A community group which successfully fought plans to build an opencast mine at the top end of the Rhymney Valley has been honoured for its work.
Established in 2010, to fight plans for a waste incinerator in Merthyr, the Pontlottyn-based United Valleys Action Group then went on to fight plans against the Nant Llesg opencast mine.
Now the group has been recognised with an award from the Sheila McKechnie Foundation – a charity set up in the name of the late campaigner. UVAG won the Best Community Campaign at the foundation’s recent National Campaigner Awards 2019.
Eddy Blanche, vice chair of UVAG said: “It’s a great honour to receive a national award for our campaign on Nant Llesg.
“We started as a small group of people who came together to fight to keep our valleys from becoming a dumping ground for the waste of the UK and grew to become nationally respected environmental campaign group.
“The success of the campaign to stop the opencast mine at Nant Llesg proved that people can make a difference and the SMK award is recognition to the communities of the Rhymney Valley as a whole for all the hard work that went into the campaign.”
The controversial plans to build the Nant Llesg opencast mine at the top of the Rhymney Valley were finally rejected by the Planning Inspectorate in September 2018 – almost three years after developers initially lodged their appeal.
UVAG’s work in opposing the mine was put forward for the award by environmental group Friends of the Earth.
Alasdair Roxburgh, Director of Communities and Networks for Friends of the Earth, said: “We’re absolutely delighted the United Valleys Action Group (UVAG) has won the Sheila McKechnie award for Best Community Campaign this year.
“Because of them a beautiful area at the top of Rhymney valley – Nant Llesg – has been saved from a coal mine and can be enjoyed by existing and future generations. It’s fantastic to see local residents working together to bring about positive change in their communities – and succeeding!
“UVAG has influenced change on a national level too – their brilliant campaigning has helped to secure a fossil free future for Wales. From now, on there will no new coal mines in this country and fracking is effectively banned.
“They are truly an inspiring group of individuals to work alongside. This is why Friends of the Earth has nominated them for this well-deserved award.”