The Cleaner Greener Communities project, is available to community groups this year within the Heads of the Valleys area.

Cleaner Greener Communities is a partnership project between Keep Wales Tidy, BTCV Cymru and Groundwork Wales, to encourage local communities to take responsibility for their own environment. This has been made possible through funding from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Heads of the Valleys programme.

As part of the project, small grants up to £1,000 are available for community groups to help cover the costs of insurance, tools, equipment, publicity and training in order to carry out environmental improvement projects.

In addition, a local Project Officer works with community groups to provide advice on their project and complete a successful grant application. This service is provided free of charge.

Examples of groups that have already received funding include the Cornerstone Church Project in Aberdare that received a grant of £740 for materials, plants and publicity expenses for their Community Allotment Project.

Some of the work undertaken elsewhere includes the clean ups of areas or stretches of rivers and removal of litter for community areas, practical improvements such as hedge laying and planting or biodiversity schemes like flower planting to attract butterflies or building otter holts along rivers

In Rhondda Cynon Taf the communities that come under the Heads of the Valley umbrella and are eligible to apply are: Aberdare East, Aberdare West, Aberaman North, Aberaman South, Cwmbach, Ferndale, Hirwaun, Maerdy, Mountain Ash East, Mountain Ash West, Penrhiwceiber, Pen-y-waun, Rhigos, Treherbert and Treorchy.

Joanna Friedli from Keep Wales Tidy says: “Any community group based in the Heads of the Valleys who would like to improve the environment they live in should get in touch.

“Cleaner Greener Communities is a fantastic resource for start-up and established community groups. The project officers offer a wealth of environmental and conservation knowledge together with expert help, training and advice free of charge, in addition, groups may be eligible for a grant of up to £1,000.

“Cleaner Greener Communities is keen to hear from anyone interested in volunteering to improve the environment they live in.”

For application forms and local project officer details please contact Joanna Friedli at Keep Wales Tidy on 029 2038 1733 or email joanna.friedli@keepwalestidy.org

The letter criticises the chain for using Indiana Jones posters, packaging and toys to promote its Kids Menu. The promotion comes just months after the high street giant signed a pledge that purported to cease all advertising to children on TV, in print or through the internet. The campaign is calling on Burger King to end its practice of using film tie-ins to promote its brand to kids.

Burger King was found to be giving away one of eight Indiana Jones themed toys with every purchase from its kids menu. This is despite the fact that in December 2007, Burger King was one of eleven food companies which signed the EU pledge, committing itself to “change…food and beverage advertising to children in support of parental efforts to promote healthy lifestyles”.

Toys include Boulder Escape Indy; Stunt Jump Indy; the Tricky Treasure and the Temple of Mystery.

Jackie Schneider, mother of three and founder of Merton Parents for Better Food in Schools, said “This deal is a seedy attempt by Burger King to appeal directly to our kids to repeatedly visit Burger King, and undermines parental attempts to encourage a balanced diet.”

This shameless attempt to cash in on the success of the Indiana Jones film to sell burgers to children is completely inconsistent with Burger King’s claims to support health. Once again, the food industry has shown that they cannot be trusted to self-regulate.

The letter, and pictures of Burger King’s Indiana Jones burger bag, are available at www.sustainweb.org/news.php?id=217

The award is the national standard for quality parks and green spaces, recognising excellence in the management and delivery of service within the Parks sector. Ynysangharad Park is one of only 19 sites across Wales to achieve the honour this year.

Winning the Green Flag Award is the culmination of another busy year for the park, which has hosted events such as the Teddy Bears Picnic and Parti Ponty, attended by thousands of children earlier this month. It also hosted some of the events during Ponty’s Big Weekend, the entertainment extravaganza from July 18-21, with singer Rhydian Roberts among the star performers.

From August 1-3, 2008, the park will be the setting for the Big Welsh Bite, a fabulous food and agriculture festival, featuring entertainment for all the family.

The Cwm Ogwr Fach section of the Celtic Trail between Tonyrefail and Blackmill was officially opened by Bridgend AM Carwyn Jones.

The attractive traffic-free route near the entrance to Lakeside Farm Restaurant on the A4093 forms part of a trail stretching across the breadth of Wales.

The five-mile section follows the former railway line and parish road, and prevents walkers and cyclists having to drop onto the busy A4093 to continue along the Celtic Trail.

The scheme is part of the Celtic Trail Phase 2 Project funded through the Welsh European Funding Office.

Since last year we have been using a nice photo of former mayor Councillor Jane Ward - see the old pic here.

The Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taf handed over the reins to Councillor Margaret Davies over two months ago.

We are getting there really Fast on Foot…

Here’s a snap we took at Dare Valley Country Park in April 2008 at Cynon Valley Ramblers Open Day. The Mayoress was presented with a Cheque by Cynon Valley Ramblers on the day for renovation work carried out at the Park.

At a Walking and Cycling and Conference in Cardiff, the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing, Jane Davidson, said the Welsh Assembly Government would be investing £250,000 to train more than 100 instructors to teach the new standards across Wales.

The aim is to increase the number of qualified instructors that can deliver cycle training to a consistent standard that prepares children and adults to cycle on today’s roads.   Ms Davidson said:

The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to getting more people to cycle – as a form of transport; as a means of becoming more physically active; and as a way of getting out and enjoying our countryside.

We all need to reduce our carbon footprint, and cycling can help to make a real difference here – especially since the majority of car journeys are less than 5 miles long. With the cost of motoring on the rise, cycling is a cheap, healthy, and sustainable means of transport.

So I’m delighted to announce today this new initiative which the Assembly Government is funding this year to encourage more people to cycle.

The Cycle Training National Standards have already been adopted by a small number of local authorities in Wales, but the new money and the partnership with CTC - the UK’s national cyclists’ organisation - will help ensure coverage across Wales.

Working with the CTC Charitable Trust and the Sports Council, the £250,000 funding over three years will be used to get the National Standards adopted across Wales alongside the successful Bikeability brand.

CTC Director Kevin Mayne said:

We call Bikeability cycling proficiency for the 21st Century. It gives parents and children the confidence to make their daily journeys by bike under real conditions. We are delighted that the Welsh Assembly is encouraging more people to cycle. The funding will also enable us to employ a Cycle Training Development Officer who will be dedicated to supporting all the providers of cycling activities in Wales as they get more people on their bikes.

Ms Davidson said:

CTC estimate that around 10% of year 6 pupils in Wales receive some cycle training, but rarely is this undertaken on roads. We want to see this changed dramatically through a programme of work to get over 100 instructors trained in the National Standards who will then provide appropriate cycle training to schools and to adults. A new project officer is also being recruited to help co-ordinate this work.

A new Planning Application is being considered. A Site Meeting on 1st July 2008, see the full story here on Hirwaun Online.

The weekly Food Waste Collection is a new initiative adopted by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council.

The new food waste recycling scheme has already been launched in Brynna near Llanharan, Trealaw in the Rhondda and Llwydcoed in the Cynon Valley. It is now being introduced in parts of Graigwen, Pontypridd and over subsequent months more and more communities in Rhondda Cynon Taf will be introduced to it.

Food waste forms 30% of the average Rhondda Cynon Taf refuse bin contents. Residents who already take advantage of the kerbside recycling schemes, will be provided with two food waste containers.

One is a small kitchen caddy, about the size of a large ice cream container, with a bag inside. Once this is filled then the bag can be tied securely and placed inside a new waste collection bin to be emptied during the usual weekly collection.

The kitchen caddy has a click-shut lid and the larger kitchen waste bin has a locking handle to prevent any smells escaping as well as avoiding attracting unwanted attention from animals.

The kitchen waste bin allows you to recycle fruit and vegetables, cooked and uncooked food, bread, pasta, cereal and rice, dairy products and eggshells, kitchen towels, contaminated or soiled paper or cardboard food wrappings, meat and fish, leftover food, teabags and coffee grounds and also bones.

The scheme is an optional service as some residents already compost kitchen waste, but the Council service collects ALL kitchen waste. Food waste bins containing the wrong waste will not be emptied.

Household rubbish will still be collected every week along with all recycling collections as per normal.

The second Enviro-Vision Song Quest will take place at the Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd on Monday July 7th at 7.15pm and include bands from six comprehensive schools within Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Each of the bands will perform a song which has its very own “green theme”, including recycling, dog fouling, flytipping and graffiti. The shortlist of bands to perform in this special showcase has now been drawn up and groups from Y Pant, Hawthorn and Tonyrefail Comprehensive Schools along with Pontypridd High, Tonypandy Community College and Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun will take to the stage on the big night.

Each of the entrants will receive a certificate as a token of appreciation for supporting this very important initiative whilst the winner will receive £600, second place will receive £300 and the third place will receive £100. The prize money was donated by South Wales Police because of the eco crime an quality of life issues covered n the song.

This will mark the second joint-project between the Council’s Streetcare Services Team and Sonig Youth Music Industry which is part of Cultural Services.

During last year’s Enviro-Vision Song Quest around 70 youngsters became involved in the project which saw them attend workshops to write lyrics, compose music and actually record their individual songs over a two-day period. With the help of music tutors from the Council, the aim of the project was to raise awareness of environmental issues.

Tickets for the concert are now on sale for £2.50 from the Muni Arts Centre Box Office on 01443 485934.