Day 275 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk
was at the The Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone campus of Coleg Gwent http://www.coleggwent.ac.uk/
in Ebbw Vale which opened in September this year. The weather closed in
quickly this morning and the fog set in reducing visibility considerably. It
was eerie but at the same time quite beautiful as I weaved through country
lanes and the valleys seeing picturesque villages, stone bridges, streams and
historic buildings that showed off rural Wales in a wonderful morning light.
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| Stopping off this morning on the way to Ebbw Vale with mininal visibility as the weather closed in |
Coleg Gwent is Wales' largest further education college. It has more than
35,000 students ranging from secondary school leavers to mature students. A wide range of part-time and
full-time academic and vocational courses are on offer at the college.
The college operates from six campuses – City of Newport,
Crosskeys, Ebbw
Vale, Pontypool, Usk and Blaenau Gwent. The college's administrative
headquarters are located at the Usk campus. There are also two 'Learn-IT'
centres, based in Monmouth and Cwmbrân.
These offer flexible, drop-in courses on a range of Information Technology subjects as well as marketing,
maths,
English, and Welsh.
The college works in collaboration with the five local education authorities in south east Wales to provide an
extensive curriculum designed to meet the needs of learners of all ages.
Coleg Gwent has a range of learner services to help support students. These
include a library and computer and information resources and a Students' Union. The college also has a range of
vocational training facilities. These include a training restaurant and hair
and beauty salons at the Crosskeys campus, Ebbw Vale, Newport and Pontypool.
There are also workshops for students studying engineering and construction. In
addition, Usk campus offers agricultural courses and has a working farm,
equestrian centre and animal care centre on its premises.
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|
The Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone under
construction in 2011
that opened in September 2012 |
The Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone http://www.coleggwent.ac.uk/bglz
opened in September and will be offering a very wide range of both academic and
vocational courses at the new Ebbw Vale Campus (the Learning Zone).
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| The Ebbw Vale Coat of Arms |
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr
tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales.
It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough.
Originally a rather insignificant spot in rural Monmouthshire with only about 120
inhabitants at the end of the 18th century, Ebbw Vale—and the whole valley—was
transformed by the Industrial Revolution. The Ebbw Vale Iron Works, later to become the Ebbw Vale Steelworks, opened in 1778, followed
by the opening of a number of coal mines around 1790.
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| The Blast Furnace at Ebbw Vale Steelworks in the 1930s |
At its height (1930s — 40s) the steel works in Ebbw Vale was the largest in
Europe, although attracting very little attention from German bombers during World War II. It might have been that the deep valley
proved difficult to bomb but in any event there were few recorded bombs dropped
and those that were dropped might have been from bombers dumping unused bombs
on their way home.
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| The Steelworks in the 1960s |
By the 1960s around 14,500 people were employed in the works in and around
Ebbw Vale, but the end of the century witnessed a massive collapse to the
industry.
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| The Steelworks in the 1970s |
A strike in 1980 was followed by closures and redundancies which resulted
in the dismantling of many of the old plants. In 2002 only 450 were employed in
the old industries, and by July of that year the final works closed
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| The site of the Steelworks after demolishment |
Today there are no steelworks or mines left in or around the town, though
Ebbw Vale is still recognised for its innovation and contribution to the
development of Britain as an industrial nation. This includes the world's first
steel rail, rolled at Ebbw Vale in 1857, and the rails for the Stockton and Darlington
Railway were also manufactured at Ebbw Vale.
Unemployment in Ebbw Vale is among the highest rates in the United Kingdom,
largely the result of the decline of the mining and steel industries. In 2003
work began on demolishing the long-standing steelworks.
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| The Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan hospital built... |
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| ...on the newly developed site of the Ebbw Vale Steelworks |
The Ebbw Vale Steelworks site known as "The Works" is
being re-developed under a £350 million regeneration project by Blaenau Gwent Council and Welsh Government. It will then have many different
uses; housing, retail & office, wetlands, a Learning campus and many other
uses. The steelworks closed in 2002 and the land was remediated over a period
of approximately five years. Outline planning consent was granted in 2007 for a
mixed use development.
Wales' first all individual bed hospital “Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan” opened in
2010 and is named after the NHS' founder: Aneurin Bevan.
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| The Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone at the new Ebbw Vale Campus pre-opening |
My day at The Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone at the new Ebbw Vale Campus was
an unforgettable experience.
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| The new Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone that was opened in September 2012 |
I met hundreds of students on courses ranging from Public Services to Care
studies. It was also a pleasure to meet young people studying Independent
Living Skills (ILS).
.JPG) |
| At the original Steel Press in Ebbw Vale - a monument to the industry that dominated the area(1) |
The day was fascinating, from learning about Ebbw Vale to understanding
more about young people’s aspirations and thoughts on future employment and
plans.
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| On Day 275 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk with students at Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone in Ebbw Vale |
I am sincerely grateful to all the staff and students who made me feel very
welcome, walked with me and offered so much support to BRIT and me.
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| With Public Services students from Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone |
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| With young students who joined me on my BRIT 2012 mile walk on Day 275 |
Thank you all very much; it was a pleasure to meet you and to spend time
with you.
Best wishes,
Phil