Vale of Grwyney Community Council

Home-Start Cymru volunteers come from all areas of our community. Life changing events can happen to anyone and all parents struggle at one time or another. That is why Home-Start Cymru aims to support families through their toughest times. We support families experiencing a wide range of challenges including poor mental or physical health, postnatal depression, multiple births, bereavement, financial worries and loneliness and isolation. We work alongside families to give compassionate and confidential support, tailored to each family. Our volunteers are full trained and given expert support from coordinators within their local community.  

For more information contact volunteer@homestartcymru.org.uk

The Grwyne Fawr Valley used to be a very different place.  In the early 1900s a temporary village was set up to house men employed to build Grwyne Fawr Reservoir with a railway line constructed to transport both men and materials to the top of the valley.  This village was officially named “Navvy Village” however because the buildings were built of wood and corrugated iron became commonly known as “Tin Town”.

Tin Town had a hospital, lodging house, chapel, school and jail.   Concrete bases and steps of some of these buildings can still be found at Blaen Y Cwm.  Seems remarkable now, but the village had electricity before Abergavenny!

When the reservoir was finished in 1928, at a cost of some £1,000,000, Tin Town was dismantled and its buildings sold off.  The school master’s house was re-erected in Llanbedr.

The Vale of Grwyney Community Council believe the history of Tin Town should be preserved and intend putting an information board at Blaen Y Cwm to commemorate and promote its heritage.

Do you have any local knowledge or information which could be put on this board?  If so, please let us know

Email:  valeofgrwyneycc@gmail.com or  Tel: 01873 890777

A new mass vaccination centre is set to open in Powys next week, with the arrival of the appointment-only facility at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells.

Later this month, the vaccination centre in Newtown is also set to relocate from its current location at the Park Street Day Centre to Maldwyn Leisure Centre to increase the number of appointments available for Powys residents.

This will mean that the county will have three mass vaccination centres – Bronllys, Newtown and Builth Wells – and plans are also well under way to establish primary care-led clinics later this month.

All three mass vaccination centres will be available by appointment only, with invitation letters being sent to residents in the national priority groups.

In line with national guidance, vaccination is current being prioritised for:

– Residents of care home for older adults
– People aged 80 and over
– Frontline Health and social care workers

Following this, invitation letters will be sent to each national priority group in turn beginning with people aged 75 and over.

People are asked not to phone their GP, pharmacy or hospital asking when they will get a vaccine. When someone is in one of the groups eligible for the vaccine, they will be invited to attend a dedicated clinic which will have been set up to ensure patient safety and that of the healthcare professionals.

Correspondence will come from local health boards and the vaccine is free of charge through the NHS. People are warned to be alert to scams asking for money or personal information.

The effects of the vaccines may not be seen nationally for many months and the advice on keeping Wales safe remains the same for everyone; keep contacts with others to a minimum, keep a 2 metre distance from others, wash hands regularly, wear a face covering where required and avoid touching surfaces others have touched, wherever possible.

More information: https://pthb.nhs.wales/…/third-mass-vaccination-centre…/

Dyfed Powys Police inform us criminals pretending to be Police officers are calling residents in Powys and trying to carry out what is known as ‘Courier Fraud’… this could be happening in the rest of Wales too

They phone you to tell you about fraudulent activity on your bank card, but then start asking you for personal information or even your PIN to verify who you are.

They may try to offer you peace of mind by having someone pick up your bank card from you to save you the trouble of having to go to your bank or local police station (Courier).

• These callers are criminals who will try gain your trust by making you think they are police officers.
• Do not engage in conversation with them.
• Do not allow them to arrange collection of bank cards.
• Put the phone down. 
• Block the number they called from.
• Tell your friends and neighbours about this scam

Report it to your local police force by contacting them via their online webpage or 101

Locals, as well as those from further afield, can now delight in the knowledge that once again Pontyspig Bridge, Fforest Coal Pit (or Bishops Bridge as it is also known) is open.  Marine engineers have skilfully repaired the Grade II structure which was damaged by fallen timber and other debris forcibly travelling at speed down the River Grwyne in heavy storms earlier this year.

As can be seen from the photograph below the bridge took a battering with vital supporting stones becoming dislodged, putting the bridge in imminent damage of collapse.

Whilst the undoubted attractiveness of this historic structure has always been appreciated, its true function of providing safe passage for residents and visitors to the area – Partrishow Church and the Black Mountains beyond, can now, once again, be truly appreciated.

Hundreds of people in Powys with COVID-19 symptoms can now be tested each day thanks to a new partnership between Powys Teaching Health Board, UK Armed Forces, Powys County Council, and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.

Anyone with symptoms – new continuous cough, fever, or less of sense of taste or smell – can request a home testing kit via the Welsh Government website or by ringing 119 or 18001 119 for people with hearing or speech difficulties.

Alongside this, anyone with symptoms can book an appointment at drive-in testing units in the county. These are currently located at Bronllys Hospital, Theatr Hafren in Newtown and from later this week at a new location at the Royal Welsh Showground.

Stuart Bourne, Director of Public Health for Powys Teaching Health Board, said:

“Our drive-in testing units offer a safe and local way for people with symptoms to get rapid access to a COVID-19 antigen test in the county.

“The units provide a quick and simple swab. People being tested do not even need to leave their car.

 “This ensures the safest experience for everyone involved – the people attending for testing, the staff at the unit, and the local community.”

 The new drive-in testing unit for Mid Powys is located at the Royal Welsh Showground.

Steve Hughson, Chief Executive of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, said:

“We are delighted to be hosting a drive-in testing unit at the Royal Welsh Showground and will continue to work with partners to support our local communities in tackling this pandemic. 

“COVID-19 is likely to be with us all for many months to come. With our large showground site we are able to provide a great facility for COVID-19 testing, whilst also continuing our careful planning for the safe resumption of other activities on the Showground site.

“We are proud to be playing our part in helping people to get a test, stop the spread and keep Powys safe.”

The drive-in testing units are available by appointment only.

When fully operational the units will normally accommodate around 10 to 15 tests per hour.

Cllr James Evans, Cabinet Member for Economy, Housing and Regulatory Services for Powys Council said:

“These are not drop-in facilities. Please do not arrive without an appointment as you will not be tested.

 “Booking your appointment means that the testing units have your full details when you arrive for your test. It also ensures that there is no disruption for nearby communities.

 “Please do follow the guidance on self-isolation when you attend for a test. You should travel direct to the test centre and return straight home. If you need help with self-isolation then please talk to family, friends and neighbours or contact one of the many community groups across Powys who have provided such amazing support during COVID-19.”

 “Here in Powys we have been one of the first pilot areas in Wales to prepare for the introduction of contact tracing. Expanded test facilities means that we can refer people quickly for a test, helping us to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

The COVID-19 testing programme in Wales currently offers the antigen test, which identifies whether someone currently has the virus. Welsh Government is also working on plans to introduce antibody testing, which will let people know if they have previously had the virus.

Antigen testing is available in several different ways:

• Members of the public and critical workers can request a home testing kit. This is available online at https://gov.wales/coronavirus, by ringing 119, or by ringing 18001 119 if you have speech or hearing difficulties. Through this link, Powys residents can also book at mass drive-through testing centres in neighbouring counties, which can offer a handy alternative for people living on the county’s borders.
• Members of the public and critical workers can request an appointment at a drive-in testing unit – in Powys this can currently be booked by emailing powysresourcing@wales.nhs.uk or calling 01874 712600, or by visiting the Health Board website at www.powysthb.wales.nhs.uk/coronavirus-testing
• Hospital inpatients and care home residents are tested in their hospital or care home

The current drive-in testing sites in Powys are:

• Bronllys Hospital
• Theatr Hafren in Newtown
• Royal Welsh Showground (opening week beginning 1 June 2020)

The three sites will be staffed by teams from Powys Teaching Health Board, and from the UK Armed Forces mobile units deployed in Powys. The mobile units will also continue to visit locations across the county, including to support local testing in care homes.

Mr Bourne added:

“We will keep our testing programme under review, including to take account of the introduction of antibody testing when available. Our current programme of home testing and drive-in testing – along with our testing programme for hospital inpatients and care homes – has enough capacity to test everyone who needs a test, and to help us reach out to people right across the county.

“Our testing units have operated from a wide range of locations across the county and I would like to thank all the venues and everyone involved in this true collaborative effort to Keep Powys Safe.”

More information about coronavirus testing in Powys is available from www.powysthb.wales.nhs.uk/coronavirus-testing

In accordance with the Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Meetings) (Wales) Regulations 2020 future meetings of the Vale of Grwyney Community Council will take place remotely using virtual technology.

Members of the public are welcome to observe however to speak must apply via the Council’s Public Speaking Policy.

Meetings will be held via “Zoom” (https://zoom.us/).  Please contact the Clerk for details.

Whilst our rainy Welsh climate scuppers any hope of growing citrus fruits… we hope (fingers crossed)…  to have an abundance of apples and pears in the not too distant future.

Thanks to the kind sponsorship of Wales & West Housing Association we now have two apple trees and two pear trees in the Community Nature Garden in St Peter’s Close, Llanbedr.  These were planted by Cllr John Morris and Cllr Keith Powell, and whilst they may take a little time to establish we hope to have crops aplenty.

The Community Nature Garden is growing in more ways than one.  If you have any ideas of how you would like to see it develop, please do get in touch.  It is there for the community to use and enjoy, and whilst we cannot guarantee quantity, quality is beyond reproach… after all… grown in the Vale of Grwyney – surrounded by the Black Mountains… who needs oranges and lemons……. time to go a’wassailing….