In his regular blog for Caerphilly Observer, Caerphilly Council leader Lindsay Whittle gives his take on recent news.
BBC PROMS
What great news it was to hear that BBC’s renowned annual Proms in the Park is moving to Caerphilly after being staged in Swansea for the last eight years.
The outdoor classical concert which forms part of the Last Night of the Proms celebrations will be held against the backdrop of the magnificent Caerphilly Castle in September.
It is an important element of the Welsh musical calendar and I’m sure those that attend will enjoy our castle as well as some top draw music.
I pleased that the BBC took the decision to move the concert around Wales even though it was extremely popular at Singleton Park.
We are well used to hosting big events in Caerphilly, such as the Big Cheese, and I hope it will also encourage those attending to spent a little time sampling the many attractions on offer in the county borough.
CAERPHILLY LOCAL HISTORY
I wanted to pay tribute to Nicola Rees who runs a fascinating page on the social network site Facebook.
Thanks to Nicola, Caerphilly’s history is being brought to a worldwide audience as a result of the popularity of Facebook.
I urge Caerphilly Observer readers to take a look at the fascinating photographs, including many of local people.
I noticed a picture taken at the old Carrefour hypermarket and even a poster promoting the great Roy Orbison’s appearance at the Double Diamond Club.
You can also take a look at pictures of the castle and Castle Street and as a Caerphilly-born lad the range of photographs brought back plenty of memories. I recall the old green hut at Brooks Yard where I saw the Vic Littlechild roadshow in the late 1960s.
I understand that the page has already been viewed 60,000 times and new pictures are being added all the time. It really is worth a view.
To view the page visit www.facebook.com/CaerphillyLocalHistory
SUPPORTING PEOPLE
Congratulation to the team that commissions housing-related support to vulnerable residents after they picked up a top national award.
They won the Good Commissioning Award at the Promoting Independence Awards, an event organised jointly between Cymorth Cymru and the Welsh Local Government Association.
CHINESE NEW YEAR
I also enjoyed a visit last week to the Samye Foundation in Caerphilly with the county borough mayor James Fussell to mark the Chinese New Year – the year of the Rabbit.
Lindsay Whittle
Plaid Cymru leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council