Heritage News
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HERITAGE NEWS BLAENAVON WORLD HERITAGE SITE NEWSLETTER ISSUE 11 - Winter 2010 Record Breaking Year for Heritage What a Party! Railway Page 2 On 12 September 2010 Blaenavon celebrated a decade of World Heritage Site status in style with a spectacular open-air event at Blaenavon Ironworks. Set in A Decade of World the historic heart of the industrial landscape, a sell out crowd of 800 people Heritage Status enjoyed ‘Party in the Past’, an evening of outstanding musical entertainment that Page 6 culminated in a tremendous firework display which could be enjoyed from all Forgotten corners of the town. Landscapes: Work The concert was hosted by the musical director of ‘Only Men Aloud’, Tim Rhys- has begun Evans. It featured performances from ‘The Three Welsh Tenors’, Sophie Evans Pages 7 (the runner up on the BBC’s reality show ‘Over the Rainbow’), ‘Only Boys Aloud’, the Blaenavon Gamelan and local favourites, Blaenavon Male Voice Choir and Rescuing Blaenavon Town Band. Local schoolchildren participated and performances were Blaenavon’s given by popular drama group, ‘Chance Encounters’. ‘People’s History’ Page 11 It has been a successful anniversary year for Blaenavon. ‘Party in the Past’ followed the most popular World Heritage Day ever. Held in June, the event saw nearly 10,000 people flock to the heritage town in the glorious weather to enjoy a day of entertainment, celebrating Blaenavon’s rich industrial heritage. Highlights of the day included the annual heritage costume parade and marvellous performances by the Welsh National Opera. Chairman of the Blaenavon World Heritage Site Partnership, Cllr. Bob Wellington, said that the celebrations were “a great opportunity for the community and friends of Blaenavon to celebrate everything that has been achieved over the past ten years while we are already developing exciting and ambitious plans to ensure that the town’s future is a bright one.” Since World Heritage Status was awarded to the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape in November 2000, the area has seen more than £35 million of investment. For more information on how this historic landscape is being protected and promoted, please see the centre pages. visitblaenavon.co.uk BLAENAVON HERITAGE NEWS Record Breaking Year for Blwyddyn Lwyddiannus Iawn Heritage Railway i’r Rheilffordd Dreftadaeth Following the opening of its Blaenavon extension at the end Yn dilyn agoriad ei hestyniad ym Mlaenafon ar ddiwedd of May and having already surpassed the 2009 passenger mis Mai ac wedi rhagori eisoes ar ffigurau teithwyr 2009, figures, Blaenavon’s Heritage Railway is having its best year mae Rheilffordd Dreftadaeth Blaenafon yn wynebu ei ever. The extension was officially opened on 17 September blwyddyn gorau erioed. Agorwyd yr estyniad yn swyddogol by Pop mogul and rail enthusiast, Pete Waterman, along ar 17 Medi gan y mogwl pop Pete Waterman sy’n with the Mayors of Torfaen and Blaenavon. The event also ymddiddori’n fawr ym myd trenau, ynghyd â Meiri Torfaen saw the railway celebrate the 175th anniversary of the a Blaenafon. Cafwyd hefyd gyfle i ddathlu pen blwydd Great Western Railway with the steam locomotive ‘City of Rheilffordd y Great Western yn 175 oed, gyda dyfodiad Truro’ in attendance. Over 1,000 people turned out to enjoy y locomotif ager ‘City of Truro’. Daeth dros 1,000 o bobl i the fun. fwynhau’r achlysur. The volunteers are still busy working on the new station Mae’r gwirfoddolwyr dal i fod wrthi’n gweithio’n ddyfal building at Blaenavon High Level, plus constructing the new ar adeilad yr orsaf newydd ar Lefel Uchel Blaenafon, yn branch line from Furnace Sidings to Big Pit. The latter is due ogystal ag adeiladu’r lein gangen newydd o Gilffyrdd y to open early in 2011 and will put the railway right on the Ffwrnais i Bwll Mawr. Bwriedir agor yr olaf ar ddechrau doorstep of Big Pit. The railway is always on the lookout for 2011 felly’n gosod y rheilffordd ar stepen drws Pwll Mawr. new volunteers. If you are interested please phone 01495 Mae yna wastad galw am wirfoddolwyr ar y rheilffordd. Os 792263. oes gennych ddiddordeb ffoniwch 01495 792263. Santa Claus visits the railway on 28 November and each Mae Siôn Corn yn ymweld â’r rheilffordd ar 28 Tachwedd weekend in December as the Santa Steam Specials get a phob penwythnos ym mis Rhagfyr wrth i ddigwyddiadau underway. arbennig The popular y Nadolig steam hauled gychwyn. Mae’r specials offer trenau ager a treat for all arbennig yn the family, each wledd i’r teulu child will get oll; bydd anrheg a present and i bob plentyn there’s sherry a mins peis a and mince pies sherry i’r rhieni. for the parents. Bydd disgownt Discount is i’r rheiny sy’n available bwcio ymlaen on advance llaw ar gyfer y bookings for the trenau cynharaf; earlier trains; ffoniwch 01495 call 01495 792263 am 792263 for ragor o fanylion. more details. ©Alistair Grieve PAGE 2 BLAENAVON HERITAGE NEWS Get Your Busiest Summer Ever Skates On! at Big Pit! Blaenavon Heritage Big Pit has had another record-breaking summer, with the Town is gearing up for first two weeks in August being the busiest the site has ever the Blaenavon Winter had. We also had a range of exciting family activities, Wonderland weekend on which gave visitors of all ages an insight into miners’ family 4th & 5th December, a real holidays to such places as Barry and Porthcawl. Younger festive treat for all the family. visitors enjoyed Punch and Judy shows, dressed up as Santa will be making a Bathing Belles and Beaus, played giant games and got to return with his real reindeer make their own passports to take home. We also had a very on both days. Children can successful week at the Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale, with the visit him in his grotto with launch of the latest edition of GLO and a new resource for plenty of photo opportunities Adult Welsh Learners. for children who want long lasting memories of Looking forward to the winter, we have the usual flurry of this special moment. There excitement at the arrival of Mother Christmas in December, will also be a covered Christmas Market in Market Square and in January we will be hosting our first ‘Love Food’ with a fantastic outdoor ice rink, ensuring that there will be weekend, which looks to bring the best of local produce and something for everyone, young and old. gourmet expertise to Big Pit and celebrate the romance of Diwrnod Santes Dwynwen (the patron saint of Welsh lovers). Chairman of the Blaenavon Town Traders Association, Tom So, what better way to combat the winter cold than to cwtch Wood, said “so much planning has gone into this year’s up with somebody you love and enjoy good food at Big Pit? Christmas Weekend and what makes it more special is how the community has got behind it. This has been a real For further details, please contact Big Pit on 01495 790311 team effort with support from Torfaen Council, Communities or visit www.museumwales.ac.uk First, Blaenavon Regeneration Partnership and many other stakeholders and volunteers in the town…the Winter Wonderland will be showcasing this special Heritage Town, featuring some fantastic independent shops that you simply can’t find anywhere else. We welcome everyone to visit and see it for themselves.” For more information about the Winter Wonderland and other events please visit www.blaenavonchristmas.com or phone 01495 790926. Torfaen Voluntary Alliance The Torfaen Voluntary Alliance office at Church View, Ivor Street is now open Monday to Friday, 10am – 4pm. If anybody would like any advice on TVA’s services or is interested in volunteering please call in and see Kyle or Charis or ring us on 01495 766231. Mother Christmas at Big Pit PAGE 3 BLAENAVON HERITAGE NEWS Work Begins on Heritage Seniors’ Garden Makeover! Blaenavon’s senior citizens Blaenavon garden had been Primary School have met in their own chosen out of hundreds of hall in Park Street since it applications from all over was opened in 1957. The the country! hall’s garden, however, The “Garden Angels” took had become overgrown, three days to transform neglected and unused. the derelict garden and All this changed during amid sunshine and great the summer as the garden excitement the new garden was chosen as a deserving was shown to everyone at project for transformation. a “Grand Reveal” after a Sod-cutting ceremony at Middle Coed Cae ©TCBC ITV’s This Morning Victorian Tea Dance held programme was searching Construction work has started on Blaenavon’s £13 million in the Hall on 24 June. for a garden to be designed community campus. On 5th July, the Welsh Assembly Diarmuid Gavin delighted by Diarmuid Gavin and his Minister for Social Justice and Local Government, Carl everybody by announcing team of “Garden Angels” Sargeant, cut the first sod in a ceremony at the site. that “Blaenavon was the and the secretary of The 450-place school, which will replace St. Peter’s CV friendliest and sunniest Blaenavon Seniors, Barbara Primary, Hillside Primary and Hillside Nursery, has been place that he had ever Lewis, sent an e-mail giving named ‘Blaenavon Heritage VC Primary School’, following worked in”! Thanks were reasons why the seniors’ a competition by local schoolchildren. The name is a given to the Garden Angels, garden should be chosen. combination of names suggested by Hillside Primary pupils, Blaenavon Town Band On 17 June, Diarmuid and Gethin Jones and Steffan Thomas. Steffan proposed ‘Ysgol played in celebration, representatives from This Blaenavon Heritage Campus’ while Gethin suggested and all the members were Morning visited with the ‘Hopkins Heritage School’ in tribute to Sarah and Samuel overjoyed with their very unexpected news that the Hopkins, early proponents of education in Blaenavon.