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.

Preparation for Installation of the Butterfly Garden

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.

Butterfly Garden Completed
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

The Obituary Notice of Mrs ‘Molly’ Herbert

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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.

The hot air balloon higher in altitude than the cloud layer

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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 Doctor/Paramedics disembarked and left in a police car

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

www.walesairambulance.com

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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

Design a Wildlife Sign~Competition

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Latest Local Covid 19 Restrictions

Press Release from NPT Council

Local restrictions will come into force from 6pm  (Monday 28 September).

The restrictions, which will apply to everyone living in Neath Port Talbot, Vale of Glamorgan and Torfaen are:

  • People will not be allowed to enter or leave these areas without a reasonable excuse, such as travel for work or education;
  • People will only be able to meet people they don’t live with outdoors for the time being. They will not be able to form, or be in, extended households (sometimes known as ‘bubbles’). This means meeting indoors (in people’s houses, in a pub or elsewhere) with anyone you don’t live with is not allowed at the moment unless you have a good reason, such as providing care to a vulnerable person.
  • All licensed premises have to stop serving alcohol at 10pm.
  • Everyone over 11 will be required to wear face coverings in indoor places, which are open to the public, such as shops, as well as on public transport – as is the case in the rest of Wales. (There are some limited exemptions for people with disabilities and medical conditions – these are the same as for public transport).

All the Cake You Can Eat

“All the cake you can eat” was on mouth-watering display outside Resolven Church Hall on Saturday, when Resolven W.I held their cake sale for Macmillan Cancer Support. So tempting were the goodies on sale, that by the time our team from R.D.N arrived on the Square, there wasn’t even a crumb in sight.

Here’s Resolven W.I. President Jen Colley’s report.

“Our cake sale was a great success and we raised £412 for Macmillan Cancer Support – the response from our community was amazing.

As you can imagine there is not much news from WI at the moment as we can’t meet and we can’t go on our trips, but at least we can make cake!

Here’s hoping for better times in the future.”

Jen Colley (President)

Closure of The Resolven Branch of The Royal British Legion

The Constitution of the Royal British Legion is such that if a Branch membership falls to less than seven members it has to close, unfortunately the Resolven Branch has now fallen to just six members and the Constitution further states, that there must be a Committee of seven members. Enquiries have been made to increase the membership but despite these enquiries, no new members were recruited and the Branch has now sadly commenced the procedure for closure and is now dysfunctional.

The outgoing Committee are extremely grateful for the wonderful support they received from both the residents and retail outlets in Resolven and District for donating £7125.93 towards the Poppy Appeal during the eight year tenure of the Branch. In addition, the Branch are also grateful to Father Andrew Davies and other Church members who made a very significant contribution to the Armistice Service each year. Finally the Branch wish to thank the Resolven Rugby and Cricket Club for allowing them to use their Club facilities as the Branch Headquarters.

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The Obituary Notice of Mr David Davies

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Temporary Road Closure B4434 (Tonna to Resolven)

TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE B4434 : TONNA – RESOLVEN

B4434 will be closed from the junction of Heol Y Glo, near Tonna Hospital for 1.8 km (1.1mls) to Cyd Terrace, Clyne between the hours of 09:30 and 15:00 on the 17th September 2020.

Access for emergency services will be maintained.

The X7 bus Service will not be able to serve Clyne to Resolven between those times.  There will be a Social Services shuttle bus.

Neath to Glynneath Shuttle.

The X7 now operates hourly, hence, in order to meet all journeys in Resolven the passengers from Clyne will need to be at Resolven 10 minutes early to catch the X7 to Neath and the shuttle bus to Clyne when travelling from Glynneath.

Depart Clyne Station to catch X7 at Resolven for Neath.

09:10, 10:10, 11:10, 12:10, 13:10, 14:10, 15:10

Arrive Resolven (John Street) for travel to Neath on X7 (All passengers alight)

09:19, 10:19, 11:19, 12:19, 13:19, 14:19, 15:19 (the X7 departs for Neath at 29 mins past the hour)

(Empty Positioning Journey)Depart Resolven John Street Depart Resolven (John Street) for travel to Clyne Station.

09:20, 10:20, 11:20, 12:20, 13.20, 14:20, 15:20

Arrive Clyne Station

09:29, 10:29, 11:29, 12:29, 13:29, 14:29, 15:29

Depart Clyne to Catch X7 at Resolven by 40mins past the hour to Glynneath.

09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30

Arrive Resolven (John Street) to meet X7 at 40 mins past the hour for onward travel to Glynneath

09:39, 10:39, 11:39, 12:39, 13:39, 14:39, 15:39 (the X7 departs for Glynneath at 40 mins past the hour)

Those travelling from Glynneath to Clyne will have to alight at Resolven (John Street) at 29 minutes past the hour and wait 10 minutes for onward journey to Clyne and catch the following shuttle times to Clyne:

Depart Resolven John Street after meeting X7 at 40 mins past the hour for travel to Clyne Station.

09:41, 10:41, 11:41, 12:41, 13.41, 14:41,15:41

Arrive Clyne Station

09:50, 10:50, 11:50, 12:51, 13:50, 14:50 15.50

Shuttle bus Lay over 20 mins in Clyne between 50 mins past the hour and 10 mins past the hour.

Shuttle bus passengers from Clyne will have to wait in Resolven for 10 mins to catch the bus to Neath or Clyne

A simple example is:

The shuttle bus has to leave Clyne to go to Resolven by 9.19am, passengers alight, wait 10 mins at Resolven and catch the 9.29 from Resolven to Neath. Why you might ask? Because the shuttle bus has to leave Resolven to get back to Clyne by 9.30 to collect passengers who might want to go to Glynneath on the 9.40 from Resolven.

Likewise, those travelling from Glynneath to Clyne, there’s a 10 minute wait at Resolven for the shuttle bus.

The shuttle bus will already be waiting for those returning from Neath to Clyne.

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Resolven W.I Tea

AN APPRECIATION OF NATURE IN LOCKDOWN

(From Mary Baker in Glynneath)

The coronavirus lockdown was long but it gave my husband Idris and myself, both the time and privilege to be able to sit and watch nature during the 3 months of beautiful weather that we had and which was a welcome distraction from the virus.

From our Bungalow window which faces the mountain, we watch every year to see the first swallows dipping and diving and then we know that Spring is here. It’s amazing to think that these beautiful birds have flown 6,000 miles from wintering in South Africa to the UK. they return to the same nesting site, lay their eggs and nurture their young and then in September, when it gets colder and there are no flies to feed on, they depart with the young for South Africa for the Winter, where they rest and feed on insects to make sure their in tip-top conditions to do the 6,000 mile journey back to the UK in the Spring, to nest and breed again.

Every year a pair of swallows return to a nest up our garden, under the eaves of our garden shed, sadly 2 years ago a magpie ate the young.  My husband Idris put bars across the nest last year to stop the magpie from getting in, leaving enough room for the swallows to get in and out and they had three young. This year because it was hot early in the season, Idris watered the Perspex roof of the shed to keep it cool as the nest is under the roof, apparently swallows mate for life and return to the same nest every year for 3 years! It worked and we had 6 young there this year.

WILL I WON’T I FLY THE NEST
IT’S GETTING A BIT CROWDED IN HERE GUYS

We have spent many an enjoyable hour watching the swallows carrying food back and forth to feed their young, all 6 of them, there was hardly enough room in the nest for them all, we watched the first one feeling his wings and flying across to the shelf on the wall opposite their nest and then the other 5 following, and then a few days later all 6 young flying around the garden with their parents, so May and June kept us occupied.

 Now that September is here the butterflies have arrived in droves, we have 4 pots with what we call a butterfly plant in each of them and each one is covered in butterflies and bees, they are beautiful, so pretty.

 Both my husband and myself are in our 80’s and didn’t venture out during lockdown but nature was all around us and the weather was beautiful right through lock-down which gave us the privilege of being able to sit outside amongst nature, unlike many past years in March and April and even May when we’ve had floods in May and June and even snow in April.  It could have been far worse, this lockdown

BY MARY GITTINS

Many thanks to Mary for a delightful glimpse of nature at its best in the garden she and husband Idris tend and enjoy during these difficult tmes for all of us.

If anyone has pictures and stories to tell of their gardens or walks in our valley please send them to us-we’d be delighted to receive them at:

am@resolvendistrictnews.co.uk