Women Only Group

The Glanymor & Tyisha based Women Only group was formed to bring women from various cultures together to learn about each other's interests and explore areas of common concern. Its aim is to provide support to women on health, training and employment issues as well as developing and sharing new and existing skills.

The group has had many achievements to date but the most memorable was participating in International Women's Day and International Families Day.

Women Only is a multicultural group with members who are Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Polish and Welsh.

The group gets involved in a whole range of activities. Some recent examples include sari tying workshops, samosa making demonstrations, multicultural dance workshops and aromatherapy training. Group members are also currently working towards a Foundation in Personal Development.

Women Only meet every Tuesday at the Glanymor & Tyisha Communities First Centre at 26-28 Inkerman Street at 11am.

Currently, the group is also hosting exercise classes on a Tuesday morning at Emanuel Chapel on New Dock Road, Llanelli. Carmarthenhsire Connect caught up wit the group at the end of this week's session.

Some typical moves in the exercise class

Exercise instructor Tara on working with Women Only

Group Chair Mrs Simmer Kour Sura shares a few words about Women Only

For more information on Women Only, and to join the group, please call Farah Aziz at Glanymor & Tyisha Communities First on 01554 777850.

Higher Uchela Music Video Launch

The launch of the Higher Uchela music video last Thursday was a huge success - over 100 people from local groups and organisations attended the glitzy event at Brynaman Rugby Club.

All the young people involved in the project received an award and a certificate, presented by the High Sheriff of Dyfed, Claire Mansel Lewis.

Haddy recieves her award and certificate from Claire Mansel Lewis

Peter recieves his award and certificate

After the award presentations, everyone got to see the premier of the music video created for local artist Tom Hamer's song Higher. The music video was planned, filmed and edited with support from television production company Tinopolis.

And the Higher Uchela music video is launched! Claire cuts the ribbon wrapping the DVD held by India, who played the lead role in the video

The premier was followed with Tom Hamer playing a live acoustic version of Higher. Then it was celebration time with a music from local DJ Tom Smith, a buffet and more live music from other local bands.

The music video idea, produced in both Welsh and English versions, was created over a seven month period by young people of BASE and Mess Up The Mess Youth Theatre and also included members of ASBO (All Skate Boarding Outcasts) and other young individuals. Set in a house party, the film addressed issues of underage binge drinking and the effects and consequences of such behaviour.

This innovative youth led bilingual project was run in partnership by Upper Amman Valley Communities First, Mess Up The Mess Theatre Company, Menter Bro Dinefwr, Tinopolis Production Studios and Carmarthenshire Connect. The project was kindly supported by Carmarthenshire Community Safety Partnership, Amman and Gwendraeth Young People’s Partnership and Amman Youth Forum.

Young people from throughout the Amman Valley participated in the project from Llandybie to Brynaman and due to the support of UNA Exchange’s environmental project in Glanaman the film even includes young people from as far as Italy and even Vietnam taking part in the film making!

Peri Thomas, Youth Arts Manager of Mess Up The Mess Theatre remarked “The process of making the video was a huge success and involved numerous enthusiastic and dedicated young people between the ages of 13 and 19. However, we are now working together to increase the profile of the music video in order to use it as a discussion tool in schools and youth clubs to raise awareness and understanding of safer partying approaches.”

Just before the launch, members of Project Higher Uchela recorded some 'red carpet' style interviews using Carmarthenshire Connect's Busbi camcorders. Here a couple of them:

India on playing the lead role

Louisa interviews Sophie and Tashy

Following the launch, group members then catured some audience feedback with these videos:

High Sheriff of Dyfed Claire Mansel Lewis, Andrew Williams (PCSO for Quarter Bach) and Charles Gabe (father of Project Higher member Laura)

Tom Williams, Upper Amman Valley Communities First Co-ordinator (yn Gymraeg/In Welsh)

Adele Dumas, Project Manager for Brynaman Community Centre

Lynsey Harries, Funding Officer for Brynaman Community Centre

Adrian Herdman, representing the Cwmgors Village Forum

Sarah Powell, Youth Participation Officer for Carmarthenshire County Council

In addition to assisting in the delivery of filming and editing workshops, Carmarthenshire Connect has been working with the young people participating in Higher Uchela to document the progress of the project through photos and videos. These have been uploaded to the Carmarthenshire Connect blog and a specially created Higher Uchela blog, which all members of the group have been able to contribute to.

The blog can be found at higheruchela.blogspot.com where there are more photos and videos from whole project, including the launch event.

Upper Amman Valley Christmas Fayre

Today was a very festive day in the Upper Amman Valley, with the Communities Firsts annual Christmas Fayre!

The day long event was held in the GCG Community Hall to kick start the Christmas season which included an extended wintry warm welcome to the whole community.

The event was well attended and gave an opportunity for local residents to get together for a cup of tea (or coffee), some cakes and even some hots dogs to help fund raise for their local community.

(The Hot Dog Lads!)

A number of local stalls were present selling all sorts from home made cakes and mince pies, local produce, second hand goods (always good to find that Christmas bargain) to jewelery and of course Christmas cards.

(Original gifts & Accessories by Anna & Nigel Smith)

(Home made Jewelery)

(GCG Happy Wanderers with their fund raising stall)

(A range of precious crystals, a perfect gift)

(Christmas cards from Adele at CAVS)

Community organisations also had stands promoting their good causes and providing advise to the people of the Upper Amman Valley. This included the Warm Wales initiative funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and Neath Port Talbot to help people keep warm this winter by providing sound advise on energy tariffs and free loft and cavity insulation, Safer Neath Port Talbot (community safety partnership), Keep Wales Tidy, the local Credit Union, Care & Repair Neath Port Talbot and the Welsh Language Board.

(The ladies from Warm Wales)

(Safer Neath Port Talbot)

Entertainment was provide by the brilliant children's choir of Tair Gwaith Primary School who sang a number of traditional Christmas songs as well as some unusual ones!

CTR Enterprise were also on hand with a second hand stall and to promote their various ventures in the area including the CTR Fruit & Veg shop.

Subway Project

Young people in Llwynhendy have been working hard on painting a subway to the new Parc Y Scarlets stadium in Llwynhendy. The subway is the VIP entrance to the new stadium. The walls had been sprayed with graffiti, making the entrance an unsightly welcome to the stadium. It also conveyed an unfavourable image of the local community.

Llwynhendy Communities First, supported by Parc Y Scarlets, Carmarthenshire County Council, Llwynhendy Neighbourhood Policing Team and the Integrated Children's Centre in Llwynhendy, has been leading on a project facilitating local young people to transform the subway into an inspiring entrance to Parc Y Scarlets and a welcoming first impression of Llwynhendy.

Using paint supplied by Carmarthenshire County Council, the young people have been painting super-size emblems of Welsh rugby on the subway walls. Through encouraging young people to take ownership of the subway, the project aims to foster a sense of pride in the subway that will reduce the chances of it being sprayed with graffiti.

As a reward for their efforts, members of the project have been given a tour of the Parc Y Scarlets stadium and were given free tickets to watch the Scarlets' first match in the new stadium against Munster last Friday. They have also been kept well-fed with meals from McDonald's, courtesy of Communities First, and picnic bags from Parc Y Scarlets.

The group also carried out a litter pick with Keep Wales Tidy on the day before Friday's match, so the area was looking spick-and-span for the stadium's second match, this time at a limited capacity of 9000 (of a total potential capacity of 15000).

Here are some of the photos the young people took using Carmarthenshire Connect's Sony Ericsson K810i:

And some videos recorded by the project members using Carmarthenshire Connect's Busbi camcorders:

Lost Communities - I Remember When...

Video Number 4 in the series where members of Lost Communities share their memories of how the Morfa, Bwlch and Machynys areas of Llanelli have changed

I remember when the land near Embankment Road was a scrap yard
by Sandra Jenkins

Llwynhendy Volunteer Highly Commended at CAVS Volunteer Centre Awards Evening 2008

Llwynhendy volunteer Tina Miles' efforts have been recognised at the CAVS Volunteer Centre Awards Evening 2008 where she was Highly Commended for the WCVA Wales Volunteer of the Year Award.

Tina volunteers with a range of community groups in the Llwynhendy Communities First ward and helps out with Communities First activities and events. Tina was nominated by Michelle Batten, who used to work in the Llwynhendy Communities First team.

Tina's voluntary activities and the spirit with which she volunteers are encapsulated in her nomination testimony:

Tina is involved in a wide range of Communities First Llwynhendy activities. She helps out with a club for under 7’s, a day club for over 7’s, a food cooperative and plays in the Samba Band. They can always rely on her to be there whatever they are doing. Tina is a true star that they couldn’t do without. She is also the office cleaner and keeps all the staff in order! They have seen her grow in confidence over the last few years and they really appreciate her contribution.

Tina is a key volunteer within Llwynhendy Communities First. She gets everyone involved by telling them what’s going on. She’s always the first to help set up at events and the last to leave. She always gives 100% and cannot do enough to help.

Tina Miles is presented with her certificate by Hywel Gwynfryn

Tina with Llwynhendy Communities First Development Officers Lindy Butler (left) and Gillian Handscomb (right)

Tina, Lindy and Gillian with international rugby referee Nigel Owens (left) and Welsh TV and radio personality Hywel Gwynfryn (right), who were both presenting awards and certificates at the evening

Lindy tells us what groups Tina is involved with

Tina tells us about her evening at the Volunteer Awards

The 2008 Awards Evening was held on Tuesday at The Mountain Gate near Ammanford. The evening was a celebration of volunteering in Carmarthenshire. Certificates for four volunteering award schemes were presented at the event: CAVS Volunteering Awards 2008; WCVA Wales Volunteer of the Year; Millennium Volunteer programme; CAVS Volunteer Centre Training course.

This year's Awards Evening saw the first CAVS Volunteering Awards. Nominations were invited under four categories: Volunteer of the Year (over 25); Green Volunteer of the Year; Young Volunteer of the Year (under 25);and the Ray Gravell Memorial Award. The award winners were Vaughan Williams (volunteer Chairman for Llanelli Centre for the Deaf); Denys Smith (volunteer for The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales); Sian Edwards (volunteer for Carmarthen Youth Project - Dr Mz); and Barbara Louis (volunteer Parent Mentor for families of young offenders) respectively.

The variety of volunteering activities undertaken by those at the evening and the range of volunteers' ages showed how active and diverse the volunteering sector in Carmarthenshire is. The bringing together of people with a like-minded sense of altruism made for a very enjoyable evening for all.

For more information on the CAVS Volunteer Centre see CAVS' website and click on 'Volunteering'. For a list of current volunteering opportunities registered with the CAVS Volunteer Centre, see their pages on the Volunteering Wales website.