The shop has just opened and boasts a massive array of TV Related goodies such as Star Wars, Dr Who, James Bond, Wallace & Gromit and numerous other great TV gems of yesteryear as well as modern items. The new business also has a vast range of both American and British comics as well as a neat DVD Selection. “Its totally unlike anything seen before in Tonypandy and the adults and children love it!” Says Store owner Paul Mohamed.

Not only can you find yourself transported into a place full of dinky toys, figures, model kits and so much more but you can also see close up a real full size dalek you can take photos with. And, if that’s not incentive enough to visit, why not have one of South Wales most delicious ice creams right next door at the Dairy?D

Youngsters from Hawthorn, Heol-y-Celyn, Ffynnon Taf, Parc Lewis and Coedpenmaen Primary schools took part in an after-school film club and made a movie entitled ‘How to Build a Time Machine’.

Cluster worker for Hawthorn High School, Nadine Reeves, co-ordinated the club along with Lily Pad Film Company as part of the Zoom Film Festival. The annual young people’s film festival featured workshops, screenings and special events held across Rhondda Cynon Taf.

‘How to Build a Time Machine’ was entered into the Zoom Young Film-makers Awards held at Valleys Kids in Penygraig and pupils and staff were overjoyed when they won their category.

Pupils from Coedpenmaen Primary School were presented with the award, which they accepted on behalf of the group of schools.

Cllr Eudine Hanagan, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, said: “The youngsters were given the opportunity to learn new skills and thoroughly enjoyed their time as film-makers.

“The Hawthorn cluster schools are fortunate to now have filming equipment including a DVD camera, microphones and a computer so that they can make their own films relevant to their schools and to the communities in which they live.”

iTunes U is a dedicated area of the iTunes Store that offers free audio and video content from leading education institutions. Users can download content that interests them onto their personal computers, iPod or iPhone.

Launched today, March 9th, The University of Glamorgan on iTunes U will be packed with recordings of lectures, examples of students’ work, interviews with lecturers and fascinating facts about the University. All will be accessible across the globe.

The University is joining other educational and cultural organisations and museums across the world in providing audio and video content which can be downloaded free of charge.

The teaching impact of this project for students will include: delivering easy 24 hour access to educational material; distance learning; prerecording lectures to make them available at any time and supplementing lectures given during core contact hours. The site will include content from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, which is part of the Glamorgan Group.

Prof Clive Mulholland, Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University, is pioneering the project at Glamorgan. He said, “For the first time, the specialist work and expertise of those working and studying at Glamorgan will be available to the world. This means that no matter where you are, you will be able to listen to a Glamorgan lecture, which raises our academic profile on a worldwide scale.

“Some of the world’s best known and most highly respected universities have a presence on iTunes U and we are thrilled to be the first in Wales to make our mark.”

Visitors can look around craft stalls, see animals and birds and enjoy entertainment in the main area including duck driving, a falconry show and performances from the Top Lodge Dancing Dogs.

This year’s Activity Zone will feature an armed forces assault course and climbing wall. Rhondda Cynon Taf 5×60 officers will be hosting cycling activities along with staff from Halford’s of Pontypridd, including free bike safety inspections.

One of the highlights of the weekend, the annual Mayor’s Harnessed Horse Parade, will set off from the park at midday on Sunday, August 2. The parade which features around 50 horses and carriages, will travel through Pontypridd, Trehafod and Trallwn. It will raise money for the chosen charities of Mayor, Cllr Robert Smith – MacMillan Cancer Relief, Help for Heroes and Diabetes UK (Cymru).

Cllr Paul Cannon, Rhondda Cynon Taf Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Housing, said: “We’ve had a week of poor weather in the run-up to the Big Welsh Bite, but the event’s new location on the park tennis courts means everyone can come along and enjoy a fun-packed weekend.”

Gates open from 10.30am to 5pm each day in Ynysangharad War Memorial Park and admission is free.

There are lots of Early Bird tickets available, which means you get the best seats in the house and save lots of money too – just make sure you book your tickets before Wednesday, September 9!

At the Coliseum Theatre, Early Bird tickets are available for singing sensation Corinne West, the hilarious comedy musical The Bankrupt Bride, stand-up comic and satirist Jeremy Hardy, the ever popular opera Figaro, the West End all-singing all-dancing extravaganza Gotta Sing Gotta Dance, the hard-hitting drama Beauty Queen of Leenane and the rocking and shocking brand new show from The Circus of Horrors.

Events at the Muni Arts Centre include Chris Corcoran’s hilarious Committee Meeting, the acclaimed singer/songwriter Slaid Cleaves, Eric Bell, the legendary rock guitarist with Thin Lizzy, and Dead Ringers impressionist Jan Ravens.

At the Park & Dare you could save money on the enchantingly beautiful How Green Was My Valley by Independent Ballet Wales, the children’s favourite Tales Of Peter Rabbit and the brand new comedy musical by Mal Pope, Cappuccino Girls.

And don’t miss and Frank Vickery’s hilarious new comedy Tonto Evans at all three theatres.

So book your tickets for any of these fantastic shows before Wednesday, September 9, 2009 to save yourself pounds.

For more details of these outstanding shows call the venues’ box offices – The Coliseum Theatre 01685 881188, The Muni Arts Centre on 01443 485934 or The Park & Dare Theatre on 01443 773112

This event aims to transport guests back in time to the good all days of swing in a celebration of the magical sound of the late Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. – Rat Pack Legends! This fully choreographed all singing, full on entertainment show will have the audience dancing is the aisle.

The three first-class crooners will recreate the magic of the ‘Big City’ as part of the prestigious Mayors Ball, taking place at Llantrisant Leisure Centre on Saturday 25th April from 7pm till late. Tickets cost £30 and include a champagne reception, 5-course meal, raffle and lots more.

This fantastic evening of entertainment will take you back to the 1950’s/60’s with the greatest swinging Rat Pack hits of all time, including: Come Fly With Me; Lady is a Tramp; Under My Skin; Volare; My Way; My Bojangles; Me and My Shadow; What Kind of Fool Am I?, Fly Me to the Moon and New York, New York.

Councillor Margaret Davies, Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, said: “This event promises to be the night of the year, one that I have looked forward to and is the penultimate event in my turn of office, but we should remember that this event is for charity, so while we might be having fun, its good to remember that this event is for good causes.”

Money raised from this years Mayoral Charity Events programme will go to this years 3 nominated charities, which are the Special Care Baby Unit at Royal Glamorgan Hospital, the British Heart Foundation and TEDS (Drugs and Alcohol Misuse Advisory Service).

Tickets for this toe-tapping event are available from:

• Muni Arts Centre on 01443 485934,

• The Park and Dare Theatre, 01443 773112

• The Coliseum, Aberdare – 01685 881188.

Expect duelling, elopement, bribery, fisticuffs, mistaken identity, near drowning, and finally, imprisonment for debt! This is the orignial and ultimate roadtrip – funny, intriguing, imaginative.

Follow the haphazard and often farcical journey of Samuel Pickwick and a host of well-loved characters including Sam Weller, Mr Jingle, Nathaniel Winkle, Mrs Bardell and The Fat Boy on their weird and wonderful ‘perambulations, perils, travels and adventures’ throughout the country.

European Arts Company is a national and international touring theatre company which has gone from strength to strength, performing all over the UK, Greece and Italy with works by Oscar Wilde, John Buchan, Anton Chekhov and John Osborne. It has developed a reputation for producing quirky classics with great imagination and a highly physical style.

The Pickwick Papers is a Rhondda Cynon Taf Theatres co-production (Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council Cultural Services Department) with European Arts Company, and supported by the Arts Outside Cardiff ACW/WAG production fund, Creu Cymru Inventive Promoter Scheme trhrough funds from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Tickets for this outstanding evening of drama, as part of the act8 drama season at the Cultural Services venues, are just £9.00 (concessions £7.00). Call The Coliseum Box Office now on 01685 881188.

The cast list for Taffy Fest includes RCT-based talent such as famed storyteller Megan Lloyd; harpist and singer Bethan Nia (who recently appeared at Celtic Connections in Glasgow) and singer Siriol Burford, who has just released her first album of traditional songs Tua’r Wlad.

Other Welsh talent featured at the event will be the folk band Calan. The brothers persuaded Leonard Cohen to allow them to release the first Welsh language version of perhaps his greatest song Halleluljah - Brigyn.

Taffy Fest will conclude with a performance from Brittany-based Bagad Plougastell (25 young musicians performing on bagpipes, biniou, bombardes and drums) with young dancers from St.Pol De Leon.

Young performers from the Pontypridd area will also be providing entertainment of their own devising. The Muni Performance Crew came together as a result of Rhondda Cynon Taf Cultural Services’ Arts Council of Wales Take pArt funding. The Crew recently made their debut performing on every one of the Owen Money Theatre Company’s performances of Robinson Crusoe at The Muni.

The Footlights café bar at the Muni will be serving a special Welsh menu all day, and there will be informal performances in that space too.

Taffy Fest gets underway at 2.30pm and runs until late on February 28. For tickets and more information, call the box office on 01443 485 934

YGGG Llantrisant’s Childrens’ Choir, Cor Meibion Pontypridd, the Richard Williams Singers, Llantrisant Male Voice Choir, Cwmaman Institute Silver Band, Cor Meibion Morlais, Llantrisant Community Band and Treherbert Brass Band are among those who have been invited to perform at the Mayor’s Symphony of Sound and Song extravaganza.

The event is the first of its kind in Rhondda Cynon Taf and will see bands and choirs from across the county unite in music and in song to entertain an audience of all ages.

Tickets for the event are £10 and include a commemorative brochure. Concessions of £7 are available. For more information and to book, contact the Mayor’s office on 01443 485934.

Don your wigs, glitter and platform boots and get down to the popular venue on Friday February 20 at 7pm for an evening of Abba-themed fun, music and dancing.

Tribute act Abba Gold will get the evening started, belting out the Swedish group’s much-loved hits, from Dancing Queen and Waterloo to Voulez Vouz and the Winner Takes It All.

Once the audience have been well and truly transported back to the glory days for which the band created a soundtrack, there will also be a disco.

All proceeds from the evening will be donated to TEDS, the Special Baby Care Unit and the British Heart Foundation.

Mayor Cllr Margaret Davies said: “We knew, because of the popularity of Abba and the revival of the era thanks to the film that Mamma Mia at the Muni would be a huge success.

“But we were overwhelmed by how well the evening went, it was truly such a great night and everyone had such fun dancing to the tunes and wearing fancy dress.

“Because of the success, many people asked for a repeat performance and we are delighted to be able to announce the return of Mamma Mia at the Muni!”

The evening features a fully licensed bar and, based on its huge success last year, tickets are guaranteed to sell out fast so book yours now!

They cost £12 and can be obtained by contacting the Muni on 01443 485934, or the Mayor’s Office on 01443 424122

Individuals, businesses and organisations across South Wales have donated dozens of items to help raise funds on the auction night for the chosen charities of Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Mayor Cllr Margaret Davies – the British Heart Foundation, TEDs and the Special Baby Care Unit at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital.

The auction gets underway at 7pm, with an opportunity to view the gifts from 6.30pm.

All are welcome on the night

Having sold more than two million albums in a career spanning four decades, and playing to full houses around the world, Max remains one of the most successful and enduring entertainers in Welsh history.

When he travelled to Treorchy in 1973 to record an album “Live at Treorchy”, little did he know it would change his life and catapult him to stardom.

Today Max remains happily and uproariously unique. There are not many people who have filled the Royal Albert Hall, the London Palladium and the Sydney Opera House as he continues to entertain with an appearance and style that is all his own.

This is Max’s 35th year playing to live audiences. Make sure you can look back on this event and tell your friends: “I was there!”

Tickets cost £20.00 and are available now from the Park & Dare Box Office on 01443 773112.

Funny and smart, quirky and unique, in an era of fabricated fame Elizabeth Cook is the real deal.

Tickets for this great night of country music are £12.00 and available now from the Coliseum Box Office on 01685 881188.

It hasn’t been Ruby’s day; she has much to deal with. Her beloved son, Nigel is in hospital after a car crash, in which his lover Kevin has incurred terrible injuries. Griff, Nigel’s father has discovered his son is not only a drag queen but also gay. Ever sensible and strong Ruby must deal with family secrets, prejudices and her own confused emotions, while doing everything possible to save her wayward family.

Frank Vickery directs a strong cast in his own bittersweet masterpiece with a touch of pathos, but plenty of his renowned valleys based humour. The performance is likely to contain strong language.

Tickets are £8.00, £7.00 for concessions, with a 50p off each ticket for groups of eight or more, if booked in a single transaction. As a special offer, two stalls tickets are available for £12.00 for the Monday and Tuesday performances. Call the Muni Box Office on 01443 485934.

Roots And Wings will also be at The Coliseum in Aberdare from Monday 5 to Friday 9 May, and The Park & Dare in Treorci from Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 May.

Buttons is madly in love, the Ugly Sisters are desperate for a husband, and Cinderella is dreaming of a different life. But handsome princes only appear in fairy tales, don’t they? With a little bit of magic courtesy of the Fairy Godmother, Cinderella goes from rags to riches and gets to go to the ball to meet her Prince. But at midnight, will she remember her Godmother’s warning?

Following in the hilarious footsteps of Owen Money, fellow Welsh entertainer Mike Doyle takes the lead role of the lovesick Buttons. Mike, who has recently been touring the country with his Christmas Special show, is joined by a top rate professional cast including Richard Tunley, Phil Howe, Llinos Thomas, Lloyd Davies and Toni Carrol. Expect fast-paced action, comedy, songs, dance and audience participation – all the essential ingredients for a fantastic family show.

Tickets cost £12.00, concessions £8.00 and a Family Ticket £34.00 (four people). To book your seats for great panto entertainment, call the Park & Dare Box Office on 01443 773112.

A whole series of fun-filled family events are coming to Pontypridd to celebrate the first stage of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s plans to improve the shopping environment in Taff Street by removing traffic during its busiest times.

Santa on stilts, choirs, penguins and a town crier are just part of the celebrations to mark the new traffic scheme on the run up to Christmas.

The scheme, funded jointly by the Council and the Welsh Assembly Government will start from Monday, November 19th 2007 and will make Pontypridd’s main shopping area much more attractive for pedestrians.

Vehicles will be prohibited from entering and driving though the main thoroughfare (Taff Street and part of High Street) between 11am and 4pm Monday to Saturday, from the junction with Crossbrook Street to the junction with Sardis Road and Broadway.

All streets leading off Taff Street, such as Market Street, Church Street and Penuel Lane will also be included and come under the title of a Prohibition Zone.

Some exemptions will be allowed, but these will be for a limited number of reasons and include residents, emergency vehicles, situations where urgent repairs are required. Exemptions will also include security vehicles delivering or collecting cash, post office vehicles. The popular town circular bus service will be retained as it provides a valuable link to the bus and train stations especially for the elderly and disabled.

During the ‘core’ hours of operation, vehicles will be physically prevented from entering the Prohibition Zone, by the installation of automatic telescopic bollards in Taff Street near its junction with Crossbrook Street. It is intended that the scheme will be operational in the run up to the busy Christmas shopping period.

On Saturday November 24th a Town Crier is to visit the town centre to make the grand announcements of the day! On the following weekend (Saturday December 1) Ynysangharad War Memorial Park will be home to a group of penguins to delight everyone young and old and a Continental Market will be held on Mill Street. Trehafod Ladies Choir will entertain shoppers on Saturday, December 8th. On the following Saturday an enormous Santa on Stilts will be visiting the busy town centre to add even more festive flare to the shopping experience.

Cabinet Member for Better Public Services and Transport Cllr Eudine Hanagan said, “This is a very exciting time for Pontypridd because this project is seen as being key to its regeneration.

“The removal of traffic from the town centre is the first stage in making improvements to the street scene. Subsequent to the experiment being a success, in future years we intend to change the appearance of the roads and pavements to make Pontypridd more attractive to visitors and shoppers.”

Once again, It’s No Joke regular Silky comperes the very best in stand up comedy. Headlining the November gig is Tony Law. His laid-back approach combined with scorching jokes and incisive remarks have endeared him to both live and TV audiences. Along with Dan Antopolski and Craig Campbell, Tony created The Dinks, the acclaimed comedy troupe, which excited both Fringe audiences and critics alike with their inimitable style of slapstick and banter. Half Canadian, half Trinidadian, Tony has been busy working hard on the circuit as a solo performer and created real a buzz for himself as one of the most exciting new comedy propositions around.
Support comes from Man Bites God. Infectious melodic rock and sharp satirical lyrics make Man Bites God well worth inviting into your eardrums. Combining their frenetic live shows with lush studio recordings, Man Bites God are a poppy bass/guitar/drums/piano/recorder kind of thing using 3 part harmonies and dark humour to have you dancing, laughing, stopping to buy a beer, then dancing and laughing again.

Tickets cost £6.00 in advance, £8.00 on the door, £5.00 for students with a valid NUS card. The bar will be open throughout with cabaret style seating. Call the Muni Box Office on 01443 485934.

Warning: Adult Material 18 and over only.

The world famous B’Boys, Mouse, Steady and Chimp-Chilla have wowed audiences throughout Europe with their outstanding dances, which include breakdance, boogaloo, popping and locking. All three performers are drawn from the Funkstylerz Dance Group, one of the UK’s best hip-hop and funkstyle dance companies.

Chimp-Chilla started dancing in 1999 and is now one of the UK’s best ‘Poppers’, appearing in music videos such as Madonna’s recent smash hit Hung Up, and Fergie’s single London Bridge. Mouse prefers breakdancing, performing on Nike Freestyle and Abs World Tours and was crowned World Champion Soloist at the UK World B’Boy Championships. Steady also breakdances, and holds the Guinness World Record for the most windmills completed in 30 seconds. He has danced with some of the world’s biggest urban stars, including Sean Paul and Will Smith, and is featured in a BBC One ident.

Each of the performers tells their own unique story, from humble beginnings of how they got into this movement to performing on the world stage and thriving there. Combining narrative, physical theatre and dance alongside a live score by DJ G-Kut, Life of a B-Boy is essential viewing and sets the standard for hip hop theatre. Each scratch by the DJ represents a moment in time and each record plays the landscape for our young artists.

Tickets for this original evening of entertainment are £8.00, with concession price of £6.00 and are available now from the Muni Box Office on 01443 485934

Silesian Dance Theatre (Poland) comes to South Wales as part of an ongoing partnership exchange with Wales’s national dance company, Diversions, performing at Taliesin Arts Centre and Theatr Brycheiniog, prior to taking part in the main conference on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 October.

Taking place between The Senedd, The Park and Dare Theatre, the Urdd and Diversions Dance House, Wales Millennium Centre, the conference will look at the impact of dance activity in post industrial societies.

Leighton Andrews AM and the Marshal of Silesia are among guests at the conference, which will also look at dance’s contribution to cultural development and regeneration through artists’ collaborations, professional performance, education, and participation – which all work to enhance and develop cultural identity, communication and self esteem.

The exchange project has been developed in partnership with Diversions, the Dance Company of Wales, Silesian Dance Theatre, Rhondda Cynon Taf Cultural Services, Community Dance Wales, and Cardiff City Council.

Conference co-ordinator, Judi Hughes, said: “This is a significant cultural partnership that has great relevance for Wales and its own regeneration.”

Places on the conference are free but require advance booking. For further information or to book your place please contact Judi on 07968111638 or email judi.hughes@virgin.net

What have Pop pin-up Donny Osmond (pictured above), Pontypridd rockers Lostprophets and opera singer Katherine Jenkins got in common? They all feature in a new exhibition, showcasing the work of seven talented young photographers from Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Josh Blisko, Leah Evans, Hannah Culverhouse, Owain Williams, Abigail Jeremiah, Laura Williams and James Foxhall all worked throughout the summer with professional music photographer Darren Warner in a Band and Live Performance Photography Project.

They took photos at events as diverse as rock festival The Full Ponty, featuring Lostprophets and The Automatic, and Donny Osmond’s homecoming concert in Merthyr. The photographs will go on show in an exhibition in the Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd, from Wednesday, October 10- Saturday, November 10.

Liz Driscoll, Youth Arts Co-ordinator for Rhondda Cynon Taf Cultural Services, said: “This project aimed to support and develop tomorrow’s budding music photographers in Rhondda Cynon Taf, giving them a unique opportunity to receive first-hand on-location training and mentoring.”

Young photographer Laura Williams, of Cilfynydd, said: “The project has been a great learning experience for me. My photography has vastly improved, especially from getting the opportunity to photograph Donny Osmond. Although I got completely soaked in the rain, I still came out with a wicked smile and some great shots!”

The project, for young people aged between 16-25, was supported by the Council’s Youth Arts Project, which is funded by Fframwaith. The exhibition will go on tour to other venues in Rhondda Cynon Taf and across South Wales.

Darren Warner worked for music papers the NME and Melody Maker, photographing bands like U2 and The Cure, and has been Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s official photographer since 2004.

The young photographers are also contributors to Rhondda Cynon Taf’s new magazine Plugged In, which was launched on September 21.

The magazine is available from all Rhondda Cynon Taf libraries, theatres and music venues, including Fight Nights (live gigs) at the Muni.

Photos above are:

Donny Osmond at Cyfarthfa Castle – by Laura Williams

Sean from The Blackout at The Full Ponty – by Hannah Culverhouse

Katherine Jenkins at Margam Park – by Abi Jeremiah

Ian Watkins of Lostprophets at The Full Ponty – by Leah Evans