Christmas in Pontyclun: A Festive Season Full of Magic!

 

There’s something truly special about Christmas in Pontyclun, and this year promises to be no exception! With a wonderful programme of festive events, family fun, music and community spirit, there will be plenty of opportunities to get into the Christmas spirit and make some magical memories.

The celebrations kick off on 22 November from 5pm with our Light switch on and Tractor run in Heol yr Orsaf Pontyclun with the annual St Paul's players panto in the week after that.

Then on 5th December is Pontyclun’s Annual Christmas Fayre. With over 70 stalls, delicious food, festive drinks and free entertainment for the children, it promises to be a fantastic day out for all the family. Whether you’re searching for that perfect Christmas gift, enjoying a warming festive drink or simply soaking up the atmosphere, the fayre is sure to make you feel as though you’ve stepped straight into the middle of a Hallmark Christmas movie!

Music and singing will be at the heart of the celebrations this year, with carol services aplenty. The much-loved Sally’s Angels will be performing on 8th and 9th December, bringing their festive voices to the community. There will also be the opportunity to gather for some traditional Christmas cheer with singing around the Christmas tree in Groesfaen on 15th December.

For those who prefer a little more action, the ever-popular Santa Fun Run returns on 13th December. This year sees a new registration point at the Community Centre, with tickets available online. Whether you’re running, jogging or simply taking part for the fun, it’s a wonderful way to bring the community together for a festive morning.

And the fun doesn’t stop at the finish line! The Athletic Club will be hosting its children’s Christmas party straight after the Santa Run. Everyone is welcome, making it the perfect opportunity for families to continue the celebrations together.

Following the huge success of Love Pontyclun, Bethel is bringing us Love Pontyclun Christmas this year. With a full calendar of events planned for 18th, 19th and 20th December, there is sure to be something special for everyone. We can’t wait to see what they have in store, and we’re sure it will be truly magical!

As the festive season draws to a close, the Athletic Club has one more treat up its sleeve. On 2nd January, they will be putting on a one-night-only pantomime of Sleeping Beauty. What better way to end the Christmas season, enjoy a little theatrical magic and celebrate the arrival of 2027?

With so much happening across Pontyclun and the surrounding villages, this Christmas is shaping up to be a truly memorable one. These events are a wonderful reminder of what makes our community so special: the people, the traditions and the joy of coming together.

So, wrap up warm, gather your family and friends, and join in the festivities!

For more information about all the Christmas events in Pontyclun, please visit:

www.pontyclun.net/christmas-in-pontyclun/

The Folk Club will be keeping the party going with the following:

Wednesday December 9th: Christmas Party #1 with The Brwmys. Entertaining Indie-Folk band.
Wednesday December 16th: Christmas Party #2. With all the usual trimmings. Bring a plate to share.

Wednesday December 23th: The Guildhall Players present A Child's Christmas In Wales. Song & Music Night with a bonus.

All other Wednesdays are Song & Music Nights featuring local singers, musicians and poets.

At Pontyclun (Institute) Athletic Club, Palalwyf Ave, CF72 9EH. 8.30pm start.

Autumn Has Arrived – And So Has Pontyclun’s “Silly Season”!

 

Well, autumn has certainly arrived, and that can only mean one thing in Pontyclun: it’s the start of our very own “silly season”!

That’s what we call it in the office, because there are simply so many fantastic events happening over the coming weeks that it would be silly not to get involved! From fireworks and remembrance services to festive lights, Christmas fayres and a Santa Fun Run, there really is something for everyone.

So, grab your diary and make a note of these important dates!

Pontyclun Fireworks – Friday 6th November

We’re kicking things off with the annual Pontyclun Fireworks, kindly organised by Pontyclun RFC. Tickets are available from behind the bar at the rugby club.

The event is always a fantastic occasion, with a wonderful community turnout and fireworks that are truly beautiful to watch.

We know that fireworks aren’t for everyone, though, so we’d like to give local residents and pet owners plenty of notice. The display will take place on Friday 6th November from 7pm.

Remembrance Sunday – Sunday 8th November

Our thoughts then turn to Remembrance Sunday, when our community comes together to remember and honour those who have served and sacrificed so much.

There will be three services taking place across the area:

• Pontyclun: The parade will leave St Paul’s Church at 10.30am, ahead of the 11am service.
• Miskin: Service at 11am.
• Groesfaen: Service at 1.30pm.

We hope as many people as possible will join us as we pay our respects and remember together.

Christmas Lights Switch-On – Sunday 22nd November

One of the highlights of the season is our annual Christmas Lights Switch-On, and this year we’ll once again be joined by the Llantrisant Young Farmers and their fantastic tractors!

There’s a slight change to the location this year, with safety very much at the heart of the decision. Following last year’s wonderful turnout, congestion on the main road became a concern, particularly for the many young children attending.

This year, the tractors will be gathering in Heol Yr Orsaf car park, where we’ll also have stalls and indoor seating available at The Meeting Place if needed.

We’ll be welcoming a brand-new Christmas tree, and the celebrations will include a festive carol singalong with Sabrina Cartlidge.

Come along, soak up the atmosphere and help us get Pontyclun into the Christmas spirit. The event starts at 5pm.

Christmas Fayre – Saturday 5th December

It wouldn’t be Christmas in Pontyclun without our much-loved Christmas Fayre!

Starting at 12pm, this year’s event promises a fantastic line-up of stalls, with extra seating available so everyone can relax and enjoy the festivities.

Whether you’re looking for unique Christmas gifts, catching up with friends or simply enjoying the wonderful festive atmosphere, there’ll be plenty to keep you entertained.

We can already smell the mulled wine and hear the choirs! It’s an event not to be missed, so make sure you save the date.

 A New Chapter for the Santa Fun Run – Sunday 13th December

We’re also excited to be bringing a new chapter to a much-loved Pontyclun tradition: the Santa Fun Run!

Darpan is working alongside us to help organise this fantastic event, and we’re incredibly grateful to have his experience and knowledge on board.

Registrations open on 1st November, so keep an eye out for details if you’d like to take part.

There will be a slightly different route this year, with the starting line moving to the Community Centre. This change is necessary because of rugby matches taking place on the same day, and we hope it will help reduce congestion and make it safer and easier for runners to reach the start line.

So, whether you’re a keen runner, a festive walker or simply fancy seeing Pontyclun filled with Santas, keep an eye out for more information!

There’s Plenty More to Come!

And that’s just the beginning! We’ll be back next month with more exciting events and our community calendar, helping you keep up to date with everything happening in and around Pontyclun.

For now, enjoy the crunch of autumn leaves underfoot, the cosy evenings, and perhaps the odd pumpkin spice treat.

It’s a busy few weeks ahead, but that’s what makes our community so special. We look forward to seeing you out and about, supporting local events and making wonderful memories together.

See you soon, Pontyclun!

Welcome to Autumn!

 Well, what a summer it’s been! 

After the temperatures we’ve experienced, there were moments when we weren’t sure we’d ever feel cool again. But here we are, watching the leaves turn beautiful shades of golden brown and orange, and reaching for a jacket as the evenings draw in. There’s something rather lovely about that first chill in the air — it reminds us that the cosy ‘ber’ months are on their way!

Talking of summer, we rounded ours off with our Annual Food & Drink Festival. We won’t lie, we were keeping a very close eye on the weather reports in the run-up to the event and wondering whether the rain might put a dampener on things. Thankfully, apart from a slight downpour, the sun shone for us and we finished the day on a real high.

Our traders were, as always, absolutely outstanding, bringing plenty of delicious food, drinks and community spirit to the event. And once again, this wonderful community showed just how supportive it is — not only of our events, but of the fantastic small businesses that operate within our town.

A very special shout-out must go to our amazing volunteers. They gave up their time, free of charge, despite the rather uncertain weather, to help us set up and make sure everything went off without a hitch. We really couldn’t do it without you, so thank you!

With our tummies still full of delicious food and perhaps the odd cocktail or two, we’re now hitting the ground running with our Christmas 2026 preparations!

If you have a Christmas event taking place in the town, please let us know. We’d love to add it to our Christmas Calendar and help spread the word so everyone knows what’s happening and when.

Our own Christmas events will begin at the end of November with the Christmas Tractor Run and Light Switch-On, followed by our Christmas Fayre on Saturday 5th December.

We’ve got a fantastic day planned, with a full line-up of choirs and bands to keep us entertained, along with more than 80 stalls packed with Christmas treats, gifts and goodies for all the family. And, of course, there will be a very special visitor dropping in to meet the little ones! There will even be an opportunity to fly Santa’s sleigh — because why should Santa have all the fun?

The Santa Fun Run will be back this year, dates and details to be confirmed, so keep an eye out for details and registration opening.

Before we get completely carried away with Christmas cheer, though, there are a few important dates coming up.

Our Remembrance Services will take place on Sunday 8th November. We’ll publish further details closer to the date across our social media channels and on noticeboards throughout the town.

And, of course, Pontyclun Rugby Club will once again be bringing its popular Firework Display back to the town on Friday 5th November. Details about tickets and timings will be shared soon, so keep an eye out.

Keeping Pontyclun Tidy

As always, we also want to say a huge thank you to all of our wonderful litter pickers who continue to give up their time to help keep our community clean and tidy.

From the Men’s Shed, Scouts and Brownies to individual residents who simply see a problem and decide to do something about it — your efforts really do make a difference.

One resident deserves a particular mention, having collected an incredible 133 bags of rubbish since February during his daily walk to and from work. That is an absolutely outstanding contribution to our community and deserves a massive thank you.

At the same time, though, it’s difficult not to reflect on the fact that there was 133 bags of rubbish to collect in the first place. Litter continues to be an ongoing issue, and it’s something we are continually working on. We all have a part to play in keeping our town looking its best, so please remember: if you bring it with you, take it home with you!

And finally, if you have any good news, community updates or upcoming events that you’d like us to share, please get in touch. We’re always happy to help spread the word and celebrate the wonderful things happening across our community.

You can contact us at community@pontycluntowncouncil.gov.wales.

Enjoy the autumn, stay cosy, and we’ll see you all next month!

 

“October is a gentle reminder that change can be beautiful.”

Well it's nearly all over now!

 

What a lovely summer we have had this year, lots of glorious sunny weather with lazy hazy days to have a great time out and about. Hopefully you and your families have taken advantage and had a great time.

But it’s not over yet, our local wellbeing providers are arranging Pontyclun’s first ever Wellbeing Day on September 5^th with activities spread across Pontyclun park, The Meeting place and various studios.

We hope this will be a great event with lots of people coming and become one of our calendar highlights for the future. Just search online for more details

It was good to see Pontyclun in the national news again this year, this time in relation to the public response to a planning application for a data centre at Mwyndy. Irrespective of your views on data centres, it was really pleasing that so many residents were engaged in this process and had such strong feelings about the area.

September is when our sports clubs start up their seasons again (or finish in the case of our Cricket clubs) and Pontyclun has a rich history of punching above its weight.

The Town Council will shortly be unveiling 2 blue plaques in memory of some of our sporting heroes.

Tommy Rees (1904-1968) – Tommy, born in Pontyclun started his Rugby career at Pontyclun RFC before going on to play for Wales. He moved to Rugby league playing over 400 times for Oldham and winning a Great Britain cap in 1929. After he finished playing, he became a first-class Rugby league referee.

Enoch Jenkins (1892-1984) – Enoch was born in Miskin and competed as a sports shooter at 3 Olympic games 1920, 1924 and 1952 giving him a tremendous 30 years at the top of his sport. During that time, he had many career wins at home and internationally including a score of 99/100 at the 1948 Home nations championship.

Let’s hope that some of our current players reach the heights that these two reached in the past.

Now that the autumn is approaching, we are starting to think ahead towards Fireworks at Pontyclun RFC, our Remembrance commemorations in Groesfaen, Miskin and Pontyclun in November and then later the Christmas festivities across Pontyclun. We will keep you updated with dates/times as they are announced.

Back to 76, what a great summer

 

What a fantastic summer we've been having! After enjoying so much gorgeous sunshine, it's been wonderful to see Pontyclun buzzing with people making the most of the parks, local businesses and community events. It's a great reminder of what makes our village such a special place to live. As we head into August, we have another busy month ahead with plenty of opportunities to get together, have some fun and support our local community.

Families can also look forward to an Inflatables Fun Day in the park on Saturday 1st August. It's offering plenty of fun for children during the summer holidays, and we hope to see lots of families enjoying the day. Details on social media.

Our fourth Pontyclun Food & Drink Festival will take place on Saturday 29th August, and we're looking forward to another wonderful day celebrating great local food, drink and produce. The festival has grown year on year thanks to the support of residents, volunteers, traders and visitors, and we hope you'll come along to enjoy everything on offer while supporting our local businesses and producers.

Our Artisan Markets have also been a great success this year. It's been wonderful to see so many people browsing the stalls, meeting local makers and enjoying the vibrant atmosphere in the village. We're keen to continue the markets throughout the autumn, so if you're an artisan, craft maker, food producer or local business interested in taking part, we'd love to hear from you.

Keep your eyes out for advertising for a Wellness day in Pontyclun on 5^th September. This is a new event in our calendar which will hopefully add Pontyclun well and truly to the South Wales health scene.

The Town Council would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the Y Pant Welsh Baccalaureate students who have given their time to support the community through litter picking and other volunteering activities. Your hard work has made a real difference in keeping Pontyclun looking good, and your efforts are greatly appreciated by residents and the Council alike.

Not to forget our other volunteers who continue to give up their time to keep our town looking its best.

Finally, a reminder that the next meeting of Pontyclun Town Council will take place on Thursday 10th September. Residents are always welcome, and we encourage anyone with an interest in local matters to attend. If you would like to speak at the meeting, please email clerk@pontyclun-cc.gov.wales so a time slot may be allocated on the agenda.

We hope everyone enjoys a safe and happy August, and we look forward to seeing you at our events throughout the month.

Summer is here! hooray

As the days get longer and the weather starts to improve, we're looking forward to a busy and exciting summer here in Pontyclun, with plenty of opportunities for residents to come together, have fun and celebrate everything that makes our community special.

First up is our annual Community Picnic in the Park on Saturday 13th June. This much-loved event is always a fantastic day out for families, friends and neighbours and this year was no different. There were community stalls, children's activities, games, entertainment, food and drink vendors, and plenty of opportunities to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Pontyclun Park. The return of the Colour Run ended the day in spectacular style! Thank you to the volunteers of Friends of Pontyclun Primary for organising such a fun activity for all the kids.

Our popular Artisan Market returns on Sunday 19th July, bringing together a wonderful selection of local traders, producers, crafters and makers. Whether you're looking for handmade gifts, delicious local produce, sweet treats or something unique, there will be plenty to browse and enjoy while supporting small local businesses.

The summer fun continues with an Inflatable Fun Day on Saturday 1st August in Pontyclun Park. Expect giant inflatables, obstacle courses, activities for children and plenty of laughs for all ages. It's the perfect way to keep the youngsters entertained during the school holidays.

Food lovers should also make sure they mark Saturday 29th August in their diaries for our annual Food and Drink Festival. This event continues to grow each year and will showcase some of the very best food, drink and artisan producers from across the region. It's a great opportunity to discover new flavours, meet local producers and enjoy a fantastic day out in the heart of the community.

Away from our events programme, we're also excited that thanks to Dulux and VIY, we have a fresh new look for our much-loved community hub, Cafe 50. The Council is continually exploring improvements to the facility to ensure it continues to meet the needs of local residents and will for years to come. As part of this refresh, there will also be some other new changes coming. We will keep you posted.

As always, none of these events and projects would be possible without the support of our volunteers, community groups, local businesses and residents. Thank you for helping make Pontyclun such a vibrant and welcoming place to live.

We look forward to seeing you throughout the summer!

 

Llantrisant Folk club activities

Wednesday July 8th: SParky Samba Showcase. Participating in a Samba percussion band has been shown to be a therapeutic activity for those in the Parkinson's community.  SParky Samba Cardiff, has brought the rhythms that are fundamental to both Parkinson's and Samba into a mixed performance of percussion and spoken word.  The result has drama, humour, honesty and can be loud! It offers a mainly positive glimpse of life with Parkinson's. Collection buckets will be shaken.

Wednesday July 15th: Mark Dowding. Songs and stories from Lancashire.

Wednesday August 12th: Sherburn, Bartley, Sanders. Soul-stirring songs and witty banter.

Wednesday August 26: We Mavericks (Oz/NZ). Soulful harmonies and driving rhythms.

 

All other Wednesdays are Song & Music Nights featuring local singers, musicians and poets.

At Pontyclun (Institute) Athletic Club, Palalwyf Ave, CF72 9EH. 8.30pm start.

Summer is round the corner and we are getting our party hats on

 

As we head into the summer months, there’s plenty happening in our wonderful community and we’re looking forward to seeing residents out and about enjoying everything Pontyclun has to offer.

One of the highlights of the summer will be our much-loved Picnic in the Park, taking place on Saturday 13th June from 12pm onwards. This fantastic community event promises an afternoon full of fun, food, music and activities for all ages. We would like to say a huge thank you to Elizabeth Law for kindly sponsoring the event this year.

To round off the day in spectacular style, there will be a Colour Run at 4pm, courtesy of the wonderful Friends of Pontyclun Primary School. We know many families are already excited for this colourful finale, and more details will be shared very soon — so keep an eye on our social media pages and noticeboards.

We also want to take a moment to thank all of the amazing volunteers and Welsh Baccalaureate students who have been helping keep Pontyclun looking its best over the past few weeks. Their efforts litter picking around the streets, parks and public spaces have made a real difference and are hugely appreciated by the whole community. It’s fantastic to see people of all ages giving up their time to help care for the area we all share.

If you’ve ever thought about volunteering locally, now is a great time to get involved. There are lots of different ways people can help within the community — from events and environmental projects to supporting local activities and groups. Whether you can spare an hour or more regularly, we’d love to hear from you, so please do get in touch with the Town Council to find out more.

Looking ahead, there are more dates for the diary too! Our popular Food Festival will return on 29th August, bringing together delicious food, local producers and plenty of community spirit. Before that, families can also enjoy the Fun Day in the Park on 1st August, which is always a brilliant day out for children and residents alike.

Finally, we would like to thank our local police teams for continuing to stay on top of inconsiderate parking, particularly around sports fields and schools. Their support in helping keep roads safer and access clear for everyone is greatly appreciated.

We hope everyone enjoys a safe, happy and busy summer in Pontyclun, and we look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events!