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When they organise bazaars in Tredegar they don’t mess around. Just over one hundred and fifty years ago they organised a great big Tredegar bazaar. Heaps of money was raised. And then over a few beers in ye olde Tredegar tavern they discussed what to do with the money raised …. Tredegar Man - “Hey, let’s erect a 72 feet high cast iron tower, put a large bell at the end and paint it bright red so people from all around can see it from a great distance. It will put Tredegar on the map.” Another Tredegar Man - “Yes, it will put us on the map as comedians because it will look like a 72 foot tall cast iron cock.” Tredegar Man - “Ah, I see what you mean. A 72 foot tall cast iron cock might be funny in the short-run. Say for a few days,...

This is a decidedly difficult sculpture. An imposing steel rocket-like structure on the edge of Merthyr town. When the late Charles Sansbury created this massive installation way back in 1975, little did he realise how unloved his gangly child would become. Logic and reason suggest that it is difficult not to notice this work at a height of approximately 20 feet. On the other hand most people don’t notice it. The sculpture was installed at the edge of Merthyr main car park, in front of Merthyr College, and at the entrance of the main footbridge leading into St Tydfil’s shopping centre. Although it was guaranteed a daily audience of thousands of passers-by, few noticed when it was recently moved to the Caegarw roundabout as part of a town landscaping project. And the colour...

Heed the whispered warnings of ghosts, listen to their advice and co-operate with them. They tell us about the past and foretell our future. In the photograph there is a misty view across the Cynon Valley, from Cwmbach looking down the hill near St Margaret’s Church, towards Aberaman and Aberdare. The photographer has failed to capture a ghost, so instead offers to sketch some notes. In Cwmbach the first Co-Operative Society in Wales was formed in 1860. On this little Welsh hill there was a magnificent Co-Operative store that lay at the heart of a vibrant Welsh community ‘growing-up’ in the era of industrialisation. Borrow a Welsh Mam today Find a Welsh Mam and ask her about the local Co-Op from fifty years. Beg or borrow a Welsh Mam if necessary. Cwmbach Co-Op...