‘HAPPY HALLOWEEN’
From Mike Davies and RDN Team
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Christmas Day Lunch Doorstep Delivery Scheme
Zoe Lake from the village is providing Christmas Day Lunch doorstep deliveries for elderly, vulnerable, disabled and families in need in Resolven Melincourt and Clyne. She is raising funds for this on a just giving page and has so far raised just shy of £500. This is a very selfless task that Zoe is undertaking and we at the Community Council applaud her for her action.
Please could I ask that if anybody knows anyone who would benefit from this to please get in touch with me on 07784735055 and I will pass the names onto Zoe.
Also below I have included the link to the just giving page if anyone is able to donate
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/zoe-christmasdinner?utm_id=2&utm_term=9r6Jaw3yk
Thanks
Neal Francis (Chair Resolven Community Council)
Also a message from Zoe (below)
I’m sure you can all agree that this year has been very difficult and challenging emotionally and financially for many people within our area. A lot of people are feeling lonely and isolated. Some families have lost jobs and even loved ones. We all need a little help sometimes, so this year I will be providing Christmas dinner doorstep deliveries for the elderly, vulnerable, disabled and families in need within our area. If you or anyone you know of would like a Christmas lunch delivered or have an elderly neighbour please if you can ask them and send me a message, confidentiality is an essential part of this service.
I have set up a donation page if anyone would like to make a donation to this service, no matter how small, you will be helping to provide a Christmas dinner for those who need it and any funds left will be donated to the local food bank which will go on to help even more people.
We may only be a small village, but when it comes to giving a helping hand we always comes together and help when we can.
Let’s make this Christmas the best we can in the circumstances
Zoe Lake
Clydach Brook Visitor
When crossing the bridge from Commercial Road to Clydach Avenue we saw this visitor to the Clydach Brook.
It seems the Grey Heron is a regular visitor to Resolven.
The grey heron was first described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 and gave it the name Ardea cinerea.
It is closely related and similar to the North American great blue heron which is larger.
As we rushed to get under cover from a thunder storm and hail shower the heron was not bothered.
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Photo’s ~ Hugh Lewis, RDN Team
Resolven Community Council New Butterfly Garden Project
On a wet and windy morning last Friday members of the Community Council and volunteers arrived to begin the installation of a new garden planted specifically to attract butterflies.
The Community Council had received all the materials and tools from ‘Keep Wales Tidy‘ whose representative Kathryn Brixton also attended to give advice.
The area chosen was the surround of the bowling green adjacent to Vaughan Avenue end so that it was visible to the outside and protected on the inside.
The trellis and raised bed was planted with clematis, and honeysuckle and bulbs and plants in the raised bed are snowdrop, bluebell, wood anemone, lavender, field scabious, meadow cranesbill, wild carrot, kidney vetch, rough hawkbit.
There were shrubs of dogwood, dog rose, broom, elder and hawthorn which will hopefully grow in the Spring.
The Community Council also received 2 birdfeeders and sacks of birdfeed from ‘Keep Wales Tidy’.
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Thanks go to Cllr Kamila Kulik who was the main organiser of the project, Cllr Alun Morgan, Cllr Aylwin Jones, Roy Gillespie, Gareth Evans, Christine Twaite, and Cheryl Payne.
Lt to Rt: Cheryl Payne, Cllr Kamila Kulik, Cllr Aylwin Jones, Roy Gillespie, Cllr Alun Morgan, Christine Twaite, Gareth Evans.
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Photographs by Hugh Lewis, RDN Team
Looking forward to Spring with Mike Davies
As we come into Autumn and winter you will find a lot of different
species of birds coming on to your feeders, never let the feeders go empty, as they will not visit again.
I have a regular bird who visits in early/late spring – the woodpecker and on occasions he will bring his offspring to show him the ropes,
It’s a wonderful bird, but to get a photograph of them is not so easy
as they are very shy birds and are always on the lookout, for intruders such as the Sparrow Hawk.
Images by Mike Davies RDN photographer
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Unusual Sightings in Resolven
A cold but sunny Sunday on the 11th October 2020 gave the residents of Resolven an afternoon of two unexpected and unusual sightings
The first, at 2.45 p.m. seen clearly due to the very good visibility of the day, and against a background of vivid blue skies and the occasional fluffy white cloud was a colourful hot air balloon drifting slowly and silently high up in the sky, down the valley.
This lovely view of this giant balloon produced feelings of envy because the occupants had chosen the perfect autumn day for their ride in a hot air balloon and the views of the village and the valley must have been really spectacular and special.
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A short while later, when the balloon had long disappeared behind a cloud, the silence of the afternoon was broken by a whirring sound which got louder and louder and suddenly overhead, an impressive red Wales Air Ambulance helicopter landed in the middle of the Vaughan field to the amazement and excited delight of the many children in the playground and the skate park. The noise also brought all the residents out of their homes to see this sudden appearance.
Apparently this was brought about by an incident that had occurred nearby on the A465 dual carriageway.
The Wales Air Ambulance helicopter seen closely is a wonderful sight and reminds us of the amazing work that they do and how fortunate we are to have such a facility available to us.
The main reason, of course, for the presence of the Wales Air Ambulance is a serious matter attending incidents and accidents that require specialist and immediate attention. They can arrive quickly, anywhere in Wales within 20 minutes, to provide expert care and transport for patients in need.
It is hoped that the incident they attended on 11th October was resolved without serious consequences.
The Wales Air Ambulance is entirely funded by donations to keep them flying and to help the NHS.
The helicopter then remained stationery until a person returned and after a short while, after safety measures were observed, it took off again leaving the park and the people returning to their ‘normal’ quiet Sunday afternoon.
Every year The Wales Air Ambulance need to raise £6.5 million in donations to keep the four helicopters flying over Wales.
To donate ring 0300 0152 999
or click on the link below
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Natasha’s “Walkabout” pictures of our valley during lockdown
As a key worker and working throughout lockdown, it was lovely to be able to come home from work and go out walking and enjoy the scenery around us on our door step. I was able to walk along the canal, the river and also discover new paths to walk while exploring the wonderful mountains surrounding our village. One of my many hobbies is taking photos, so this was an added bonus, to be able to combine two of my hobbies in one.-walking and taking photos.
I thought I would share some of my photos with you, as I am aware that some people have been shielding during the lockdown and may not have been able to be out and about.
Along the canal from Resolven Basin to Rheola
Walking the Mountains
Along the River
I took this picture of a branch that had snapped off a tree, because it looked just like an angel’s wing.
Lockdown has made me appreciate the beauty of the valley I live in and all the places we have on our doorstep where we can go walking. It has made me look closer and value the beauty of nature around us.
BY NATASHA WILLIAMS
