Welcome from the new Council and local events in June

Hello everyone, 

Following the Local Elections in May there is a new Community Council in the driving seat in Pontyclun and we are raring to go! We are indebted to the previous Council members who have left the community in a great condition and with lots of exciting plans on the radar.

 

We will do our absolute best to build on this and hopefully the red, white and blue flags decorating the village of Pontyclun for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations were well received by many.

 

There are ten elected Community Councillors who we’ll introduce you to in future editions, with one seat outstanding for Pontyclun East. We recently advertised that open position and will be electing the final seat in due course.

 

We meet as a Council monthly, and all our meetings are open to the public, with the agenda and minutes always posted online, so you can always check up on what we’re talking and planning.

 

Did you also know the Community Council offices are generally always open from 10am-noon Monday to Friday so please feel free to pop in and say “hi” and ask us anything you want.

 

As a Council we cover Pontyclun, but also Groesfaen, Mwyndy, Miskin, Brynsadler and Talygarn (and lots of bits in between) so if you have a question relating to any of those areas, please feel free to contact us – all of our details are on the Community Council website www.pontyclun.net/community-council/

 

 

WHAT’S ON?

 

 

Picnic in the Park 2022

The popular Picnic in the Park will be back in Pontyclun on Saturday 16th July from 1pm. Fingers crossed for some good weather!

 

There will be Community stalls, as well as family activities and games throughout the afternoon. Bring a blanket and a picnic and enjoy the fun.

 

If you don’t want to make your own there will also be food and drink for sale provided by some of our top local traders - Pizza, Burgers, Beers, soft drinks, sweets, cakes and more.

 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

 

 

Community Market

As of June 18^th, The Community Market is relaunching at the Windsor Pub in Pontyclun on the third Saturday of each month. It’s on from 10am-2pm so please get down to support lots of our local traders – and why not wander onto the village high street on your travels?

 

 

Art in the Forest

Art in the Forest is a fortnightly art session held in Bethel Forest starting from July the 1st at 10:30am.

 

It’s an opportunity to spend some time in nature creating art through different mediums: watercolour, pencils, oil pastels, natural sculptures, or whatever your preferred medium - you’re welcome to come and knit, or even sew amongst the trees! 

 

A selection of supplies will be provided, but you’re welcome to bring your own.  There will be someone on hand to offer some ideas to get you started, or to help in any ways we can.

 

Their Oasis Coffee Shop will also be open for you to enjoy a cuppa while you create

 

The C-Word (yes, we know!):

As well as all of the above, and further events we’re looking into for the autumn, plans are also well underway for a fantastic all-weekend Christmas event on December 3^rd-5^th. Mark the date in your diary as we can promise lots of fun, seasonal activities going on all weekend to get you in the seasonal mood.

 

 

Stay up-to-date:

To make sure you stay on top of everything that is going on, please follow us on our social media channels. We are on Facebook and Twitter @PontyclunCC

 I hope to see you all at the Picnic or at another local event soon.

Councillor Paul Binning

Whats on in Pontyclun - coming soon...

 Last month we talked about Café 50, a social hub for over 50’s based in Pontyclun, offering a wide variety of opportunities to meet new people, take up a new hobby or just pop in for a cuppa; but did you know about the other things that happen here?

During lockdown Café 50 Manager Tara took part in a training course on working with volunteers with learning disabilities and met Ann Broadway from RCT Adult Services. After the course, Tara invited Ann to Café 50 to look at the potential of taking over the kitchen as a base for their Training Centre, after their last one was destroyed in the floods of early 2020. This led to discussions and proposals with RCT Learning Curve taking over the kitchen at Café 50, under the experienced and watchful eye of Sarah Jones, Senior Daytime Opportunities Officer.

Led by a fantastic team of support workers, the kitchen is a training centre for adults with learning difficulties to help them gain new skills and potential employment experience, as well as the prospect of achieving accredited qualifications, increase their independence, reduce loneliness and provide new challenges.

Open Monday to Friday 12pm – 1:30pm the kitchen offers a wide range of tasty hot meals at a discounted rate, along with a freshly prepared salad bar, jacket potatoes and baguettes. All the food is prepared fresh every morning and the special of the day, hot meal changes every day. Along with delicious meals they also do a fantastic variety of hot and cold desserts, and a main meal & dessert will cost £5.00, including a hot drink. The lunch service is open to anyone, you don’t have to be over 50 to enjoy the delicious meals here at Café 50.

From May, a new service has also been added to the already jam-packed timetable, a Youth Café and Drop-in Centre. With the assistance of the Neighbourhood Network to make the introductions; Pontyclun Community Council and YEPS have started a Youth Café is now running every Monday evening from 6pm until 8pm. A safe place where anyone between the ages of 11-18 can come and hang out or talk to one of the experienced youth workers about a range of issues, including: finance, jobs, training, feelings of isolation and loneliness. If you would like more information, please call Caroline Wool on 07769 164717.

 

The new Community Council starts its work

Following the recent Community Council elections, the new Councillors held their first meeting on 11^th May 2022.

Councillor Wayne Owen was elected Chair and Councillor Jordan Thorne Vice-Chair. The Council has some great plans to improve our community and we will be sharing these with you as they develop.

Look out for some new benches coming soon, some great community events over the Summer including our Picnic in the Park on 16^th July.

Friends of Cefn y Hendy

The Cwm Taf Nature Network is a Welsh Government funded project and part of the ENRaW scheme (Enabling Natural Resources & Wellbeing) and aims to form a collaboration of organisations in the Cwm Taf Health Board region to manage the green infrastructure of the region for the benefit of people, businesses and communities. The project is split into three themes that align with the Cwm Taf and Bridgend Well Being Plans with the themes of action for the ENRaW.

 

· Enable - Increasing access to green infrastructure.

· Empower - Improving environment quality for thriving communities.

· Unite - Creating a connected network of green spaces.

 

Cefn y Hendy has been selected as one of the project sites and there is a call out for local people and volunteers to get involved with this  exciting project so that we can ensure this is 100% community led. We want to support all residents to maintain this incredible local green space. We plan to do this by working with you through events and activities to form an ecological network focused on biodiversity connectivity. We hope that this green space alongside other green spaces in the Cwm Taf Nature Network, will be accessed easily on foot or by bike and will encourage active travel and improve wellbeing.

 

For more information on how you can get involved please contact

 

Lowri.Owen@bridgend.gov.uk

 

Walking Rugby festival coming to Pontyclun

The Pontyclun Walking Rugby team are holding a Walking Rugby festival at the Rugby Club on Sunday 31^st July. They are expecting up to 24 teams from all over South Wales and the West Country to attend and enjoy this fast-growing sport.

People who would like to try Walking Rugby should go to Pontyclun RFC on Monday evenings at 6.30 or Pontyclun Park on Wednesday mornings 10am. Men and women are welcome with all abilities and skills catered for and we will be pleased to see you

Cafe 50 Pontyclun

 

Café 50 is a vibrant, busy social hub set right in the heart of Pontyclun. It’s been around for almost a decade but you’d be forgiven for not knowing much about it. When the council originally took it over, it was still very much associated by the locals as the Day Centre.

Eight years ago, the Community Council opened Café 50 after the Day Centre closed. In those 8 years Café 50 has become a social hub for the over 50s.  Groups start at 9am most days and range from exercise, languages, interest specific, musical and so much more. The hub has the sole aim of ensuring no one spends retirement lonely or bored.

Now though nothing could be further from the truth.

The décor has changed and been modernised, the groups and activities have become more inclusive and fun; there is a lot more variety, along with a fantastic kitchen service offering delicious meals and snacks.  The kitchen is run by Learning Curve Enterprises; a social aspect of RCT Adult Services, offering adults with learning difficulties, the opportunity to learn new skills. The team are fabulous, and so welcoming and helpful.  Their Thursday Carvery is beautiful and the desserts are outstanding.

Most of the groups are run by wonderful volunteers and group leaders who are always on hand to chat, listen and include.

Tara Davies, who manages the facility, said “Café 50 is a welcome haven for anyone. We offer a unique experience that isn’t really found anywhere else. Our users are all so lovely and plenty have made lasting friendships here that they may not have found anywhere else. It is very hard to put into words just how fantastic this place is”.

An average week starts with the Welcome Friends group, where attendees can join in with crafting, board games or charity knitting. There is also a digital table where users can learn all things technical on a more one to one basis. The afternoon welcomes the Afternoon Social group; set up for anyone living with or caring for someone with dementia. This group is run by a team of volunteers and the wonderfully vivacious Sabrina, of The Jolly Good Company, offering a safe haven for individuals and their carers. It’s a happy afternoon, filled with tea, biscuits, songs and laughter.

The rest of the week is a blur of amazing food, from fish and chips to a beautiful carvery style lunch finished off with cherry crumble. Quizzers, Art & History groups; two low impact exercise classes to burn off all the amazing food, and three different yoga & tai chi style classes, suitable for all levels and abilities. We also spotted beginners Spanish class, ready for the summer holidays we have all been waiting for.

Once a month you can pull up a comfy chair, grab some popcorn and sit back and relax at the monthly Film Club. If you have grandchildren, they offer a biweekly Grandparents hour, where you can meet other grandparents while the children play games, get involved in craft projects or just enjoy some home-made cookies, perfect, especially  when the weathers miserable.

As if all that isn’t enough, they hold regular special seasonal events with Action for Elderly recently funding free Valentine’s Day & St David’s Day lunches and an Easter Picnic. Future events are being planned hopefully to include a summer picnic (including some virtual horse racing) an autumn Murder mystery adventure and of Course Café 50’s legendary Christmas Dinners

Café 50 really is a wonderful place, with a vibrant mix of groups and activities suitable for all. A full timetable is available on their website www.pontyclun.net/cafe50/ For classes run by U3A visit www.u3a.uk

Tara Davies can be contacted on cafe50@pontyclun-cc.gov.wales or on 01443 238500.