hollies, opposite the War Memorial, Ynysddu and Cefn Yr Hendy. Five of these benches have been very kindly part funded or donated by various individuals and companies. Hopefully they will be put to good use in the summer months by visitors and the community enjoying our beautiful town.

The summer flowers will be planted in late May, to bring their usual cheeriness.  We know they always bring a smile to so many people.

During the week of the 13^th – 19^th May it is Dementia Action Week. Llantrisant Over 50’s Forum and Llanharan Drop In have teamed up with various other support agencies and local councils to turn our area blue to help raise awareness. It is projected that by 2025, over 1 million people will be living with dementia and for every person diagnosed, there are family and friends to be considered. It causes a huge impact on families, and we need to raise more awareness on the help and support available, along with the emotional and well being support out there for everyone affected. Turning our towns blue can help with this awareness. There will be lots going on in the areas and we are asking you to help turn your space blue. Blue lights, blue bunting, blue ballons or any blue items to decorate your business, home or work space. To find out more information, please contact jolene@lcdp.org.uk or ypeters@btinternet.com

We also have our Picnic in the Park coming up in less than a month – Saturday 8^th June. Hopefully, we will have lots of you will come along and take part in the fun and games. We have more stalls and groups taking part this year and an entertainment company that will be running games and activities for children throughout the day, along with fairground rides, face painting and of course our food and drink regulars will be with us, to ensure everyone has a good time. We may even have a ‘Tug-O-War’ game if we have enough teams. Watch out for more details on our social media pages and our website.

We have a couple of spaces still available for our Food Festival in August so if you know anyone that may be interested, please ask them to give us a call or drop us an email.

On a more serious note, many residents and businesses have been approaching us regarding issues relating to traffic in and around Pontyclun. These have included concerns about the volume of traffic, speed of traffic and parking issues.

 

Over the next few months, the Council is planning to look at options to try and help improve the position and would welcome comments from residents identifying those areas where there are significant problems and making positive suggestions for ways that these could be improved.

 

This will allow us to try and develop some strategies which we can work with RCT CBC and South Wales Police to try and deliver to improve things.  Please email any suggestions to clerk@pontyclun-cc.gov.wales

 

As always if there is anything you would like us to share with the community, please contact community@pontyclun-cc.gov.wales we would love to hear about any events, good news or concerns you may have.

“Spring is April’s way of Saying “Lets, Bloom”” and it is finally in the air or is that just the smell of Chocolate Easter Eggs.

 

We have our annual Easter Egg hunt from Tuesday 2^nd April until Friday 5^th April. Call in to the council offices and pick up a free entry form, use the clues around the village and claim your chocolatey prize. Anyone under the age of 11 can take part, accompanied by an adult.

Plans are coming along for this year’s Picnic in the Park on Saturday 8^th June; we will have lots of our local community groups on hand to chat, along with games and fun on the stalls. We will have fairground rides, the fantastic team at Pipeworks will be ensuring the grownups don’t go thirsty; TCG Entertainment will be organising kids’ games and providing musical entertainment and the Police and Fire services are also hoping to make an appearance, which we are sure will be a huge hit with the children. The event opens at 12pm and we hope to see you all there.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Men’s Sheds for their continuous support to keep Pontyclun Tidy. Once a month the team tackle some of the areas more prone to rubbish and last month they amassed a total of 12 large bags full of rubbish. It’s a fantastic show of community spirit and I am sure we are not alone in appreciating their efforts. Thank you, gents.

If anyone else would like to part in a litter pick, alone or with your group please contact us to organise the equipment.

I am sure all businesses, public sector organisation and charities in the area are well aware of the new recycling scheme coming into effect in April. From this date all rubbish will need to be sorted and different colour bags will be used to collect recycling. For further information on this please go to https://www.gov.wales/workplace-recycling

With the spring and summer months approaching we have several volunteering positions available on an ad hoc basis, to help with gardening jobs in the town. If you are interested, please get in contact with clerk@pontyclun-cc.gov.wales for further details.

Residents and visitors will soon see some new benches popping up across the area replacing some of those which are in a poor state and there will also be some additional floral displays round about. A special mention to Transport for Wales who have generously given a donation to the Town Council to make improvements at the Hollies in Brynsadler where Dewis Cymru will be creating some new seating areas and floral beds – these will be on show very soon and a thank you to them all.

Brrr its cold

 

Brrr, it’s been a very cold January and with the cost of energy rising I hope everyone is managing to stay warm. Don’t forget there are warm hubs at various locations around Pontyclun and they welcome anyone who needs the space. For more information on these, please get in touch and our staff can direct you on where they are.

January for us has been all about preparing for the year ahead and looking at all the wonderful events we held last year and how we can improve them. Thanks to everyone that offered constructive feedback, it helps enormously.

We kick off 2024 with an Urban Market Easter market on the 23^{rd of} March, this will be held in Heol Yr Orsaf Car Park. Our usual Picnic in the Park will be on Saturday the 8^{th of} June in Pontyclun Park, offering wholesome fun for all the family.

Urban Markets will be back on the 21^{st of} July with their funday and market in the park. Pontyclun Food Festival will again be the Saturday of August bank holiday, offering a wide selection of food, drink, and music.

We also hope that Pontyclun RFC will be running a Community Bonfire night event again this year and of course there will also be Remembrance Day parades in Groesfaen, Miskin and Pontyclun.

The year end is marked with a variety of events in our Christmas festival. These will include the annual Panto; Light switch on, Christmas fayre, Bethel nativity walk and a Santa fun run. Christmas make Pontyclun such a fun place to be.

As always, we are always interested to hear what you would like to see across our Community. If you have any events, you think we should be looking at doing, whether big or small please drop us an email with your suggestions.

Moving on from the fun, we are aware of the concerns regarding litter in the town and obviously this wasn’t helped during the Christmas period with high winds blowing it all over the place. We are working to try and combat this, but if there are any groups out there that would like to help with a litter picking session please do get in touch. We are a Keep Wales Tidy Hub and can lend all the equipment required to do this safely and the area’s most in need, while benefitting the community and wildlife around the area.

If 2024, sees you at a lose end and looking for things to keep you busy, please bear in mind that there are always volunteering roles that would welcome you. There are several within the council, working in and around the town along with several community groups who would be grateful of any help that people can offer. So, if you are interested, please drop us an email and we can direct you to the right group for you.

That’s it from us this month, lets hope February brings slightly warmer temperatures and Spring isn’t too far on the horizon.

Happy New Year!

 

What a way to end 2023.

The festive celebrations in Pontyclun kicked off with our light switch on, and what a lovely evening it was. The atmosphere was wonderful and the 200 + attendees all joined in with the carols, while the younger ones had a great time playing in the “snow”.

Friday the 1^st, saw the Twmpath in the marquee in Heol Yr Orsaf. The evening was to raise money for the Eisteddfod and was organised by Groesfaen Gwyrdd, they raised a fantastic £500. Well done to all the organisers and volunteers.

Saturday the 2nd was the annual Christmas Fayre and wow was it a cold one. The event opened with Pontyclun being officially recognised as a town. Our thanks to Alex Davies-Jones MP, Joel James MS and RCT Council Mayor Cllr Wendy Lewis for attending and presenting Pontyclun Town Chairman Wayne Owen with the confirmation plaque. It was wonderful to share this momentous occasion with so many people.

The 80 stalls had a vast array of gifts and treats for everyone and the 2000+ visitors appreciated the mulled wine, hot food, and drink to keep them sustained as they shopped to their hearts content. There were so many smiling faces, and it really was fantastic to see so many people enjoying the carols, the bands, and the fabulous singers. Santa saw lots of smaller visitors in his grotto, and they were all given a festive treat to take away and enjoy. Thank you to all the stall holders, visitors, volunteers, and performers that made it a wonderful day. See you all again next year.

The Oompah Boyz brought a bit of fun and frivolity to Pontyclun on Sunday. If you were lucky enough to attend, I am sure you can confirm they were almost as fantastic as the Councillors in the traditional Bavarian costumes. Thank you to them all for putting on a great night.

The festive events continued with the beautiful Nativity trail at Bethel, the Santa Fun Run, Carolling at the Rugby club; in Groesfaen and of course the Knightmare before Christmas Quiz. Whatever you took part in, we hope your December was full of fun, love, and a perfect ending to what seems to have been a very busy year for everyone.

As we creep into the New Year, may we take a moment to wish you all plenty of happiness and good health for the New Year and may it be filled with adventure and growth.

January sees a much slower pace although it doesn’t completely stop for Llantrisant Folk Club who have the following events on at Pontyclun Athletic Club:

Wednesday January 3rd - Song & Music Night.

Wednesday January 10th - Song & Music Night.

Wednesday January 17th - National Eisteddfod Fundraiser with Calennig Arbennig, and Bethan Nia.

Wednesday January 24th - Song & Music Night.

Wednesday January 31st - Nick Hart

 

Thank you again to all who keep on supporting your local Town Council and making our events so fantastic, Pontyclun really is the best place to live.