Glyncoch Community Partnership

CONGRATULATIONS must go to our successful learners in Glyncoch!

For the year between April 2009 – March 2010, over 135 local residents improved their knowledge and career aspirations by gaining qualifications in a whole host of different subjects, and even more successfully passed non-accredited courses. To our knowledge, this is the highest number of adult learners we’ve ever had in Glyncoch, and already it seems that next year’s figure is going to be even better – with loads of people having already signed up for courses such as Basic Skills, NVQ Community Development, Psychology and much much more.

Huw Cripps (Headmaster of Pontypridd High) recently presented 15 learners with the certificates awarded to the popular Basic Skills group for all their achievements over the past year. Most learners are now looking to progress onto other courses in the coming year, encouraged and supported by Sue Barrow, Glyncoch’s Chance to Learn project leader. There’s loads on offer from September so why not take the plunge and have a go!

The learning programme for September is available below and, if you would like to improve your education or get involved in learning in any way, please contact Sue Barrow, the Glyncoch Chance To Learn Advisor on 07971540528.

Learning Programme for September 2010

Anyone wishing more information on courses or have an idea for a course, please contact: Sue 07971540528 or Paul 07816880392

A new youth room has been unveiled at Glyncoch Community Centre thanks to funding from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust and some hard work from the Community Centre Committee. The facility is available to 11+ yrs on youth nights and includes at TV, Xbox and music. “This is a fabulous facility for the young people of Glyncoch who can now spend a lot of their time chatting and socialising in the homely comforts of the room, and is a much better alternative than hanging around the streets” said Louisa Addiscott, Youth Development Worker for Glyncoch Communities First Partnership.

Glyncoch now has its own computer lab based at the community centre and will be open to the public in September. The digilab has 10 computers for public use that have been sourced from an Interlink Community Capital Project Fund grant and a MASSIVE ‘thank you’ must go to Barnardo’s for donating £10,000 worth of computer equipment to Glyncoch to help get this facility started. The facility is currently being used for homework club on Thursday evenings for Year 7 from 4-5pm during term times, and will be used for Adult IT classes in September. In the very near future, the computers will be available for use to the public for 1 time credit per hour or 50p per hour. Details of opening times will follow shortly in the Glyncoch section of the Pontypridd and Llantrisant Observer.

Over the past year, football in Glyncoch has really kicked off! Glyncoch Communities First is regularly approached by tournament organisers and local communities to submit youth teams, and in keeping with our reputation our local players and coaches have had another successful year. Here are just some of the highlights:-

• Dean Latham and Sam Davies were selected by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust Welsh Team (which means Glyncoch has had 7 players selected over the past 3 years!!), to represent Wales against Scotland and England in the annual Tri-Nations Cup. The Welsh Team that featured both our local players won the tournament with both Dean and Sam featuring on the score sheet. Trials are currently underway for this year’s Tri-Nations Tournament where we hope to yet again have representation from Glyncoch.

• Glyncoch 9-12 year olds had their first ever game against an experienced Tylorstown. Although our boys did exceptionally well against a team that has been playing together for years, experience just got the better of them and now the boys are in training on Wednesday nights (On Cefn Lane field), preparing for a re-match.

• At the Hafod Housing invitational tournament, Glyncoch came home with the winners shield after scoring 35 goals and conceding only four (they felt sorry for the police in one game!!), in eight matches that included three Rhydyfelin teams and two teams representing South Wales Police Officers.

• South Wales Police have held a number of tournaments recently. At a recent tournament, Glyncoch managed to get to the Semi Final but the highlight of the day was 13yr old Stephen Miller who received ‘Player of the Tournament’ after scoring 5 goals against a senior side.

• Glyncoch took two teams to a youth tournament held by Community Focussed Schools where our 13-16yrs lost their semi-final on a penalty shootout and our 9-12yrs lost the final, also through penalties.

• 10 of our local residents (including most of our players that have recently turned senior) successfully completed their FAW Football Leaders Course.

If you would like to get involved in the football success at Glyncoch, whether it’s as a player, coach, manager, bus driver or dedicated parent who can support in any other way, please call Paul at the Communities First Office on 07816880392.

VOLUNTEERING

+

TIME BANKING

=

FREE TRIPS AND EVENTS

Volunteers keep our community groups and clubs running and help make Glyncoch a great community to live in.

The Glyncoch Time Exchange Network is our way of saying thank you for giving up your time.

Your time is worth a great deal to the community – so for every hour that you volunteer, you can earn what we call a “Time Credit”. You can then “spend” your Time Credits on a community event, trip or show.

DO YOU

• HAVE ANY FREE TIME
• WANT TO LEARN NEW SKILLS
• WANT TO HELP OTHERS IN GLYNCOCH
• WANT TO IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT
• WANT TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS
• HAVE A SKILL/TALENT YOU CAN TEACH OTHERS

THEN COME AND FIND OUT MORE

CURRENT VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE:

	Cycle Leader
	Journalists /Publication Designers
	Football Coaches Football Management Committee
	Bank Clerks
	Gardeners
	Family Fitness
	Rugby Coaching
	Festival Planning
	Committee/Management Skills

Anyone can join in and everyone’s time can make a difference.

For more information please contact Sue Edmunds on 07816880390 / 01443486496 or on email susane@glyncochcp.co.uk

Another year, another extremely successful festival in Glyncoch organised by local volunteers. On Saturday 26^th June, Glyncoch Festival Society held its fourth multicultural festival where people of all ages flocked in their hundreds to enjoy a whole range of activities in the sunshine.

Held in Craig Yr Hesg and Ty Gwyn School fields, a procession of the local children opened the festival that included a whole range of activities such as an assault course, a surf machine, bouncy castles and laser clay pigeon shooting; with entertainment throughout the afternoon from a number of groups such as a Zulu choir, African drumming, displays from Glyncoch Taekwondo club and Glyncoch Dance Group.

The Glyncoch Festival Society would like to give a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to all the dedicated volunteers that took part, both on the day and with the preparation beforehand, and would also like to thank the local groups that provided their support on the day by holding stalls to raise money for local causes.

For a fourth year running, this has been another excellent display of community members and local groups coming together to support their community. Preparation is already underway for the Winter Festival.

If anyone is interested in being part of the Glyncoch Festival Society, please contact the Glyncoch Communities First office on 01443 486496 for more details.

On Saturday 15th May, Glyncoch Communities First and Glyncoch Chance to Learn Project hosted "RCT Goes Green", an event to support Adult Learners Week, funded by NIACE Dysgu Cymru.

The event attracted over 100 people to participate in activities that involved building skills associated with the environment.  The Glyncoch ‘Build-it’ construction apprentices, in collaboration with Ymlaen Glyncoch, taught people of all ages on how to build flower planters and bird boxes, Keep Wales Tidy and Chance To Learn organised an environmental awareness walk.

Tesco held a ‘Green Tesco’ stall for the younger members of the community, and much more such as bush craft, wood carving and recycled jewellery making.  This event was also supported by RCT Streetcare’s ‘Green Glyncoch’ team, who are aiming to make the village the first zero waste village in Wales.

"This has been a great day for all ages to come together to both learn new skills and learn more about protecting our environment.  We at Glyncoch are extremely grateful to all the support that we have had from our amazing partners in making this day a success" said Glyncoch Communities First Development Worker, Paul Stepczak.