More than a century after it was first built, Abertillery's historic Stute could once again become a place for local people to come together. But after a decade of campaigning, those fighting to save the building still face one major obstacle: securing the £3 million needed to bring it back to life.

The story (a historic one with lots of photos!) is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you signed up.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Vulnerable residents in Caerphilly county are waiting more than seven-and-a-half months for vital adaptations to their homes and that must be cut, say Plaid Cymru councillors. In a report to Caerphilly Council, Audit Wales warned that having to wait a long time for a housing adaptation may mean people being unable to do daily tasks. Delays may also increase the risks of falls, leading to the need to access other public services, auditors warned. New Hengoed councillor Anthony Cook, who is a member of the authority’s housing and environment scrutiny committee which received the report, said: “As a compassionate and caring society, we have a fundamental duty to look after our elderly residents and those with mobility issues. I have seen first hand how people struggling with mobility are left waiting far too long for critical adaptations to their homes, which negatively affects their independence, dignity, and everyday lives. The improvements in waiting times are welcome. However, an average wait of over seven months is still far too long. A wait of that length could possibly feel like an eternity for somebody struggling to live independently in their own home. More must be done to reduce these waiting times.” Charlotte Bishop, leader of the Plaid Cymru group, said: “We acknowledge improvements have been made in reducing waiting times from an average of 473 days to 229 days in 2025-26 but that is still far too long. We’re talking about people’s dignity, independence and wellbeing. These delays can leave people struggling with everyday tasks and increase the risk of falls, which ultimately puts more pressure on our NHS and social care services. The Council must put its full focus on reducing those waiting times further which will improve the quality of life for many people.”

• New research from Crisis reveals the ten affordable housing deserts in Great Britain, where not a single property listed in the last year is affordable for people in receipt of Local Housing Allowance (LHA), sometimes known as housing benefit. Analysis by Crisis of data from the charity's partner Zoopla shows that in ten areas there wasn't a single newly listed property which a person on housing benefit could afford. They are: Brentwood, Dartford, Melton Mowbray, Renfrewshire, Ribble Valley, South Hams, Staffordshire Moorlands, Warrington and Wrexham. Finally, as concerns us in the south Wales valleys, Merthyr Tydfil was listed as one of the ten places in the UK where there wasn’t a single property listed in the last year which was considered affordable by someone on housing benefit.

• In Rhondda Cynon Taf, residents are being encouraged to recycle more as Council launches its latest "Recycling in RCT is Seriously Easy" campaign, featuring a number of changes that make recycling simpler than ever before. The biggest change is the introduction of accepted soft plastics into the Council’s Clear Bag recycling service. That means all those plastic bags and wrappings can now be placed into your clear recycling bags. From now on, residents can recycle a range of accepted soft plastic items through their regular kerbside collection, alongside paper, cardboard, cans, cartons, bottles and jars. The Council has also made it easier to recycle paper, with paper no longer needing to be separated into its own bag.

“We want the phoenix to rise again”: The fight to save Abertillery’s historic Stute

Well over a century ago, in 1898, the Powell’s Tillery Institute, later known as the

Abertillery Workmen’s Welfare Institute, opened as a place for people in the community, primarily men, to socialise, relax, swim and receive an education.

The 720-square-metre building was expansive, featuring an 18-metre swimming pool and several committee rooms and halls, which could accommodate up to 200 people.

It was also used for overflow Sunday services during the Christian revival that swept across Wales in the early 1900s, and provided a space for local workmen to discuss and develop their ideas on trade unionism.

Following a devastating fire in 1951, the Institute, affectionately nicknamed The Stute, was rebuilt. Miners contributed money from their weekly wages to fund its replacement, which reopened in 1955.

During the miners’ strike in 1984, Julie Holt told The Valleys Lead that her family friend, Pearl Williams, organised a women’s support group from the building.

“Women weren’t allowed in the Stute previously, but she made sure they could come in then,” Holt, a resident hoping to get the Stute reopened, said. “She ran a soup kitchen and food collection point in here.”

But over the years, the building fell into disrepair after being largely unused since 2010. It eventually closed and was sold in 2016.

When The Valleys Lead visited the site, financial ledgers remained on desks in the former office, while historical documents and untouched notes lay tucked away in drawers.

Holt is one of nine trustees behind Save Our Stute Abertillery, a group that has spent more than a decade fighting to secure the funding needed to bring the historic building back into use.

“The history in this building is immense,” Holt said. “The story of this building is the absolute passion of the community in Abertillery.”

She believes restoring the Stute could bring renewed hope and a sense of community to the town.

“This is an area of high deprivation – 45 per cent of our children in this area are in high levels of poverty,” Holt said. “There is a need for this space.”

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We’ve got something a little different for you today.

A little introduction to the journalist behind The Valleys Lead this week. I’m Lauren Crosby Medlicott, a journalist living in Merthyr Tydfil. Each week, I bring you exclusive, in-depth reporting from around the south Wales valleys.

I’m enjoying a break with my children this week, as they are on half-term holidays, and so instead of my normal edition, I’m here to ask you to support the work The Valleys Lead is doing.

It’s been nearly a year since we launched, and I’ve been overwhelmed with the support from people who have read, contacted me about stories, agreed to share their personal experiences, and shared what we’ve produced.

We’ve covered the health visitors strike, flooding mitigation in Pontypridd, ALN education, contamination left from big-profit businesses, local businesses that are thriving and struggling, summer wildfires, anti-social behaviours, and the Senedd elections (and lots more).

And we’ve only been able to cover these because of your ever-growing support. Every phone call, email, and share helps.

There’s also a huge number of people that have subscribed to read our twice-weekly editions - both paid and free subscribers.

Thank you!

The reality is that we need to keep growing to ensure this financial model - which takes away a reliance on clickbait and adverts which block most of the screen - can be sustainable long-term. If you appreciate the work we’re doing, please consider backing us financially.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free (if you want to show support but can’t afford to financial contribute) and paid (if you have a bit of spare cash) options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

All you have to do is put your email in the box below, or email me at laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and I’ll get you signed up.

And please, I always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

New figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request reveal rising costs for temporary teaching staff across Merthyr Tydfil schools. Meanwhile, a council report highlights staffing reductions, falling pupil numbers and a 41% drop in school reserves as schools struggle to balance their budgets.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you signed up.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Each year, Wales in Bloom recongnises the hard work to make Wales shine with stunning floral displays and green spaces. Abertillery was a Category winner for allotments with up to ten plots, a huge achievement. Abertillery, Llanhilleth, Six Bells, and Tŷ Ebbw Fach all received mention as well. The prestigious Norman Stewart Award, which is awarded annually to an individual or group that has made an outstanding contribution to Wales in Bloom and their local community, was presented to Ralph Henderson MBE and the Abertillery Aspiration Group. Wales in Bloom said of the group: “Over a relatively short period, the group has

  transformed Abertillery through an ambitious programme of planting,

  environmental improvements and community engagement. It has become one

  of the most active contributors to both the Wales in Bloom campaign and the

  RHS It’s Your Neighbourhood initiative. Despite challenging weather conditions and even the occasional attention of local sheep, the group has continued to create impressive displays throughout the town and along the Ebbw Fach Valley. Ralph’s leadership, energy and determination have been instrumental in the group’s success. Leading from the front, he has inspired others to become involved and has consistently overcome challenges with positivity and determination.”

• Recently, we reported on how one parent is advocating for the vacated St Mary’s Primary School in Merthyr Tydfil to be used as a school for children with autism. A report that went before Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council last Thursday recommends the school to be used as an interim solution from April 2027 to provide additional capacity for Greenfield Special School until the completion of a new purpose-built special school. Let us know what you think about this at laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

• The number of privately owned long-term empty homes in the Caerphilly Borough has fallen by 129 in just 18 months following the introduction of a council tax premium. The premium, introduced under Welsh Government legislation, aims to encourage owners to bring empty properties back into use, helping to increase the supply of homes available to local people. Since April 2025 owners of second homes located in the Caerphilly Borough and those with properties that have been empty for longer than 2 years pay 100% council tax. Owners of properties empty for longer than 3 years are asked to pay 200% council tax and 300% for those empty for over 5 years. Councillor Shayne Cook, Caerphilly County Borough Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, said “With housing demand continuing to grow, we need to make sure homes don’t stand empty when they could provide much-needed accommodation. Reducing long-term empty homes by 129 in just 18 months is a positive result and shows the council tax premium is encouraging owners to take action and forms part of the council’s wider strategy top reduce empty homes and bring them back into use. This includes a dedicated Empty Properties Team, who have been instrumental in achieving these results by supporting owners facing higher council tax premiums to find practical and timely solutions for their properties.
  Every home brought back into use creates more opportunities for residents and strengthens our communities.”

Merthyr Tydfil schools cut 57 posts as supply staffing costs rise by nearly £600,000

The cost of employing temporary teaching staff in Merthyr Tydfil schools has increased by £596,869 since 2022-23, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by The Valley Lead has revealed.

In 2022-23, the cost of employing supply teachers and teaching assistants in primary and secondary schools across Merthyr Tydfil was £3,143,669. This rose to £3,405,076 in 2023-24, £3,678,324.77 in 2024-25 and £3,740,538 in 2025-26.

A scrutiny committee report on Merthyr Tydfil Council’s school finances for 2025-26 revealed that, to help balance their budgets, schools identified 57 posts for reduction: 11 teaching posts, 44 learning support assistant (LSA) posts and two other posts. Most of these reductions were scheduled to take place from September 2025.

“Staffing remains the largest area of expenditure within school budgets,” the report stated.

The Valleys Lead wanted to establish whether the two findings were linked. Has spending on supply staff increased as a result of reductions in permanent teaching staff?

We asked the Council for a reply from the Cabinet Member for Education, Culture and Welsh Language to respond to our questions. However, it was a council spokesperson who got back to us, telling The Valleys Lead that decisions to engage supply staff are made by individual schools, based on pupils’ needs and the requirement to maintain safe and effective day-to-day provision.

“It is important not to assume a direct connection between reductions in permanent staffing and expenditure on temporary or agency staff,” the spokesperson said.

“Posts removed through restructuring or redundancy are not backfilled by agency staff. In most cases, agency staff are used only where other staffing options are not available and cover is necessary to allow a school to remain operational.”

The spokesperson explained that the 57 posts identified for reduction reflected changes to schools’ permanent staffing structures, with most relating to fixed-term contracts.

“No compulsory redundancies were required, although nine posts resulted in redundancy payments because of the employees’ length of service. The majority of departures have not been directly replaced, reflecting vacancy management, workforce restructuring, voluntary resignations and the expiry of fixed-term contracts.”

Addressing the increase in supply staff costs, the spokesperson said it was due to “higher agency costs, broader employment cost pressures and national expectations regarding fair remuneration for agency workers.”

Are Merthyr Tydfil’s school finances in trouble?

The rise in temporary staffing costs and reductions of teaching posts comes amid wider financial pressures facing schools across Merthyr Tydfil. But how serious is the situation, and what is driving it?

At the end of the 2025-26 financial year, schools in Merthyr Tydfil collectively held £511,000 in reserves. However, this represented a 41% reduction compared with the previous year.

Although schools remained collectively in surplus, their reserves had fallen significantly. This leaves them with less money to deal with unexpected costs and future budget shortfalls, increasing the risk of further cuts.

The problem is not unique to Merthyr Tydfil, with schools across Wales facing similar financial pressures.

One factor identified in the Council’s report is falling pupil numbers.

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It’s the start of the autumnal flood season, and for residents of Llanhilleth, heavy rain has become a source of fear after Storm Bert flooded homes in November 2024, just four years after Storm Dennis. Although new flood protections are being introduced, residents say it will take time before they feel safe again. One resident told The Valleys Lead she is relieved that action is being taken but angry that residents had to fight so hard to get there.

The story is below (and free to read today!) - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you signed up.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• On Monday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Aberfan ahead of the the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster. Today, the King, Queen, and Prince of Wales will visit the village to meet survivors, bereaved parents, siblings, and former pupils. In the days following the media attention on Aberfan, The Valleys Lead will be asking residents what they want to see done to support their village and what must be done to ensure that a similar disaster doesn’t happen elsewhere. Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com if you’d like to discuss this.

• Seventeen museums, archives and libraries projects across Wales are to benefit from additional funding - helping to deliver on the Welsh Government's Programme for Government commitment to widen access to culture - with over £550,000 being invested in communities across the country. In Blaenau Gwent, the Cultural Library Youth Engagement Partnership will extend the Youth Library Co-ordinator role and expand engagement with under-represented young people. Merthyr Tydfil’s Heritage and Herstories Digital Museums Project will broaden school engagement and heritage trails. Rhondda Cynon Taff will expand public access to its museum and library collections through website development and new digital content. Torfaen, on behalf of Gwent Archives and the Archives & Records Council Wales, will deliver remaining engagement and digital legacy activity under the Archifau Cymru Byw programme. Neath Port Talbot will extend its pop-up museum programme with a new digital heritage platform and expanded community engagement activity.

• Carrying on from last week’s story regarding a train line to Abertillery, Senedd Members will discuss a petition this week calling for a feasibility study to reopening Nelson railway station. The petition will be discussed on Thursday afternoon in the Senedd’s Petition Committee, after 416 people signed up.

  The petition calls as a first step, to create an express bus service to nearby railway stations. The old Nelson and Llancaiach railway station at Tawelfan opened in 1912 but was closed in 1964. The old track and line still exist near Nelson. Lindsay Whittle MS for Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni said: “It is more than 60 years since Nelson railway was shut under the Beeching cuts. It was a short-sighted policy that left many communities without a railway. I fully support a feasibility study aimed at eventually reopening the station. The old track and line still exist near Nelson making its reopening a lot easier. We need to provide the services so that people can have the opportunity to let the train take the strain, rather than using a car for journeys to work and for leisure. Action is needed now to progress this scheme.”

“We’re holding our breath every time it rains”: Life after the Llanhilleth floods

When Sally Greenwell bought her house in Llanhilleth in 2023, she questioned the estate agent about any ongoing flood risks after learning that the house had been flooded in 2020 during Storm Dennis.

“The agent told me it was a problem that had all been fixed,” Sally told The Valleys Lead.

Sally soon discovered, on 24 November 2024, after days of Storm Bert battering the south Wales valleys, that the flooding issue was far from resolved.

“At seven o’clock in the morning, a neighbour was banging on my door saying, ‘It’s happening again’ – she was really distressed,” Sally recalled. “I came outside and could see the water coming up the street slowly. I couldn’t do anything about it.”

She knocked on doors, waking neighbours to alert them. Sally and others in her street spent hours trying to move the water away from their homes with brooms and buckets, barricading their doorways with towels to keep the water out.

“We were desperate,” Sally said. “It was really upsetting, and it was chaos for hours.”

Sally called the emergency services for assistance but was told Llanhilleth “wasn’t a priority”.

“I told them there were quite vulnerable residents on the street, but they just kept asking if I was in danger,” she said.

Four hours later, the fire brigade arrived, pumping water away from residents’ homes.

In the days following the flooding, Helen Cunningham, Independent Councillor for Llanhilleth, told The Valleys Lead that residents were “shocked, devastated, and angry”.

Only four years earlier, houses in Llanhilleth had been flooded during Storm Dennis, and residents felt nothing had been done to prevent it from happening again.

“There were some whose homes hadn’t recovered from the last lot of flooding,” Cunningham told The Valleys Lead. “I was speaking to residents who still hadn’t fully replaced what had been lost and damaged back in 2020. I remember standing with a resident in a state of shock, up to our knees in water in her living room and wading through another person’s kitchen. You don’t ever forget stuff like that – it stays with you.”

Cunningham said that following the 2024 flooding, residents in the street were terrified every time it rained.

“After Storm Bert, anxious and distressed residents would be calling and messaging me whenever there was heavy and prolonged rain,” she said.

Kay Corbett, an elderly woman living a street away from Sally, told The Valleys Lead that she has been checking for water ingress whenever it rains since her house was flooded during Storm Bert.

She had only just completed repairs to her house following the flooding during Storm Dennis when, in November 2024, she woke to find water coming in again through the back door.

“You couldn’t stop it,” she said.

This time, she was “angry” because “nothing had been done to prevent it happening again”.

“I was annoyed,” she said. “My insurance has gone right up now. It’s gone from £700 to £1,000.”

Once again, she had to make way for builders to strip out her house and repair the water damage.

“I lived upstairs while all the work was being done,” she said.

Determined to ensure the flooding did not happen on the same scale again, Sally began reviewing reports related to the 2020 flooding with the help of a water engineer.

“There were massive screw-ups,” Sally said.

She tried to raise her concerns with Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council but felt unheard.

“I felt I was hated for asking questions,” she said.

Two years after the flooding, Sally’s questions and Cunningham’s advocacy on behalf of residents have helped bring about action.

“After the 2024 flooding, I was determined that residents’ concerns and experiences were listened to and taken seriously,” Cunningham said. “I fought for a review to understand what had happened and ensure everything humanly possible was done to prevent it from happening again. That wasn’t easy. It was probably one of the most challenging and eye-opening things I’ve experienced. One councillor referred to my efforts as a ‘f***ing waste of time’.

“But on the flip side, responses from key senior officers in the council were absolutely outstanding. They met with residents a number of times in 2025 and were 100% committed to listening, learning and getting it right. They walked the streets that had been flooded and visited flooded residents in their homes and helped drive all the changes that have happened since.”

On the day The Valleys Lead visited Llanhilleth, engineers were knocking on doors in preparation for installing floodgates and non-return valves in homes susceptible to flooding.

Cunningham said the Council had increased the capacity of the culvert – “a big piece of work” – and that its outflow had been angled to help discharge water into the river. A non-return valve had also been installed to prevent water from flowing back into the system when the river was high.

A spokesperson for Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council told The Valleys Lead that its first priority had been repairing and upgrading the damaged culvert mentioned by Cunningham. The council then worked with Welsh Water to “ensure they fully inspect their apparatus in the area, namely the pumps, which uncovered an issue with debris which has been subsequently removed”.

“On top of this, we are currently undertaking detailed CCTV surveys of all the drainage in the area of the fields together with emptying the gullies,” the spokesperson said. “Working with the community on flood resilience, we have purchased an additional pump for this location and provided Floodsax which are kept in the miner’s institute for rapid deployment.”

A property-level protection scheme is also being rolled out, with fully funded floodgates offered to 82 properties in July.

“It was hoped to commence work on this in September; however, only 35 properties replied, so we are still appealing to residents who are yet to reply to do so quickly, so the work can be scheduled to start in November,” the spokesperson said.

The range of measures shows that the Council “has taken the 2024 flooding seriously” and “responded to it not just with one measure, but with several that each address the different aspects of the flooding”, Cunningham said.

Kay is grateful for everything that has been done, and will be done, to prevent future flooding, but she is not allowing her hopes to get too high.

“They can’t stop it coming in,” she said. “It’s reassuring [that mitigation is being put in place], but that water will find a way. I’m just waiting to see what happens. But it won’t stop any of us being nervous every time it rains.”

Sally also acknowledged the Council’s efforts but said “it shouldn’t have been a battle like this” to get flood mitigation in place.

“I’m really pleased they’ve eventually done all this,” she concluded. “I’m just still angry and upset because it shouldn’t have taken all this to get the work done.”

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For Abertillery commuter Bruno Maciel, a daily journey to Bristol means a 5am start and travel costs of up to £30. All the while, campaigners have spent 20 years pushing for a railway line they believe could transform the town’s future. With political support growing but funding withdrawn and estimates of the project’s cost varying sharply, the question remains whether Abertillery will finally be reconnected to the rail network.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you signed up.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• 60 years ago, on 21 October 1966, 144 people - including 116 children - tragically lost their lives when a spoil tip slid down a mountain, engulfing Pantglas School in Aberfan and some of the surrounding houses. This year, to mark the 60th anniversary of the disaster, a series of commemorative events have been organised for those wishing to pay their respects and remember the lives that were lost that day. Please find a list of these events here.

• Plaid Cymru councillors have condemned a decision by Labour-run Caerphilly not to reinstate school buses for children that were cut last month.

  A notice of motion was voted down at a meeting of the authority’s education scrutiny committee 13 October. The Council decision to cut Home To School transport for hundreds of pupils means many have to walk along very busy roads, prompting fears among parents of their children’s safety. Councillor Charlotte Bishop, leader of the Plaid Cymru group, said: “The motion failed to pass during the education scrutiny committee, an absolutely disgraceful decision. It is a sad day for the children and families of Caerphilly. By voting against safeguarding our children on their journeys to and from school, councillors have sent the wrong message to our communities. Every child deserves to travel to school safely, and parents deserve the reassurance that their children’s welfare comes first. This should never have become a political issue, and I am deeply disappointed by the outcome.”

• A new 10-year strategy will drive investment in more than 10,700 council homes across the Caerphilly borough, helping to deliver warmer, safer and more energy-efficient homes for tenants. On 14 October, Cabinet unanimously approved the Caerphilly Homes Asset Management Strategy 2026-2036, setting out a clear long-term plan to maintain, improve and future-proof council homes over the next decade. The strategy will support targeted investment in homes where it is needed most, helping to improve energy efficiency, reduce the need for emergency repairs and enhance accessibility for older and disabled residents. It will also play a key role in reducing carbon emissions and ensuring continued compliance with the Welsh Housing Quality Standard. Councillor Shayne Cook, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, said “This strategy is about investing in our homes, our communities and our tenants’ future. By planning ahead and targeting investment where it will have the greatest impact, we can deliver warmer, safer and more sustainable homes that meet the changing needs of our residents.”

“It’s a no-brainer”: The fight to bring trains back to Abertillery

For the past four years, Bruno Maciel, a public sector worker living in Abertillery, has woken at around 5am to catch the 5.40am bus to either Llanhilleth railway station or Newport before travelling to Bristol for work. His daily commute can cost up to £30.

“If there was an active train station in town [Abertillery], even with an hourly service, it would make a world of difference,” Bruno told The Valleys Lead. He believes a rail link would reduce his travel costs and significantly shorten his commute.

He predicts Abertillery could increasingly attract commuters working in Cardiff, around a 45-minute drive away, and Bristol, just over an hour by car, thanks to its lower cost of living. A direct rail connection, he argues, is vital to the town’s future.

Bruno is far from the first to call for Abertillery to be reconnected to the rail network.

Chris Hill, of Abertillery Aspiration, told The Valleys Lead that he and previous campaigners part of a local community group have spent two decades lobbying that the line from Llanhilleth would be extended and Abertillery reconnected to the rail network after the town lost its station back in 1962.

“We’re pushing hard to get it done,” he said.

Hill said the campaign has been driven by a desire to create opportunities for younger generations and reverse decades of economic decline following the closure of the area’s coal mines.

“I want to see more happening in our valley for younger generations,” he said. “We had the coal mines, and when all of that was taken away, nothing was put in its place for our town.”

He believes Abertillery has been overlooked compared with other post-industrial towns in the south Wales valleys, and that restoring the railway could help bring new life to the area.

A rail link would improve access to education, employment, hospital appointments and social and cultural opportunities, he said. It could also attract tourists and reduce road traffic by giving people an alternative to driving.

Hill believes the economic benefits could extend beyond transport. Based on projected annual usage of more than 220,000 journeys and a fare of £8.60, the line could generate approximately £1.89 million in annual fare revenue. Additional spending by passengers could provide a further boost to the local economy.

“It’s a no-brainer,” he said.

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Cost remains a key question

Hill cited a previous railway extension in the Ebbw Vale area as a point of comparison. According to his account, a Freedom of Information response from April 2026 put the cost at £11.5 million at the time, which he estimates would be around £15 million today.

However, he said a figure of £90 million had been quoted to him in a response from the Welsh Government, even though the scope of the work would be similar to that of the Ebbw Vale extension. He questioned how that estimate had been calculated and why it differed so significantly from the historical cost he cited. The figures have not been independently verified and may relate to different project scopes.

There are signs of political support for reopening the Abertillery Spur. Plaid Cymru Senedd Members representing Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Rhymney have written to the UK Government to make the case for restoring the line, which they say falls under the responsibility of the UK Government and Network Rail.

Lindsay Whittle told The Valleys Lead that the most recent development came in 2023–24, when Transport for Wales considered bidding for funding through the UK Government’s Restoring Your Railway programme.

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Matthew Jones never planned to become a ceramicist, but what began with two pottery wheels and a borrowed van has grown into a thriving ceramics business based in Blackwood. Nearly two decades on, he supplies cafés and restaurants across the south Wales valleys (and much further afield) while continuing to share his love of pottery through workshops. His journey is a testament to the power of persistence, community support and the possibility of building a successful creative career without leaving the south Wales valleys.

The story is below (free to read today!) - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Lindsay Whittle has presented the case for retaining a Victorian railway tickets office as part of a new £33m transport interchange in Caerphilly. The Blaenau Gwent, Caerffili, Rhymni MS met Deputy Transport Minister Mark Hooper and presented images created by a Caerphilly resident of how the ticket office could form part of the development. Whittle, who opposes demolition of the existing Victorian ticket office as part of the development said: “I thought the meeting with Mark Hooper was useful and he listened closely to the case to save the old ticket office. But I understand that the issue is not just one for the Welsh Government but also for Transport for Wales and the local authority who have submitted a planning application. I hope even at this late stage the plans can be amended because it is quite possible to have both the old ticket office and the new interchange.” Whittle pointed out that ticket office was unique in Caerphilly as many other significant old buildings have been demolished. He pointed out that the area had lost a school that was built in the late 1800s, the town’s old police station, a number of old banks, a cobblers shop from the 1700s and the old Clive Hotel, a magnificent building. “This is the last of the 100 year old buildings with the exception of Caerphilly Castle, a chapel and the old Courthouse,” added Whittle.

• Patients at a GP practice in Pontypool - The Panteg Health Centre - have been sent phantom appointments via text message due to a malfunctioning computer system. For example, one patient learned she didn’t have a Friday appointment with her GP when she arrived at the surgery. The surgery has since apologised and said they are working to resolve the issue.

• Fresh calls have been made to reinstate nine axed school transport routes in Caerphilly, despite the Council insisting they were safe and met Wales’ minimum distance rules. Plaid Cymru councillors Teresa Parry and Steve Skivens have raised concerns over the robustness and transparency of route assessments, arguing they may not reflect seasonal conditions such as poor weather, reduced daylight and heavier traffic. They are calling for a new, child-centred review and for transport to be reinstated in the meantime. However, a Labour group spokesperson accused the opposition of “hypocrisy”, arguing Caerphilly’s policy is more generous than those in other parts of Wales. The motion, backed by 16 other councillors, was debated at a scrutiny committee on Tuesday, October 13. We will update you on the outcome.

He never planned to be a ceramicist. Now his work is finding its way across Wales.

Growing up in Bargoed, Matthew Jones had “every intention” of becoming a mechanic in the Royal Air Force.

“It’s all I ever wanted to do because that’s what my grandfather had done, and he was a big influence in my younger life,” Matthew told The Valleys Lead. “I wanted to be like him.”

Not “very academic” and later diagnosed with dyslexia, Matthew found his happy place in the art classroom at school.

At 16, his art teacher asked about his plans for the future and encouraged him to apply to art college.

“I sent off my application for art college and applied for a Ministry of Defence apprenticeship,” Matthew said. “I didn’t get the apprenticeship, but I did get accepted into art college.”

Art college in Pontypridd introduced Matthew to the world of art and brought lifelong friendships with like-minded people. For the first time, he felt he had found his people.

But it was his discovery of ceramics that would ignite a lasting passion and give him a sense of direction.

At 19, Matthew visited the ceramics department at the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff and loved the “feel of the place”, with its black walls and students drinking cider.

When he told his sister about his interest, she secretly contacted the ceramics department. Matthew was called in for an informal chat, and days later, Matthew had started the course.

It was the beginning of a lifelong relationship with clay.

At the time, he had little idea where his studies might lead, but he knew he enjoyed making things.

“I enjoyed the course, I enjoyed the people on the course, I enjoyed the making,” he said. “That’s what’s always kind of stuck with me.”

After graduating, Matthew knew he wanted to give ceramics a proper chance. Moving to a bigger city, where he might find more opportunities, simply wasn’t financially possible.

“I didn’t have the resources to kind of up sticks and move to London, for example,” he said.

He briefly worked on building sites before deciding to try to make a living from his craft.

“Otherwise, what would have been the point?” he said.

Moving back in with his parents, Matthew signed on at the job centre, hoping to access support to turn his skills into a business.

“I had the skill, but I needed to learn how to monetise it,” he said.

With help from the job centre, a start-up grant and a loan from his father, Matthew developed a business plan, acquired his first pottery wheel and then a second, and bought a van.

For years, Matthew travelled around youth clubs across the south Wales valleys, giving young people the opportunity to try pottery for themselves.

“I was just giving kids an opportunity to have a go,” he said.

The business was built around the experience of making something on the wheel, rather than the finished product. Without access to a kiln, Matthew focused on introducing young people to the process of working with clay.

Initially, some of the teenagers were hesitant. But by the end of a session, even those who had arrived unsure about pottery were hooked.

“All these tough 16-year-olds who thought they were solid, they were loving it, making their mums’ vases,” he recalled.

“It’s a real leveller,” he said of clay.

Building a business from scratch required plenty of graft. Matthew would flick through the Yellow Pages, looking for charities, organisations and businesses that might be interested in hosting a workshop, then pick up the phone and try to make connections.

“I wasn’t making a million pounds, but I was a young man paying my own way and making money for the weekend,” he said.

But the financial crash of 2008 and subsequent austerity measures brought new challenges. Funding cuts to local authorities and third-sector organisations meant that many of the community projects Matthew worked with could no longer afford to run workshops.

With that work drying up, he needed a new way to sustain the business.

Around 2010, he secured a workspace in Blackwood, giving him somewhere to make ceramics for sale. Alongside occasional workshops, he began producing pieces for craft markets and developing the functional pottery that would eventually become a significant part of his business.

More than 20 years after first setting up his business, Matthew has established himself as a ceramicist supplying cafés, restaurants and hospitality businesses across the region.

His work has found its way into establishments including Pasture, Big Dog Coffee, Nook, FIR at The Vine Tree in Crickhowell, and Coco’s Coffee, to name just a few.

He also continues to make ceramics for individual customers and runs workshops from his Blackwood base.

It is a far cry from those early days with two pottery wheels and a van, but Matthew is quick to acknowledge the people who helped him along the way.

“I feel very grateful and very lucky,” he said. “There was so much goodwill from a lot of people.”

From the organisations that booked his first workshops to the people who provided him with workspace, he said, many wanted to see him succeed.

“Everyone has wanted me to succeed,” he said.

Another important factor in building the business has been social media, which has allowed Matthew to reach customers far beyond the south Wales valleys without having to relocate.

When he first started out, building a website and establishing an online presence could cost thousands of pounds, making it difficult for small independent makers to promote and sell their work beyond their immediate area.

Today, his website and social media have opened up a much wider market.

“It’s removed so many barriers,” he said. “People like myself don’t necessarily need to move away to build a platform. They can build that platform from their own [area] and still reach a wider audience.”

For a business rooted in Blackwood, that wider reach has helped turn a local craft into a livelihood with a national audience.

Matthew didn’t begin with a clear plan for what he would do with his love of ceramics. His journey has been shaped by practical decisions, unexpected opportunities and challenges that have forced him to adapt.

But nearly two decades on, he has built a business that brings together his love of making, his work with communities and his relationships with independent businesses.

His story is a reminder that creative careers don’t always follow a straight line. Sometimes they are built slowly, through hard work, persistence and the support of people who believe in what you’re doing.

And sometimes, staying where you started can be an opportunity in itself.

Find Matthew and his work here.

You can follow him on Instagram here.

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After decades of dereliction, broken promises and growing frustration, Llanhilleth residents are once again being told the former Pithead Baths will finally be demolished. But with bats, delays and uncertainty over what comes next, will this really be the end of the building’s long and troubled story? The Valleys Lead spoke with one resident to find out why he is so keen for the building to come down, and what he’d like in its place.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

Subscribe now

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Two giant shipping containers placed in a front garden in Pontypool without planning permission can remain in place, planners have agreed. The containers are 5.5 metres high and wide and have a combined length of 6.25 metres and are being used for domestic storage. After an objection about the height of the containers and their overpowering visual impact was raised, Torfaen Borough Council’s heritage officer Ross Cannon said with a condition to ensure the containers are clad as proposed in the application there would be no objection as it was considered they would have a “neutral impact on the character and appearance” of the canal conservation area.

  

• The Festival of Rail Walking, a four-day walking festival organised by Railwalks and Cardiff Ramblers, will explore the south Wales valleys with guided routes taking walkers between railway stations through the hills and mountains. On each of the four days, there are different routes of varying difficulty on offer. In the evenings walkers will be meeting teach other in pubs or restaurants. The walking tour will run from 9 to 12 October. All walks are free, but booking is required.

• 21 October marks 60 years since the Aberfan disaster, when a colliery spoil tip collapsed after heavy rain, killing 116 children and 28 adults. The Valleys Lead wants to remember those who lost their lives, and the ongoing impact it has had in Aberfan and the wider Merthyr Tydfil area. Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com if you or someone you know remembers that day decades ago.

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Llanhilleth Pithead Baths demolition delayed again

Every morning since 1978, Anthony Beach, 77, has looked out the front window of his terraced house and seen the red-brick, derelict building that was once used by coal miners working at Llanhilleth Colliery to clean themselves and their clothing after work before returning home.

The Llanhilleth Pithead Baths, one of several miners’ baths built across the south Wales valleys, opened in 1941.

Before the baths opened, miners would return home covered in dirt and coal dust and wash in a tin bath in front of the fire or outside. The walk home in sweaty mine water, often in cold weather, put them at risk of contracting pneumonia, bronchitis and rheumatism.

Women would work hard to clean coal dust from their homes and prepare baths for the miners. It was never-ending, back-breaking work, with the exhaustion and physical strain often leading to serious health problems, including premature births and miscarriages. Hundreds of children also lost their lives after falling into boiling-hot bath water.

After closing in 1969, the Llanhilleth Pithead Baths building was intermittently used by other companies for light industry. But for decades, it has remained an eyesore for residents like Anthony.

“I’ve been campaigning and writing letters asking what is going on with it,” Anthony told The Valleys Lead.

Anthony and his daughter-in-law Angharad, who lives next door to him, have watched cracks develop along the structure of the old building, and Anthony has told the Welsh Government that he is concerned it could collapse, putting himself and others – including children who sneak into the building – at risk.

“They’ve sent engineers and said it was stable,” he said.

The site has also attracted anti-social behaviour, Anthony said. He recalled cars being abandoned both in the car park and inside the building, before subsequently being burned.

“One time, a chap came down and brought 20 cars and put them inside the building,” he said. “He said he was storing them. I told him to get them out. He told me to get lost – that it had nothing to do with me. In a couple of days, somebody went in and set fire to the lot of them.”

For years, Anthony has listened to local politicians promise that the building was “coming down”, but he said those promises haven’t been kept.

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Ceri Lewis was just 44 when a rare cancer, initially mistaken for other conditions, took her life, but her family are determined that her story will help others recognise the signs. Now, as the south Wales valleys community comes together for a special night-time walk in her memory, her sister Christie is sharing Ceri’s heart-breaking final weeks and her last wish: that people knew about neuroendocrine cancer.

We want everyone to be able to read this week, so the edition is free to read in full today.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

Subscribe now

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Looking for an art exhibition that will stay with you long after you leave? Amdoi is a powerful and deeply personal collection by Welsh artist Daniel Lazenby, bringing together painting, drawing, printmaking and moving image to explore grief, love, trauma and healing. Created in response to the loss of Daniel’s son, Rafe, these moving and thought-provoking works offer a raw but ultimately hopeful look at what it means to navigate unimaginable loss and find a way forward. Come and experience an exhibition that is honest, human and full of emotion. The exhibition is at Cyfarthfa Castle in Merthyr Tydfil until 15 October.

  

• Reform Wales’ Deputy Leader and MS for Sir Fynwy Torfaen Laura Anne Jones has asked the Welsh Government to set out its position on banning the burqa and other full-face coverings in public. She said: “In a free society, we show our faces. It’s how we communicate and recognise each other. For public safety, it is important. Reform’s position is clear: ban the burqa and every other full-face covering in public. Even though it is not a devolved responsibility, it is important that the Welsh Government make their thoughts clear on what their position is. They did and again resorted to name calling instead of treating this with the seriousness it requires.” This isn’t new. A UK Government petition last year called for full-face coverings in public spaces to be prohibited - over 71,000 people signed. The response to the petition was: “It is not government policy to ban the burka or other face coverings in public. Britain has a proud tradition of religious tolerance within the law. The government is committed to creating a strong and integrated society in which hatred and prejudice are not tolerated and in which all people are free to express their religious identity without fear of it resulting in harassment, discrimination or attack. We recognise the huge contribution of people of faith to public life, locally and nationally, and are committed to celebrating and promoting this. There is no current legislation that bans the wearing of religious or non-religious face coverings and the government has no intention to introduce any.”

• A community’s “outstanding” response to help residents who lost their homes in a fire has elicited praise from councillors. Several bungalows on Hazelwood Road, Pantside, Newbridge were devastated in the blaze on Wednesday 12 August, and more homes nearby were evacuated during the emergency services response. At a Caerphilly Council meeting, its leader Councillor Jamie Pritchard thanked members of the Pantside community for “their amazing efforts in supporting families impacted”. He noted the community had launched several appeals “allowing local people to donate money or items to help support the families involved”. Councillor Gary Johnston, who represents the Newbridge ward, agreed: “They’re not going to stop collecting for the victims of the fire,” he said. “It has brought the community quite a bit closer – and I know the leader has been up there and I thank him for that, but I’m sure he will give support now – that anything that we can help the group with to continue, then I’m sure the council will support that.”

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“Ceri’s last wish was that people knew about this cancer”

This Friday evening, over 200 people from across the south Wales valleys will come together to walk and run, head torches on, around Bryn Bach Park in Tredegar, to commemorate the life of Ceri Lewis and raise awareness of the cancer that took her life at the age of just 44.

Ceri, a mother of five from Ebbw Vale, had been back and forth to her doctor with a range of symptoms. Doctors initially believed she might have had a prolapse, sciatica or IBS.

“She’d been diagnosed with IBS as she was having chronic diarrhoea and was passing blood,” her sister, Christie Williams, who helped to set up Ceri’s Legacy, told The Valleys Lead. “And she was in a lot of pain, not being able to sit.”

It wasn’t until a doctor carried out a digital rectal examination that cancer was suggested as a possible explanation for all of her symptoms.

“In early July 2026, she was sent for a colonoscopy and, as part of that, she had a biopsy,” Christie said. “She was told then and there that it was cancer – that she had a 10-centimetre rectal tumour. We hoped and prayed that this was the only site of the cancer. At this point, we didn’t know what stage the cancer was.”

But my the middle of July, Ceri and her family were told that she had stage four, grade three neuroendocrine cancer.

“It was really difficult for all of us to comprehend that,” Christie said.

Ceri and Christie were inundated with information about neuroendocrine cancer.

The cancer attacks the neuroendocrine cells in the body, which are everywhere. It takes an average of 4.5 years and 11 GP visits to typically receive a diagnosis, and over 50 per cent of people are diagnosed with advanced-stage neuroendocrine cancer.

Ceri was told the cancer had spread to her rectum, pelvis, spine and pancreas, and she immediately began chemotherapy.

“She responded really well to chemo,” Christie said. “But towards the end of the last chemotherapy treatment, her electrolyte levels dropped to the floor and made her so unwell.”

Ceri began struggling to swallow, and Christie noticed that she wasn’t acting quite like herself.

“I phoned Velindre [where she’d been receiving treatment] and said something wasn’t right,” Christie said. “She went for further investigations a few days later and a CT scan showed that the cancer had gone to her brain.”

Doctors told the family that Ceri had only weeks left to live.

“She was transferred to our local hospital in Ebbw Vale for palliative care,” Christie said. “That last week, she laughed a lot. She was wickedly funny, a little bit like she had become a teenager. She invited so many people to come and see her. She even made it out to see the firework display.”

Then, tragically, Ceri died on Saturday, 8 November, surrounded by her loved ones.

“She was just shy of turning 45,” Christie said.

As the family have spent the past year mourning Ceri’s death, they have also considered how they can raise awareness of neuroendocrine cancer, so others can recognise its symptoms, which can be difficult to detect until it is too late.

“The hard reality about this cancer is that it is often mistaken for other things,” Christie said. “The cancer is known as a zebra, because a zebra is often mistaken for a horse. Doctors are told if you hear hoofs, think horses, not zebras. Ceri was our zebra. She was misdiagnosed for multiple years.”

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For weeks, Christie has been organising Light Up the Lake, which will take place on Friday, 9 October, to mark her first birthday since she passed. Ceri would have been 45 on 12 October.

Entry costs £15 for adults and £5 for children, with all proceeds going to Neuroendocrine Cancer UK, a small charity which does not receive government funding. Booking is essential and can be found here. Entries close on Thursday, 8 October.

Ceri’s family hopes that, with more funding, Neuroendocrine Cancer UK will be able to research ways of screening for the disease and diagnosing it at an earlier stage. They also hope Light Up the Lake will help more people learn about neuroendocrine cancer.

“Ceri’s last wish was that people knew about this cancer,” Christie said. “Some days are harder than others, but knowing we are doing her proud makes it a little easier.”

The community support for Ceri’s family has been “like no other”.

“We live in one of the most deprived communities in Wales, but they have come together for this cause,” she said. “We did a Facebook Live sale at Easter that raised £1,500. Bryn Bach Park has been fantastic as a venue. Bryn Bach Running Club has given us volunteers and support. Huw Williams from Sheultra is supporting the event and his company has gifted merchandise. Along with James Williams Drone Photography and event photography by Max Drinkwater, the event will also be supported by DJ Martin Dibble who are given their time for free. Local donations from all the local supermarkets have been much appreciated and the community are so willing to help and we are so grateful. And Neuroendocrine Cancer UK have been amazing.”

“People really have come together,” Christie concluded. “As hard as it has been, when you feel that outpouring of love and support, it does make it more bearable.”

To sign up for Light Up the Lake, just head here.

To learn more about neuroendocrine cancer, you can Neuroendocrine Cancer UK.

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After years of campaigning, contaminated land has finally reached the top of the political agenda in Wales, both locally in the south Wales valleys, and in the Senedd.
With unanimous backing in Caerphilly and the Senedd this week to do something, could this be the moment the valleys’ toxic waste problem finally starts to be tackled?

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

Subscribe now

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• The health visitor strike at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board continues. Councillor in Merthyr Tydfil have called for an urgen resolution to the strike, which has been in effect since February. Additionally, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister Natasha Asghar MS has written to Welsh Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor and health board chief executive Paul Mears, calling for immediate talks with Unite and a negotiated settlement. She cited figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request which reportedly showed referrals from health visitors to social services falling from more than 230 during the equivalent period in 2025 to just 25 during the industrial action in 2026.

  Ms Asghar claimed that, during one month, only 300 of approximately 8,000 expected health visitor contacts were completed.

• Three town centre properties in Blaenau Gwent have had a makeover with help from the Transforming Towns Place-Making Grant. Homestead Café and Classic Fish Bar in Brynmawr and the Positif Care offices in Abertillery are all looking great thanks to funding from Welsh Government, administered through Blaenau Gwent Council. The funding aims to help people enhance their business, support local employment and contribute to the improvement and rejuvenation of high streets in the Borough.

• Eight young carers from Caerphilly County Borough took part in an unforgettable five-day sailing voyage, crossing the English Channel, developing new skills and achieving a recognised sailing qualification. The group travelled to Portsmouth before joining a Challenger yacht operated by the Tall Ships Youth Trust and setting sail for the Isle of Wight and Alderney. Throughout the voyage, the young carers became active members of the crew. They learned how to steer the yacht, handle and hoist sails, operate winches, navigate and work safely on board. They also took part in anchor and overnight watches and shared responsibility for cooking, cleaning and other daily tasks. Alongside the challenges, the group enjoyed exploring Alderney and Cowes, swimming in the sea and witnessing a solar eclipse and meteor display from the yacht. All eight participants successfully achieved their Royal Yachting Association Start Yachting Award, recognising their introduction to sailing and yacht handling. Councillor Chris Morgan, Cabinet Member for Sport and Leisure, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for the young carers to take on new challenges, build their confidence and enjoy time away from their everyday responsibilities. We are extremely proud of everything they achieved.”

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“Something has to change”: political pressure mounts over contaminated land in the south Wales valleys

This week has been a huge win for activists and politicians in the south Wales valleys who have been advocating for increased support and action to tackle the problem of contaminated land.

At a full council meeting on Tuesday, 29 September, Caerphilly County Councillors passed a Notice of Motion acknowledging the “significant public concern regarding contaminated land and hazardous waste disposal sites”. They agreed to write to the Welsh Government requesting an independent public inquiry, chaired by an individual independent of the Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales and the local authorities previously involved.

Janine Reed, who The Valleys Lead previously spoke to after she was banned from the toxic Ty Llwyd Quarry following concerns she raised with the council, told The Valleys Lead she was “elated” that “years of hard work with the support of environmental organisations” were finally paying off.

“In the case of Ty Llwyd, unscrupulous companies dumped in the dead of night, secretly, but analysis of the contamination has pointed towards Monsanto, which was based nine miles away in Newport,” she said. “It had a huge chemical production plant. When legislation was coming into force that made some of their chemicals illegal, rather than dispose of them safely, they found a series of quarries in south Wales where they dumped secretly. It’s only now that these issues are coming to light, with toxins seeping into watercourses and polluting land.”

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After the full council meeting on Tuesday, she said she felt “hopeful”, because “where there is a will there is a way”.

The next day, on Wednesday, 30 September, Reed received more good news in the Senedd.

A Notice of Motion urging Welsh ministers to work with the UK Government to ensure polluters pay for cleaning up contaminated land, introduced by Plaid Cymru MS for Blaenau Gwent and Caerffili Rhymni, Niamh Salkeld, was passed with unanimous support across parties.

The motion also called for a UK fund to investigate and remediate sites where costs cannot be recovered, as well as a framework for testing affected land.

“The fact that this motion was unanimously passed in the Senedd reflects that this is an issue across Wales, particularly in our post-industrial communities,” Salkeld told The Valleys Lead. “Local residents in places like Ynysddu and others across Wales have the right to know exactly what is in the ground around them and the potential risks it may pose. This week, we took the first step in getting the environmental justice our communities deserve.”

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Daniel was placed with foster carers Jane and Dave Morris at the age of five and, as he approached adulthood, Shared Lives gave him a way to remain with the family who had raised him. Now supported as an adult through the scheme, Daniel continues to live as part of the family, with Jane, Dave and their sons helping him maintain his independence, wellbeing and community connections.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Caerphilly Council’s Cabinet has decided not to proceed with a consultation to close Deri Primary School at its meeting on 24 September. Following careful consideration, the Governing Body at the school has written to the council requesting that the proposed consultation be paused until the end of the current financial year. Although the financial challenges have not gone away, Governors believe it is appropriate to continue through to the end of the financial year before reassessing the position. Leader of the council, councillor Jamie Pritchard said, “We have listened to the feedback from the Governing Body, parents and wider community over recent weeks. Therefore, we have decided not to consult on the closure of Deri School as a result of all the feedback received. We will work with the governing body of the school to ensure we support the school community and continue our engagement going forward.”

• Blaenau Gwent Council has reviewed how grassland is managed to help improve biodiversity and strengthen local ecosystems. This includes changes to grass-cutting programmes and identifying areas in parks, open spaces and school grounds that can be managed for wildlife. Councillor Tommy Smith, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood & Environment Services, said: “This project shows how small changes in the way we manage our land can make a real difference for nature, learning and wellbeing. By working with schools, our Grounds Maintenance team and the Biodiversity Team are helping to create spaces where wildlife can thrive and young people can see nature recovery happening in their own communities.” Glyncoed Primary School in Ebbw Vale has been held up as a strong example of this approach in action. The school has created biodiversity areas while maintaining accessible pathways, enabling pupils to engage safely with nature as part of their learning. This balanced approach helps meet the needs of the school community while supporting wildlife.

• Merthyr Tydfil Council is facing a number of challenges to recruit and retain people to deliver its services, a report has found. Audit Wales looked at the recruitment and retention challenges Merthyr Tydfil Council is facing which included how well the council understands its challenges, what it is doing in response, and how it reviews the value for money of its approaches.

  The main audit question was: “Does the council have proper arrangements to address its recruitment and retention challenges?” The report reviewed and tested the recruitment and retention arrangements in the finance, engineering, and highways and children’s services departments during November 2025.

  The report found the Council is taking steps to address its known recruitment and retention challenges but it has a limited understanding of them. The report said the Council does not routinely analyse the information it holds which makes it difficult for the council to determine if it is providing value for money. It also said the Council does not usually identify learning from its recruitment and retention approach to improve how it addresses challenges in the future. Two recommendations have been made: Focus on the Council improving its understanding of its recruitment and retention challenges, and determine if its response to them provides value for money and reviewing its application and on-boarding processes.

“He will be part of our family forever”: The foster carers who wouldn’t let adulthood tear them apart

When Daniel was five years old, he was placed with foster carers Jane and Dave Morris in Pontypridd by the local authority.

“There were a lot of medical issues for Daniel that progressed to require quite complex care,” Jane told The Valleys Lead. “He’s also got learning difficulties.”

Although Jane and Dave have fostered multiple children over the years, Daniel remained with the couple throughout his childhood.

“We’d become family”

As Daniel approached the age of 18, Jane knew he would effectively age out of the foster care system, and she worried about his health and wellbeing if he could no longer remain in their care.

“And Daniel was panicking and devastated,” Jane said. “There were conversations about what we would do, but all he wanted to do was to stay with us. We’d become family.”

While many care leavers look for their own accommodation with the help of their local authority, or perhaps return to their birth families, “that wouldn’t have been a safe option for Daniel,” Jane said.

Because of Daniel’s care needs, the local authority informed him about Shared Lives.

Shared Lives is a model of care in which an adult who needs support is matched with a pre-approved carer, becoming part of their family and community life. The scheme supports adults with a range of needs, including learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs and physical disabilities, as well as older people who may need additional support to maintain their independence.

A way to stay together

For Jane, Dave and Daniel, Shared Lives offered a way for the family to remain together.

Daniel could continue living with Jane and Dave, while they could continue to access support in caring for his needs as an adult.

Jane and Dave went through an in-depth assessment process to become Shared Lives carers, including the necessary checks and training required to support Daniel.

Their son, Kyle, who is 11 months older than Daniel, decided he would become a Shared Lives carer too.

“Kyle said he’d go through the process to become a carer in case something happened to Dave and I,” Jane said. “Daniel is his brother, Kyle said, and he’d look after him.”

Once they had all been approved by Shared Lives, life with Daniel continued in many ways as it had before.

“Except now, Kyle takes Daniel out on respite,” Jane said. “They do fun things that kids don’t always want to do with their families. He can go away with Kyle and be a 20-year-old lad safely.”

Supporting people in their communities

Paul Hughes, a Shared Lives Worker with Southeast Wales Shared Lives Scheme, told The Valleys Lead that “no two days are the same”, as the service is built around each individual and their goals.

A typical day might involve helping someone develop independent living skills, attending work or volunteering, going shopping, meeting friends, taking part in hobbies or community groups, exercising, or simply enjoying everyday family life.

“The aim is to support people to live as independently as possible while maintaining meaningful relationships and participating in their local community,” Hughes said.

The Southeast Wales Shared Lives Scheme operates across Caerphilly, Newport, Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

“Currently, approximately 520 Shared Lives arrangements are supported by around 244 approved carer households,” Hughes said. “As demand for personalised, community-based support continues to grow, the service is actively seeking new Shared Lives carers to create more opportunities for people to benefit from a family-based approach to care and support within their own communities.”

For some people, Hughes said, the scheme can also provide a “highly effective alternative to hospital admission.”

Read more

You might drive past it without a second thought, but hidden away in Aberdare is a huge warehouse filled with the costumes, sets and props of some of the world’s most famous ballet and opera productions. From thousands of costumes to life-sized cars and even a ship, this little-known valleys site plays a vital role in bringing the Royal Ballet and Opera’s productions to stages around the world.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Phase one improvement works to a former coal tip in Cwmtillery are complete, following a devastating landslide during Storm Bert almost two years ago. Blaenau Gwent Council has worked closely with Welsh Government and partners, using funding through the Coal Tip Safety Grant Scheme, to carry out the works. The Council secured a total of £1.3million from Welsh Government for phase one works and £3million for phase two over the next two years. Phase one has focused on managing water more effectively, installing larger drainage pipes and new drainage systems, and reshaping parts of the site so water does not pond and can flow away more easily. These improvements will help reduce the risk of flooding, prevent water from building up and protect the site from erosion. Work on phase two will begin early next year and will focus on the reprofiling of the tip slopes. This will involve reshaping steep areas, adding more drainage and carrying out landscaping work, including grass seeding and tree planting.

• Rhondda Cynon Taf Cabinet has agreed how extra funding for Highways and Engineering this year (2026/27) will be allocated. It includes major funding towards developing the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor and Cynon Gateway Link Road – plus allocations for 28 extra road resurfacing schemes, 15 footway works, two new unadopted road projects, and additional funding for flood alleviation. A report outlining a proposed £12.13 million investment in Council priority areas was considered by Cabinet on Monday, September 21 and Members approved this one-off funding for the current financial year. For Highways and Transportation, it includes funding for roads/footways (£3.5 million), Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor (£3 million), Cynon Gateway Link Road (£3 million), flood alleviation (£250,000), and unadopted roads (£150,000).

  Following its approval, Members considered a separate report on a proposed Supplementary Highways Capital Programme, which outlined how the funding would be allocated. It will be delivered on top of the current year capital programme for Highways and Transportation, worth £41.9 million, that was agreed by Cabinet in March 2026 and is being delivered throughout 2026/27.

• Demand for housing in Merthyr Tydfil remains “heavily concentrated” in one-bedroom accommodation, a new report for the Council’s Thriving Merthyr Tydfil has said. As of 4 August, 2026, there were 2,244 active applications on the housing register with approximately one third assessed as being priority need. Demand is highest among those who need one-bedroom properties, and families requiring four or more bedrooms. The Valleys Lead spoke with a Merthyr Tydfil resident whose son can’t find a one-bedroom property. Read it here.

The extraordinary Royal Ballet and Opera secret hiding in the south Wales valleys

Not many would expect one of the UK’s most famous cultural institutions to be tucked away in the south Wales valleys, but if you’re driving through Aberaman, you’ll see a huge, aircraft-hangar-sized facility storing sets, costumes and props from hundreds of productions for the Royal Ballet and Opera.

“The warehouse was built in 1995,” Emine Omer of the Royal Ballet and Opera told The Valleys Lead. “It stores 244 ballets and 80 operas. The building is the size of five football pitches. It’s really huge.”

Before the Aberdare storage facility was built, the company had a storage site closer to London. But as it needed to expand, it began looking for somewhere with enough space to accommodate its growing collection.

“Aberdare had good transport links both to London and ports, and it was much cheaper,” Omer said. “We were able to buy land and build our own custom warehouse. Everything in the warehouse is custom-made and only used by us to suit our needs.”

Aberdare isn’t simply a storage facility – it plays an important role in how the Royal Ballet and Opera operates both nationally and internationally.

Many of the productions stored inside the warehouse are still “in rep”, meaning items can be brought back out if a production is revived on stage in London.

Specialised hydraulic lorries are used to transport productions from Aberdare to the company’s production workshops in Thurrock, where sets and costumes can be repaired or adjusted if needed, before they make their way to Covent Garden in London for performances.

“The lorries can drive directly down to our backstage area and be unloaded to have all the sets built up and ready to go on our stage,” Omer said. “It’s incredible to see it all happen.”

Inside the Aberdare warehouse are life-sized cars, a ship, an ancient bell dating from the 1800s, and thousands upon thousands of costumes.

The largest ballet, Sleeping Beauty, has 18,900 costumes.

“That’s just one ballet,” Omer said.

Having been rooted in the Aberdare community for more than 30 years, the Royal Ballet and Opera employs around 15 people at the site, most of whom have worked there for many years. Nearly all are local to the immediate area.

“It’s a really tight-knit community who feel passionate enough about the work to stay on for that long,” she said.

Though it doesn’t happen often, the company also seeks to open its doors to visitors, including local schools.

“We’re trying to do more,” Omer said, explaining that welcoming the community inside provides an opportunity to introduce people in the valleys to the world of performance, costume and set design.

Read more

For six weeks over the summer, a wildfire tore across Blaenavon, destroying hundreds of acres of grazing land. It left a south Wales valleys farmer watching helplessly as his livestock and livelihood were put at risk. A resident in Merthyr Tydfil recalled seeing once-green hills transformed into scorched, blackened landscapes. Now, as farmers and communities begin to assess the long-term damage, they are calling for greater action on wildfire prevention, land management and protecting the valleys from future fires.

The second part of our series on the impacts of the summer of wildfires in the south Wales valleys is here.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet will consider proposals this week to create a new Welsh secondary school in the Borough, as part of plans to meet growing demand for Welsh-medium education. The proposal would see a new Welsh secondary school established on the Y Gwyndy site in Caerphilly from September 2027. The Y Gwyndy campus is currently used as a satellite site of Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni. However, the split-site arrangement presents several operational and organisational challenges, and the proposal would discontinue this arrangement and establish a separate school at the site. Demand for Welsh-medium education continues to grow across the county borough, with pupil numbers increasing. At present, Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni is the only Welsh-medium secondary school serving Caerphilly County Borough.

• Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has revealed its long-term plan to transform adult accommodation-based care and support across Merthyr Tydfil which could cost tens of millions of pounds. An adult social care accommodation strategy covering 2026-2040 has been drawn up in response to driving demand, increasing complexity of need, and unsustainable pressure on current services. It will cover support for older people, adults with learning disabilities, people experiencing mental health and substance abuse challengs, people with physical or sensory impairments, and young people transitioning to children’s services. The strategy will cost between £53.8m and £88.4m in capital investment over the strategy.

• Waiting times for installing housing adaptions to allow people to stay at home in Rhondda Cynon Taf are currently around nine months. The Council currently does not have a delivery plan to address this. An Audit Wales report said that adaptions - such as installing ramps and grab rails, adding a stairlift or wheelchair lift, fitting a level access shower or shower seat, and widening doorways for wheelchair access - may prevent falls and admissions to care settings and save public money.

“There was nothing I could do”: Farmer recalls watching his sheep caught in Blaenavon wildfire

It was July 19 when James Bourne’s mum called to tell him that a fire had just started near her farm, on the opposite side of the valley from where James lives.

“At that point the fire wasn’t huge, but the dry conditions and amount of vegetation on the mountain meant it quickly had the potential to spread,” James, a 34-year-old farmer from Abersychan, told The Valleys Lead.

James runs a sheep farming enterprise of around 500 ewes and has most recently grazed his sheep on Blorenge Common. He grew up farming on the hills around Blaenavon and Abersychan, with his flock hefted to the land for more than 100 years.

“The sheep have a strong natural attachment to the area and instinctively know the mountain,” he said. “The Blorenge Common is a vital part of my farming system, providing grazing for livestock while also helping to maintain the landscape and habitat through active grazing.

“The common is not only important to my farm, but also to the wildlife, heritage and future of farming in the area.”

After speaking with his mum, James went to see the fire for himself. As he watched it spread, he became increasingly concerned about his livestock, the grazing land they depend on, and the wildlife and habitats that had existed on the mountain for generations.

The fire that started on July 19 burned for another six weeks.

“It was incredibly difficult to watch,” he said. “Every day more land was being damaged, and more grazing was being lost. I felt frustrated because I could see the damage being done but there was very little I could do to stop it.”

For nearly six weeks, James spent day and night helping other local farmers create firebreaks in an effort to prevent the fire from spreading further.

“Seeing hundreds of acres reduced to ash was heartbreaking,” he said. “It is hard to put into words how it feels to watch land that has been farmed and cared for over generations disappear in a matter of days.”

Even after the fire appeared to have died down, James said parts of the mountain were still smouldering eight weeks later.

The impact has been devastating, he said.

“Large areas of grazing land on the Blorenge were destroyed and the landscape was left blackened,” he continued. “Wildlife habitat was lost and my livestock were put under enormous pressure.

“I have lost grazing land, there is damage to peat and habitats, and there are concerns about erosion and future flooding. The common is behind in its recovery and I now face uncertainty about grazing and winter feed supplies.

“The recovery of the mountain will take years, not months, and the consequences for my farming business will continue well beyond this year.”

Among the most distressing experiences for James was seeing his own sheep caught in the flames.

“One of the most distressing things I witnessed was seeing my own sheep caught in the fire and burning in the flames. There was nothing I could do to save them. It is something I will never forget.”

James has also lost sheep to pneumonia following smoke inhalation.

“The vets have advised me not to gather the sheep or put them under unnecessary stress because, on top of the health problems they are already suffering, the additional stress could potentially kill them,” he said.

With the common an essential part of his farming business, the loss of grazing land will put additional pressure on the farm and increase costs at a time when farming is already challenging.

“I am also concerned that the health problems caused by the fire and smoke are likely to affect the fertility of my ewes this year,” he said.

“This will mean my lambing percentage is lower than in a normal year, which will have a knock-on effect on my farm income and will affect the number of sheep I will have to retain in the flock and the number I will have available to sell, compared with previous years.”

Meanwhile, in Merthyr Tydfil…

In Heolgerrig, Merthyr Tydfil, retired aerospace engineer Steven Stokes told The Valleys Lead about a fire near his home over the summer.

He first realised something was wrong when he saw a fire engine making its way down the lane outside his house.

Read more

The latest PISA results (we’ll explain what these are below!) have raised fresh concerns about the state of education in Wales, with scores in reading, maths and science falling to historically low lows. But behind the statistics are deeper questions about inequality, teacher support, curriculum reform and whether Wales is giving every child the foundations they need to succeed.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• DJ Mini Market, a shop selling illicit tobacco and vaping products in Merthyr Tydfil, was ordered to close by Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court under section 80 of the Anti‑Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The Closure Order was granted following an application from Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council’s Trading Standards team. The Court was told that Trading Standards had carried out several enforcement operations at the premise relating to the possession and supply of illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes. Cllr David Jones, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Member for Public Protection said: “Illegal tobacco and vaping products pose real risks to public health. They are often unregulated and more accessible to children and young people. Robust enforcement action helps protect our communities from tobacco‑related harm.”

• A Rhondda Cynon Taf Council report has stated there is still still “overwhelming public support” for dog controls in RCT. There are currently two public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) related to dog controls in RCT, one of which covers the whole borough and one of which is specific to Aberdare Park. The PSPOs ban dog fouling in all public places in RCT, require a person in charge of a dog to keep that dog on a lead at all times in cemeteries owned and/or maintained by the council, and they require a person in charge of a dog to carry bags or other suitable means for the disposal of dog faeces. The orders also require a person in charge of a dog to follow a direction given by an authorised officer if they deem reasonably necessary and that a dog be put and kept on a lead in a public within Rhondda Cynon Taf for such period and/or in such circumstances as directed by the authorised officer. They also include a ban excluding dogs from all schools, playgrounds, and marked sports pitches owned and/or maintained by the council and certain community council sites. The PSPOs are due to expire on 30 September and on 21 September the council’s cabinet will consider whether to extend them for another three years from 1 October.

Wales’ PISA results are a warning light. What’s gone wrong?

Earlier this month, the latest PISA results were published.

So, what are PISA scores? The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) measures how well 15-year-old students around the world can apply their reading, maths and science skills to real-life problems. The tests are organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Between 600,000 and 750,000 students around the world take part every three years. The goal isn’t simply to test what students know, but how effectively they can use that knowledge to think, analyse and solve problems.

The results for Wales weren’t great. Not great at all.

With the exception of science in 2022, Wales’ scores across all three domains are the lowest they have been since the country first participated in PISA in 2006.

The results for Wales since 2006 are shown below.

It’s also concerning to see how Wales compares with the other nations of the UK, as well as the OECD average. The graph below shows the comparison.

Why are these statistics a problem?

Danielle Jones, who was raised in the south Wales valleys, has acted as an Assistant Headteacher and education consultant, and is now Development Lead at the Centre for the Children’s Workforce and studying for an MA focused on fragmentation across the education system, told The Valleys Lead she was “deeply concerned” by the results, although not particularly surprised.

Read more

Reform UK has been plunged into political turmoil in Wales after its leader Dan Thomas stepped down following his arrest on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour, while MS Sarah Cooper-Lesadd announced she was defecting to Plaid Cymru. The dramatic developments have reignited questions over Reform’s leadership, internal democracy and direction in Wales, even as the party continues to attract new political recruits across the valleys. Off the back of all this news, we are bringing you some exclusive interviews from residents, local government politicians, and Senedd members.

This week, The Valleys Lead is TOTALLY free to read. It’s important for people to know what is going on and we want to make sure this is shared far and wide to help people in our valleys know what is going on.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com. This week, we are keeping it short as the story below is quite long.):

• Changes to recycling in Merthyr Tydfil starts from 5 October. From Monday 5 October 2026, residents will no longer need to separate paper and cardboard before collection. Both materials can simply be placed together in the same recycling box. The change has been made possible because the Council’s recycling reprocessor is now able to accept paper and cardboard mixed together while maintaining high recycling standards. This simple change will help streamline the recycling service while continuing to support the Council's commitment to sustainability and high recycling performance.

• People across Blaenau Gwent are being invited to take part in this year’s residents’ survey. The Let’s Talk: Living in Blaenau Gwent residents’ survey runs from Monday 14 September until Sunday 25 October 2026, giving residents a chance to share their views on everything from their local area and council services to community life, wellbeing and local democracy. You can take part by visiting Get Involved Blaenau Gwent, the council’s consultation and engagement platform. The survey is part of the National Residents’ Survey organised by the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and is being run by many local authorities across Wales. To ensure everyone can take part, paper copies and easy read versions of the survey will also be available from the council’s Community Hubs in libraries in Abertillery; Blaina; Cwm; Ebbw Vale; Brynmawr and Tredegar and also Llanhilleth Miners’ Institute. You can also pick up a survey from the General Offices, Ebbw Vale.

• The most generous home-to-school transport policy in Wales will continue to be in Blaenau Gwent up until at least the summer of 2028. In Blaenau Gwent, primary school pupils can receive free home-to-school transport from 1.5 miles away, and two miles away for secondary pupils.

Reform Wales rocked by dramatic Tuesday as leader quits and MS defects

Who knew a Tuesday could bring so much political drama in the south Wales valleys?

Buckle up, because you’re in for a ride.

Reform UK’s leader in Wales and MS for Casnewydd Islwyn, Dan Thomas, quit on Tuesday (15 September) after he was arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour.

There had already been considerable discussion over whether Thomas should be representing the south Wales valleys, or even Wales, after previously living and working in London.

Thomas left Wales at a young age, saying there wasn’t enough opportunity here, but returned to Welsh politics after securing the role in February with the support of Nigel Farage. At the time, he claimed his roots were in Blackwood.

Thomas did not take part in First Minister’s Questions earlier on Tuesday.

In a statement issued by the party, Thomas said:

“It has been the honour of my life to have been the leader of Reform Wales and see this party go from zero to 34 elected members and become the largest opposition group in Welsh history. With deep regret, I am now standing down from this position due to personal reasons. Over the weekend, I was reported to the police and was released without charge. I will continue to serve my constituents in Casnewydd Islwyn and will fully back whoever the group selects as its next leader.”

One Merthyr Tydfil resident, Jayne, who has asked for us not to use her surname, told The Valleys Lead the case of Dan Thomas’s alleged abuse begs the question of “whether violence against women and girls is being given the political priority, scrutiny and visibility that its seriousness demands.”

“I think the fact that the allegation includes coercive and controlling behaviour is significant,” she said. “It is a specific criminal offence involving a pattern of behaviour, and it shouldn’t be casually dismissed or reduced to a headline about an arrest.”

Although Jayne is conscious that an arrest is not a conviction, and that evidence will determine what is next, “the seriousness of the allegation itself deserves to be recognised.”

“For me, that is also why this brings the wider political issue into sharp focus,” she said. VAWDASV can not only become a political priority when a high-profile case makes the news. It needs continuous attention, scrutiny and leadership, whoever is in government, and whatever political party is involved.”

There’s more, though.

Second up: Sarah Cooper-Lesadd defects to Plaid Cymru

Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg MS Sarah Cooper-Lesadd has defected from Reform UK and joined Plaid Cymru.

The decision was announced only moments after the announcement regarding Thomas.

Cooper-Lesadd was born in Newport but was adopted out of Wales at the age of seven.

In her statement, she said Reform was “not serious about governing Wales” and criticised the party for its “attacks on people seeking sanctuary or other vulnerable groups.”

“I particularly reject the way minorities have too often been used as political targets,” she said. “I do not believe anyone should be scapegoated or dehumanised to win votes, and I will not be part of a politics that does that.”

Cooper-Lesadd grew up in the care system and stood for the Senedd to be a voice for care-experienced people. She now says Reform has “no interest” in the work she came to do.

“They are far more interested in division, opposition and headlines than in finding solutions,” she said. “There is a real appetite in the group to want the government to fail, and no interest in what that failure would mean for the people we represent.”

More of her damning statement can be found here.

Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr MS Sara Crowley responded to Cooper-Lesadd’s defection and told The Valleys Lead: “Sarah Cooper-Lesadd has been honest about her political journey and has acknowledged that she was wrong to believe Reform was the right political home for her.

“As Sarah Cooper-Lesadd has made clear, she wants to be part of a party that is serious about governing, serious about delivering for communities, and serious about Wales. More and more people are recognising that Plaid Cymru is that party.

“I recognise the courage it has taken to make this decision, and I am looking forward to working with Sarah as a Plaid Cymru colleague.”

Local government: ‘You reap what you sow’

At a local government level, Merthyr Tydfil Councillor Andrew Barry, who joined Reform in October 2024 but left the party in April 2026, told The Valleys Lead that the “commonality” between the announcements is that “none of these people were democratically elected by the Party.”

“All were imposed from London,” he said. “I guess you reap what you sow.”

Barry decided to join Reform because he “identified with their centre-right ethos and their economic approach”, which he felt Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives severely lacked.

“Having been involved in Merthyr Tydfil politics for over 20 years, I saw the socio-economic fabric of the Valleys being eroded and wanted to offer a common-sense alternative,” he told The Valleys Lead.

He said his reasons for joining were “strictly policy and vision driven”.

Initially, he did not have extensive recruitment meetings. His contact was mainly through emails between September 2024 and early 2025.

“Based on my political and business CV, I was invited to speak in Port Talbot alongside Nigel Farage,” he said.

While a member of the party, Barry said support from Reform or mentors within the party was “non-existent” and that he was not provided with any monetary compensation.

His decision to leave the party and return to his Independent Party in Merthyr Tydfil came after “months of poor communication and a total lack of internal democracy”.

“But the final straw was discovering that candidate selections—including for Member of the Senedd—were decided behind closed doors by Thomas and party figures in London without any membership vote,” Barry said.

“Having Jason O’Connell parachuted into Pontypridd, Cynon and Merthyr bypassed the local membership who had worked for 18 months on the ground. My front-running colleague and I withdrew in April 2026 before official phone calls were made.

“A party that bypasses democratic processes internally cannot credibly preach democracy to the public.”

Barry said he finds the current state of politics “highly disillusioning, with democracy often feeling more like an illusion”.

But Reform is still recruiting

While several politicians may be leaving Reform, there is a potential candidate in Ebbw Vale who has recently joined the party.

Jordan Brace stood as an Independent candidate for Blaenau Gwent, Caerffili & Rhymni in the May elections. He received 931 votes, something he said at the time he felt incredibly proud of, although he was not elected.

In August, he announced that he would be joining “Team Reform”.

“I wanted to make this decision openly and honestly before the next election,” he said on Facebook. “Residents deserve to know exactly where I stand so they can judge me fairly as a candidate.

“More than 100 people have encouraged this move, supported the idea or told me they want a fresh political voice for our area. I have spoken with people from other political parties, but I believe Reform best represents the common-sense politics, practical solutions and modern local change our communities need.”

When The Valleys Lead asked Brace why he had defected to Reform, he said there were a few reasons.

First, “it’s hard to beat a massive party,” he said.

Next, he said he felt Reform was “speaking common sense”.

“I started studying Reform and listening to Nigel Farage, Dan Thomas and Catherine Cullen,” he said.

“The biggest thing I really liked was how they asked why hardworking local people like us are worse off when immigrants from abroad come here to claim benefits and take advantage of the system. A lot of people are coming here because we offer too much good stuff.”

He said pensioners are scared to leave their homes as a result of what they are seeing about “immigrants” on TV.

He also mentioned that “the roads have never been better than when under a Reform Council”, and said he appreciated that Reform prioritises getting “youngsters” and “young women” into politics.

Brace said he is looking forward to improving himself with Reform and hopes to be chosen as a candidate for the party.

“I just want to make a difference, I do,” he concluded.

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For some Caerphilly residents, their local library is far more than a place to borrow books — it can be a lifeline, a source of connection and a gateway to opportunities. As plans to close 10 smaller libraries move forward, we hear from the people who rely on these community spaces and ask what their loss could mean for the Borough’s most vulnerable residents.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Latest figures for Rhondda Cynon Taf show permanent exclusions have more than halved over the last three years while there has been a significant reduction in incidents of bullying in primary schools. During 2025-26 schools recorded 3,013 exclusions which was a small increase from 2,930 in 2024-25 but below the 3,292 exclusions recorded in 2023-24. Permanent exclusions have fallen from 57 in 2023-24 to 34 in 2024-25 and 27 in 2025-26. Days lost to exclusion have also reduced from 6,143 days in 2023-24 to 4,868 days in 2025-26. Persistent disruptive behaviour continues to be the most common reason for exclusion, accounting for more than 1,000 incidents (1,044). Verbal abuse or threatening behaviour towards adults (746) and physical assaults against pupils (376) are also significant contributors, the report says. The data indicates exclusions are concentrated within secondary-aged pupils with secondary schools accounting for approximately 85% of all exclusions. 305 bullying incidents were reported across primary, secondary, all-through, and special/PRU settings during the autumn and spring terms of 2025-26 which is a decrease of 119 or 28% from the 424 in 2024-25.

  Secondary schools accounted for the largest proportion of reported incidents although bullying was recorded across all sectors.

• In Merthyr Tydfil, new school buildings have started being used. Goetre Primary School moved to a brand new building on land below Pen Y Dre High School in the Gurnos, and rebranded as Goetre Community Primary School. Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic School has also opened its doors. Willmott Dixon carried out the work to build the new school which is made up of 525 full-time primary school places, 63 full-time equivalent nursery places and 600 secondary school places. The new school brings together four campuses - St Aloysius, St Illtyd’s, St Mary’s, and Bishop Hedley.

How will Caerphilly residents be affected by impending library closures?

Back in 2000, Murat Bedir had just moved to the south Wales valleys from Turkey to live with his Caerphilly-born wife.

Keen to find work, Murat would walk to his local library in Abertridwr after dropping his young son at school and use the internet to search for jobs.

“I didn’t have another way to find a job at that time,” he told The Valleys Lead.

He also used the library to communicate with family and friends in Turkey. By visiting regularly, Murat gradually became plugged into his local community.

“I didn’t know anyone,” he said. “But the library changed that for me. And then I found a job, thanks to the library.”

He went on to work in Cardiff for nearly nine years before resigning to take care of family members.

Committed to his community, Murat later became a children’s football coach at Aber Valley FC, and three years ago, became a community councillor — roles he continues to hold today.

Although he now has internet access at home, Murat continues to use the library to borrow books for himself and his children.

“Reading a book helps us to see the world,” he said.

Considering how pivotal the library was in his own life, Murat said he was “so sad” to learn that Abertridwr Library is one of 10 Caerphilly libraries due to close.

In May 2025, the Labour-run Caerphilly County Borough Council announced plans to close 10 smaller branch libraries - in Aberbargoed, Abercarn, Abertridwr, Bedwas, Deri, Llanbradach, Machen, Nelson, Oakdale and Pengam - and concentrate services into larger regional hubs, with the council estimating the changes would save around £507,000 a year.

Just over three months later, in August 2025, a claim for a Judicial Review was issued against Caerphilly County Borough Council over the decision. The challenge was initially dismissed, but an appeal and interim injunction temporarily paused the plans and allowed the libraries to reopen.

In August 2026, however, a High Court judge dismissed the legal challenge.

Read more

What does it mean to feel that you belong? For the thousands who gathered at RCT Pride in Pontypridd, the answer could be found in new friendships, first Prides, local performers and the sight Ynysangharad War Memorial Park transformed into a place where LGBTQI+ people could simply be themselves.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead.

There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• A primary school in the Caerphilly County Borough could face closure due to falling pupil numbers and growing financial pressures. The Governing Body at Deri Primary School has written to parents this week advising them that a consultation may be undertaken in the near future to seek views about closing the school from September 2027. Over recent years, Deri Primary has worked closely with the Local Authority to address the financial challenges it faces. Despite the considerable efforts of school leaders, staff and governors to manage resources effectively and secure the long-term sustainability of the school, declining pupil numbers have continued to present significant challenges. The school currently has 57 pupils on the roll. Surplus places are currently at 29% and are projected to be over 60% by 2031. This continued projected decline means that the school would be unable to deliver a balanced budget. If this school closure impacts you or someone you know, please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

• The last time taxi fares increased in Blaenau Gwent wsa in June 2022, due to a cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine, which saw fuel prices peak at £1.99 a litre. A consultation has been held into increasing the fares in Blaenau Gwent, and as part of the consultation 118 taxi drivers and cab drivers were asked for their views. Only three responded. This has been interpretted by councillors as meaning that the taxi drivers do not want an increase. “They could be worried that a fare increase is going to cost them work as people are not going to afford it,” Councillor Lisa Winnett said. She’s suggested freezing fares and planning to look at them again if there are extenuating circumstances.

• There was a large protest in Aberdare last week, with 100 people gathering after a man in Aberdare was convicted of a series of sexual offences involving a child. The man is due to be sentenced on 2 October, and had been released on conditional bail. The protest led to the police issuing a dispersal order to manage the crowds.

“You belong here too”: RCT Pride celebrates LGBTQI+ community across the valleys

Thousands gathered at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park in Pontypridd at the end of July to celebrate RCT Pride.

While featured headliners including Courtney Act, Lady Leshurr, Michael Marouli, Flor and Amrick Channa were popular favourites on the day, Rhys Pursey, an RCT Pride trustee based in Rhondda Cynon Taf, told The Valleys Lead that some of his favourite moments were seeing people make new friends, witnessing someone attend their first Pride, seeing local LGBTQI+ performers celebrated by their own community, and watching thousands of people turn a valleys park into a space filled with Pride.

“There is sometimes an assumption that if LGBTQI+ people want community, culture or Pride, they need to travel to Cardiff, Bristol, London or another large city,” Rhys said.

“We fundamentally disagree with that. Queer people shouldn’t have to leave their hometowns to feel visible. For somebody growing up LGBTQI+ in Treorchy, Pontypridd, Aberdare, Mountain Ash or one of our smaller valleys communities, seeing Pride happening where they actually live can be incredibly powerful.

“It says: you belong here too.”

It’s exactly the reason RCT Pride was founded in 2019. The organisation has since grown from what was originally Rhondda Pride into an organisation working across Rhondda Cynon Taf and the wider South Wales Valleys.

Although visibility of the LGBTQI+ community has improved “enormously” in the valleys, Rhys said visibility doesn’t “automatically mean equality.”

“We see businesses, community organisations, elected representatives and residents actively wanting to support Pride and stand alongside the LGBTQI+ community,” he said.

“At the same time, some parts of the public conversation have become much harsher, particularly around trans and non-binary people. We have therefore seen progress and backlash happening simultaneously.”

It’s why he and others are grateful for the support of visible allies such as MP Alex Davies-Jones and MS Sara Crowley, both who attended the event in July.

“Both are deeply committed to RCT Pride and to the communities we represent, and having elected representatives who don’t simply turn up for a photograph but genuinely engage with and support our work is enormously valuable,” Rhys said.

“It sends a very clear message that LGBTQI+ people are part of these communities and deserve to be represented.”

A relatively unacknowledged challenge facing LGBTQI+ people in the south Wales valleys is the geography of the region.

“If virtually every specialist LGBTQI+ service, cultural event or safe space is concentrated in Cardiff, that isn’t genuinely accessible to everyone in the valleys,” he said.

“Transport costs money. Trains and buses stop running. Disabled people face additional barriers. People living in some of our more isolated communities can face significant barriers simply accessing support.

“That is another reason grassroots organisations matter. We need to bring support to communities rather than continually expecting communities to travel to support.”

Demand for RCT Pride’s services has increased in recent years, according to Rhys, but the nature of that demand has “evolved.”

Read more

We’ve got a business story for you today, about the thriving La Bocata in Merthyr Tydfil. The owner told The Valleys Lead about the challenges and triumphs they have experienced this last year to mark the one-year anniversary of the shop’s opening.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead. There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences. This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village. Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• School transport cuts in Caerphilly have come into force as the new school year begins. The Valleys Lead covered Caerphilly residents’ concerns previously, but worries are being voiced again as children begin walking to and from school - sometimes up to six miles a day. Caerphilly County Borough Council argues it will continue to comply with Welsh Government minimum standards even after stopping free buses for more than 300 secondary-aged pupils who live within three miles of their schools. Independent consultants have deemed nine walking routes across the county borough as safe – but the council’s plans sparked an angry response from parents concerned about road safety, especially in bad weather and dark winter months.

• A community volunteer in Pontypool spent last weekend repainting a car park after vandals painted offensive words and messages on its walls. “The upsetting thing is the language that was used,” said Dyl Delaney, who painted over the messages, which appeared to be aimed at individuals and referenced sexuality.

• Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister and MS for Casnewydd Islwyn, Natasha Asghar, has written to Welsh Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor and health board chief executive Paul Mears, calling for immediate talks with Unite and a negotiated settlement regarding the continuing health visitor strike at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. Asghar said: “This dispute has now dragged on for six months, with no resolution in sight, and it is children and families who are paying the price.” She urged the Welsh Government and health board to “show leadership, get all parties back around the table and work urgently to reach a fair agreement.”

The Merthyr Tydfil couple who turned redundancy into a sandwich shop sensation

When Esther Steele’s husband, Ryan, was made redundant in 2025, the couple, who live in Merthyr Tydfil, asked each other: what next?

“We were both applying for jobs for him – for anything and everything – but nothing was coming back,” Esther, 46, told The Valleys Lead.

During a visit to Swansea, Esther and Ryan bought coffee from a “horse box” and wondered if they could do something similar, but selling sandwiches.

“The idea consumed us,” Esther said.

But after researching the idea and discovering that it was difficult to obtain a licence to trade from a food truck, they put it to rest.

“Then someone contacted me to say that a space had become available to rent near the college from a private landlord,” Esther said. “There is no way we could have afforded a space in the centre of town – buildings similar to what we felt we needed were reaching £2,000 a month in rent alone. We immediately decided to take the space on offer for our sandwich shop.”

Ryan had lived in Spain as a child until his early 20s and wanted to give the sandwich shop a Spanish theme. They would call it La Bocata – meaning “the sandwich” in Spanish.

His dad, a retired carpenter, willingly agreed to help them convert the office-like space into a functional restaurant.

“We all did everything ourselves to get the shop up and running,” Esther said.

With a background in marketing, Esther created content to attract Merthyr Tydfil residents and visitors to the shop, giving them sneak peeks of the menu, coffee and dining area.

“It wasn’t professional marketing, just very honest about what we had created and what was on offer.”

Read more

As of today, most schools in the south Wales valleys are back, up and running after six weeks of summer holidays. And to mark this, we are giving you an education-based edition. The Valleys Lead spoke with Kadie Phillips about her advocacy for ALN children in Merthyr Tydfil, and her proposal to create an alternative autism provision at a school building which will be empty in about three years’ time.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead. There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences. This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village. Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• There are five people standing in a local by-election to represent Llantwit Fardre in Rhondda Cynon Taf Council. The by-election will take place on Thursday, September 3. It was triggered after Conservative Sam Trask decided to stand down having relocated from the community. The five candidates are Jonathan Bishop (Independent), Danny Lyn Crudge (Plaid Cymru), Lyndon Evans (Reform UK), Joel James (Welsh Conservative Party) and Lloyd Watkins (Welsh Labour).

  Currently RCT Council is made up of 57 Labour members, eight Plaid Cymru members, seven independents, one Green Party member and one Conservative member.

• The Independent Group Councillors in Merthyr Tydfil are calling for Cyfarthfa Park to stay open longer in the autumn months. From September, the park closes at 7:15pm and in October, is open until 6:30pm. “For many people who work during the day, that can mean they no longer have the opportunity to go for a walk, exercise or simply enjoy the park after work even when there is still daylight,” Councillor Lisa Mytton wrote on Facebook. “We know how important access to green space is for our mental health and wellbeing. As the evenings get darker, having somewhere safe and accessible to walk, get some fresh air, exercise or meet others can make a real difference and help reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation. We have previously been told that changes couldn’t be made through the Trust. Now that the Council is back in charge of Cyfarthfa Park, we are asking officers to urgently reconsider the opening hours and look at whether they can be aligned more closely with daylight and sunset 8pm in September, 7pm in October.”

• And now just a plug for the charity Keep Wales Tidy. Our journalist writing for The Valleys Lead, Lauren Medlicott, was told how Keep Wales Tidy provides everything you need to pick up litter local to you. She took her children to litter-pick through the Taf Fechan Nature Reserve, and now wants everyone to know just how easy the process is. Simply visit the Keep Wales Tidy website to find where your litter picking hub is, schedule to collect litter pickers, hoops, bin bags, and gloves, and get to cleaning up our valleys. It is as easy as that. Not only was it a way to give back, but was a fun two hours out in the wild. We’d love to hear your litter picking stories and see photos! Email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

  

Merthyr Tydfil parents call for a new autism provision amid ALN crisis

In February, hundreds of Merthyr Tydfil residents gathered outside the civic centre, where the Council offices are located, calling for more transparency and support from Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council for children with additional learning needs (ALN).

Leading the protest was Kadie Phillips, a mother of two ALN children in Merthyr Tydfil.

“There is a crisis across our town,” she told The Valleys Lead. “Parents aren’t being heard and children aren’t being supported.”

In a Facebook support group Kadie runs with over 200 members, she’s heard from dozens of families with ALN children who feel powerless about how to get the right help for their children.

“Our town has limited resources and a limited number of alternative provisions for children,” she said.

Throughout the borough, there are 14 Learning Resource Bases (LRBs), specialist units or dedicated classrooms within a mainstream school, as of February 2026, all of which Kadie said are overstretched, and one specialist provision at Greenfield School.

“You’ve got to have a very severe complex profile to fall into the criteria to get into Greenfield School,” she said.

Kadie said that Greenfield School was originally designed to hold about 145 children, but as of March 2026, there were 220 pupils on roll. The Council said in a March 2026 Scrutiny Committee Report that, as a result of the high numbers, they have provided additional on-site capacity at Greenfield School and expanded onto the former Ty Homfray site to enable post-16 pupils to be located on this second site.

To meet the increasing need for specialist provision, plans for a new multi-million-pound building for Greenfield School were backed by the Council in March 2023.

Read more

Summer of 2026. The summer of wildfires in the south Wales valleys. We have a lengthy edition for you today reflecting on the immediate and future impacts of the wildfires in the south Wales valleys.

We’ll get to it in a second - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead. There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences. This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. There are free and paid options.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Ten libraries across Caerphilly are set to close after a High Court judge rejected a legal challenge brought by campaigners opposing the council’s plans. The Labour-run council intends to concentrate library services in larger towns, arguing that fewer, larger sites will be able to provide a wider range of services. Seven of the remaining libraries would be transformed into multi-service community hubs, allowing residents to continue borrowing books while also accessing other council services. The judge dismissed campaigners’ bid to stop the changes, although they may still appeal the decision. The libraries earmarked for closure are in Aberbargoed, Abercarn, Abertridwr, Bedwas, Deri, Llanbradach, Machen, Nelson, Oakdale and Pengam. Caerphilly councillors approved the reorganisation last year, after the council warned it was facing a £29m budget shortfall over the following three years. Campaigners have argued that smaller communities will be disproportionately affected by the closures, warning that the changes could send some areas “back to Victorian times”. The council cannot proceed with the closures while the appeals window remains open. In the meantime, it said it would engage with local groups interested in taking over some of the buildings for community use.

• Lindsay Whittle, who represents Blaenau Gwent, Caerffili, Rhymni, said: “I’m getting a lot of complaints about Royal Mail not delivering particularly second class mail in a timely fashion. Local Royal Mail workers have also told me that parcels and first class mail receive priority while second class letters appear to be left to languish in mail offices.” Whittle said he would be raising concerns directly at a meeting with Krish Tangri, Royal Mail’s Regional Operations Director for Wales. “The complaints I’m receiving appear to cover most of my constituency which suggests to me there is a widespread problem. I’m aware that Royal Mail is making changes to the Universal Service it is obliged to deliver but that should not be at the expense of my constituents.”

• Blaenau Gwent Council, Groundwork Wales and Gwent Wildlife Trust recently joined forces with local volunteers for a successful river clean-up and biodiversity project at Bedwellty Pits, Tredegar. The day brought together Groundwork Wales officers, the Council’s Local Environmental Quality Officer and 10 volunteers. They worked together to clear the river of rubbish, tyres and rusting car parts which had contaminated the water. The Council is working with communities through the Blaenau Gwent Deal, a new relationship to work together to build something better, more resilient and fairer.

Blackened hillsides and lingering smoke: The summer of wildfires in the south Wales valleys

If you live in the south Wales valleys, you will probably have become accustomed to the smell of smoke this summer.

Morning, evening and often throughout the day, the smell of burning has lingered in the air, sometimes long after nearby fires have been brought under control.

On days when the smoke is not visible from your window, it only takes a short drive to find scorched hillsides, blackened grassland and the remnants of fire.

Treherbert, Wattsville, Cwm, Maerdy, Ynyshir, Ferndale, Llwyn Onn, Blaenavon and Dowlais are among the communities that have seen wildfires this summer.

The Valleys Lead is publishing a short series examining the impact of the fires on communities across the region. This week, we hear from politicians representing some of the areas most affected.

But we also want to hear from residents.

Has your business been affected? Have the fires affected your health or wellbeing? How do you feel about the damage to the environment? Were you afraid the fire would reach your street?

If you would be willing to answer a few questions about your experience, please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

Merthyr Tydfil

Michelle Jones, an Independent Group councillor in Merthyr Tydfil, said she finds it “genuinely heartbreaking” to look across land that has been “burnt to a crisp”.

“When you know an area, walk through it and have seen it green and full of life, then look across and see blackened hillsides and smoke, it is difficult not to feel devastated,” she told The Valleys Lead.

The impact of the wildfires on residents in Merthyr Tydfil, particularly in Dowlais, “has been significant”, she said.

“Residents are worried about their homes, their families, livestock, wildlife and the damage being done to the countryside around us.”

Farmers and landowners are particularly concerned about the loss of grazing land, damage to land and fencing, and the wider impact on livestock and livelihoods.

Businesses can also be affected when roads are closed, access is restricted or people are understandably reluctant to visit areas affected by smoke and fire, Jones said.

“I think the overriding feeling amongst residents is one of sadness, anger and concern,” she continued.

Read more

This week, we’ve heard about the seven deaths in a Middlesbrough car crash following a car travelling the wrong way on the A66. And then there was the death and two injuries during a police pursuit near Stratford-upon-Avon.

It’s been a week that all eyes are on the rise of dangerous driving on UK roads.

Nine years ago in the south Wales valleys, there was a case of dangerous driving that led to the death of Sophie Brimble. But the driver who was racing the car she was thrown out of is now allowed to drive again and her family is campaigning to change the law as a result.

The story is below (and we’d appreciate you sharing it to get justice for the family) - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead. There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences. This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. There are free and paid options.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Lindsay Whittle says he is becoming increasingly concerned that the historic Llancaiach Fawr, near Nelson, may never reopen.

  The Tudor Manor house has now been shut for two summers with seemingly no immediate hope that it will once again welcome visitors. Whittle, who is a former leader of Caerphilly Council, said: “I don’t think we have got to the bottom about what is happening with Llancaiach Fawr. The Council leader has talked about a preferred route for the operation of Llancaiach Fawr but there was ongoing legal, financial and operational due diligence to resolve. Frankly, this is turning into a complete farce of the Labour Party’s own doing. The second most important historical landmark in the county borough – after Caerphilly Castle – is lying closed and we have absolutely no idea if or when Llancaiach Fawr will reopen.

  The way this whole episode has been handled does worry me and I am increasingly concerned that it will never reopen to the public. Come clean, Caerphilly Council.”

• Darren Thomas, the founder and former CEO of the mental health charity Signposted Cymru, based in Aberdare, resigned in July 2026 after a regulatory warning from the watchdog. The Charity Commission has opened a case against Signposted Cymru after learning the organisation continued to employ Thomas as CEO despite him being disqualified due to having an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA). An IVA is a legally binding agreement to pay off debts over a period of time. The Charity Commission does not allow a person to run a charity if they are bankrupt or subject to an IVA.

• A school for pupils with additional learning needs is due to nearly triple in size after plans for a major expansion were approved. The Buarth Y Capel satellite site of Ysgol Ty Coch in Ynysybwl, Rhondda Cynon Taf, currently has 34 pupils but will be able to accommodate up to 94 following the development. The expansion is also expected to increase the number of staff based at the site from 19 to 54.

“How could he be driving again?”: Sister of crash victim fights for change after driver escapes punishment

In the early hours on 26 July 2017, Aimee Coombes woke to a phone call from her mother to say that Aimee’s younger sister Sophie Brimble, age 20, had been in a car accident in Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent.

“I got out of bed and immediately got dressed to go find out what happened,” Aimee told The Valleys Lead. “My mum and I met on the Heads of the Valleys Road for us to go together. When we got there, there were fire engines, ambulances, and police cars everywhere. Blue lights amid total darkness because the car crashed into a lamp post and had shut down all the street lights.”

Aimee asked the police what was going on with Sophie, where she was. “They said they couldn’t tell me – that we’d have to wait for the liaison officer to turn up,” she said.

Minutes felt like hours, and when the liaison officer arrived, Aimee and her mother were told that Sophie had passed away at the scene of the accident.

“I didn’t believe it,” Aimee said. “We went home and I expected she was going to walk through the door and tell us that it hadn’t been her – that there had been a mistake. It wasn’t until we identified her body the next that it hit home.

In the days following Sophie’s death, Aimee was told that Sophie’s boyfriend Jay Bayliss, had been racing on Beaufort Road with Sophie in the passenger seat when he crashed into a lamp post.

“That’s all we knew,” she said.

Soon after Sophie’s funeral, Aimee found out she was pregnant with her second child. “I felt a lot of guilt,” Aimee remembered. “Sophie had gone and I had fallen pregnant. It didn’t feel like the right time.”

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