Bargoed Neighbourhood Policing Team is hosting an evening at Bargoed Ice Rink on Thursday December 12 from 4pm to 7pm.
And they won’t be alone – they’ll be joined by some of the Cardiff Devils Ice Hockey Team – Brad Plumton, Jake Morissette and Joonas Limatainen – between 4pm and 5pm.
The Cardiff Devils will be taking to the ice to skate with local children, and they will be presenting prizes to the winners of a local schools competition.
Children from the four local schools – Gilfach Fargoed, Ysgol Gymraeg Gilfach Fargoed, Park Primary and St Gwladys Primary Schools – have been busy designing posters that can be displayed in the town centre, including Hanbury Road and Cardiff Road, to remind drivers about their parking.
Illegal parking in the town centre is a current PACT priority for the Bargoed ward, and officers have decided to try a new tactic to reinforce the importance of parking safely and legally – both for other drivers and pedestrians.
The winning designs will be made into signs and will be displayed throughout the town centre. The winners will also receive vouchers which are being donated by the newly opened local Morrisons supermarket.
Throughout the evening, Bargoed officers will also be promoting the Gwent Police ‘Keep safe this Christmas’ campaign, and will be giving out free baubles to local residents. The baubles, which have been supplied by Festive Productions of Cwmbran, contain a Christmas safety message, and are designed to be a permanent reminder of a promise residents are being asked to make to do as much as they can to reduce the risk of crime affecting them. The promise is in the shape of a ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ leaflet which will be distributed with the bauble at the event.
Inspector Sarah Greening from Bargoed Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Everyone who has entered our parking competition has done a fantastic job of creating designs which will hopefully help drivers to sit up and take notice of the importance of parking safely. We wanted a way of thanking those that have taken part and the winners, and the Cardiff Devils Ice Hockey Team have kindly agreed to come to Bargoed to present the prizes and to meet local children.
“We hope to see lots of local residents at the event so they can pick up their free baubles from us and learn top tips to stay safe this Christmas.”
Cllr Tom Williams, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transportation and Engineering, said: “Illegal parking has been identified as an area of concern for people in Bargoed, and hopefully this parking poster competition for local school pupils will provide a creative solution to raise awareness and help to remedy the problem. ”
Bargoed Ice Rink, which is run by Caerphilly County Borough Council, is open from 10am to 7pm daily from Saturday 7th December until Sunday 15th December.