News

The RMA’s year of support for Alzheimer’s Society Cymru kicked off with a bang as the Radyr and Morganstown Alzheimer’s Society Volunteer Fundraising Group organised an opening concert by Cardiff Arms Park Male Voice Choir, compered by Frank Hennessy on Saturday 14 January at Christ Church, Radyr.

Alzheimer’s Society Cymru will now continue as the RMA’s charity throughout 2024 including the May Festival and Christmas Lights events amongst other smaller occasions through they year.

Alzheimer’s Society Cymru has a vision for a world where dementia no longer devastates lives. They seek to make one of the UK’s biggest killers less frightening, giving help to everyone living with dementia today, and hope for the future.

Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer.

One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime. Yet it isn’t the priority it should be. There are currently estimated to be 900,000 people in the UK with dementia. Many undiagnosed and facing the realities of their condition sometimes alone.

Dementia devastates lives, but it’s not an inevitable part of getting old. We can do something about it. Funding new research means we can find life-changing treatments and cures. We can work with local and national government to deliver lasting change. And we can continue to help people living with dementia from day one. But we can’t do this without your support.

Arrangements for the May Festival are well underway and local residents will receive the printed brochure in the April edition of the Chain but details of individual events may start to appear on the Festival website sooner.

You don’t have to wait for further events to start, you can donate to Alzheimer’s Society and start adding to our total today – https://www.justgiving.com/page/rma-2024

Concert for Alzheimers

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Are you interested in what your County Councillors are doing to represent you? Read their latest reports.

As many of you will know the Radyr & Morganstown Association (RMA) changed the dates of their annual charity to change at the end of each calendar year rather than during the Summer Holidays. Charities will still be supported for 12 months each but we will start in the Spring with an introduction to the charity, support them through our May Festival and then end our year of support with the Christmas Lights across Radyr & Morganstown and other Christmas related events.

Last year – 2023 – the chosen charity was the British Heart Foundation Cymru and we are happy to announce that the RMA raised a grand total of £11,060 for the charity.

A message of thanks from Carys, the BHF Cymru Fundraising Manager for South East Wales who we have been working with in 2023:

(N.B. drafted before our final contributions were added to the tally)

I’m writing to celebrate and pass on our heartfelt thanks for the support throughout 2023 with the community events and activities. We’re delighted to share a certificate for the total sum of £10,800 raised through the partnership for BHF Cymru and would like to say again how grateful we were of the opportunity to engage the community in Radyr and build our presence as a charity locally.

Donations like these have played a part in every breakthrough we’ve made over the last 60 years and will continue to do so. They have helped to power pioneering research that has given us machines that can restart hearts, the ability to fix arteries in tiny babies, devices to correct heartbeats, the power to give someone a heart they weren’t born with, and so much more! We have brought about some of the greatest breakthroughs in medical history – including pacemakers, heart transplants and statins for lowering cholesterol. But we couldn’t do this without public support and there are around 7.1 million people in the UK living with the daily burden of heart & circulatory issues that are waiting for the next breakthrough.

Your generosity will help us to fight for every heartbeat and bring us closer to the day when we’ve beaten heart disease for good.

Today, the world’s best scientists are turning ideas the once seemed like science fiction into treatments and cures, making advances in vital research into heart and circulatory diseases like heart attacks, stroke and vascular dementia, and the risk factors that can cause them, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. And your support to continue this innovative work will have a significant impact on many families across the UK and, in fact, the world.

Thank you once again for supporting us in the fight for every heartbeat.

Your sincerely

Carys Jenkins

Fundraising Manager, South East Wales

The RMA Web Team encourage all residents to act responsibly and safely when looking to dispose of any real trees this year.

Following the news that the Industrial Action by refuse collecting workers across Cardiff was to restart from 28 December 2023, Cardiff Council have announced a number of reductions in planned services including that they will no longer be providing the Christmas Tree collection services for real Trees that had been advertised before Christmas leaving those who had purchased a tree on the basis that this service would be available stuck.

There are a variety of options for disposal of trees but one that has come to the attention of the Web Team is that is being provided by Tree Rex on behalf of the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity.

Back by popular demand, for its 3rd consecutive year! The Tree Rex Ltd. Charity Christmas Tree Collection 23/24, in aid of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital.

Our collection will start on Wednesday 3rd January 2024. We will collect ALL unwanted and spent real Christmas tree’s regardless of size in exchange for a donation to this great cause. In 2020 we noticed our streets littered with finished with tree’s and a massive spike in fly tipping.  The Tree Rex Ltd team decided in 2021 to volunteer their time to come to you, raising well over £4,000 already. All the trees collected will be processed on the move through our road towable wood chipper and turned into a re usable bio-mass by product.

All we ask in exchange please, is a minimum donation of £3 per home. This is processed by the collection form on our website, linking to Paypal. We are unable to accept cash donation for pre planned collections. If you catch our teams during their rounds, they will be carrying Noah’s Ark donation pots for cash transaction. Please give as generously as you are able too, especially for substantial sized trees. We will be collecting real trees ONLY of ANY size (we’ve got the tools to handle this). No wreaths due to the wire / fixings within it. All trees must be completely stripped of all decorations and materials.

Book a collection today on the Tree Rex website

As the Council are not offering a free service this year we expect Tree Rex will be in demand so please get your requests in early to secure a spot on their route.

The alternative provided by Cardiff Council is:

You can bring your Christmas trees to us at Heath Park on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 January 2024 between 10am and 4pm. You do not need to book an appointment to drop off your Christmas tree.

You can also take your Christmas tree to your local recycling centre throughout January without having to make an appointment. However if you are taking other items, you will need to book an appointment for your visit.

Your tree will need to be brought loose. We cannot accept any netting, sacks or bags. You must remove all decorations from the tree before dropping it off.

However you get rid of your tree this year, please ensure it is done responsibly and not dumped illegally.

From the start of 2024 OVO Bikes will no longer be available to hire across Cardiff. We understand that the stands across the city, including the one in Station Road, will be removed during the course of the year.

This short term bike hire service which was previously known as NextBikes have suffered many instances of vandalism which has caused an increase in the service provider’s costs and a deterioration of service as insufficient bikes were available to service demand. This was particularly noticed as the station provided in Radyr had been reported as rarely had any bikes available for use.

Cardiff Council are currently undertaking an assessment of possible future models for short term hires which it may implement in the future.

The British Heart Foundation have been the RMA’s chosen charity throughout 2023.

We thank everyone for their donations at events throughout the year. The final tally for the year is still being counted but we are pleased to say we collected over £400 during Santa’s recent visit to Radyr and Morganstown on his sleigh.

If you would still like to give something there is time to do so through our Just Giving page.

Give to the British Heart Foundation

Carys, our local communuity fundraiser at BHF Cymru, shares this Christmas message.

Wishing you a very merry festive break and good health, happiness, and success in 2024!

Thank you for all you’ve done to support the BHF and our life-saving work in Wales.

Your time, effort and donations are truly appreciated and means we can continue to fund critical, world-class research and give those living with heart conditions a gift that could save their life.

Your contribution this year has helped to give people like Neena, who was just 27 when she had a heart attack, a “gift that keeps on living”.

It’s the gift that we all value – the gift that can’t be unwrapped and that has no price tag – the gift of more time with the people we love.

You can read more about Neena’s story here:

Neena’s story | Support the BHF this Christmas – BHF

 

Thank you again for your support.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

 

Carys and team BHF Cymru

Are you interested in what your County Councillors are doing to represent you? Read their final reports of 2023.

County Councillor Reports 2023

After a long wait Santa paid an additional visit to Parc Radur to officially open the new Play Area in time for Christmas 2023. On Friday 8 December Santa was joined by Chair of the Community Council and our local County Councillors for Radyr and Morganstown to cut the ribbon and have a quick go on the equipment alongside some of the smaller local residents.

It is hard to believe that this is finally complete after first discussing the partnership between the Radyr & Morganstown Community Council, Cardiff Council, the Clos Parc Radur Management Committee and Redrow Homes to deliver improvements to the children’s playground at Drovers Way in January 2019.

After extensive works to resolve the drainage problems in the area the equipment, which was partly funded by a Crowdfunding campaign supported by local residents, has finally been fitted.

The new equipment features swings, a bouncing mat, an accessible carousel, spinners, a multi-unit slide, spring toys and other imaginative play elements.

Whilst it has been a long wait we hope that the play equipment will now be put to good use by the local residents and survive through all the strongest Radyr weather as it will no longer be damaged by the overflowing culvert.

Christmas 2023

View this gallery on Flickr

See more of the history of the project on our dedicated page.

Did you know that your Police & Crime Commissioner is responsible for setting the South Wales Police budget and deciding what further funds need to be raised from the additional charge on council tax?

This is called the police ‘precept’ and accounts for nearly one half of South Wales Police’s funding – the rest comes from the Government. In setting the precept, the Commissioner consults with the local electorate – you.

Here’s your opportunity to have a say about how much you pay…

The ‘Our Police, Our Community’ survey has now been launched.

It would be great if you could take part because your feedback will help the Commissioner decide what the South Wales public will pay for policing in 2024/25.

It takes just a couple of minutes to complete and it closes on Monday, 18 December.

Click here to have your say

Would you prefer a paper copy of the survey to complete? That’s no problem get in touch by email, phone or post.

E-mail: engagement@south-wales.police.uk | Phone: 01656 869 366 | Post: South Wales Police & Crime Commissioner, Police Headquarters, Cowbridge Road, Bridgend, CF31 3SU.

Thank you to all who braved the weather this morning (Sunday 12 November 2023) at Radyr War Memorial. If you couldn’t make it, you can still watch this (and the service in Christ Church that followed) on the Garth Ministry Area’s YouTube Channel https://youtube.com/live/t8xgvcmzj10?si=-Eeoq-PDAChj-3ea
#RemembranceSunday

Remembrance 2023

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Are you interested in what your County Councillors are doing to represent you? Read their latest reports.

A request from Neighbourhood Watch to complete the annual Crime and Community Survey.

We are delighted to invite you to take part in our annual Crime and Community survey. The survey is in its fourth year, and we want to hear your views on crime, community, and your experience of Neighbourhood Watch. The survey is open to everyone across England and Wales, regardless of whether you are a Neighbourhood Watch member.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/surveyCC2023

All responses will be anonymised and aggregated, and everyone who completes the 5 – 10 minute survey can choose to opt-in to the prize draw to win one of three £25 Amazon vouchers.

The results will enable us as a charity to better understand crime and fear of crime, benchmark whether membership in a Neighbourhood Watch scheme or living in a Neighbourhood Watch area impacts crime levels, neighbourliness, and the willingness of communities to work together. This information is vitally important to ensure we can better target our work to meet your crime and community needs and concerns.

Last year our survey received a great response, providing us with rich and useful data.

Please complete our survey and share it via email and social with all the various communities you belong to, whether they be a Neighbourhood Watch community or other such as sport, religious or work community.  This will help us receive a good balance of responses from members and non-members, enabling us to compare experiences between these two groups. Alternatively, reshare our social posts (Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn) to your channels.

The survey closes on 17th November 2023.

Find out more about your local Neighbourhood Watch group through their pages on this website.

Thank you to the team from Cardiff Youth Work, our PCSOs and the volunteers from the RMA BBQ Team who made the Halloween event in Windsor Gardens on 31 October such a successful evening.

Thank you also to the Radyr & Morganstown Community Council for sponsoring the event which allowed us to keep the cost of the food down to just £1 per item.

It was great to see so many of all ages join in the fun in a safe and controlled environment – despite what the weather tried to throw at us.

Halloween 2023

View this gallery on Flickr

Christmas is coming and there is lots to look forward to across Radyr & Morganstown.

The Christmas lights will soon be going up along Station Road and down Heol Isaf. There will also be the usual 3 outdoor Christmas Trees illuminated in

• GrannyPark (Morganstown);
• Lychgate Gardens (Radyr Sidings); and
• Windsor Gardens (Opposite Station Road, Radyr).

Christmas Lights across Radyr and Morganstown

The Christmas Lights across Radyr and Morganstown event will be held on Friday 1 December 2023.

Starting around 18.30 with the singing of carols around the large tree in Windsor Gardens (opposite Station Road). We will light this tree before Santa then arrives in Station Road itself for those large and small to say hello to him in his sleigh outside the Co-op.

Also, from around 6:30pm, we should be ready in Station Road with stalls selling all sorts of goodies – crafts, gifts, jewellery and much more. Our usual burgers, hot dogs and mulled wine will be available at the RMA stalls. Most of the shops will also be open and joining in the fun, including Cicchetti, Slice and The Radyr Tap, so you will be able to do some shopping and even stay for a meal.

The British Heart Foundation Cymru, will finish their year as the RMA’s chosen charity with a stall and be collecting with buckets during the evening. Please give generously.

Do come along and enjoy the festivities. It is a lovely way to start the Christmas Season and entrance is free.

Christmas Singalong with Goldies

Join the team from Goldies at the New School Rooms (next to Christ Church) on Friday 1 December from 2pm until 3pm for an hour of sing along to Christmas hits from the 70s to the present day. Enjoy the singing, a cuppa and a chat.

Christmas jumpers etc. encouraged.

£3 charity donation includes refreshments.

Christmas Activities at Radyr Hub

Christmas Crafts | Crefftau Nadolig on Saturday 9 December from 10.30 until 12.30 at Radyr Hub | Hyb Radur (formerly Radyr Library). Suitable for ages 3 – 11.

Santa’s tour of Radyr & Morganstown

Santa and his Sleigh have been invited by the Radyr & Morganstown Community Council. The sleigh will tour Radyr & Morganstown on Friday 15 December 2023.

Full route and anticipated timings for Santa’s tour are now available – please note all published timings are only approximate.

To assist with Road Safety please do not attempt to approach Santa when he is travelling in his sleigh but he will be accompanied by some elves collecting for the RMA Charity for 2023 – The British Heart Foundation Cymru.

Christmas Services

Both Radyr Methodist Church and Christ Church Radyr will be holding a series of Advent and Christmas Services. 

Advent and Christmas services across the Garth Ministry Area have now been published.

Full schedule for Radyr Methodist Church to be published shortly.

On Tuesday 22 August 2023, The Garth Ministry Area launched its new website at https://GarthMA.wales.

This online home will cover all of the churches across the Ministry Area which includes the local churches in what used to be known as the Parish of Radyr.

Christ Church, Radyr and St John’s Church, Danescourt.

The halls operated by these churches are also covered:

New School Rooms, Radyr and The Church Hall, Danescourt

Revised Local Development Plan (RLDP) Public Consultation: 16 August 6-8pm at the New School Rooms in Radyr. Your chance to find out more and make your views known to Cardiff Council. There will be experts to answer your questions and concerns. Put the date in your diary!

The draft Strategy for Cardiff’s Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) was approved by Cardiff Council on 29 June and is now out for Public Consultation between 27 July and 5 October 2023.

For information, the RLDP process still has a way to go before it is formally adopted. The currently proposed dates are set out below:

• Consultation on Preferred Strategy – July to October 2023
• Consultation on Deposit Plan – July to September 2024
• Examination – May 2025 to October 2025
• Adoption – November 2025

For now, we are looking to get a good turnout for the Public Consultation session on 16 August to show that the people of Radyr & Morganstown have an interest in what the Council are planning to do both within our Community and across the City.

We also need people to read the documentation and put forward a response to the full online Consultation available from https://cardiffldp.consultation.ai/

Have your say on the Future of Cardiff! The Cardiff LDP Preferred Strategy is being launched online on Thursday 27 July 2023, 11 am – 12pm. Be part of this exciting event and to learn how you can have your say on the future of Cardiff, book a place on this online event being run by Planning Aid Wales.

Once the Preferred Strategy has been launched and the full details of the next consultation phase announced, the Radyr & Morganstown Local Development Group and the RMA will work out how to best to keep local residents informed of the plans and assist in ensuring that we have our say in the most effective ways possible.

Are you interested in what your County Councillors are doing to represent you? Read their latest reports.

From 27 June 2023 your Community Council website address is: https://radyrandmorganstowncc.org/

The Web Team are working our way through existing links on this website to Council related materials. We apologise for any broken links in the mean-time but the Council have not been able to put a re-direct from their old domain name in place.

Any person who needs period products can go to Radyr Hub and ask for the pamphlet Period Dignity List. All they have to do is tick the boxes inside the pamphlet against the product they need and then pass the pamphlet back at the desk.

The librarian will quietly go and collect what the individual has requested and pass the product to them in a discreet package.

This extends the provision which Cardiff Council had previously announced for Period Products to be available for free through schools during term time. This ensures that there is also a provision available to all and available during school holidays.

The Web Team have also learned that when the Methodist church is open, they too have period products that they are happy to give out.