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NOVEMBER 2009
TOPP News (The Oakdale & Penmaen Partnership) Railings to be added to War Memorial In response to many requests, the Partnership is going to provide low-level decorative railings for the War Memorial. These will match the existing fencing around the flower beds and serve two purposes – to provide somewhere secure to hang Remembrance Day wreaths, and to deter sitting on the base of the memorial. Shock at Graveyard Damage After such good progress with cleaning up Penmaen Graveyard, local residents were horrified to see a JCB on the site at the end of September which had broken or moved many of the headstones. Luckily, the Partnership chairman was passing the site just after the incident occurred and literally stopped the machine in its tracks. He challenged the contractors, asked to see their authorisation and then asked them to leave the site, which they did. Following discussions with Mynyddislwyn Choir and the Probation Service, who are working on the clearance project at weekends, the matter was reported to the Police, who are now investigating further. Probation sent in an extra team immediately to put right as much damage as they could. We will keep you posted on progress. We are also grateful to Blackwood Army Cadets, who have volunteered to do a special clean of the two Commonwealth War Graves in the graveyard. Community Christmas Concert Please come along to support our Community Concert in Oakdale Comprehensive School at 6.30pm on Thursday 10 December There will be musical items from pupils of our local schools and from Mynyddislwyn Male Choir. Tickets cost £4.50 and will be available from the School and various local outlets. Sad Farewell to Oakdale Hospital News of the final closure of Oakdale Hospital came through just as we were printing our last Newsletter. The local Health Board held a low key event in September to mark the closure and to thank former staff for their loyal service over many years. The afternoon was a mixture of pleasant memories and sadness for so many at the end of an era for the community. The hospital is privately owned, and its lease to the Health Service runs out this year. The owners have promised to keep the Partnership informed about its future. New mural helps brighten up the Community Centre The Partnership used funding for a Summer Play project to employ visual artist Craig Lewis to paint a mural at the Community Centre. Some of our local youngsters helped him to paint a colourful cartoon on one of the retaining walls. The Community Centre paid for the previously rough and dirty walls to be prepared. The picture has proved to be very popular with the children who attend Little Peeps playgroup in the Centre. Belated thanks for Art Exhibition Our thanks to those Partnership members who organised the Art Exhibition in Rhiw Syr Dafydd School at the end of May. The event was very well supported and a wonderful display of local talent. It will be renamed the Bill Gwynne Art Exhibition, an annual event in memory of the late Mr Gwynne, an inspiring teacher who taught in local schools. New Church Hall opens The new hall for St David's Church in Central Avenue was officially opened in September. It not only provides extra facilities for the church, but also for the community, as it is available to hire for children's parties and other functions.
The hall is now open for: For more details or bookings, please contact Pam Matthews on 223226 Deadline approaches for annual children’s ‘Shoebox’ appeal Once again, local schools and many individuals are filling shoeboxes with Christmas gifts to send to children who are not as fortunate as those in this country. Last year over 300 boxes were collected in Oakdale, to be sent to Eastern Europe and Africa, in support of ‘Operation Christmas Child’. The collection deadline this year is Saturday 14 November. If you have a shoebox ready, please phone Mrs Silwyn Evans on 222160 to arrange for it to be collected. Community Centre News An extra class is now being provide by the local branch of U3A (University of the Third Age) Music Appreciation on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month from 2-4pm. The Centre is now being booked well into 2010 for family parties and functions, so if you want to hire it, don't leave it too late! For your booking, please phone Mrs Doreen Brown on 221385. Charity Christmas Fayre There will be a Christmas Fayre in aid of the Special Children's Unit Fund (Royal Gwent Hospital) in the Community Centre on Monday 14 December from 3pm to 6.30 pm All the usual stalls, plus hand-made craft items for sale. New Year – New Resolutions? If you’ve got ideas for improving our community, why not get involved by coming along to our monthly Partnership meeting, 6.30 pm in the Community Centre: Monday 7th December 4th January 2010 1st February 2010 |