Assembly Diary

The Rhondda Calendar is on sale at a large number of outlets across the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach – see elsewhere in the Rhondda Leader today. As ever, proceeds raised will go to local charities. We have been able to give away nearly £10,000 over the last two years, and I hope we can hit the £5000 target again this year. Congratulations to the competition winners and all those who have their photographs in the Calendar. Thanks also to the sponsors of the different pages….

This week we remember those who served to defend our country in two world wars and in all the other conflicts in which British troops have taken part, and there will be services all around the Rhondda on Sunday. I attended the excellent annual Rhondda Festival of Remembrance at the sports centre in Ystrad on Sunday night, very well organised by the Treherbert and District branch of the British Legion, where the Pendyrus Choir were in fine voice. It was quite a weekend for Rhondda choirs, with the Treorchy Male Voice Choir singing at the rugby international on Saturday – excellent singing, but sadly not the performance we wanted on the pitch!...

Those who have been wondering what is happening with the new Llwynypia Hospital – Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda - should rest assured. Work on site will re-commence towards the end of this year. I was pleased that the Pontypridd and Rhondda NHS Trust went to the Rhondda Forum of the Local Health Board to give a detailed explanation of the plans last week. This is just one of the investments which the Assembly is making in health services in the Rhondda, of course. We also have the new Health Centre at Ynyshir, and in the recent past the new mental health facility and also the Rhondda Drugs Treatment Initiative. Separately, I have also been approached by a pharmacist who wants to open a new pharmacy on the main road in Llwynypia, which is a bit of a desert for pharmacies at the moment. So there is a lot of activity on the health front. And last week the Health Minister told us that in-patient waiting lists were the lowest they had been since 1994....