Wales’ most influential and innovative think-tank, the Bevan Foundation, recently ran a competition for budding photographers in Cwmafan.
A view from Rhyslyn Park looking south towards Pontrhydyfen and Cwmafan winter 2021
– photo courtesy of Cheryl Edwards of Cwmafan
Some of the photographs and images of the community feature in a new report which looks to understand the economic and social development of Cwmafan through to the present day.
A snowy Ynys Y Wern, winter 2020 looking north up the Afan valley, built on the site of
the tin works – photo by Gareth Ayres of Cwmafan
The report will inform how Cwmafan may develop in the future, in terms of what assets it has or what needs to be done to develop it to grasp its potential for all its residents.
Cwmafan library Christmas 2020 with the memory stars – photo courtesy of Suzanne
Slee
The competition was looking for images of each area, depicting the amenities, landscapes, green spaces or local landmarks. There were prizes of £25 available for images to use in the body of the report and £50 for images to use as front covers. The Bevan Foundation were delighted with the response.
Cwmafan – image courtesy of David Slee of Cwmafan
Project lead Lloyd Jones said “We were sent lots of fantastic images, there are some great photographers in Cwmafan. The variety of images were great too, especially with the snow we have had recently. The winning images will make the report unique and stand out. They will help to highlight the individual characteristics of Cwmafan but also the response shows how important it is to the residents.”
One winner said they would donate their prize money to the Richard Burton 10k community fund, saying “They do a lot for the local community in Cwmafan, and I have taken part in the races for years and years and seen the positive impact the event has.”
On the images, they said “ Like everyone I have always taken photos on my phone, but during lockdown I bought myself a camera to give me and my family something different to do on our local walks. I’m still very new to it, but it is proving a fun hobby so far!”
You can read the report here.