It's not often initiatives we launch as Ministers get to be the subject of the Radio Four Today programme's Thought for the Day, but thanks to the Rev Roy Jenkins our Valleys Homecoming Initiative in 2010 has done so.
You can read Roy's words here, or listen here.
The Communities First Team in Clydach Vale has a new website with details of local activities. You can access it here.
A clever bit of photoshopping ages a generation of Rhondda Fach footballers by 30 years instantly on the S4C's lleaethpawb site
Belated congratulations to Margaret Jervis, Chief Executive of Valleys Kids, on her award of the People's Fellowship at Cardiff University, though I think the Echo got her age wrong!
The HLF has been funding a project on the history of the Rhondda. Some interesting old photos here.
In case there is any doubt, I agree with my colleague Huw Lewis that this is a daft idea, as I told the Chair of the Institute of Welsh Affairs on the Maes today. I see that the Western Mail managed to take one of my sentences from the foreword to the IWA publication and make it look like I welcomed the idea. Well, I welcome all discussion on the future of the Heads of the Valleys, but I don't think this is an idea that will go very far.
Just a quick note on Huw's comments. The original budget for the Heads of the Valleys was £10 million per annum: last year under Huw and I between us the programme spent over £16 million and in the previous year under Andrew Davies the programme spent over £15 million. So we are well ahead of the original budget.
But Huw will remember that the Heads of the Valleys are not the Valleys as such. There are only two local authority areas (Merthyr Tydfil and Blaenau Gwent) and two Assembly Constituencies wholly covered by the Heads of the Valleys programme (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney and Blaenau Gwent). Parts of Torfaen, RCT (including some parts of the Rhondda and some parts of the Cynon Valley constituencies) and Caerphilly Borough (including some parts of the Caerphilly and some parts of the Islwyn constituencies) are included.
The Co-operative Party blog picks up on the launch of RCT Homes as a community mutual, the Co-operative Party's model for public housing.
We launched RCT Homes yesterday, the community housing mutual - or housing cooperative - which tenants in Rhondda Cynon Taff voted to set up. Its £170 million investment programme will involve the installation of an estimated 5,000 new kitchens, 4,000 new bathrooms and 6,000 energy-efficient boilers. Other improvements will include extensive re-wiring, the installation of new central heating systems, improved security measures and work on roofs, chimneys and walls as well as a promised £1m a year on environmental enhancements.
The Community Housing Mutual model was developed by the co-operative movement in Wales with the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.
Earlier this year I launched a report that highlighted the unprecedented opportunities the introduction of the Welsh Housing Quality Standard would create.
RCT Homes is maximising these opportunities and creating new jobs, training opportunities, business contracts and major new investment in housing and related regeneration work.
Around 170 jobs will be created through RCT Homes operations. RCT Homes has implemented community benefit clauses in its procurement contracts. Local businesses have bid for and win major contracts against competition from national companies leading to the creation of a total of 59 new local jobs.RCT Homes has also tied its main contractors into using locally-based suppliers which will generate a total of 61 new jobs and training opportunities.
RCT Homes has been working with the Heads of the Valleys JobMatch initiative to maximise the impact the new job and training opportunities will have on the local employment situation.
RCT Homes itself has created 53 new jobs since it began operations at the end of last year, and took on 6 apprentices.
Torfaen tenants also voted to go down the community mutual route. This is a model approach that I believe others will follow to help regenerate our most disadvantaged communities.
Reachinhg the Welsh Housing Quality Standard is not a one-off opportunity but an ongoing, long-term investment because not only do these new housing standards need to be reached, but they have to be maintained through a rolling programme of work.The Rhondda Leader has a good summary of the excellent public meeting held to discuss the future of the Fernhill Colliery site last week at which Chris Bryant MP and I spoke.
The BBC has some of the photos displayed in the AM's photographic exhibition in the Senedd, including this rose from my garden in Llwynypia.
I also displayed a moodier picture I took on Pen Pych in the New Year.
Congratulations to former Labour Councillor Ron Bundock, still carrying the regimental banner at Royal British Legion events, who is 90.
Ron has been active in a whole series of issues, including crime prevention.
At last night's Rhondda Labour GC we paid tribute to Emrys 'Emmo' Thomas, who died recently after an illness which had lasted for some months. Emmo's funeral halted the traffic in Treorchy just over a week ago, following a moving service at his home, conducted by the Rev. Cyril Llewellyn, with Allan Rogers, former MP for the Rhondda, giving the tribute.
Emmo was one of the first people I met in the Rhondda when I was seeking selection for the Assembly seat. He was a great supporter not only of me and Chris Bryant MP, but of every Labour candidate at all levels. The top pictue shows him working on my 2003 campaign. As a letter in the Rhondda Leader said, he was behind every Labour Councillor who ever won election in Treorchy. He never wanted to stand himself, even though the affection for him across Treorchy, Ynyswen and Cwmparc was such that he would have stormed it. He was genuinely respected across the political spectrum, and I recall Plaid Cymru Treorchy Councillor Cennard Davies picking him out for a special mention in welcoming him back to the fray after the local elections this year.
Emmo had been a Labour Party member for 51 years, and last year we held a ceremony in the Stag in Treorchy to give him his 50-year membership award. His uncle Iorrie Thomas was the MP for Rhondda West from 1950 until 1966. He was an active campaigner on community issues as well as in elections. The bottom picture shows Emmo on one of the London demonstrations we held in support of the Burberry workers where his son Leighton worked. He was a strong supporter of the GMB.
Emmo was also a great sports fan. He despaired a little of his beloved Glamorgan in recent years but he was devoted to cricket and football. He enjoyed Cardiff City's play-off final in 2003, and he would watch football on Sky Sports round the clock. I joined him sometimes at Ton Pentre home games where he would organise the teas at half-time.
Emmo was a good man. He will be missed by all, and our thoughts remain with his wife Pat and the family.
I was pleased to welcome members of the Maerdy Archive Group to the Assembly - not for the first time - a couple of weeks ago, for the launch of the Community Archives Wales online records project. You can find the Maerdy Archive Group material here.
The project has been supported by Communities@One, the Assembly's digital inclusion project, which is funded from my Ministerial budgets in the Assembly and from Objective One monies, as well as by the Heritage department in the Assembly.
CAW is a 15-month pilot project to enable eleven groups within Communities First areas throughout Wales to create their own digital archives and share them on the CAW website. The project employs 4 members of staff. It started in January 2007 and the current phase will end in September 2008. Digital community archives are collections of material in private hands that have been digitised and interpreted by community groups, enabling the communities to present their own history in their own words.
Members of the Maerdy Archive Group have been supporting my campaign to get the Maerdy Community Centre run by a broader-based group of people. Chris Bryant MP and I held a meeting two weeks ago where a lot of people indicated they wanted to become involved in the Community Centre, and later today we will be receiving the application forms from those who want to join.
I have written before about the proposals for development at the Fernhill Colliery.
Residents have now called a public meeting for the 24th July at the Top Club, Blaenrhondda.
The developers' site is now up - you can find it here.
Meanwhile one resident has a blog here and the Conservation Group's Facebook group is here.
Until recently a number of my constituents were working at Tower - now some have moved to Aberpergwm.
Tower's achievement is a shining example of the cooperative ethos of popular power and workers' control - and I was delighted to attend the reception held by the First Minister last night to commemorate the workers' achievement.
A good turnout for the launch of the Rhondda Trust on Friday.
After a suggestion from Cllr Cennard Davies of Treorchy, I am changing the Welsh version to Cronfa'r Rhondda.
When Burberry closed its factory in Treorchy last year, the GMB led campaign successfully secured an investment of £150,000 a year for ten years to further the education and training opportunities of people in the Rhondda. The total will amount to £1.5 million. The Rhondda Trust has been founded to receive this money from Burberry and to make grants to individuals and organisations in the Rhondda.
Local charities and community groups can apply for this funding, as can national organisations for work carried out in the Rhondda. Individuals who live in the two Rhondda Valleys can also apply for funds. In particular, the Rhondda Trust is looking to fund new projects that will make a lasting difference to the Rhondda.
Further information on how to apply for funding is available on the Trust’s new website www.rhonddatrust.org.uk or by contacting RCT Regeneration Resources Team on 01443 665789.
Today we are setting up the Rhondda Trust - or Cronfa Rhondda as I am calling it in Welsh. This is based on the money received from Burberry following the closure of the Burberry factory in Treorchy last year.
A website for the Trust is under construction and application forms will be available from today.
