A Christmas shopping trip to Cheltenham has been organised in aid of the mayor of Torfaen's charities. A bus will leave civic centre, Pontypool on 21 November at 8.30am and return at 5.30pm. Tickets cost £15 each and can be purchased by contacting chris.slade@torfaen.gov.uk or 01495 742578. The cost includes a glass of Buck's Fizz and a mince pie or shortbread. All funds raised will go to councillor Giles Davies' nominated charities, which are the Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, the Llanerch Memorial Fund and Pancreatic Cancer UK.
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Click here for the full list of road closures between 10am and 1pm on Sunday 8 November 2015 to allow various Remembrance Sunday parades to take place.
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Blaenavon Heritage Town is gearing up for the annual Blaenavon Winter Wonderland on Saturday 5 December. There will be a traditional Victorian fun fair and a Christmas Market selling quality gifts. Santa and his elves will be making a return visit with his real reindeer. There will also be a children’s Christmas cookery academy and Christmas craft workshops at Bethlehem Court. This year there will be performances from the Blaenavon Town Band, and the Blaenavon Heritage VC Primary School Choir. The event takes place from 11am-4pm. For more information call 01495 742333.
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Mrs Tank, the business operator of HM Stores in Blaenavon has been charged with 16 offences for selling food past its use by date and failing to follow safety procedures. On 2nd November at Cwmbran Magistrates, the defendant pleaded guilty to the offences under the Food Safety Act 1990 and was fined £4, 900 plus a £40 victim surcharge. Full costs amounting to £690. 20 were also awarded to the Torfaen Council resulting in total financial penalty of £5, 630. 20.
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If your green bin was collected/scheduled for collection this week, your last collection for this year will be week commencing 16 November. If your green bin is collected/scheduled for collection next week, your last collection will be 23 November. Collections will resume at the end of March 2016. Residents can check their collection dates via the green waste pages. Over the winter months green waste can be taken to the household waste recycling centre in New Inn, or, if you would like to find out about composting at home, please call 01495 762200.
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This week marks the Trading Standards Institute’s (TSI) annual National Consumer Week, ‘Know your new rights’. Officers from Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent Trading Standards are backing the national campaign (2-6 November) which focuses on making sure consumers know their rights when it comes to buying online and empowering them to shop with confidence, especially with the lead up to Christmas. The campaign is run by Citizens Advice, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Consumer advice is available from the Citizens Advice consumer service.
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Pontypool Park Friends are again welcoming Santa to the Shell Grotto in Pontypool Park this Christmas. Santa will be welcoming guests to the grotto on Sunday 6 December from 11am until 3pm. Entry is free. The grotto, which dates back to the early 1800s, is adorned with shells and the bones and teeth of animals, creating intricate designs and patterns. The grotto can only be accessed on foot and involves a steep climb over uneven ground. For this reason it may be unsuitable for those with significant mobility issues, wheelchair users and for children in pushchairs.
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Torfaen council is advising businesses to help prevent fly tipping in the borough and avoid significant fines by using registered waste carriers to dispose of their commercial waste. All waste produced must be correctly presented for collection, disposed of through a registered waste carrier, and the correct documentation – a waste transfer note - must be kept for a minimum of two years. Businesses can face fines of £5000 if their waste ends up illegally fly tipped, and a £300 fixed penalty notice for failing to present a waste transfer note if requested to do so. Details on registered waste carriers can be checked on the Natural Resources Wales website. Torfaen council offers businesses a trade waste service. For details contact call.torfaen@torfaen.gov.uk.
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Cwmbran Library’s half term Harry Potter events were a great success, with both sessions fully booked. More than 40 children took park in the two sessions, designing their own dragons, taking part in a potions class and hunting treasure throughout the library. They also listened to readings from the Harry Potter books, and dressed as their favourite characters and spooky Halloween monsters.
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Your pharmacist is a useful source of help and advice on a variety of non-emergency ailments which can be treated without going to your GP or local hospital. Make sure you look after yourself and Choose Well this winter. Watch Dr Olivia’s Guide to the Pharmacy here.
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Changing Gearz is holding a Christmas bike sale on Saturday 28th November between 10am-4pm at Unit 12, Panteg Industrial Estate, Griffithstown, this is your chance to get your hands on a refurbished and serviced bike. Changing Gearz is a cycle project which aims to train young people in bike maintenance and repair and cycle training. Bikes range from £50 - £250 and include children's bikes, mountain bikes, hybrids & cruisers and BMX bikes. For more information call 01495 750338 or email info@changinggearz.co.uk.
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Cwmbran Library is selling its withdrawn music and DVD stock between 30 October – 20 November.
DVDs are £1 and CDs 50p.
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On Thursday 12th November, international performing arts group Gen Verde will present 'Start Now', a two-hour song, dance, drama and percussion concert at The Newport Centre in Kingsway, Newport. The concert is part of a five-day project that will see Gen Verde working with more than 100 young people from three secondary schools in Torfaen. Tickets are £10, for more information or to purchase a ticket, email GenVerdeWales@gmail.com or call 07592 437837, or book online here.
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Donations are needed for this year’s Santa appeal.
The annual Torfaen council appeal helps young people in Torfaen who are experiencing poverty and have little or no contact with their families. If you would like to participate, call 01633 647545 or 647539 to be given the first name and age of a child, plus a reference number (names are only given from the 16+ team). Gifts should not be wrapped, but a donation of wrapping paper would be greatly appreciated. Donations need to be made by 7 December. Once your gift is ready, you can drop the gift off at TYPSS in Old Cwmbran, Customer Care Centre in Cwmbran Library, or Citizens Advice Bureau in Pontypool.
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Torfaen’s third Women in Business event takes place at the Parkway Hotel in Cwmbran on Thursday 19 November from 4:30pm-8pm. Organised by Torfaen council, it’s an opportunity to celebrate and recognise the contribution that women make to the business community. There will be trade stands, music and entertainment and a high tea. Delegates will also hear from the key note speaker, journalist and broadcast Sarah Dickens. Tickets (£10) and trade stand bookings (£30) are available. This year the event supports the British Heart Foundation. For more information click here.
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Join in the festive fun at Llanyrafon Manor’s Victorian Christmas Market on Sunday 29th November. The Manor will be transported back in time to the festive season during the 1800s. There will be local food and a craft market, a Victorian sweet stall, live music and choirs, and a Victorian Santa. There will also be workshops run by theatre company Theatr Silures. The event will take place from 10am to 4pm. Entry is free. For more information call 01633 648562 or 01495 616330.
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Torfaen Sports clubs are being reminded they may be eligible for a community chest grant. The scheme is open to any group wishing to organise activities aimed at getting more people, more active, more often, regardless of age. The maximum grant available is £1500 and deadline for applications is 30 November. Sport Wales is introducing a new Online Grants Management System (OGMS) which is to go live on 26 October. From this date, all applications will need to be completed online using Sport Wales’ website. For further information call 01633 628926 or 02920 338218 or email christine.philpott@torfaen.gov.uk.
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Traders who want to be part of this year’s Winter Wonderland in Blaenavon are encouraged to book a stall. The event takes place on Saturday 5 December from 11am until 4pm. Stalls are £15 and can be booked via Stacey Grout at Flowers by Stacey on 01495 792878 or Kate Fitzgerald on 01633 648319. As always there will be a Christmas market, fun fair, festive music from the Blaenavon Town Band, and the Blaenavon Heritage VC Primary School Choir, and Santa will be making a return with his reindeer.
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Gwent Archives have organised a lecture about the political life of Aneurin Bevan. Led by Nick Thomas-Symonds MP on Friday 11th December from 2-3pm at Gwent Archives in Ebbw Vale, you can find out about his life and how and why he got into politics. Teas, coffees and a mince pie will be available for £1. This is a free event but booking is essential. Contact Gwent Archives on 01495 353363 or email enquiries@gwentarchives.gov.uk
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A section of Lower Harper’s road in Abersychan will be closed until Saturday 21 November to allow Wales and West Utilities to carry out essential work to the gas main. The road will be closed between Viaduct Road and Victoria Road, and signs advising of diversionary routes will be in place. Access for the emergency services and residents whose properties are immediately adjacent to the works will be maintained at all times as far as is reasonably practicable. Residents wishing to discuss access issues should contact Wales and West Utilities’ customer services team on 0800 912999 or 02921 678455.
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Stagecoach service number 10, which runs between Pontypool and Garndiffaith, will be temporarily postponed by the operator during this period as no suitable diversions for buses are available.
Other services that may be used are:
• X24 Blaenavon - Pontypool – Cwmbran
• 23 Varteg - Pontypool – Cwmbran
• 30 Blaenavon - Pontypool – Cwmbran
For advise on planning a bus journey during this period contact Traveline Cymru on 0300 200 22 33 or visit www.traveline.cymru
In some circumstances, Torfaen Community Transport can offer a pre-bookable, door- to- door service for registered users. Contact Mrs Megan Rosser Davies on 01633 874686 for further details.
The Mayor has launched a charity competition for local artists to enter a piece of artwork or photography of a scene in Torfaen. Those who come 1st, 2nd and 3rd place will be invited to attend a presentation by the Mayor. Entry is £5 and proceeds will go to the Mayor’s Charity Appeal Fund, which is supporting the Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, Llanerch Memorial Fund and Pancreatic Cancer UK. For more information contact chris.slade@torfaen.gov.uk. Closing date for entries is 29 April 2016 at 4.30pm.
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It is now illegal to smoke in your vehicle with someone under the age of 18 present. For more information about the new law click here. You can find out what the change to the law means for you by visiting the Fresh Start Wales website.
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Most of the waste produced by the average household in Torfaen can be recycled at the kerbside. Not sure what waste can be recycled? A handy guide to what can be recycled in each container is available on the council’s website.
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