Latest news with #Torfaen
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Big Pit charging mine admission is 'wrong'
It is wrong to charge people to enter the Big Pit National Coal Museum, a Senedd report museum in Blaenavon, Torfaen, has started charging £8 per person, with some concessions, on a trial basis until July the culture and sport committee says access should remain free on principle and not be a luxury for those who can afford it, calling for better funding for Welsh museums so collections remain free for Welsh government said it was committed to keeping entry to all seven museum sites free, as well as to the national collections, and would consider the report's findings. Tours of Big Pit, one of Amgueddfa Cymru's seven museums, are led by former miners and explore original mine shafts and museums.A sign outside the entrance now states: "Due to financial pressures and funding cuts, from 5 April we will be charging for the underground tour." But Delyth Jewell MS, chair of the Senedd's culture and sports committee, said the tours are "a fundamental part of our national collections, they are part of our national story, and that shouldn't be limiting if people can't afford to access them".The report says the Welsh government has "not fulfilled its responsibility in funding museums adequately", citing a 17% cut in real terms to funding for culture and sport in Wales in the last decade. "We appreciate that it is expensive for Amgueddfa Cymru to provide access to the underground workings at Big Pit," it says."However, we think this is an argument for the Welsh government to provide an adequate level of funding, not for Amgueddfa Cymru to charge for access." Visitors gave a mixed response to the charge, with Deborah Clubb from Merthyr Tydfil saying: "I think [the fee] would make it something that I wouldn't visit as often, definitely, because it was always a free attraction before and something that you could do as a family without thinking about."Mother-of-six Amy Hughes, from Aberdare, said she took the underground tour several times when it was free. She said: "[The admission fee] does make me not want to take all my kids down there but I do feel it's such good value to be able to go underground and see an actual mine."It would be good if they did a family ticket." Savannah Knox, visiting from Southern Ontario, said she didn't mind paying because she is used to doing that back home in said: "If it's historical or a museum it's usually charged. It helps with the upkeep, right?"Showing her around Wales was Lauren Price from Risca, who said she didn't mind paying the fee "if the money's going back into keeping it up and going". Amgueddfa Cymru said the Big Pit experience extends "far beyond" the underground tour, and the rest of the site remains free. It said it looks forward to continuing working with the Welsh government as they consider the report's findings.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Pontypool: Vegetable plot dig unearths crop of vintage bottles
Scratching the surface of a planned vegetable plot in a back garden has been a journey of discovery for one a mound of earth and nestled away for decades on a property in Pontypool, Torfaen, were more than 1,000 vintage bottles. Some beer bottles and medicinal glass jars have been brought to the surface - but their existence in just one spot is "puzzling", said mum-of-two Zoe Brown."We started digging and found there's loads of rubbish - we went a metre down and found a whole bottle and thought this is really cool - maybe there's more stuff."It got absolutely out of hand." Zoe said after they moved the family decided to "do the house up a bit at first" but there was a nice outdoor space to decided to work on that, and "maybe grow some veg".Upon finding the bottles she said she emailed a lady who told her that before the war people had to get rid of their own rubbish, and said "if you go any deeper you will find out more". "There's quite a lot all over the place, we found an old wall there as well. Glasses were popping up we were picking them out, there's over 1,000 bottles altogether - we picked loads out but some of them are still in the garden."After using a mechanical digger and finding more than they anticipated - Zoe decided to call it a day."I washed hundreds of them out and my boy Reg and my little girl Tilly chose the ones they liked." As well brewery bottles from Abersychan, Rhymney, Newport and Cardiff there were also vintage bottles featuring Abergavenny's Morgans and Evans."There's loads of brewery ones - and little jars like the ones from Boots the Chemist with little tablespoon marks on the side, and one find was like a bottle of hair gel with a comb marking on it - where you dip the comb in and wash your hair."I emailed some auction places but there's too much to go through. We wheeled them up to the back of the garden - some of them had liquids in them so we had to be careful."Zoe added: "We've got loads of flowers there now- rather than grow veg because of the liquids we found. We knew the area had glass in it because when it rains glass keeps on popping up."Part of you wants to keep going but where do you cut off? It got to the point where it's level and that's enough. "There's easy 1000 little jars and bottles which have come out."
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A huge welcome to the world to these three new arrivals
Every Monday on our New Arrivals page we give them a big welcome to the world. If you've recently had a baby and would like to share your news with us go to and fill in our easy-to-use Q&A. Granite Cornelia Lavender (Image: Cheryl Lavender) Granite Cornelia Lavender was born at The Grange University Hospital on Sunday, April 20, 2025, weighing 10lb. She was the surprise baby for parents Cheryl and Magnum Lavender and has joined them at home in Torfaen. Cheryl found out she was pregnant after rushing to A&E a few weeks ago after becoming ill but was delighted with the surprise. Noah Lee Kenneth Williams (Image: Katrina Williams) Noah Lee Kenneth Williams was born at The Grange University Hospital on April 1, 2025, weighing 7lbs 10oz. He is the third child of parents Katrina and Jordan Williams, and was born on their second wedding anniversary and joined them and older siblings Elena (four) and Darcie-Rae (one) at home in Bettws. Jocie-Mai Cecilia Gerrish (Image: Jenny Cox) Jocie-Mai Cecilia Gerrish was born at The Grange University Hospital on April 1, 2025, weighing 6lb 3oz. She joins parents Jenny Cox and Jason Gerrish and older brother Ieuan (14) at home in Newport, with eldest brother Iestyn in university in Aberystwyth and older sister Mali-Rose (17) based in Portsmouth with the Royal Navy. Jocie-Mai is named after two of her grandmothers and is the happily ever after for her parents after much heartache. She arrived by emergency C-section.
South Wales Argus
03-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Torfaen council 'private homes reluctant to let children go'
Councils across Wales are preparing for a new Welsh law that will ban the use of for-profit children's care providers including residential children's homes and independent fostering agencies. Jason O'Brien, the director for children's and family services at Torfaen Borough Council, told councillors removing children from private residential homes can be 'very difficult' as they do not want to lose income attached to the children. He said: 'It can be very difficult sometimes to move a child on from private provision it might be their need has reduced significantly but the provider wants to hold on to them as they are generating a profit.' The social services chief also said providers could also have an incentive to keep children with reduced need as they are 'less difficult to have' in their homes. In response to the Welsh Government's 'eliminate agenda' to remove for-profit children's care Torfaen is developing its own small children's homes and aiming to boost the number of its own in-house foster carers as well as reducing the numbers of children taken into care, which Mr O'Brien said is being driven by 'quality assurance and safeguarding'. He told the council's children and families scrutiny committee, that was examining how the council is preparing for the legislation that will be fully implemented by April 2030, placing children with for-profit providers meant the council is one step removed from their care. Children can also be placed out of county, including in England, which is more time consuming for social workers. 'There is an incentive for for-profit providers to have a child placed with them, for us within the local authority we do not have that incentive it is more on improving outcomes for that child.' Mr O'Brien acknowledged there is a financial incentive for the council to achieve savings by reducing the numbers of children in care but said it aims to do so by better supporting families. Torfaen has already opened its two-bedroom Greenhill children's home in Cwmbran with housing association Hedyn, formally known as Melin, has recently purchased a second home and is looking at buying a third as well as converting a property the council has been using for emergency placements. Those four will give Torfaen 13 beds and the committee was told of the 19 children currently in residential placements all but the two housed at Greenhill are with for-profit providers. Councillors were told the council has also 'benchmarked' costs of using for-profit providers, against using its own accommodation in partnership with non-profits, and is confident of savings. The council also has 35 children with independent foster agencies and Mr O'Brien said on average those placements cost the council around £1,000 a week compared to £400 for its in house carers. Some of those children in care will turn 18 before the new legislation is fully implemented, added Mr O'Brien. He also said there wouldn't be a return to the large scale children's homes that had been in place under the former Gwent County Council such as Coed Glass, that housed 30 children near Abergavenny, or Ty Mawr, that was also in an isolated rural location, and had 90 children. Mr O'Brien said: 'I would struggle to see the benefit of say a 10 bed provision beyond the financial, benefits of scale, but this is about outcomes and improving outcomes for children in our care.' He said the council wants small homes, with fewer children and staff, that are more like a 'family than residential environment' in communities. A smaller number of children also makes it easier to 'match' suitable children in a home, said Mr O'Brien. Councillors said they were satisfied with how the authority has prepared for the eliminate agenda but said the outcomes of changes it is putting in place, including a staff restructure, aren't known as yet and are likely to require further updates on progress.
