Day 276 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk
started off at Merthyr Tydfil College http://www.merthyr.ac.uk/
Merthyr Tydfil College’s mission is:
“Raising aspirations and maximising potential.”
The college aspires to make a
major impact on the economy of the heads of the valleys region by increasing
the acquisition of basic and higher level skills and qualifications for
employment or higher education; and so support the development of healthy and
sustainable communities.
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| With students at Merthyr Tydfil college on Day 276 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
The college hopes to be
recognised across the region as a centre of excellence for all learners from 16
onwards. The college will provide first class education and training both on
campus and in the workplace, making full use of the Welsh Baccalaureate, at
levels one to three, and foundation degrees at levels four and five.
About 850 students follow full
time courses and a further 3500 enroll part-time. The College holds Investors
in People status, the Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark and the Careers Wales
Quality Award. Some 280 individuals are employed at the College, of whom about
190 are lecturers. A major programme of improvement to the College estate is in
progress with approximately £1.8 million spent in the current academic year.
Their vision is that they:
“Will be a true community college integral to the fabric of Merthyr Tydfil; this will be achieved through our reputation for being innovative and responsive to the needs of individuals, community groups and business. Merthyr Tydfil College will be at the heart of community life, not only in relation to education but also playing a role in leisure, entertainment, the arts and healthy living.
They will raise the aspirations and exceed the expectations of everyone involved with them through the excellent quality and range of their services. Their staff and students will be proud to be part of Merthyr Tydfil College, will be valued in a friendly and supportive environment and will share the rewards of their success”.
It was a pleasure to visit
Merthyr Tydfil College and to meet so many of their students. My sincere thanks
to Geraint Owens for coordinating the day.
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| An image of the new build plan for The College Merthyr Tydfil |
The college is going through a
new build and The College Merthyr Tydfil (CMT) will be an attractive,
accessible and memorable place for the whole community of learners within
Merthyr Tydfil and the surrounding district. The CMT aspire to be a force for
regeneration and growth http://www.merthyr.ac.uk/cmt
and I look forward to their invitation to visit them in the future.
Following my visit to Merthyr
Tydfil, I was keen to understand and learn more of the history of Welsh mining
and the effect the industry and closure of the pits have had on the community.
To start this education I visited Big Pit; http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/bigpit/
Big Pit is in Blaenavon, Torfean, South Wales. It was a working coal mine
from 1860 to 1980 and it was opened to visitors from 1980 under the auspices of
the National Museum Wales.
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| Big Pit miners descending down into the underground mining tour that is open to the public |
Big Pit is a real coal mine and one of Britain's leading mining museums.
With facilities to educate and entertain all ages, Big Pit is an exciting and
informative day out. You can enjoy a multi-media tour of a modern coal mine
with a virtual miner in the Mining Galleries, exhibitions in the Pithead Baths
and historic Colliery Buildings. There is also the world-famous Underground Tour
where you go 300 feet underground with a real miner and see what life was like
for the thousands of men who worked at the coal face.
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| At Big Pit on Day 276 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
Big Pit became part of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales on 1
February 2001. After major redevelopment, it re-opened in 2004 and went
straight on to win the prestigious Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year.
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| Big Pit on Day 276 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
The museum is set in a unique industrial landscape, designated a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000 in recognition of its international importance
to the process of industrialisation through iron and coal production.
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| The Big Pit Museum on Day 276 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
Big Pit is a living, breathing reminder of the coal industry in Wales and
the people and society it created. It was a humbling experience to visit Big
Pit, to meet miners who recounted stories and experiences and to appreciate
just how tough life was for miners. It was a visit I will not forget and I
would urge anyone to take the time to visit the Museum which is free admission
and to spend time looking at the museum and its superb displays.
To finish Day 276, I visited Rock
Up http://adventures.rockuk.org/
Rock UK Summit Centre is their newest centre which opened in October 2010.
The Centre was formerly known as the Welsh International Climbing Centre and is
located south of Merthyr Tydfil in the South Wales Valleys, just 10 minutes
from the A470 and under an hour from the centre of Cardiff.
It is built on the site of the former Trelewis drift mine which closed in
1989. The Taff Bargoed Development Trust then redeveloped the site into a
climbing centre in 1997 turning it into an international indoor climbing
centre.
Rock UK has extensive expansion plans for the centre which will include
developing the land to accommodate exciting outdoor adventure activities
including an extended high ropes course, low ropes and archery and developing
the already substantial residential accommodation. They are also making good
use of the extensive natural resources in and around the South Wales Valleys
and the Brecon Beacons offering activities such as off-site mountain biking,
climbing and walking plus water based activities at the Taff Bargoed Millennium
Park which will include open canoeing, kayaking and raft building.
I was delighted to be shown around the facilities which are used by The
Prince’s Trust, the UK Scouting Association, Girlguiding UK and many other
organisations and companies.
The Centre is well worth investigating and researching for group activities
as they can accommodation up to 40 people and they are based in breathtaking
surroundings.
This was my second encounter with Rock Up and they are a great
organisation.
On Day 277 of my BRIT 2012 mile
walk I visited Usk Campus, Coleg Gwent.
Set in the historic town of Usk,
Usk Campus offers a wide range of courses which make the most of its beautiful
rural location. Usk Campus is within easy reach of Monmouth, Abergavenny, Caldicot,
Chepstow, Magor, Pontypool and Newport, with excellent access to the M4
motorway. From agriculture to sport and from outdoor activities to animal
management, they can help young people get ahead in their chosen career.
The farm at Usk Campus provides
an important teaching resource for students enrolled on agricultural courses.
It gives them the practical skills needed in the farming industry as well as
developing their animal and countryside management skills. The farm is also
widely used for demonstrations, farm walks, research and events for the wider
farming community. It is a national demonstration farm for dairy, sheep and
beef.
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| At Usk College, Coleg Gwent on Day 277 of my BRIT 2012 mile walkj |
Students can enhance and use
their learning skills in a practical environment. Usk Campus’ exceptional
facilities include a purpose-built animal care centre, an equestrian centre and
a working farm. Usk Campus is also a great place to get the most out of College
life, with opportunities to get involved in a range of recreational or
additional courses including water sports, rugby, horse riding and countryside
skills.
It was a pleasure to meet many of
the students including those studying on Public Serve courses. I thoroughly
enjoyed my time with the students and am grateful to the staff for coordinating
a super visit.
I ended Day 277 with 284 miles to
go.
Best wishes,
Phil