Resolven Ladies Bowls Club faced Glynneath Ladies last week in the annual Shield game and walked off the green as winners.

As usual, there was an extra special bowls tea afterwards.

The event serves a double purpose. It is played as a West Glamorgan League game too.  So Resolven picked up important points by winning on 2 rinks and losing by just 1 shot on one rink.

But the history behind the shield contest goes back to 1987, as Martha Cowley sec. of Glynneath Ladies who was there at the time explains.

“A touring team of men and women bowlers from Milton Regis  were due to play  at the Gnoll in Neath and were disappointed to find the club had no women’s team at  the time.  But the Gnoll club sent out a plea for help to local ladies’ clubs and  Glynneath and Resolven  responded, providing a rink each.. The  tourists had brought along a shield to present to their hosts, but who was to receive it  Resolven or Glynneath?  Problem solved!  We decided to ‘fight for the honour ‘ every year.”

Iris Thomas, President of Resolven Ladies Club, who provided the current Shield when the three previous ones ran out of space, presented it to vice- captain Ceri Holmes, who was delighted to receive it on behalf of her team.

PHOTOS by Max Gillespie

The following text is information from Ross the Pharmacist at the Resolven Chemist to clarify their position after closure of the Resolven Surgery.

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I have had many enquiries recently regarding the future of Davies Chemist in Resolven after the surgery in Resolven closes and moves to its new site in Glynneath.

I wish to reassure our customers and patients that it is our intention to remain in Resolven and continue to provide the village and surrounding areas with all its pharmacy needs.  I appreciate that we have fiercely loyal customers and would like to repay that loyalty by continuing to provide Pharmacy services long into the future as we have done for the last 29 years.

I have been fortunate enough to be the pharmacist in Resolven for the last 10 years, I have even made the village my home.  I will continue to put Resolven pharmacy forward to deliver new pharmacy services such as the flu vaccine service started last year and more recently ‘Choose Pharmacy‘.  It is important to me that the people of Resolven and the surrounding areas have access to all NHS pharmacy services, which include:

Dispensing NHS prescriptions

Stop smoking service

Medicine Use Reviews

Discharge Medication Reviews

MAR chart scheme

Emergency contraception

Emergency Supply service

Choose Pharmacy (minor ailments)

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We also have other services available such as our free delivery service.

One of the biggest concerns that I am asked about is the ordering of repeat prescriptions.

I have foreseen that this was going to be a big worry for many patients.  As a result, for the last few years I have been perfecting a repeat prescription management service, with the backing of the Vale of Neath Practice, in anticipation of the surgery move.  The service involves Resolven pharmacy staff helping patients manage their repeat prescription re-ordering.  The advantages are that patients can re-order items in the pharmacy in Resolven, we will then take the orders to the new surgery in Glynneath and collect the prescriptions and dispense them ready for collection or delivery.  So, unless you have an appointment in the new health centre, you won’t need to go there, we’ll do all the back and fore.

As I have already mentioned we have worked hard in the last few years with selected patients to ensure the service is robust and fit for purpose.  I feel that it is a very effective way of managing and synchronising repeat prescriptions, reducing medicine waste and unnecessary hoarding of medicines at home.  Feedback from patients has been excellent and very encouraging.

Please pop into the pharmacy to find out more and even enrol now in anticipation of the surgery move.

I intend to have a prescription drop off box in the new surgery which will be emptied a few times a day.

Vale of Neath Health Centre/Surgery
{Austin-Smith:Lord, John Weaver Contractors}

So, if you’re in the surgery and have a prescription in your hand you can either bring it to us, as many patients do at present, or, you can drop the prescription into the box and collect the dispensed prescription in Resolven pharmacy later that day or have it delivered free of charge.

Finally, for those patients who find it difficult to get to the pharmacy through mobility or due to work commitments, we are launching a dedicated prescription re-order phone line 01639 711100.  Simply give us a call to re-order any repeat prescription from the surgery and we’ll do all the rest!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all patients for their support.  I urge all patients to act now and talk to us about the best way we can help to manage your repeat prescriptions.  By doing this, by the time the new surgery is operational the disruption will be minimal, thank you.

Ross

Contact information:

Telephone 01639 710248

Email: Resolven@davieschemists.co.uk

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Compiled by Hugh Lewis (RDN Team)

Meeting held  in Resolven Welfare Hall on Friday the 13^th of July

The meeting was attended by about 20 residents who were welcomed by South West Wales AM Mrs Suzy Davies.  She said that she had been involved with the original fight to save the Resolven surgery from closure but that fight was over and it was now a question of trying to improve access to the new health centre at Glynneath when it opens in the spring by ensuring that bus services are adequate.

N PT County Borough Councillor Des Davies said he had met with NPT Council transport officers who liaise with bus company chiefs. He has joined forces with all other councillors representing the Neath valley.

Des told the meeting that he was told First Cymru would be introducing a new time table from September but there is only one change proposed for local services and that was to move one bus time by 11 minutes. He will check to see if any further changes are proposed but because of the registration regulations, a certain period of notice must be given to the council before any changes come in and nothing has been proposed yet.

He said that after the bus company changed from a half hourly to an hourly service for Resolven in January, he had been in touch with Alex Davies who is the practice manager at the present Glynneath surgery and he will be running the new centre.

The practice wrote to First Cymru in February protesting about the cuts but the reply stated that there was not enough patronage to justify the half hourly service.

The practice will get back in touch when the new health centre is due to open to see if there could be an increased frequency of buses to match surgery times.

Des said that ABMu is behind schedule in drawing up its Transport Plan for the new health centre. When the new health centre at Briton Ferry was opened, extra buses were laid on for patients to get to it. Why not Resolven?

Des said that all they could do was push ABMu to produce the transport plan. He said they need to pull their finger out. People living in Abergarwed were also affected and there was a need to co-ordinate the bus services..

Des said that he had had talks with DANSA (Community bus service) but there was a danger that if they ran bus services in competition with First Cymru, FC will pull all service. At least there is still an hourly bus. The risk was that Dansa or a rival bus company would not be able to sustain an alternative service leaving people with nothing.

Local, Mrs Susan Elias, said that the existing service does not meet all the needs of villagers. People attending Neath Port Talbot hospital had a problem with getting buses once they are only hourly. Also, she said that the early service is so full that it is passing people in Tonna because there is not enough room. People with prams are also prevented from getting on because of space issues.

Des said that the police have stopped some of the buses in Tonna to check if they are too full. but they complied with the regulations

A gentleman who uses the buses wrote to the company and he had a reply saying that they will not revert back to having a half hourly service.

It was also stated that buses were not going up to Pont Walby and Ponthneathvaughan because the company says that there is no time for a turn around. Yet buses stop at Tonna for up to 5 minutes and also wait in Glynneath.

Susan also pointed out that First Cymru are operating buses along the main Neath to Port Talbot route every 15 minutes and they are often running empty.

Suzy said that with Dansa there would be a risk that if they operate too many commercial trips, they could affect their licence as they are a community bus service. She said that while they can plug gaps in services on commercial routes, they have to be careful of crossing a line and becoming a fully commercial service which would affect their registration.

Susan Elias  also pointed out that the Dansa buses travel into the estate where she lives but to catch a First bus, people had to get down to the main road. This would be a problem for some patients as they try to get to the new health centre.

Des said that nothing much could be done at present until ABMu produced their transport plan when people would be able to see exactly what is being proposed. Also, they need a firm date for the opening of the new health centre to try and co-ordinate bus services.

He said that once the centre is due to open, they can again make the case for a half hourly service because there would be a guaranteed additional patronage of the service.  While it was stated that someone had been told by the bus company that most of the users were using bus passes, Suzy pointed out that bus companies get paid for every journey made using a bus pass so they do get income from those journeys.

One lady pointed out that there was also a knock-on effect on people using the buses to get to work.  She said some people were getting to their place of work an hour before time because if they wait for the next bus, they would be late.  Coming home, some people are having to wait 45 minutes or more for the bus home as a result of the loss of the half hourly service.

Des said that all five councillors locally were working together to gather evidence to put before the bus companies.  Suzy told everyone to write in letters – she said a petition often counts as only one objection. She said that the more case studies of how people are affected, the stronger the arguments would be.

Des said that to date, the bus companies were only interested in profit. He said that NPT Council were carrying out some work on this themselves especially as some councils run their own bus services. He said if Briton Ferry could have extra services to take people to their new health centre, why couldn’t this happen for Resolven?

One of the suggestions made was that extra buses be put on at peak times when people are going to and from work and also perhaps to co-ordinate with surgery opening hours. The rest of the time, an hourly service would probably be adequate.

Des said that they need to see the ABMu transport plan asap so that they can make suggestions. But this required three to four months and then the bus company needed time to register new services. There may also be a consultation period for the new plan.

One man pointed out that bus services were needed to promote tourism, He said that the Neath Valley had many places of interest from the falls at Pontneathvaughan to the canal, the Aberdualis Falls and many walking and mountain biking routes.  Suzy said that this was a good point and that different budgets within Welsh Government could be sourced to provide funding for these services. The tourism minister may provide some funding with perhaps the health minister and local government minister providing more.

Des said that NPT officers had put the suggestion of peak hours services to the bus comany. They have suggested having a half hourly service between 8.30am to 11am and then later in the day for people coming home. He said that pressure needed to be put on bus companies.

Asked about subsidies from NPT council for bus services, Des said that they are used to provide services to communities that have no services at all.

Suzy said she would help by putting pressure on the bus companies especially as there are issues with overcrowding on some

THIS REPORT IS COMPILED FROM MINUTES TAKEN AT MEETING BY JAYNE ISAAC

SUZY

DES

Suzy’s P.A.  Jayne Isaac taking notes

And this is an update on how the new Vale of Neath Health Centre is progressing

Image by RDN photographer Mike Davies

The Resolven Hanging Basket Competition in 2018 was a bloomin’…. success once again. The wonderful sunny weather of recent weeks ensured that the entries were many and varied, although the dry conditions proved to be a challenge for some entrants.

The judging was done by Mr Mark Cunningham of Neath Port Talbot College Horticultural Department, whom we are pleased to say, is no stranger to the Competition as he has been coming to Resolven for many years now.

In his write-up to RDN he explains fully how he views his visit to Resolven:-

Another year and what fantastic weather we have had and did have on the day.  Once again judging was tight and the standards of the baskets very high and exceptional.  Especially in light of our very warm summer.  Keeping baskets looking good and in their prime is very much hard work and the people who entered had done a fantastic job in doing this.   The competition was close across the board as was first, second and third place. 

 I do hope the community carry on with this competition.  It is such a fantastic competition to have in the community, bringing the community together.  I would like to thank the community for giving of their time and allowing me to see the hanging baskets.

 I enjoy seeing you all at this annual event. 

Hopefully I will see you all next year for the hanging basket competition.

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The competition was kindly sponsored by Resolven Community Council and Cllr. Aylwin Jones, Chairman presented the prizes to the worthy winners.

1st Prize – £50

Susan & Brian Pritchard receiving the 1st place prize money from Cllr. Aylwin Jones

2nd Prize – £30

Ron Turner accepting 2nd prize from Cllr. Aylwin Jones

3rd Prize – £20

Bernard Bradley with Cllr. Aylwin Jones receiving 3rd Prize

Our thanks to all who made this competition so successful.

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Presentation by

Hugh & Lorna Lewis (RDN Team)