Jingle bells, Jingle Bells

Christmas Festival

Pontyclun’s Christmas Festival takes place at the Pontyclun Athletic Club on Saturday December 1^st. Please come along with all your family.

From midday there will be a Christmas Market inside the Athletic Club, organised by Pontyclun’s Macmillan Fundraising Group. Father Christmas and his elves will be inviting visits to his Grotto. There will be every stall imaginable at which you can buy all your Christmas gifts.

From 1 pm there will be an outside stage providing the best in Christmas music with the RCT Community Wind Band, the Ukeladies Band, Pontyclun Primary School, Cantorian Pontyclun, the cast of the Pontyclun Pantomime. Cllr Martin Ashford plays a gentleman with a big white beard and leads Pontyclun’s leading rock band. 

There will be fairground rides provided by Tommy Smith. There will be foodstalls to satisfy your hunger pangs.

At 5.30 pm Pontyclun’s Christmas lights will be turned on. The lights are provided by Floodlighting and Electrical Supplies – a firm with a national reputation which is based in Pontyclun.

This festival is funded and organised by Pontyclun Community Council.

Pontyclun Santa Fun Run

On Sunday December 16^th at 10.00 am there will be the Santa Fun Run beginning at Pontyclun Rugby Club. Do get there early to complete your registration and pay just £7 for a bacon roll, a hot drink and a medal for all participants. This is definitely for all comers – you can chose between a 5k run and a 3.5k walk. It is great fun and justifies a huge amount of Christmas excess.

Remembering 1918

Throughout the past month the Community Council has organised and supported a wide series of events to commemorate 1918 – a public concert and lecture, a walk past the homes of those most affected by the Great War, an Afternoon Tea supported by songs from the children of Pontyclun Primary School, a lunch with 1918 recipes, an art exhibition, an art and literature competition, a ‘music, poems and pints’ evening at the Athletic Club. The ‘Singing for the Brain’ group organised a lunch which was again supported by songs from the children of Pontyclun Primary School. 

This was all in addition to the very well attended memorial services on Armistice Day. 

My thanks to the large number of people who helped organise and support these memorable events.

Ysgol Llanhari

Ysgol Llanhari is a very successful Welsh medium school serving the community of Pontyclun. It is one of very few schools which can provide an education from the age of 3 years to 18 years. I have served on the Board of Governors for the past six years and this year I accepted the position of Chair. We are looking for new members of the Board of Governors. This is a fascinating role in which you can bring your experience and interest in Welsh medium education to the task of supporting and developing the work of the school. If you would like to join the Governors, please contact me.

Ysgol Llantrisant targets plastic

Community Councillor Karen Lane is the convenor of our Environment Working Group. She is working closely with the children of Ysgol Llantrisant. 

Last month she organised a meeting between the School’s Eco Council and the Community Council to discuss how we can all reduce our use of plastic. One of the children provided an impressive presentation of the terrible effects of plastic on wildlife. 

The Community Council along with the children of Ysgol Llantrisant will work with local traders in Pontyclun to reduce the use of plastic.

Firework Displays

Congratulations once again to Pontyclun Rugby Club who organised another magnificent bonfire and firework display for the whole town. Chairman, John Gilbert, has shared with us details of the huge amount of trained and coordinated volunteer effort that goes into ensuring a safe event.

We respect the fact that Miskin Scouts decided that they were not in a position to organise their event this year and we thank them for all their efforts over the years. Miskin Community Councillor, Mike Davies, has been in close communication with Miskin Scouts and has been assured that it was not a lack of support that led to the decision. 

For the future, the Community Council has decided that it would consider an application for support from any group that wishes in the future to organise a display at a suitable location in Miskin.  

Councillor Paul Griffiths

Chair

Pontyclun Community Council

Thinking back - to 1918 and ahead to Christmas and beyond

Remembering 1918 - Peace at Last

Pontyclun Community Council is working with our community in offering a series of events throughout November to remember 1918

Tuesday 6 November

Y Pant School

At 5.15 there will be Music and Drama from the young people of YGGG Llantrisant and Y Pant.

At 6.30 I will give a short talk on 1918, with film exerts. I aim to provoke a discussion by arguing that the war and the peace treaty were avoidable disasters that shaped so many of the catastrophes of the following 100 years – Hitler, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, the Balkans, the Irish Border, Brexit. It also heralded so many of our achievements including votes for women and working men. Come along and give your point of view. The event is free. Tickets are available at the Library but you are welcome without tickets.

Sunday 11 November

Remembrance Services

11.00 am at the War Memorials in Pontyclun and Miskin with a service at St Paul’s Church at 9.30 am. Our thanks to Denise Ellis and all others who work each year to organise these important services.

Monday 12 November

Walking to Remember 1918

At 10 am at St Paul’s Church you are all welcome to join the U3A walking group when Edgeley Thomas leads us on a walk through Pontyclun, Brynsadler and Talygarn. We will point out all the reminders of Pontyclun in 1918 (the streets, schools, churches, chapels and factories) as well as noting the homes of some of those who died in the war.

Monday 12 November

Afternoon Tea

At 2.30 pm in Café 50 there will be an afternoon tea. A few tickets are still available from Tara at the Community Centre Office.

Monday 19 November

U3A

At 1 pm in the Community Centre Talygarn Resident, Peter Cox will give a talk on ‘My Life as a Spy’. He will trace the British Intelligence Service back to the First World War. Peter’s Talk will be preceded by a lunch of dishes prepared with recipes of 1918.

The October U3A meeting was addressed by Dr Ritchie Wood who gave a brilliantly illustrated talk on the role of women in the First World War as they worked on the battlefield, in the police service, in the factories and on the farms. We learned how in 1918 women were told by the Government, the newspapers, the trade unions and even by aristocratic leadership of the suffragettes to get back into their homes and kitchens.

Giles Gallery and Pontyclun Library

From the end of October Giles Gallery is hosting an exhibition of lithographs commissioned by the British Government in 1917 to improve morale among the war weary. In Pontyclun Library there will lithographs showing the work of women and men at home and at war.

Saturday 4 November

Songs, Poems and Pints

At 7.30 pm at the Athletic Club there will be an evening when all of Pontyclun finest musicians, singers, choristers and poets are coming together to enjoy an evening of remembering 1918. Anyone who misses this evening will regret it! It will be great fun as well as poignant. Tickets, £5, are available from me and form the Community Council Offices.

Saturday 1 December

Pontyclun Christmas Festival

On 1 December, starting at 12 noon, at the Athletic Club there is will be a Christmas Market inside the Club when local traders and crafters will be able to sell you every Christmas gift you can imagine. In the car park of the Athletic Club there will be fairground rides and a variety of food stalls.

There will be a music stage. There will be festive music from the choirs of Pontyclun Primary School and YGGG Llantrisant, Callenig folk band, the RCT woodwind band, the Ukeladies band, Cantorian Pontyclun and the pantomime cast of St Paul’s Players.

Pontyclun’s Christmas lights will be turned on at 5.30, after which the music stage will rock! 

Trains

Train users will have noticed that Transport for Wales, backed by Welsh Government and Keolis Amey, are now providing our trains. We wish them well and look forward to the promised newer and bigger trains arriving over the next few years as well as a more frequent Sunday service.

I spoke at the Conference in Cardiff which launched the new service. I argued hard that it was not good enough to continue with just one train an hour at the Pontyclun, Llanharran and Pencoed stations – when almost all other stations in South Wales would have two or four trains an hour.

Llanharran and Pontyclun Labour members have met to consider a joint way forward. We will be meeting with Assembly Members, MP’s and Ministers. We will be asking for your support as we campaign for more trains.

Walking Football / Rugby

We are looking to see how many people in the area would be interested in taking part in Walking Football or Walking Rugby.

These fast growing sports are ideal ways to improve your health and make friends. All ages and abilities can take part.

If you are interested please contact The Community Council who are co-ordinating this on 01443 238500 or by e-mail at clerk@pontyclun-cc.gov.wales

Councillor Paul Griffiths
Chair
Pontyclun Community Council