Road safety concern at Merthyr children's centre

More than 40,000 children are killed or injured each year as result of road accidents. Most of these accidents happen near homes and many as a result of school gate parking or parking illegally where large numbers of children gather.

Concern was raised recently due to the increased volume of traffic surrounding the ICC, a high number of cars parked on yellow lines and non-permit holders parking in disabled bays, so with this in mind staff at Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council’s Cwm Golau Integrated Children’s Centre (ICC), Pentrebach decided to pilot a road safety campaign during November as part of the National Road Safety Awareness month.

The idea of the scheme was to highlight the dangers of parking dangerously and to raise awareness of road safety to parents/carers and centre users.

Staff wore high visible jackets and issued letters and road safety leaflets to all users encouraging them to be more aware of road safety. All persons found parking in non-designated areas were asked to move immediately.

Councillor Richard Thomas said: "I fully support the efforts of staff at Cwm Golau ICC in raising the profile of road safety. The safety of children and Centre users is of paramount importance to us, particularly in light of a recent accident in the Borough involving a child."

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Care for young carers in RCT

Rhondda Cynon Taf Mayor Cllr Robert Smith was delighted to be asked to judge a competition to find the eye-catching artwork that will be used on the publicity and information material distributed by Cynon Valley Young Carers.

The material is being updated and given a fresh new look thanks to a Big Lottery Fund grant, ensuring information is up to date and relevant for the 75 young carers the scheme looks after.

Leanne Lemonheigh, 17, of Penrhiwceiber was chosen as the winner. She is a well-known carer within the groups and looks after her mother, who has mental health issues.

Selina Bunny, 14, of Penywaun, was the runner-up, she cares for her siblings, who have a range of learning difficulties.

The successful Cynon Valley Young Carers is based in the Hirwaun YMCA and offers support and information for some 75 people aged between eight and 18.

As well as practical support on issues such as financial issues and budget planning, the scheme also organises respite care and social events for the young people to give them the break they need.

Mayor Cllr Smith said: "I was honoured to be asked to judge the competition and look forward to seeing the new, improved information material when it is completed.

"It is essential our young carers have access to a wide range of information and support to assist them as they carry out their difficult roles. We are also committed to giving them the respite and social activities they need so they do not forget they are young people, as well as young carers.

"Schemes such as Cynon Valley Young Carers allows this and I am pleased to be able to show my support."

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New youth helpline launched

A new National Advocacy and Advice service for children and young people, backed with £459,850 of new Welsh Assembly Government funding, has been announced by Children’s Minister Jane Hutt.

The helpline will be the first of its kind in the UK to be rolled out on a national basis and will give children and young people the opportunity to get help on issues important to them if they feel they are not being listened to or getting the support they need. The helpline will be available through:

• free phone lines
• free texting
• e-mail and
• instant messaging.

The Advocacy and Advice Service will work with and compliment other advice services and helplines such as Childline which have a prominent safeguarding role.

The announcement comes on the 20th anniversary of the UNCRC. At a celebratory event to mark the UNCRC anniversary the Minister also launched a major new Action Plan ‘Getting it right’, which sets out how we will make important steps to make children and young people’s rights a reality over the next 5 years in Wales.

Key actions in the plan include:

• Addressing negative perceptions of children and young people particularly in the media – through promoting positive achievements of children and young people and celebrating the success that they achieve
• Working to eliminate all types of bullying - through new anti bullying guidance and the promotion of initiatives such as anti bullying week
• Ensuring all children have the right to play - through developing a new play policy and providing more opportunities for children and young people to engage in the music, arts and sport.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan who also addressed the 20th Anniversary UNCRC event added:

"My Government has made it clear that we are determined to ensure that our children and young people can access and enjoy their rights.

"We want to make sure that children and young people can get help when they need it from people who can support and represent them and their views.

"We are working hard to help the children and young people of Wales to live healthier, more enjoyable and fulfilling lives. I am optimistic that the policies and programmes we have in place will help deliver our obligations to the children and young people of Wales."

Jane Hutt said:

"In Wales we use the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as the basis for all our work with and for children and young people. We are committed to giving a legislative basis to this work, and the First Minister recently announced our intention to explore further the possibility of introducing a Measure to embed the principles of the UNCRC into law on behalf of Welsh children.

"We must support children and young people through difficult times when they may need more support. Articles 12 and 13 of the UNCRC state that children have the right to have their voices heard and to receive and share information.

"The advocacy and advice service I have announced today supports children and young people to do just that. It will be more than an information service. It will provide advice and find services for children and young people to help them in all sorts of situations. It is about giving them practical assistance and support when things become particularly difficult and if they feel they are not getting the help they need or are entitled to."

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Imitation flashing dummies warning

Cardiff Council Trading Standards Officers are warning of imitation dummies that could potentially kill babies or small children.

The dummies look very similar to normal dummies but are fitted with flashing lights and sold as costume jewellery. They do not conform to the relevant safety standards for dummies, pacifiers or soothers.

A number of these dummies have been seized recently by Trading Standards and Licensing Officers whilst being sold on the streets of Cardiff.

The dummies come apart easily and contain a small electronic circuit board inside which is sharp enough to cut children and small enough to the swallowed.

The dummies also contain three small batteries that could also be easily swallowed and they have long cords attached for putting around adults` necks which could strangle a child.

Trading standards officers fear that the dummies could be given to children instead of the real thing as they are more appealing, due to the flashing lights. Should the dummy come apart children could very quickly put the electronics and/or the batteries into their mouths which could form a choking hazard.

Councillor Judith Woodman, Executive Member for Communities said: "These imitation dummies would be very dangerous in the hands of babies and young children. They come apart very easily and could be life threatening. Our advice to parents is not to buy these imitation dummies or to throw them away before a child is seriously injured or killed.."

Trading standards officers are keen to hear from anyone who has seen the dummies being sold and to contact them on 029 2087 2059.

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Swine flu vaccine to be offered to children

Children aged over six months and under five years will be offered the swine flu vaccine.

A total of 168,000 children fall into this category in Wales.

Vaccination of people in clinical risk groups under the first phase of the vaccination programme is well under way. Vaccinating these groups remains a priority to protect those at greatest risk from swine flu.

The UK health departments are working with the British Medical Association and NHS organisations to agree the details of how young children will be offered the vaccine once general practitioners (GPs) complete the vaccination of priority groups.

It's expected that children will be offered the vaccine from December. Parents of children who are over six months and under five years should wait to be contacted by their local surgery.

The Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Tony Jewell, said:

"The four UK Health Ministers have agreed that the second phase of the swine flu vaccination programme should focus on all children aged six months and over and under five years.

"Evidence shows that young children are suffering the greatest overall impact from the disease. They are particularly vulnerable to complications and more likely to become seriously ill and need hospital treatment than other groups. Young children are effective spreaders of the disease and the clinical attack rate is also higher, meaning a greater proportion of children will become ill. Vaccination will mean that fewer children in this age group will become seriously ill and need hospital treatment.

"Vaccination is the simplest, safest and most effective way of protecting people’s health and will help in our efforts to minimise its impact on individuals and communities.

"We expect vaccination to be through GPs, and are exploring with the General Practitioners Committee how best to do this. The programme will begin very shortly once phase one of the vaccination programme targeting the original priority groups is coming to an end. Parents will be contacted by their GP surgery inviting them to have their eligible children vaccinated.

"The approach has been agreed by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE).

"In addition, advice from the JCVI has suggested that main carers for elderly or disabled people should be an important next group. We will discuss this advice with carers’ organisations, including a number of practical questions, including how to identify and verify the carers involved.

"While the vast majority of people, who contract swine flu, get over it within five to seven days, with rest, plenty of fluids and paracetamol, some people experience severe complications and even die.

"Sadly, this week, we have seen a further increase in swine flu-related deaths. However, we are aware that a number of these people had been seriously ill for some time. This is a tragedy for the families and friends of the individuals but unfortunately, we have been expecting to see an increase in the number of deaths. This is the same for seasonal flu in the winter.

"Whilst reported cases of swine flu have recently started declining, it is too early to draw any conclusions about the number of future cases."

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Ruthin choses children's play ship

By Spring time, children in Ruthin will be able to enjoy playing on a brand new Adventure Ship-Galleon - a ship shaped play facility with mast, rope, climbing nets, tower and slide as well as a new 20 metre zip wire after residents attended a special public meeting at Ysgol Brynhyfryd, Ruthin, to make a final decision on a new play facility for the park.

In the run up to the meeting, residents were given the opportunity to put forward their proposals as part of a new Participatory Budget (PB) process, which Denbighshire elected to use to enable residents to spend up to £25,000 of Denbighshire funds on the new facility. From an initial 30 proposals, these were short-listed down to ten favourites.

During the evening, the residents behind the ten bids had the opportunity to promote their idea with a three minute presentation – the bids were then scored by those at the meeting and the winners were announced on the night.

The total cost of both the ship and the zip wire comes to £28,013 which is being met by Denbighshire a further £1,000 pledged by Ruthin Town Council.

Far from being forgotten, the other eight proposals will be considered in future years as a Friends of Cae Ddol group has been set up to assist with the future planning and strategy for the park

Councillor Bobby Feeley, a member of the project working party, said: "It was a pleasure to be part of the meeting and experience the excitement and the buzz of interest, also the disappointment of those who's projects did not succeed, we hope some will succeed in future."

Jamie Groves, Denbighshire’s head of leisure services, compered the evening, and said afterwards: "It was a great success. The PB process was being used for the first time by Denbighshire - this really fits with our aim of bringing the council closer to the community.

"It was an excellent example of how members, officers and residents can work together collectively for the benefit of their communities.

"We are hoping this will be the start of a new process for Denbighshire and we hope to try this scheme with other communities throughout the county.

"Full credit goes to the people who worked on the bids, to the residents who attended the meeting and I would also like to thank Bill Ellis Jones of Together Creating Communities, which coordinates the participatory budget scheme, and his team for all their hard work throughout this process."

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Percussionist Hits the Right Note

Percussionist Philip Howells was the overall winner of this year's Secondary Schools' Music Festival.

The annual festival, which is organised by the Pembrokeshire County Council Music Service and sponsored by Chevron, took place on Saturday (14th November) at Sir Thomas Picton School, Haverfordwest.

Over 400 young musicians from the County's eight secondary schools took part in individual and ensemble competitions throughout the day.

Later in the evening an enthusiastic audience enjoyed a feast of music at a special concert showcasing both the individual winners as well as the winners of the instrumental and vocal ensemble competitions.

Philip Howells of Pembroke School was the Open Percussion Class winner - as well as the overall winner. He performed Paciocchino's Dream by Zizkovich on the marimba.

Winner of the Open Brass was Tenor Horn player (and Phillip's brother) Ryan Howells of Sir Thomas Picton School, who performed Cornocopia by Bram Wiggins accompanied by Simeon Morris

Sam Turton of Greenhill School was the winner of both the Open Woodwind and Piano classes for the second year running. In the woodwind competition he performed Andante and Scherzo by Paul Pierne accompanied by Clive Raymond. For his piano performance he played the 1st movement of Grieg's Piano Sonata.

The Open String Competition was represented by violinist Rebecca Hobbs of Greenhill School, who performed Romanze by Svendsen accompanied by Rebecca Whitehurst.

The winner of the Open Jazz Competition was saxophonist David Crane from Sir Thomas Picton School, who played the unaccompanied If Only by James Rae.

Jessica Cale of Sir Thomas Picton School was the winner of the Open Vocal competition and sang When I am laid in Earth by Henry Purcell.

There were joint winners of the Vocal Ensemble Class - Bro Gwaun Singers and Pembroke School trio. Unfortunately Bro Gwaun singers were unable to perform at the evening concert due to a prior commitment so Pembroke School Trio performed It Don't mean a Thing accompanied by Chris Preddy.

The winners of the Open Ensemble Class were the Greenhill School Clarinet Quintet, who performed the 3rd Movement of Brahms Clarinet Quintet.

The invited professional adjudicators - Peter Morgan, Percussion; Edward Burns, Strings; Christopher Lovegrove, Piano + Keyboard; Ted Wilson, Ensembles; Gareth Kirby, Brass; Dennis Mahoney, Jazz; Jacqui Scaife, Woodwind; Timothy Angel, Voice - were greatly impressed with the high standards and strength of the music on show.

On behalf of the judges Edward Burns congratulated all the participants, as well as staff and parents, who he said had helped make the day such an outstanding success.

Jane James of Chevron said the company was delighted to be involved in such a prestigious event.

The winners of both the solo and ensemble competitions showcased a range of styles - from classical music to contemporary popular songs, jazz and film music - at the evening concert.

Also performing were Sir Thomas Picton School Orchestra conducted by Tim Bourne; Ysgol Greenhill School Orchestra conducted by Paul Rapi;

Milford Haven School Wind Band conducted by Gareth Sanders Swales and Sarah Lloyd. Tasker Milward School conducted by Sarah Richards;

Ysgol Dewi Sant School Orchestra conducted by Tom Earey;

Pembroke School Choir and Orchestra conducted by Chris Preddy and Sammy Hughes; Ysgol Bro Gwaun Orchestra conducted by Adrian Clifford and Ysgol Y Preseli Wind Band conducted by Gareth Sanders Swales.

The master of ceremonies was Chris Llewellyn, the County Music Co-ordinator.

COMPETITION RESULTS

WOODWIND
Class 1 Grade 4 Woodwind

1 Libby Roberts Tasker Milward
2 Jnt Francesca Murphy Preseli
2 Jnt Sarah Merritt Greenhill
HC Shona McEvoy Dewi Sant

Class 2 Grade 5 Woodwind

1 Ceri-Ann Absalom STP
2 Hannah Taylor Greenhill
3 Angharad Thomas Preseli
HC Ceridwen Price Dewi Sant

Class 3 Grade 6 Woodwind

1 Sarah Davies Greenhill
2 Molly Brick Tasker Milward
3 Rhodri Maiden Preseli

Class 4 Grade 7 Woodwind

1 Claudia Belli Greenhill
2 Brendan Bunker Pembroke
3 Alex Lucas STP

Class 5 Grade 8 Woodwind

1 Danielle Harries Greenhill
2 Fiona Griffiths Greenhill
3 Eleri Evans Pembroke

Class 6 Open Woodwind

1 Sam Turton Greenhill
2 Sian Evans Pembroke
3 Hollie Lewis Pembroke
HC Katy Harrier STP

BRASS
Class 7 Grade 4 Brass

1 Kiaran Dearing Tasker Milward
2 Eleanor Armstrong Tasker Milward
3 Sophie Rees STP

Class 8 Grade 5 Brass

1 Jack Roberts Tasker Milward
2 Aled Meredith-Barratt Dewi Sant
3 Tomos Lewis Tasker Milward
HC Llinos Raymond Bro Gwaun
HC Alice Smith STP

Class 9 Grade 6 Brass

1 Ben Williams- Stacey Bro Gwaun
2 Geraint Harries Preseli
3 Alex Morgan Preseli
HC Ben Lawrence Bro Gwaun
HC Thomas Jordan Pembroke

Class 10 Grade 7 Brass

1 Bronwen Parratt Tasker Milward
2 Sam Freeman Milford
3 Gethin Llewelyn Pembroke

Class 11 Open Brass

1 Ryan Howells STP
2 Gareth Trott Tasker Milward
3 Ffion Haf-Williams Preseli
HC Adam Hensman Greenhill
HC Jake Watson STP

STRINGS

Class 13 Strings Grade 4

1 Ella Sutton Dewi Sant
2 David Baggs Preseli
3 Katie Baggs Preseli

Class 14 Strings Grade 5

1 Abbie Andreo Preseli
2 Elinor Davies Dewi Sant
3 Sarah Baggs Preseli
HC Luke Jenkins Dewi Sant

Class 15 Strings Grade 6

1 Rebecca Griffiths Greenhill
2 James Horton Home Educated
3 Madi Phillips STP
HC Christine Calditaran Tasker Milward

Class 16 Strings Grade 7

1 Cethin Ravenhill Pembroke
2 Lara Thomas Preseli
3 Alistair Davies Bro Gwaun
HC Angharad James Preseli

Class 17 Open Strings

1 Rebecca Hobbs Greenhill
2 Hannah Lowe Greenhill
3 Georgia Williams Greenhill
HC Oliver Irving STP

PIANO

Class 19 Piano Grade 4

1 Mari Lewis STP
2 Lara Thomas Preseli
3 Amber McAnley Pembroke
3 Hannah Rowe Pembroke
HC Sian Lewis STP
HC Madeline Phillips Pembroke

Class 20 Piano Grade 5

1 James Horton Home Educated
2 Tom Milne Bro Gwaun
3 Lois Lewis Preseli
HC Claudia Belli Greenhill

Class 21/22 Piano Grades 6 + 7

1 Blythe McGechan-Davies Preseli
2 Simran Mann Bro Gwaun
3 Josie Green Greenhill
HC Dominic Ciccotti Preseli
HC Catrin Raymond Bro Gwaun
HC George James Pembroke

Class 23 Open Piano

1 Sam Turton Greenhill
2 Josh Wood Milford
3 Talis Spence Greenhill
HC Daniel James Pembroke

PERCUSSION

Class 26 Kit Percussion Grades 3-6

1 Jordan James Bro Gwaun
2 Mathew John Tasker Milward
3 Tommy Bryant Pembroke
HC Richard Phillips Dewi Sant
HC Peter Lewis Greenhill

Class 27 Orchestral Percussion Grades 3-6

1 Harry Whitehurst Greenhill
2 Carys Evans STP
3 Rhea Hrysicos STP
HC Alice Smith STP

Class 28 Open Percussion

1 Philip Howells Pembroke
2 Dan Brown Greenhill
3 Max Smith-Wrench Greenhill

VOCALS

Class 29 Classical Vocal Years 7-9

1 Jnt Naomi Nicholas Preseli
1 Jnt Bethan Davies Preseli
3 Keya Henderson Tasker Milward

Class 30 Classical Vocal Years 10-13

1 Catrin Raymond Bro Gwaun
2 Caryl Lewis Preseli
3 Blythe Davies Preseli
HC Sam Freeman Milford Haven

Class 31 Non Classical Vocal Years 7-9

1 Gwennan Williams Preseli
2 Sara Watkins Preseli
3 Nicola Clark Preseli
HC Iolo James Preseli
HC Glesni Edwards STP
HC Madi Phillips STP
HC Rhiannon Stephens Milford Haven

Class 32 Non Classical Vocal Years 10-13

1 Rosanna Cale STP
2 Emily Kajaks Pembroke
3 Gemma Johnson Tasker Milward
HC Eleanor Brown
HC Aaron Lewis
HC Bethan Davies
HC Abi Kinnock
HC Isobel Sherwood
HC Abigail Merritt
HC Stacey Etherington

Class 33 Open Vocal

1 Jessica Cale STP
2 Delun Nia Gibby Preseli
3 Lucy Morris Greenhill
HC Naomi Thomas STP

JAZZ

Class 34 Grade 3-5 Jazz

1 Jessica Lewis STP
2 Katie Isles STP
3 Mathew Davies Milford Haven
HC Ben Thomas Preseli

Class 35 Open Jazz

1 David Crane STP
2 Jack Stacey Preseli
3 Dominic Ciccotti Preseli

ENSEMBLES

Class 36a Grade 5 Wind/Brass Ensemble

1 Flute Trio Tasker Milward
2 Recorders Dewi Sant
3 Percussion Ensemble STP

Class 36b Grade 5 String Ensemble

1 Preseli Cello Quartet
2 Tasker Milward Violin Trio
3 Sir Thomas Picton 2 Violins & Piano
HC Preseli Pedwarawd Mared
HC Bro Gwaun String Trio

Class 37 Grade 5-8 Ensemble

1 Greenhill Clarinet Quartet
2 Milford Haven Saxaphone Quartet
3 Sir Thomas Picton Cello Quartet
HC Pembroke Violin Quartet

Class 38 Open Ensemble

1 Greenhill Clarinet Quintet and String Quartet
2 Sir Thomas Picton Jazz Piano Duo
3 Sir Thomas Picton Brass Ensemble

Class 39 Vocal Ensemble

1 Bro Gwaun & Pembroke Trio
2 Sir Thomas Picton Senior Ensemble
3 Greenhill Vocal Ensemble
HC Sir Thomas Picton Junior Ensemble

Class 40 Instrumental Duo

1 Deuawd Ysgol y Preseli Preseli
2 Brendan and Patrick Bunker Pembroke

Photograph: The Individual Winners are pictured with Jane James of Chevron. They include- Rebecca Hobbs, Ryan Howells, Jessica Cale, Sam Turton, Philip Howells and David Crane.

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Healthier school meals on the menu

Healthier school meals are on the menu at Neath Port Talbot schools.

Catering staff at comprehensive schools across the county borough have been having 'SAFFRON' training as part of a School Caterers Network.

The network was set up two years ago to train catering staff to develop their skills and share good practice.

The training, linked in with the Welsh Assembly's document 'Appetite for Life', highlights how to analyse the nutritional content of school meals ensuring that menus are balanced and healthy.

"Staff are to be congratulated for making improvements in secondary school canteens," says Council Leader, Ali Thomas.

"Healthy options will help young people improve their diet and bring better health in future years."

At a presentation ceremony last week, school caterers were given their certificates by the Council's Head of Support Services and Commissioning, Andrew Thomas for completing their training programme.

The network team meet regularly and there are plans in the pipeline to hold awareness days when a community dietician will be invited along to speak to the group.

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Pupils Pass Healthy Food Test

A Haverfordwest pupil has won a prize for her knowledge about healthy food.

Megan Ryan, a pupil at Mary Immaculate School, won the Murco sponsored quiz at this year's Grow It Cook It Eat it Event.

The nine-year old was presented with £20 worth of vouchers at a recent Assembly at the school. The school also received £100 worth of vouchers from Murco.

The popular food initiative - Grow It Cook It Eat It - aims to take youngsters through the farm-to-fork process of food.

The annual event teaches school children the importance of healthy eating and knowledge of local produce through talks and fun, interactive workshops.

Meanwhile another Mary Immaculate pupil has also displayed a keen knowledge of healthy food recently.

Georgina Norman won the Letter Trail competition at the Haverfordwest Farmers Market Harvest Fayre last month. The 10 year-old won a food hamper for her efforts.

Photograaph by Martin Cavaney: Pictured at the school with Megan and Georgina are Samantha Garrity (left, back) from Murco and Kate Morgan, Pembrokeshire County Council Food Officer

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Youth Bank allocates £10k in first year

Swansea's Youth Bank branch has allocated close to £10,000 in funding since being set up one year ago.

Youth Bank distributes funds to young people aged between 11 and 25 who wish to set up projects for the benefit of the wider community.

The Swansea Neath Port Talbot Young Carers Project (Crossroads) is among the ten projects to have received funding since Swansea's Youth Bank branch was incepted last November. The group received £1,300 to run cookery classes and to make how-to-cook DVDs for other young carers.

The Buddies project and the African Community Centre are among the other groups to have been allocated funds.

Buddies- a group of young people who support other young people with disabilities as part of the Local Aid Charity- received £725 to plan, prepare and organise project days out such as a trip to St Fagans. The African Community Centre Youth Forum was successful in their application for £750 to to train in hip hop and African dance to use as a medium to promote their community centre in and around Swansea.

Over £650 was also awarded to the Young Swansea Artists for the planning and hosting of a young person's art exhibition in Swansea.

Swansea Youth Bank has been set up through a partnership between Swansea Council's Youth Service and Swansea Council for Voluntary Service (SCVS).

The panel of young grant givers in Swansea is made up of ten young people who come together to make decisions on which projects receive funding. Some of the ten have been involved since the inception of the local branch and helped to design application forms and to set funding criteria.

Funding so far has come from Swansea Council, Youth Bank UK and The Russell Commission.

Carol Green, Director of the Swansea Council for Voluntary Service, said: "This project provides a valuable opportunity for the leaders of the future to get first hand experience of how decisions and hard choices are made.

"Over the last year the Youth Bank has risen to the challenge and invested their time in learning skills that are vital to all our futures. SCVS is very proud to be supporting the Youth Bank Project."

Cllr Alan Robinson, Swansea Council's Cabinet Member for Community Regeneration, said: "Swansea's Youth Bank branch has been an outstanding success since its inception.

"The scheme empowers young people to make decisions on how money that's intended for them should be spent locally. Not only does the scheme benefit the groups who receive funding but it also equips the young decision-makers with skills that will prove invaluable in later life."

The Youth Bank is now assessing its next round of funding and this year received 22 applications from young people looking to set up their own projects.

Contact Felicitie for more information about Swansea Youth Bank on swanseayouthbank@scvs.org.uk or 01792 544030.

Have a look at www.scvs.org.uk for more information about the Swansea Council for Voluntary Service.

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Youngsters tune up for talent show

Talented young musicians will be rocking the judges at an alternative music competition taking place this weekend.

Youngsters from schools across the Caerphilly county borough are busy practicing in a bid to clinch the coveted title of 'Caerphilly Young Contemporary Musician of the Year'.

Vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers will take part in the competition on Saturday 21st November at the Caerphilly Music Service offices in Pontllanfraith.

This year the event, which has been arranged in association with AX Music, has attracted a record 142 young hopefuls who are eager to show off their talent before the judges.

Adjudicators will assess the youngsters' performances during the day before awarding the top prizes of 'Young Contemporary Singer of the Year', 'Young Contemporary Composer of the Year', and finally the 'Young Contemporary Musician of the Year 2009' at 4.30pm.

The prizes will be presented by the Mayor of Caerphilly CBC, Councillor John Evans.

Admission to the event is free. For more information please contact Caerphilly Music Service on 01495 228948.

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Choose Life project visit Conwy youngsters

A programme that aims to teach young people about the dangers of drug and alcohol misuse and crime has been introduced to youngsters in Conwy.

The Choose Life project involves ex-prison inmates and wardens who visit schools and community clubs to perform a drama based on issues such as drugs, offending and under-age drinking.

The project, which has long been acknowledged as being an extremely effective and hard hitting method of delivering the message that drugs and alcohol can ruin lives, was recently arranged to attend Llandudno and Conwy Youth Clubs by PCSO Peter Colley from the West Conwy Neighbourhood Policing Team.

“Around 50 youngsters from Llandudno Junction, Conwy and Llanfairfechan turned up for the session which was great,” said PCSO Colley.

“Choose Life were asked to visit the club to give local youngsters an insight into the dangers of substance misuse, under-age drinking and crime. It’s a hard-hitting educational programme which gave the youngsters a privileged insight into the life of a drink and drug addict and explained in depth the pitfalls.

He added: “The attendance was fantastic and the evening ended with a question and answer session which I don’t think any leaflet could have given!”

Further details regarding the project can be obtained via their website – www.chooselifeproject.org

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Blackwood pupils organise a night out for the community

A group of primary school children from Blackwood are busy organising a show for their local community, with the assistance of local police officers and the Arts Council of Wales.

The Blackwood ‘Night Out’ Young Promoters are a group of 16 children, aged nine and ten who are in year five at Blackwood Primary School. They are currently putting in place plans to stage Beauty and the Beast for residents.

The show will be held on Tuesday 8th December at 7pm.

The group are attending weekly after-school workshops to put in place the preparations in the run-up to the show and are learning new skills along the way. This includes approaching local companies for sponsorship, inviting VIPs, marketing and selling the tickets, as well as arranging the refreshments.

On the night they will take charge in running events, helping the performers to set up, organising the front of house and welcoming the audience by making speeches.

They are set to visit the Maes Manor hotel in Blackwood next week to learn how they run events and to pick up some tips.

Special Constable Christine Smith and the Blackwood Neighbourhood Policing Team are assisting the pupils with the project, helping them to engage with young people in the area.

Christine said:

“The children are doing a fantastic job in arranging all of the preparations for the show and I have been very impressed with what they have done so far. They still have quite a lot of work to do over the next few weeks leading up to the show. It’s the first time that this project has been run in the Blackwood area, and I am sure that the local community will come out to support the pupils on the night.”

Fairgame Theatre will be presenting the Beauty and the Beast story, packed with music and action.

Tickets cost £4 for adults, £3 for concessions and a family ticket (two adults and two children) is available at £12 and can be purchased in advance from Blackwood Primary School.

For more information, please contact Senior Area Officer, Special Constable Christine Smith on 07855 539250.

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Safety advice for Gwynedd youngsters

As part of its commitment to ensuring that the county’s children and young people learn about how to live safely in their communities, the Gwynedd Community Safety Partnership has recently invested in subsidising trips for the county’s primary school children and local youth groups to visit ‘Dangerpoint’.

The Community Safety Partnerships is made up of statutory and non-statutory members including Gwynedd Council, North Wales Police, Fire and Rescue Service the Police Authority as well as voluntary and community organisations. The Partnership’s aim is to tackle crime and disorder and improve the lives of the people of Gwynedd.

Catherine Roberts of the Gwynedd Community Safety Partnership said:

“The Dangerpoint centre is based at Deeside in Flintshire and therefore can mean high transport costs for some schools and groups in Gwynedd. Coupled with entrance fees means that some children and young people may miss out. That is why we have made a significant contribution to ensuring that they won’t miss out on benefiting from a valuable learning experience.”

The Dangerpoint centre which opened in 2005 specialises in providing hands on safety education specifically for children and young people in north Wales. It is a registered charity that promotes safety awareness in order to reduce the incidents of accidental deaths and injury and promote health, wellbeing and community safety.

It has numerous scenarios set up and are constantly developing new ones such as a bedroom at home scenario and an electricity substation scenario to reflect a realistic view of the dangers that the could face in their everyday lives. All of the scenarios have been created to the highest standard to allow children to continually develop their learning in an interactive way.

The activities the children participate in are fully bilingual and have been developed with the help of teachers. This complements the national school curriculum and will add value as an evidence base for inspections.

The centre presents many exciting facilities for children and young people to interact and learn combined with a strong visual impact, stories and realistic scenarios delivers an award winning unforgettable learning experience that educates and raises safety awareness.

For more details visit: www.dangerpoint.co.uk

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Pester power used to promote safety

Police in Pembrokeshire are targeting children in a bid to get a safety message across to their parents.

The roads policing unit are concerned they are still issuing fixed penalty notices to adults for not wearing seatbelts despite numerous awareness and enforcement campaigns.

Police are now issuing a leaflet to every school child in the county along with a covering letter for their parents.

Inspector Andy Phillips said: “We have carried out numerous enforcement campaigns and it's disappointing that we are still finding adults putting their lives at risk by not wearing seat belts.

“In the first nine months of this year we issued 350 fixed penalty notices to people not wearing their seatbelt and this is just the number of those we have taken action against.

“The message is clear – wearing seatbelts saves lives. We are hoping this simple message is taken on board by the children and they pass it onto their parents ensuring they clunk click when next in the car.”

The campaign was launched today at St Florence School by Anna Ryder Richardson, the junior road safety officers and the school council.

It forms part of National Road Safety Week.

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New mobile youth facility launched

An event was held on Friday November 6 to launch the new MOBI youth facility.

The MOBI vehicle, delivered in partnership by Carmarthenshire Youth Service and Plant Dewi, aims to provide young people between the ages of 11-25 years living in isolated, rural communities throughout West Wales with access to youth information, advice and activities. Activities have included self-defence classes, go-karting trips, cooking competitions, DJ workshops, wall climbing and much more.

The ceremony was conducted jointly by the Chairman of Carmarthenshire County Council, Cllr. Tyssul Evans, the Director of Education & Children’s Services, Vernon Morgan, and Rev. Philip Johnes on behalf of Plant Dewi. Pupils from Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn and from Ysgol Gyfun Pantycelyn (Llandovery) – two of the schools visited by the project - were also present to lend their support.

The new vehicle replaces an older one – a converted horse-box – which has been serving remote villages throughout West Wales since 2002. It is equipped with a host of technological gizmos offering young people a wide range of services and opportunities for learning, or simply having fun.

The new facility will be staffed jointly by Carmarthenshire Council’s 3Ts (Tywi, Taf and Teifi) Youth Workers and Plant Dewi officers. By day, it will visit local schools followed each evening by community-based activities.

3Ts Senior Youth Worker, Chris Davies, said:

“Mobi acts as a catalyst for community activity and development through a partnership between Carmarthenshire County Council’s youth service and Plant Dewi. The project works with individuals, community groups and organisations to develop sustainable youth projects in rural areas. This work involves training opportunities, fundraising, project promotion and ongoing community support for isolated, remote or vulnerable groups.”

For further information, please visit http://youth.carmarthenshire.gov.uk

Or contact the 3Ts team on: 01267 228273 or Plant Dewi on: 01267 221551

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School Children Encounter a Sticky Problem

Children from a local school have been shown just how hard it is to remove chewing gum from the streets of Wrexham.

Staff at Wrexham Council's Streetscene demonstrated to pupils from Victoria Junior School the problems posed by discarded chewing gum on Town Hill. Staff used high pressure water hoses to remove the chewing gum and gave a talk to pupils highlighting the effort and cost of removing chewing gum.

Removing chewing gum from pavements and streets is an expensive and time consuming. According to the Community Clean group, while each stick of gum costs only 3p to buy, it costs 10p to prise off the streets. In 2007, the Government said the average cost to clean up gum from a town centre would be £20,000.

Cllr David Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport said:

"Removing discarded chewing is not only an expensive process, but also a drain on council resources. After this demonstration, hopefully the children will think twice about throwing their chewing gum on the floor."

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Police Organise Football Competition

Thanks to the Brecon Neighbourhood Policing Team, children from five local schools took part in a successful inter-school football competition, which was held at Christ College Sports facility.

The tournament involved teams from local primary schools; Priory Church in Wales, Ysgol-y-Bannau, Mount Street, St Josephs and Llanfaes School.

Ysgol-y-Bannau won the competition and lifted the shield after they beat reigning champions Mount Street 3:2.

Brecon’s Matthew’s Jewellers kindly sponsored the event and ensured each participant received a medal and the shield for the triumphant team – while Owen Sports provided Gift Voucher’s for the best player awards.

PCSO Mark Ponting, who helped organise the event, said: “Sport is an effective way to gain the interest of children, especially if you include the competitive element and a prize for the winners.

“I was really pleased with the tournament and I would like to thank the schools and teachers for allowing the children to take part. We hope to repeat it again next year and maybe involve schools from further afield. We would like to thank the local businesses and Christ College for their support of the tournament and for investing in the young people.”

Powys Chief Superintendent Steve Hughson added: “It is really important that our Police Officers involve themselves with young people to ensure that we are engaged with all sections of the community. What better forum for this than through sport. I was really encouraged with the numbers of children taking part and my congratulations go to the winning team.”

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Community leaders launch food and fitness for families project

Community Leaders from Penylan, Plasnewydd and Canton celebrated the launch of the Big Lottery funded Food and Fitness for Families Project at Penylan Library and Community Centre on Friday 6th November.

The Food and Fitness for Families Project received £494,000 from the Big Lottery for this three year project under the Way of Life – Healthy Home Tutors model and will be managed through a partnership formed between the Council’s Leisure Services and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

The programme aims to improve the health of 500 families with children aged 12 and under from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities living in Penylan, Plasnewydd and Canton. The participants will be taught about the importance of a healthy diet and regular exercise by trained volunteers recruited from their own communities.

Healthy lifestyle advice will initially be given in the comfort of the home before introducing the families to group sessions in local community facilities including schools, community halls and leisure centres.

Community leaders attended the launch to find out how they can support the project through partnership working. Representatives came from all areas of the community, including: Women in Action, Bangladeshi Welfare Association, Islamic Social Services and the Welsh Asian Council. Additionally, the Year 5 class from Albany Road Primary School participated in activity workshops based on physical activity, nutrition and play.

Councillor Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture said “This programme will have a long term impact on the health and wellbeing of BME communities where there are higher than average instances of obesity, coronary heart disease and diabetes linked to poor diet and a lack of physical activity. The Big Lottery – Way of Life grant will help us to remove some of the barriers to participation for BME families and our partnership with the University of Wales Hospital Dietetic Service will ensure that we are giving clear and consistent advice on the benefits of healthy a diet and regular exercise. Local volunteers will make sure that the programme includes a healthy serving of fun for all the family.”

For further information on how to become a volunteer or to enrol your family onto the project please call 029 2078 8416 or email wayoflife@cardiff.gov.uk.

The Big Lottery Fund distributes half of the National Lottery good cause funding across the UK. The Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need.

Photograph: Front row, left to right: Competition winners from Albany Road Primary School: Raman Mohhamidi, Aarif Noor, Seher Rasul.
Zoe Rogers (Centre Assistant), Councillor Nigel Howells on the smoothie bike Back row, left to right: Jackie Dorrian (Play Development Officer), Nisa Aleem (Community Play Coordinator), Ricky Tyler (Centre Assistant), Michelle Jenkins (Centre Assistant), Helen Nicholls (Community Dietetic Lead, Cardiff & Vale University Health Board), Judyth Jenkins (Head of Dietetic Service, Cardiff & Vale University Health Board).

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Pupils rewarded for prize-winning blogs

Two pupils from St Cenydd Comprehensive School in Caerphilly are looking forward to some retail therapy in the run up to Christmas after winning a blog competition on Caerphilly County Borough Council's 'You Go 4 It' website.

Lauren Williams and Charlotte Pursey won £150 each in High Street vouchers of their choice by writing the winning blogs on the website run by the authority's Catering Services.

Healthy Food trainer Cheryl Barge and Catering Area Supervisor Julie Mewett recently visited the school to present the girls with their vouchers in a school assembly.

To read the winning blogs and to find out about the latest competition, visit the You go 4 it website.

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