Resolven might not have a women’s rugby team but it does have women rugby players. Charlotte Griffiths and Melissa Thomas, to name two, and now 18 year old Melissa Gnojek .

Originally Melissa joined the Resolven Juniors mixed team as under 9’s and played alongside Wales Under 18’s player Bradley Roderick for about 2 seasons. Melissa first love at this time however was Acrobatics a hobby she had pursued since she was 6 years old.  Melissa thrived within the discipline winning numerous competitions.  She also was part of Western Warriors a local cheerleading squad again competing nationally.

Melissa first got back in to rugby around the age of 15 when  Sioned Harries the current no 8 for Wales Women started a girls rugby team in Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera.  Sioned recognised that Melissa had a natural talent for the game and during one match made the comment “if Melissa played rugby she would get a Cap”.  Melissa joined NPT Hawks in the summer of 2016.  The Hawks is an initiative by the WRU to create Girls rugby hubs in each of the Rugby Regions. Melissa was also attending Bonymaen RFC who were trying to establish a girls youth side.   Sioned Harries encouraged Melissa to attend an open talent ID session for the Ospreys Girls Under 18 team.  93 girls attended that session and around 40 made the original cut.  Josh Humphreys, Head Coach, has since told Melissa that she only just made that cut and that they took a chance on her because of her lack of experience and because she didn’t have a club.

Melissa then signed for Seven Sisters Youth and made the final Ospreys squad selection and after her very first season at the Ospreys was named Back of the Year and nominated for the Ospreys Under 18’s most promising player at the main Ospreys awards.  In April 2017  Melissa was selected to play for West Wales vs East Wales and scored a great try under the watchful eye of Wales Women Head Coach Rowland Phillips.  Melissa went on to complete 2 further seasons with the Ospreys winning Ospreys Most Promising Player at the end of both seasons. Melissa Captained the side for her final season.

In April 2018 as part of Rowland Phillips plan to develop young talent in readiness for the Women’s World Cup 2021, an Emerging Wales Women’s side was announced to play Emerging England in the Principality Stadium.  Melissa was amongst those selected to play and they Beat The English!!!  The following year 2019 Melissa was selected again to play for Emerging Wales and was proudly named as Co-Captain of the side and they beat the English Again!

Melissa has recently played her first game for the Senior Ospreys Women team and has been selected in the Wales Under 18’s Sevens squad to play a Home Nations tournament.

There is a lot of time and commitment given By Melissa (and her parents) she is currently training every day between Seven Sisters, Ospreys and travelling to WRU National Centre of Excellence at the Vale Resort to train with the Wales sevens team.  Melissa’s natural ability for the game may run in the family on both sides with both her paternal grandfather and maternal great great grandfather playing for Neath, but it is Melissa’s commitment and desire to achieve that drives her own.  Melissa is often told that she is very coachable and it is this quality that continues to see her develop and improve her game.

Melissa does however keep her hand in with Acrobatics and Contemporary Dance by coaching and teaching when she can at her Auntie’s Dance School – X-Qlusive Dance Company.  These along with Rugby all require teamwork as well as individual skill and Melissa  has a real flair for coaching and encouraging others to do their best.

Over the past 3 years Melissa has seen vast improvements in the Women’s Game and the promotion of the sport.  There is still a long way to go to equal the Men’s game but steady progress is being made.

Down The Social with Owen Money

In this 4-part series, Owen is joined by Ebbw Vale performer Mandy Starr to visit a number of different social clubs.  The first episode is at the Merthyr Ex Servicemen’s Club on Monday 16^th of September at 7.30 pm

The second episode features Resolven Miners Welfare (Monday 23^rd September at 7.30 pm) and sees the comedian and Radio Wales presenter visit a club that was once the pride of its Valley, but now faces an uncertain future

Resolven Miners Welfare– Contrary to appearances on the outside, inside the club is thriving and hugely popular with its 200 members. And it holds another secret –   a part of it that very few people now get to see.

Joined by veteran club performer Mandy Starr, Owen is taken behind locked doors to a hidden art-deco theatre. They both get a chance to explore the 340-seat hall, that was once home to vibrant opera nights and entertainment shows. However, it’s been left in a dilapidated state ever since its doors closed 17 years ago when it was deemed unsafe for the general public.

 Those performing at the club today are getting by with a makeshift stage now in the bar area. But there is a hope that, one day, the theatre can return to its glory days.

The club faces an even bigger, more pressing problem though – the general state of the building. Unless they can find the money to make the building safe, the insurance company won’t cover them, and they’ll have to permanently close the doors on Resolven Miners Welfare. They’re in a race against time as they have just four weeks to find the £10,000 they’ll need to make the building safe.

Owen digs deep into the history of the club, and how it’s helped out the community in times of need. In the early months of the 1984 Miners Strike, the women of the club set up a soup kitchen – the first in the country – to help support and feed the kids of miners who were surviving for months without income. Club Stewardess Diane Sims tracks down video footage of those events to give a younger generation an insight why places like the social club really matter.

MANDY STARR/DIANE SIMS and OWEN MONEY

The squally showers and incessant rain associated with the death throes of Hurricane Dorian, which had last week devastated the Bahamas, had a similar effect on the attendance at this year’s AGM on Monday 9^th September. The meeting was poorly attended owing to a combination of illness and late summer holidays. Fortunately a quorum was achieved and the meeting took place.

The meeting began by remembering members who had passed away during the year. It is no exaggeration that the loss of two such talented historians as Phylip Jones and William Willis was a massive blow. Phylip in particular was the motive force behind the establishment of the Society in the 1980s and had been the Society’s President for many years. Indeed it was often said at the annual meeting that only Fidel Castro competed in the role of “President for life”. William’s contribution to the archiving of the history of Resolven by the publishing of three volumes of pictorial histories will leave an invaluable legacy to future generations.

There was some movement in the roles within the Society, Trefor Jones will now become Chairman in place of the long serving Mr Gwyn Thomas owing to illness, and the Secretary role will now be split between Mrs Catherine Graham and Mrs Jill Saunders. Mrs Julie Hicks will continue as the hard working Treasurer along with Transport Officers Mr David Woosnam and Mrs Val Davies. The general committee will now be composed of Mrs Mary Evans, Mrs Caryl Rees, Mrs Carole Jeffreys , David Jeffreys and Mrs Olwen Woosnam. The President’s role will remain vacant for now.

The formal business concluded with a notice of motion from the Committee establishing the foundation of an annual Phylip Jones History prize for the local schools.

Following the AGM, Trefor Jones read a further chapter from the fascinating autobiography of Joe Cookson. This year it revolved around the reasons that the family had come to the Resolven area from Aston, Birmingham in the Edwardian era. It revealed a world which had many parallels with today and also some notable changes in social attitudes.

To conclude , the History Society has been active in Resolven for over thirty years and remember it is yours, please support it.

TREFOR JONES (CHAIRMAN)

 CLYNE FREE MISSION EVANGELICAL CHURCH

Neath Road Clyne SA11 4BW

2019 HARVEST CELEBRATION

‘Give thanks to the Lord for He is good’

———— Join us for our  ————

HARVEST SERVICES

              Sunday SEPTEMBER 29th  11.00am & 6.00pm

Speaker: Pastor Peter Mitchell (Clyne)

AND

Monday SEPTEMBER 30th  at 7.00 pm

Guest Speaker: Rev. Adrian Brake

(Carmarthen Evangelical Church)

  A WARM WELCOME IS EXTENDED TO YOU

Clyne Free Mission Evangelical Church SA11 4BW

www.clynefreemission.org.uk

The recent August bank holiday was cause for great celebration in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford.  Thirty six people from the Resolven area travelled over to celebrate the baptism of Eira Monica Warren Day. Eira is daughter of Carl and Jen ,sister to Aoife and granddaughter of Hugh and Janice Day, Rugby Road

. A beautiful service was held at Temples ambo Church of Ireland by Rev Ian Cruickshank.  Maddison Morgan, daughter of Edward and Adele had everyone in tears with a stunning a Capella of Calon Lan.

A great weekend was had by all, the weather was fabulous which enabled the large group to do some sightseeing with trips to Curracloe beach and The Hook lighthouse and not forgetting sampling some nightlife at a traditional Irish music session