Pontardawe Town Council has successfully won a
National Lottery Heritage Fund grant from Neath Port Talbot County Council to
complete a heritage project. Led by Councillors Dai Brain, Gwenno Ffrancon and
Matty Vincent, work will be underway this summer to beautify the town of
Pontardawe and the villages of Rhyd-y-Fro, Trebannws and Ynysmeudwy by painting
benches and street furniture on some of the area's main streets.
The most attentive among you will have noticed the metal boxes along our
streets – often green and grey – the majority are Openreach company boxes
providing broadband to homes and a few grey electrical boxes for traffic
lights. The aim of the project is to paint some of these boxes with
illustrations that capture the history and heritage of the area while
highlighting some of the most prominent attractions in the area and possibly a
few aspects of our heritage that have been less obvious as well! How many of
you would argue for having Carn Llechart and St Peter's Church on one of the
boxes, or perhaps illustrations of the river Tawe or Cwm Du Glen’s waterfalls
on a bench? Why not then highlight some of the local sports clubs with their
striking crests, or perhaps the faces of some of the ward's greatest
ambassadors?
The project enables cross-generational collaboration to share views and
information that will help us highlight landmarks, individuals, and other
elements of our heritage that reflect and make Pontardawe's culture and legacy
visible to residents and visitors alike. We hope to provide something visually
stunning that will stimulate discussion and enhance the look of the town.
By working with the primary schools in the Pontardawe ward the Town Council
will gather the views and ideas of our youngest members for what should be
included in the illustrations. There is also an opportunity for adults to share
views through various platforms – via social media, through drop-in sessions at
the town Library and Ty'r Gwrhyd and by contacting the Town Council directly.
A brief will then be prepared for the artists from FreshCreative Ltd to draw up
designs and to start painting the boxes and benches. FreshCreative Ltd have
considerable experience of carrying out this type of artwork throughout the county
of Swansea. The aim will be to create striking illustrations that reflect what
the Pontardawe’s residents are proud of but to also take advantage of a great
way to present our local heritage to visitors.
If you would like to contribute your ideas about what should be included in the
illustrations, please feel free to share them by emailing cllr.g.ffrancon@gmail.com
In the meantime, here are some photos of Fresh Creative's work that can already
be seen and enjoyed in and around Swansea.