Ynysybwl Events To Focus On Energy

A series of activities are being held next week to get residents of a Pontypridd village talking about the subject of energy. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

As part of the Creative Energy Festival, the free community events and activities are being held in Ynysybwl, ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

They are part of the ‘Stories of Change’ project, which is based at the University of South Wales (USW) and involves local community organisations, including the Ynysybwl Regeneration Partnership, the Ynysybwl Enterprise Partnership and the community centre. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Activities kick off on the evening of Thursday, May 12 with a Village Voices concert of stories, poems and song at the Ynysybwl Con Club, starting at 7 pm. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

A major focus for the festival is a Pop-Up Story Studio. It takes place at the Community Centre on Friday, May 13 between 10am and 6pm, and Saturday, May 14 between 9.30am and 4pm. It features rare film archive, images and local stories from Ynysybwl and the surrounding area. A previous Story Studio in Treherbert drew more than 700 visitors. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

There is also an Energy Workshop on the Saturday at 10.30am, led by USW Professor Hamish Fyfe and Barbara Castle from the Ynysybwl Regeneration Partnership, looking at the possible future of energy in Ynysybwl and beyond. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Later that day, there is an early-evening Back to the Future walk exploring and discovering the changing landscapes of Ynysybwl, led by Daerwynno Outdoor Centre, followed by a Storytelling Evening, funded by Arts Council of Wales, featuring professional actors and the community around an outdoor firepit. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“We have been working with several communities across the valleys collecting stories to explore together creatively the role of energy in our everyday lives in the past, present and future,” said David Llewellyn, a USW Research Associate. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Of course, Ynysybwl largely exists because of our need for energy through coal mining in the past. The stories we have gathered here have been wonderful and we are looking forward to the wider community getting the chance to hear those and see the changes that have happened through the film and image archives.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The ‘Stories of Change’ project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​