CWMNI

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CWMNI NEWS

LATEST NEWS: YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY
LATEST NEWS: TREHERBERT FOOD & CRAFT FAYRE IS A BIG SUCCESS

CwmNi’s Community Safety Theme Group in conjunction with Personal Safety UK recently held a Free Personal Safety Class for residents living within the CwmNi area.

The session was held on Friday 12th March at Treherbert Youth & Education Centre, Dumfries Street.

TIMEBANKS UK .... Top
CwmNi are working in conjunction with Timebanks UK to offer local residents an opportunity to earn “time credits” for community volunteering activities. For example, you could help out on a local project, participating in a working group or even distribute leaflets, all of which helps the local community.

To become a member of this scheme or to find out more information please call the office on 01443-777536.

SOCCER SUCCESS .... Top
Over the Christmas period CwmNi teamed up with Cardiff City Football Club to offer a football fun day for 7-13 year olds from the villages of Blaenrhondda, Blaencwm, Tynewydd, Treherbert and Penyrenglyn.

The aims of the day were to introduce young boys and girls to the importance of healthy exercise and the basic skills of football. Joel Berry, aged 9 said, “I enjoyed everything about the day it was excellent, but most of all I enjoyed the tournaments. I can’t wait for CwmNi to arrange another fun day”.

Over 75 children attended the session, and CwmNi has plans to run a similar day in the Spring. The event was funded by CwmNi’s Health, Safety & Education Groups, and organised by local resident and CCFC Football Development Officer Gary Wilmot.

BUSINESS SCENE .... Top
~ Firstly can I say congratulations to Annette Evans, who has successfully accessed a Commercial Improvement Grant from the Council, to renovate the front of her Grocery and Haberdasary shop in Wyndham Street, Tynewydd. Annette supplies a wide range of quality products including fresh fruit and veg, wet fish and woollen products. Annette would like to thank all past and present custom and hopes she will have the continued support of local people.

If businesses feel that they could benefit from a Commercial Improvement Grant or would like to find out further information please don’t hesitate to contact me at the CwmNi Office on 777536.

~ The CwmNi Business and Economy Theme Group and the Blaenrhondda Forum Steering Committee have been working closely together over the past few weeks to investigate the possibility of a Co-operative Shop for Blaenrhondda. The Shop would consist off a general store and also hopes to incorporate other amenities. Over the coming weeks, representatives from the Theme Group and Forum will visit existing examples of Co-operatives to learn from past experiences, as well as talking to Co-op Wales regarding how to take this forward.

~ Once again as in previous years the CwmNi Christmas Tree Scheme was a success in illuminating many businesses in the CwmNi area. We hope that it got you in a christmassey mood and encouraged a local spending spree! I would like to thank the businesses for taking part again this year and wish them a prosperous new year.

~ And lastly, just a reminder to say that the Business and Economy Theme Group is held every month and discusses and acts upon relevant business issues in our area. The Group is always looking for new members and anyone interested can call the CwmNi office for times and dates.

Kind Regards, David Brooks, CwmNi Business Development Officer.

CLWB CWMNI - CWMNI YOUTH FORUM .... Top
If you’re fed-up and think “there’s nothing for us to do”, or “nobody listens to us" then join Clwb CwmNi now as this is an opportunity not to be missed!

Clwb CwmNi is to be the name of the CwmNi Youth Forum. Due to launch in the New Year, Clwb CwmNi will give children from the local area an opportunity to express their views and opinions, and contribute in the running of forthcoming projects.

If you are aged between 11yrs to 18yrs (or have children or grandchildren living in the area) and you would like to become involved in a youth group who will have a high influence on future projects for our area then please contact Darren or Jo-ann at the office 01443-777536 or complete the below slip and return to the CwmNi office, then you will be contacted soon to reserve your seat at the Clwb!

Don’t delay join today!

UPDATE - BUILD IT PROJECT .... Top
The Build It project was set up to train three local young people who had left school with little or no formal qualifications to become tradesmen qualified to NVQ level 3 in construction trades. Not only does the scheme give the opportunity of full time employment but also teaches the young people invaluable social skills, which are essential for future employment and aid integration into the community.

Since the last newsletter the three apprentices, Aaron Ford, David Prichard and Chay Roderick have started college to gain NVQ Level 3 in their chosen trades all having passed their taster courses with excellent marks.

All the apprentices have worked hard and are learning the skills of their trade with the help of local contractors, Kevin John, Alan Howells and Bouchard & Jones. We would like to thank all the contractors for the high quality training that they are supplying to the apprentices.

Since the last issue the boys have completed more work in the community, painting the outside of the CwmNi Office and fitting a new back door, clearing a church garden, and rebuilding a wall in Bute Street. We hope to start work on repairing boundary on the new Arts Surgery in Tynewydd soon.

The apprentices met and talked to HRH Prince Charles when he officially opened the Penyrenglyn Project. The Prince showed a great interest in the apprentices and the Build It project, Prince Charles wished the boys every success in qualifying in their chosen trades.

FREE CRECHE AND TRANSPORT FACILITIES FOR ALL .... Top
Would you like to attend Cwmni meetings but cannot due to childcare commitments, or maybe you cannot afford the additional expense of a childminder, perhaps you don’t have access to transport - if so look no further!

For all our public meeting Cwmni makes every attempt to provide fully qualified crèche facilities, if you interested in this service simply phone the office one week prior to the event, and we will do our best to provide the facilities you require.

Further if you have transport and/or access difficulties phone the office and we will arrange some form of community transport service to help out where we can!

If there should be any other concerns hindering your attendance, please don’t hesitate to call us. We look forward to seeing you at our future meetings!

Ceriann Fisher (left) and Susanne Smith (right) are local registerd childminders. They gave a hand at the Cwmni Summer Conference. For more information call Susanne on 01443-437265.

ACTION PLAN .... Top
Over the past months we have carried out a lot work – to develop Action Plans that outline the type of works that CwmNi wants to carry out throughout the communities of Blaenrhondda, Blaencwm, Tynewydd, Treherbert and Penyrenglyn over the next three years (with the help of other organisations and local community volunteers).

The Action Plans have been developed through the active involvement of local people and key agencies in looking at the needs of the community and then agreeing ideas that will help provide a suitable solution to them. Workshop sessions were run by different groups to focus on all five themes and a joint conference was held to pull together all the different views of the theme groups and review each others work.

Besides the workshop activities and the conference, we also used the information supplied by residents from the Your Voice Community Survey to hep make sure that the different plans actually target the concerns indicated by the most local people.

At this stage it may not sound like a lot of hard work – but don’t be fooled by how simple it all sounds. We now have five theme groups Action Plans and it could be said “there’s something for everyone”.

Some of the projects the Theme Groups are undertaking are:
1) Environment & Housing,
2) Business & Economy,
3) Community Safety,
4) Education, Youth & Lifelong Learning,
5) Health & Wellbeing.

Each of these plans proposes some very practical actions for the local area and there’s bound to be something which interests you.

As with any Action Plans, they are only as good as the way they are used and CwmNi is now submitting then to the Welsh Assembly Government with the hope of securing additional funding over 2004 – 2007 to help us carry out the work. With our fingers crossed, we are hoping to secure the money needed to deliver Action plan projects and help get the jobs done.

For further information on this process, please call the CwmNi office on 01443-777536 or email: info@cwmni.org.uk

Rhys Burton, Cwmni Regeneration Manager.

YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY .... Top
(Issued November 11, 2004)