Since it was formed in 2005 , the Pontarddulais Partnership – composed mainly of local volunteers – has made some important strides in helping to regenerate the town of around 6000 residents.

The Partnership has worked with other local organisations and agencies on supporting a wide range of projects including:

  • saving Canolfan y Bont as a skills and learning centre and community resource situated in the Town, and now working to make it fully operational
  • supporting work with young people, including: setting up, in conjunctionwith the Youth Service, a young people’s room in Canolfan y Bont; running holiday play initiatives in Coedbach park  and the Pantiago area, with our locally recruited Play Team and with support from the Swansea Play Team; holding a youth consultation event; helping to initiate a project, led by Youth Worker, supporting DJ’ing skills.
  •  establishment of the Friends of Llandeilo Talybont Old Churchyard – supporting the maintenance and renovation of this Ancient Monument site, with support from CADW.
  •  production of a quarterly local newsletter, the Bont Bulletin
  • supporting the establishment of the flourishing monthly Pontarddulais Local Produce Market
  • involvement in the Keep Wales Tidy Campaign through organising local litter picks
  • working with the Rural Development Partnership, involving setting up projects under Business Plan 2, 2010-13
  • undertaking Phase 1 of the enhancement of Pontarddulais Railway Station, in conjunction with the Tidy Towns Initiative, Youth Service, Pontarddulais Comprehensive School, Merched y Wawr, local community volunteers,  Arriva Trains, Heart of Wales Line, Amman Valley Railway Society, Parks Dept of City & County of Swansea.

Its future plans include helping to develop a young people’s  centre in Pontarddulais; looking at how to market Pontarddulais in the wider area particularly in terms of tourism development and supporting local business development;  developing the cultural strength of the town – particularly in terms of its Welsh language tradition and building on its rich heritage.

The Partnership cannot survive without  volunteers! It is a volutary body encouraging local people to get involved in determining the future development of their Town. We therefore constantlyaim to encourage new people to become involved as volunteers, with the potential of using volunteering as a way back into training and skills development.

Our community office at Canolfan Y Bont now acts as a focal point for organising and as a resource for information, with increasing numbers of people dropping in to chat about ideas, find out information and volunteer to get involved.