Tidy Towns Project Seminar

Keep Wales Tidy held a Tidy Towns Project seminar this week to raise the profile of this new community based project.

The evening was presented and organised by Daniel Snaith, Keep Wales Tidy Project Officer for Carmarthenshire and featured a number of presentations from the Keep Wales Tidy team, Carmarthenshire County Council and Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services.

The seminar was held at the Cothi Bridge Hotel in Pontargothi near Llandeilo. Around 45 people turn out for the event to find out more about this great project.

So what is the Tidy Towns Project?

Tidy Towns is a two part initiative between Keep Wales Tidy and Welsh Local authorities, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government. Keep Wales Tidy are delivering the community engagement element of the Initiative. It is a strategic project, which aims to work across Wales in all 22 Local Authorities. The project seeks to work strategically by empowering the people of Wales to take responsibility for their local environment. This will be delivered by establishing and developing community groups throughout Wales who will work towards meeting the needs of their local community by adopting areas of their local environment and undertaking practical improvement projects.

(Daniel Snaith giving his presentation on the project)

(Elinos Walters from Carmarthenshire County Council giving her presentation on the project)

What is the aim of the project?
To support the people of Wales to take responsibility for the quality of their local environment.

How does Tidy Towns work?

Volunteers ‘adopt’ their local area and focus on its ongoing care. Communities will be encouraged to adopt waste black-spots and restore them to their former glory.

Projects undertaken by groups include; litter picks, path maintenance, dune management, installing benches and picnic sites, invasive species clearance, improving disabled access, developing community gardens, running waste amnesties and habitat management.

Why join the project?
As part of a group you can develop your ideas for improving the quality of your local environment.

• Keep Wales Tidy Project Officers are assigned to each group to provide advice and practical assistance.


• A small grant is available to cover costs of insurance, tools and equipment, materials, refreshments etc.


• Training is available to volunteers on a wide range of issues.


• You get a chance to meet other groups to exchange ideas.

If want any further information about the Tidy Towns Project then please contact Daniel Snaith on 029 2038 1726.

The evening included presentations from Rachel Lovell (CAVS) promoting their new Green Day Environmental Volunteering. (photo below)

As well as presentations from Diane Thomas, Carmarthenshire's Sustainability Officer who looked at recycling and sustainability within the county and Isabel Macho who gave an interesting presentation on the Llanelli Watervole Project and the problems Knot weed causes in this country.

(Isabel Macho, Carmarthenshire Biodiversity Officer)

New Credit Union Branch Launched

A new credit union branch has launched in Gwaun Cae Gurwen (GCG). The branch is a part of Neath Port Talbot Credit Union. GCG is not far from the Carmarthenshire/Neath Port Talbot border and sits inside the Upper Amman Valley Communities First ward.

The launch, held at GCG Community Hall, comes after at least a year of endeavour by local residents. This branch will be operated by a small team of local volunteers.

The launch event was supported by Communities First and there was a variety of organisations present with information stands, including the Citizens Advice Bureau and Age Concern.

At the launch: (left to right) Les Hughes (Neath Port Talbot Credit Union); Tracey Ervine (GCG branch volunteer); Ffion Davies (Communities First Development Officer); David Jones (GCG branch volunteer)

Volunteers Tracey Ervine and David Jones explain more about the credit union and the launch event.

For more information on credit unions, see the website of the Association of British Credit Unions at http://www.abcul.org/

Lesley Shannon from Confident Nutrition was at the event with tasters of carrot and coriander soup and apricot oaty bars. These yummy dishes demonstrated that good, healthy food can be cooked quickly and easily at home and without needing to spend lots of money.

Upper Amman Valley Communities Coordinator Tom Williams talks to Lesley in 'Confident Nutrition TV'! Filmed by Ffion Davies

For more information on Confident Nutrition, visit http://www.confidentnutrition.co.uk/

Project Higher Editing Workshop

An editing workshop on Monday evening provided members of Project Higher with the opportunity to edit the footage that they recorded in their filming workshop in October.

Group members used Apple's iMovie, a piece of editing software that comes with Macs, to put together the spoof chat show interview with 'Tom Hamer' that they staged.

Thanks to Carmarthenshire County Council's Youth Service, Peri at Mess Up The Mess and Chris at Carmarthenshire Connect, we managed to get together five Macs for use for by the group, meaning that there was a Mac between every two participants.

The workshop was facilitated by freelance TV professional Dylan Tucker, Mess Up The Mess, Upper Amman Valley Communities First and Carmarthenshire Connect.

We're pleased to say that by end of the two hour session, five fully edited chat shows were created and played back to fellow group members.

Editing: just wicked!

Using iMovie

Dylan Tucker demonstrates some of iMovie's features

Watching each other's completed videos at the end

Louisa tells us what she thought of the session, and what she did

Owain tells us about the session (in Gymraeg/in Welsh)

Finally, nothing to do with editing, but a great bit of choreography!

Lost Communities - I Remember When...

Video Number 2 in the series where members of Lost Communities share their memories of how the Morfa, Bwlch and Machynys areas of Llanelli have changed

I remember when New Street had a railway bridge, 'Joe Cwtch' and 'Ted The Cobblers'

by Mavis Smith

Learn a Skill with Organised Kaos (5/6)

This weeks top circus skill to learn is:

STAFF

Organised Kaos member Lee is going show us how to spin a staff. Anyone can have a go at this, all you need to start is a broom handle!

Watch the video below to see how its done:

Join us again next week to learn one final skill with Organised Kaos.

New Copperworks PFA Blog

Copperworks School's Parents and Friends Association (PFA) has set up a blog! The blog is full of photos from recent events that the PFA has held. Copperworks School is in the Glanymor & Tysiha Communities First ward of Llanelli.

See the blog at copperworkspfa.blogspot.com

The blog was set up by Joanne Yeo, Events Co-ordinator / Organiser for Copperworks PFA.

Joanne setting up the new blog in the IT suite of the Glanymor & Tyisha Communities First Centre