A collective in Ebbw Vale bringing art to the most deprived local authority in Wales
Gavin Robinson is hopeful that his collective will inject hope into what feels like a "forgotten" town.
Hi! And welcome to The Valleys Lead.
Happy Mother’s Day to those who mother in any way. You’re doing the vital work of raising up the next generation and we couldn’t be more grateful for you. We at The Valleys Lead are very interested in writing about the impacts of national and local policies on parents, women and children. If you ever want to talk to us about something happening in your patch, please do give us a shout at valleys@thelead.uk.
This week, we have a happy story for you, because sometimes, you just need something to smile about. We spoke with an artist in Blaenau Gwent who is gathering a collective of other artists as a way of giving people something to get excited about, something to feel good about.
Before we share the story (it’s below!), we just wanted to say thanks for joining us again this week. If you’re enjoying and/or finding these newsletters helpful and informative, we’d love you to keep joining us every week. We are hoping to continue to build a community of readers in the south Wales valleys, and you would be doing local journalism a massive favour by sharing these newsletters on your social media feeds, or just sending them to people you think might be interested.
If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do so below! We’d be over the moon if you financially supported local journalism by paying just a small yearly amount when you subscribe. There’s a sale on right now so seize the day!
If you want to support The Valleys Lead, it’s free to subscribe. Paid subscribers get a bit more for only £4.99 a month, or £49 a year - but we’ve got a St David’s Day treat for you as we now have 30% off if you subscribe during March. More details below.
We’d love to you subscribe. Simply share your email to receive newsletters from us twice a week. Bonus content for paid subscribers!
Simple as adding your email below!
Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who has been in touch thus far with story tips. Rest assured, if you come to me with a story, discretion can be guaranteed. Get in touch at valleys@thelead.uk or via Bluesky or Instagram.
From last week - some our exclusive reporting will be just for paying subscribers. We don’t have ads, we don’t do clickbait and all of our reporting is done right here in the valleys. If you sign up right now, you get 30% off your subscription forever - whether you pay annually or monthly. We believe journalism done properly is worth paying for and we hope you can support us.
It’s also free to share. And it would be a hugely appreciated if you did share The Valleys Lead with all your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. Thank you!
The Valleys Briefing
(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys.)
Potholes. We’re all talking about them. Welsh Government data released Thursday estimated that 11,250 of them were fixed in Wales between April 2025 and January 2026. In Merthyr Tydfil, the least number of potholes were filled during that time (only 89), followed by Blaenua Gwent (with 136) and Neath Port Talbot (with 138).
Councillor Andrew Morgan, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council leader and leader of the Welsh Local Government Association, has been appointed chair of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. The new job has a £69,840-a-year salary, and entails holding ABUHB’s chief executive to account, chairing board meetings, and setting a “strategic vision” for the organisation. He has previously been quizzed before the Senedd about his credentials for the role. One Reform MS (who recently defected from the Conservatives), James Evans, said: “There will be elements out there who will say this is a little bit of cronyism, jobs for the boys in a way. I’m just interested in how do you manage that perception going into an organisation like Aneurin Bevan, which has got some very big strategic challenges.”
A protest was held in Pontsticill, in Merthyr Tydfil, on Wednesday. The Pontsticill to Pant road has been closed since the landslip following Storm Bert in November 2024, adding to years of disruption that began after Storm Dennis in 2020. Despite meetings and updates, residents are still waiting for a clear plan and real progress.
A collective in Ebbw Vale bringing art to the most deprived local authority in Wales
Growing up in Ebbw Vale, a town in the Gwent valley of south Wales, Gavin Robinson, remembers thinking that like his father, his main employment option would be working at the local steel factory.
“But then in the early 2000s, the steelworks closed and large parts of the site were knocked down as development began” Gavin told The Valleys Lead.
The closure of the steelworks ended over 200 years of steel production and resulted in the loss of 780 jobs. In its prime, the steelworks in Ebbw Vale employed around 14,000 workers, providing consistent employment for Blaenau Gwent locals.
Since its closure, a school, a college, a hospital, a leisure centre, housing and industrial units have replaced the steelworks, and Gavin said nature has reclaimed much of where the site used to be.
As Ebbw Vale has sought to evolve, Gavin and a collective of artists in the area have made it their goal to bring beauty and creativity to the town.
“There’s not a lot of community spirit at the moment,” he said. “It’s very fragmented because of political views. There’s a lot of unemployment. And there is a void of things to do in the town for children, leading to anti-social behaviour. People are, in many ways, stuck in a rut.”
The arts, Gavin feels, has always been an “extra” that people in the town haven’t felt is a luxury to be pursued. “Everyone is just living in survival mode,” he said. “I know when my father lost his job, it devastated him but luckily, he managed to find another, but there were so many others who couldn’t find work. The pressure hit hard and they disappeared into pubs. There’s no hope then.”
Caught up in the grind of making a living, Gavin didn’t pursue the love of art he had as a child and young adult.
“I only felt like half a person,” he said. “I needed self-expression. We all need a form of self-expression.”
Gavin has previously struggled with depression, and reconnecting with his art became one of the pieces of the puzzle that helped him feel well again.
“Art and creativity help take the sting out of life,” he said.
