Blooming Lovely in Bowen Street Garden

Bowen Street Garden – Neath East, Melin Area

I visited the garden yesterday and I am sure you will all agree with me that it looks blooming lovely! Congratulations to Dennis for all his hard work

Environment Led Community Regeneration

Invitation to celebrate our successes

Tuesday 10th July 2012 from 9.30 am – 2.00 pm including refreshments

You are cordially invited to the closing event of our Keep Wales Tidy / Communities First Environment Led Regeneration Project covering 7 Communities First Areas across South Wales. It will be a morning of community presentations, sharing successes and awards to celebrate the programme.

The event is being held at the Brackla Community Centre, Oak Tree Surgery, Whitethorn Drive, Brackla, Bridgend CF31 2PQ http://bridgend.com/communitycentres/bracklacommunitycentre

Please email Kathryn Britton or Margaret Underwood to secure your place by July 1st: Kathryn.britton@keepwalestidy.org or Margaret@3sdt.com

Specific requirements
Please let us know if you have any particular access needs or dietary requirements

Congratulations!

Congratulations! Huge congratulations to all the attendees of the pesticide spraying course held recently in Aberavon; 100% pass rate was achieved! This four day accredited course will give volunteers the qualifications, tools and expertise in order to tackle their own weed problems including Japanese knotweed and Himalayan Balsam. Nino Pulvirenti from Brackla, Bridgend really enjoyed the course and said. “I had a great few days but it was a bit of a new learning curve me! I was pleased to gain a new skill and I will be able to add that to my CV. In the area I live there is a lot of invasive species and this course will allow me to do my bit in getting rid of it. Thanks to Keep Wales Tidy for the course and equipment”. Watch out invasive species the Weed Busters are coming to get you!

Invasive Species Spraying Course

Book now for the free Invasive Species Spraying Course April 23rd & 24th in
Aberavon, Port Talbot
Limited spaces and only few left so contact me now to reserve your place kathryn.britton@keepwalestidy.org

Eaglesbush Valley Fly-Tip Removal

Eaglesbush Valley was a hive of activity on Monday when Alan, Dave (Communities First) and I along with 4 volunteers visited the site to remove some fly-tips. The top footpath and banks of the stream had become littered with builder’s rubble, discarded household items and the requisite tyres!

Over half a ton of fly-tip was removed which included:

• Shopping trolley
• Fly-mo
• 2 x Car tyres
• 1 x Tractor tyre
• Various plastic containers containing a variety of foul smelling liquids!
• IT Equipment
• Wheelbarrow
• Sacks of Builders rubble
• 7 x bags of litter

This beautiful nature reserve is now cleaner and tidier, footpaths accessible and hazards removed thanks to your help; so a huge thanks to everyone from the Neath Environmental Action Team who assisted.

Accredited Pesticide Spraying Course

An accredited Pesticide spraying course is being offered to volunteers working within the Outcomes areas. The two day course (plus an extra day for assessment) will take place in Aberavon, Port Talbot and all personal safety equipment will be provided, however attendees will need to supply wellies, a calculator, 1 passport sized photo and packed lunch. In the case of inclement weather wet gear may also be needed as you will be working along the River Afan bank.

Spaces are limited and only 4 remain so if anyone would like to enroll for this course please contact me urgently on kathryn.britton@keepwalestidy.org

Accreditation is from the City & Guilds NPTC and will include water course spraying allowing recipients the ability to spray close to or on watercourses.

Eaglesbush Valley Cleanup

Volunteers gathered in Eaglesbush Valley to undertake a cleanup, members of the NEAT group, Neath East Communities First & pupils from Cwrt Sart Comprehensive School all helped to remove over 30 black bags of rubbish from this beautiful site in the Melin.

A special welcome to Magda, who experienced her first volunteer event with Keep Wales Tidy, she must have enjoyed it because she has now signed up to join NEAT!

Arron Thomas, aged 12, from Cwrt Sart Comprehensive School said, “It was fun, I really enjoyed climbing the hill to find the rubbish. It was great to clean up the area and get some exercise.”

Ingenious teacher, Mr Aldridge, set his pupils the task of finding certain items of rubbish; see if you can guess where he hid the cans?

• I have a mouth but cannot talk
• I run but have no legs
• I am not on the ground but monkey like

Memorial Plaque Installed at Fairyland

The memorial plaque has now been installed in the new Fairyland garden to commemorate the young lives from the estate tragically cut short in recent years. The daffodils we planted last autumn are also poking through providing a splash of colour to the area.

First Aid Training

Two first aid courses have taken place across the Outcomes Areas with basic life saving skills being delivered to approximately thirty residents.

Christina Rossiter said, “I enjoyed the day and made new friends, I would now feel more confident to act if I was ever faced with a medical emergency.”