Summer Sundays Throughout the summer Blaenavon World Heritage Centre grounds will be alive with the sound of music. We will be hosting a series of outdoor musical events from 2 -4 pm on a Sunday afternoon. During July and early August there will be music from the rousing Blaenavon and Oakdale Town Bands and female harmony group Mello D. Make the most of your Sundays with lunch or a cream tea at the Heritage Café, put your feet up and enjoy the live music on the patio or just come along for a cuppa and take in the fantastic views from the centre café over the Coity mountain.
Sunday 19th July Blaenavon Town Band 2-4pm
Sunday 26th July Oakdale Town Band 2-4pm
Sunday 2nd August Mello D Ladies Harmony group 2-4pm
Blaenavon Heritage Railway Trains will run each weekend during July and also on Wednesday 22nd and 29th starting at 11.00 with the last train at 15.45.
The major event during July is the Wartime Weekend on 11 and 12 July. There’ll be forties music to enjoy, a military camp and vehicles and lots of civilian action as well as lots of bangs and crashes!! Two trains running throughout the day from 11am. For more information visit: http://www.pontypool-and-blaenavon.co.uk/default.aspx
Big Pit National Coal Museum Come and join us for Miners’ Fortnight, 20-31 July, 12pm-4pm, the highlight of the summer for coalfield communities, with a host of activities for the whole family to enjoy including trails, soft play, dressing up and games. Step back in time at Our Living History Weekend, 1&2 August, 12pm-4pm, and meet some coalfield characters and hear their stories. Plus music from Blaenavon Town Band. FREE ENTRY. (A small charge may apply to some activities.)
Wales Valleys Walking Festival
Save the Date!
5th & 6th September 2015.
More info to follow.
News
Blaenavon World Heritage Day Hundreds of people took part in Blaenavon World Heritage Day on Saturday 27th June to celebrate the town’s World Heritage Site status. The event commemorated the town’s 15th year of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The heritage costume parade an annual highlight of the event took place at 1pm. Pupils from Blaenavon Heritage School, Forgeside Mini Rugby, Torfaen Gymnastics and local performance group The Vibe took part in the parade.
The theme for this year’s parade was ‘World Heritage Sites around the World’, celebrating Blaenavon’s own World Heritage Site status and the special cultural and natural significance of other sites across the globe.
The fun packed family day took place between 11am-4pm and additionally included a Victorian fun fair, street entertainers, craft stalls, dancers, live music and special offers from local shops/businesses.
Youth Ambassadors/Volunteers The World Heritage Youth Ambassadors Project is now well underway! The group meets every Tuesday evening at the Blaenavon World Heritage Centre and engages young people in learning workshops, filming, discussion and planning sessions in preparation for the UNESCO Youth Summit in October. Meetings are fun, relaxed and educational and include guest speakers, group work and team building activities.
Young people aged 13-25 are learning all about World Heritage Sites not just in Blaenavon but all over the UK! In August this year we have a 3 day residential trip planned at the Jurassic Coast in Cornwall. Action packed trips and events are booked throughout the year.
Museum On The Move! With the help of Torfaen Museum Trust, the volunteers of Blaenavon Community Heritage Museum are busy packing the entire museum collection in advance of its relocation to the Workmen’s Hall. It’s a meticulous task, as every artefact needs to be labelled, recorded and packed to professional museum standards!
St. Peter's Churchyard Clean up At the end of May the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service in conjunction with the Church in Wales, The Probations Services, the Neon Youth Club and Forgotten Landscapes organised a clean up of St Peter's Churchyard in Blaenavon. The churchyard contains many graves of people who were directly involved in developing the town as one of the most productive and successful iron making towns in the world during the 1800's. Sadly, over the years, the churchyard has fallen into neglect and the graves cannot be easily accessed.
Hopefully this new initiative will continue and over time the Churchyard will become more accessible and play its part in the telling of the incredible Blaenavon story. This will also come as welcome news for overseas visitors to the town who have forebears buried in the churchyard.
