I must congratulate the Talgarth and District Regeneration Group who must be delighted at the news that they have been awarded grants to start up sports in the community halls in Bronllys, Llyswen and Talgarth.

The Grants were made possible by the Sports Council Wales, who tasked Powys Sports Development Unit in partnership with PAVO to assist in developing new activity programmes. 

This funding will enable equipment to be purchased to start up sports in the halls including short mat bowls and fencing. This will be a great opportunity to have a go at a new sport, get some exercise and make new friends whilst making use of the local village halls.

I am delighted at the Breaking News that Crosfield House in Rhayader, the only Royal British Legion Home in Wales has been given a reprieve. The home which has been under threat of closure has today learnt that it will remain open after a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Royal British Legion met in London yesterday.

The patients and staff there must be so pleased to breath a sigh of relief when at times the decision looked almost certain to go against them. Undoubtedly the spirit and campaigning by the residents, their families and staff, not forgetting local councillors and the MP and AM who have all worked so hard to raise awareness of the homes plight contributed to the final decision.

Well Done I say!

Sadly I had to postpone the “clean up” which was due to be held in Bronllys on Thursday due to the heavy rain that swept across the County. But I will be re-arranging this event soon and I will keep you all posted of the new date and hope that you can join us then - and that the sun will shine!

I am pleased to announce that after working closely with Kirsty Williams AM a meeting has been secured with the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency to discuss a number of concerns that have been raised with me since becoming elected as County Councillor for Bronllys Ward.

How successful the road works to calm traffic down in Bronllys will be is yet to be seen, but there are further serious concerns in the villages of Llyswen and Erwood about the speed of traffic. Both Kirsty and I will be meeting with representatives of the Trunk Road Agency to discuss future provision of traffic calming measures. We have seen new road markings put in place in these villages, and I am sure that this has meant some traffic has slowed down, but residents still have major concerns over safety and say stretches of the roads in my ward are just waiting for an accident to happen.

I will keep you updated on any developments.

This week is Keep Wales Tidy Week so I have been organising a “Tidy Up” in Bronllys. At the recent Bronllys Community Council meeting members raised their concerns about litter so I thought this was the ideal opportunity to incorporate a tidy up to coincide with Keep Wales Tidy Week. It will take place on Thursday 26th June at 6pm. We will be meeting by Fosse Way in Bronllys and will hopefully be joined by members of Bronllys Community Council, local assembly member Kirsty Williams and a representative of Keep Wales Tidy.

 Please feel free to come along and join us. The more the merrier! There are even free goodies for those who help out!

Did you know….?

Figures released by the Wales’ biggest anti-litter campaigners, Keep Wales Tidy, have revealed:

• That council taxpayers in the UK fork out £408 million a year to clean streets
• That around a third of all fires are caused by accumulation of litter
• That thanks to the growing presence of dropped food, the UK rat population now stands at a staggering sixty million.

“I would urge you to support this campaign by completing and returning a campaign postcard. They will then be delivered to the Tresaury. We must take this opportunity to highlight to the Government that the rural economy is being crippled by fuel prices”.

Campaign postcards are available from 4 Watergate, Brecon or c/o Euan Hendrie at Talgarth Market.

 BT are set to announce a consultation on the future of Phone Boxes throughout the County. I have today learned that phone boxes under threat of closure in the ward include Erwood, Gwenddwr and two in Llaneglwys.

I understand that phone boxes are used less these days due to mobile phone use and the provision of phones in nearly every home but the fact remains that in rural areas where mobile coverage is often poor the phone box is an essential public service. They can even be a lifeline for some residents. We are already losing Post Offices, how much else do we have to lose from our rural community?

There used to be an argument that phone boxes were broken into and the cash stolen but BT has moved the majority of these boxes to card only use.

 If people in the community feel these phone boxes should remain open I would encourgae you to get involved. 

You can let me know your feelings on this issue by posting a message by clicking on the How Can I Help button on the left hand side of this page.

Following reports from Bronllys Community Council that there are problems in Bronlllys with Dog Fouling I asked the Dog Warden for assistance. He has since been busy putting more signs up in the village and I hope that this will remind dog owners to be responsible when walking their pets. I am sure everyone will agree that it is a far nicer place to be if we don’t have to be on the look out for a smelly mess. 

Did you know?………………………….

• There are around 7 million dogs in the UK producing 1000 tons of dog faeces per day.
• Dog faeces can cause toxocariasis which can lead to blindness
• In 2006 dog faeces were found on 14% of streets and 57% of parks and open spaces in Wales.
• Local Auhorities can require dog walkers to clean up after their dogs. People that don’t can face a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £150 or go to court where the maximum fine is £1000.

County Councillor for Bronllys Ward, Clair Powell, has called for further road safety improvements to the village of Llyswen.

“I welcome the work that has been carried out to implement more road markings in a bid to slow traffic down however drivers are still speeding through the village. I have raised this issue with Kirsty Williams AM and we are hoping to meet with officers from the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency shortly. I have asked them to look into the possibility of placing 30mph flash warning signs that will alert drivers who are breaking the speed limit. Being a former fire fighter I have seen the consequences of speeding vehicles and It is important that we do all we can to ensure the safety of pedestrians and other road users”.