The young community of Waunlwyd has come together to kick off Christmas in style after the Waunlwyd and Victoria events committee held its annual disco.
With a host of festive activities that had to be cancelled due to the recent flooding, the events committee were determined not to let the youngest members of the community miss out on their annual event to don their smartest clothes and meet the main man himself, Santa!
Kath Lloyd, Chairperson of the Waunlwyd and Victoria events committee, explains:
“Sadly, the flooding put paid to our grand plans of the annual Christmas light switch on where the whole community comes together, with a choir, to signal the start of the festive season. However, with everyone safe, we knew we had to try for an alternative date so that our youngsters didn’t miss out on the spirit of Christmas.”
The Waunlwyd and Victoria events committee, which hosts numerous events during the course of year to provide opportunities for the local community to come together, found the nearest alternative date and set to work in transforming the community centre into a winter wonderland.
The Christmas activities in the village were possible after Pennant Walters provided £2,000 from a fund linked to its planned Mynydd Carn-y-Cefn windfarm which, if consent is given, will lie to the west of Abertillery.
Kath continued:
“We were disappointed to cancel our plans but the fact that we’ve been able to put on such a fantastic event for our youngsters has been wonderful! Seeing their faces light up at this time of year especially is heartwarming and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Pennant Walters.
“Last year they kindly supported our efforts, and we were delighted that they’ve lent their support again.
“Our Christmas activities mean such a lot to everyone in the community, and we all get a great buzz from seeing the tree lit up each evening. On behalf of everyone living locally I’d like to say a big thank you to Pennant Walters.”
Pennant Walters provided the funding from its planned Mynydd Carn-y-Cefn windfarm in the Blaenau Gwent region. The site, which has not yet received planning consent, can accommodate eight wind turbines, which could generate up to 34MW of electricity. Subject to planning consent being granted, the construction of Mynydd Carn-y-Cefn Wind Farm would take around two years, so it would be operational and generating electricity by Winter 2025.
Pennant Walters Managing Director, Dale Hart, said:
“We are happy, once again, to support the wonderful work of the Waunlwyd and Victoria events committee. The fact that they were determined to ensure youngsters didn’t miss out this Christmas is a testament to the community spirit in the village.
“The communities in which our wind farms operate are important to us and our wind energy community funds exist to make a difference to them so it’s great to see how Waunlwyd residents are benefitting”
Picture caption: Waunlwyd youngster Arya with mum Tia and chairperson of the Waunlwyd and Victoria events committee Kath Lloyd.