The Council is following national guidelines when it comes to the management of the situation and is keen to once again raise awareness and offer support as the new term begins.

In preparation for the return to the classroom, the Council’s education staff have already circulated information to all head teachers, advising them of the protocol to follow if they have a suspected case.

Three cases, one at Treorchy Comprehensive, one at Tonyrefail Primary and one at Ysgol Yr Eos have already been reported to education workers by school staff this week.

The national swine flu response remains the same:

• Ring your doctor or NHS Direct if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms

• Confirmed or suspected swine flu cases must follow the advice of their doctor and stay at home, taking any prescribed medication.

• There is no need to stay away from work or the classroom if you are not displaying symptoms.

From Saturday, April 18 to Friday, April 24, 2009 you can enjoy horse rides, a bird watching walk or a short countryside stroll and other events.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council adopted the Rights of Way Improvement Plan in 2008 as a way to protect and improve facilities in our local countryside, promote what is on offer to residents and visitors and involve people in making decisions. The theme of the plan is ‘More people, out & about, more often and having fun’ and the Welsh Assembly Government and the Countryside Council for Wales are providing funding to the Council to help put the plan into action.

All activities from April 18-24 are free. Many local organisations are taking part and events include:

· A walk on Monday, April 20 at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park from 10.30am to show people how to use the LifeTrail outdoor gym equipment installed along the river path. Contact Gareth Davies on 01685 874323 to book your place.

· A leisurely stroll along the Tylorstown river walk from Pontygwaith Community Centre at 9.45am on Wednesday, April 22. Call Sian Seymour or Amanda Maz on 01443 732549 to book your place.

· Cycle ride along the old tram road to Cwmaman and back, leaving Dare Valley Country Park, Aberdare, at 10.30am on Wednesday, April 22. Contact Eleanor Rothwell on 07887551303 to book your place.

The new-look centre, due to open to the public in August, will boast a modern fitness suite – offering the latest in aerobic and resistance training; refurbished swimming pool and changing areas with facilities for families, as well as modern décor throughout the building and improved energy-efficiency measures, providing long-term savings.

Major improvements have also been carried out on Tonyrefail Leisure Centre’s entrance, making it more accessible and welcoming. As much of the building as possible has been kept open over the past year while refurbishment work has been underway, with only the swimming pool closing. However, the centre will be closed from July 21 until August 11, while essential recommissioning work is carried out.

You can banish the Monday blues every week at:

· Aerotone from 11.30am to 12.30pm – 30 minutes of aerobics followed by 30 minutes of Bodymax (step class with dumbells).

· Salsa Aerobics from 12.30pm to 1.30pm – an aerobics class with a difference – work out to a range of Latin tunes.

Classes cost £2.05, with reductions for members of the Council’s More Card (leisure pass) scheme. If the classes prove popular, they may be held on other weekdays. For more information, contact Llantrisant Leisure Centre on 01443 224616

The partnership day has been organised to promote alternative transport means to residents, patients and staff and to raise awareness of the health benefits of “active travel”.

Taking place from 10am to 3.30pm on April 17 in the Atrium (main entrance) of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, the day will feature information stands and talks in the lecture theatre.

Partners attending include:

· RCT Local Health Board

· PTI Cymru who will be promoting public transport information systems including Traveline text, online journey planner and bilingual call centre.

· Rhondda Cynon Taf Council promoting walking and cycling in the county.

· Rocky Mountain Cycles, a local firm who will promote their services and equipment.

· Royal Glamorgan Estates Transport/Video Conferencing Awareness.

· Sewta Carshare scheme.

· Sports Council for Wales – healthy workplace information.

· Stagecoach – local public transport information.

· Sustrans – Mentro Allen coordinator to promote events in the county and also the active communities coordinator and projects officer.

· Travol – voluntary patient transport services.

· Veolia – local public transport information.

Cardinal Newman has scooped the top prize in a unique Six Nations competition for the second time running!

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Catering Direct service is delighted with the success of the new Filling Stations it has installed at Y Pant, Tonyrefail, Cardinal Newman and Hawthorn High.

The machines offer healthy, nutritious and tasty meal options such as pasta and noodles with toppings such as Italian Chicken and Singapore Prawns/

If you are over 60 and own an electric blanket then Rhondda Cynon Taf Trading Standards officers are offering a free safety check at St Mairs Day Centre, Seymour Street in Aberdare on Wednesday 31st October from 9.30am until 4.30pm.

Any blankets which are tested and found to be electrically unsafe will be replaced free of charge.

Councillor John David, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services thinks this is a great idea, “Electric blankets account for over 5000 fires a year in the home and that’s why this service is so important in providing people with safe and secure blankets for the winter.”

For those people who are unable to attend the event, but would still like to get their blanket checked, a pick up service will be on offer in the run up to the event to collect any blankets to be tested. Once tested the blankets will be delivered back to the consumer.

Added to the blanket testing a number of voluntary and statutory agencies will also be attending the event, on hand to offer a wide range of information and advice.

If you wish to have your blanket collected or for any further information please contact Trading Standards on 01443 425777 and ask for Robert Powell or Lyndon Caddy.

Professor Sir Martin Evans of Cardiff University has won the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine.

The Nobel Assembly announced this morning that Professor Sir Martin was one of three winners for “a series of ground-breaking discoveries concerning embryonic stem cells and DNA recombination in mammals.”

Professor Sir Martin was the first to identify embryonic stem cells, which can be adapted for a wide variety of medical purposes. His work has helped in studying cystic fibrosis and in testing the effects of gene therapy.

The Nobel Assembly said of his work: “Its impact on the understanding of gene function and its benefits to mankind will continue to increase over many years to come.”

Professor Sir Martin shares the £755,000 prize with Professor Mario Capecchi of the University of Utah and Professor Oliver Smithies of the University of North Carolina.

Zenith Kidz is held on Saturdays and Sundays from 12pm-3pm throughout the year in the Zenith Health and Fitness Studio at the leisure centre, with the help of a trained instructor.

Recent research has shown that youngsters between the age of 11-16 are spending more and more time on sedentary pastimes such as watching television and playing computer games.

Zenith Kidz aims to improve children’s general health and well-being, with the emphasis on physical activity, health education and gym safety. Children will develop competence within the Zenith studio and learn about healthy living.

The £4 cost includes an initial induction, plus the first session in the gym, with each session after that costing £1.05. Each weekly session includes a personalised programme and induction on aerobic machines.

Cllr Graham Thomas, Rhondda Cynon Taf Cabinet Member for Culture, Recreation and Tourism, said: “We constantly see reports in the press about the growing problems of obesity and diabetes among children. This scheme is designed to encourage youngsters to lead more active lifestyles away from their computers – and it’s also a lot of fun.”

Children can start the programme at any time and continue until the age of 14 if they wish. Parental consent forms and ‘initial readiness questionnaires’, which both the parent and child has to complete, are available from the Zenith suite. If you have any queries about your child becoming a Zenith Kidz member, please call 01443 224616 ext 123

Zenith Kidz is also run at Hawthorn Leisure Centre, Pontypridd. For more details, call 01443 842873

Coordinated by the Faculty of Health, Sport and Science at the University of Glamorgan, the initiative was launched with the news of £1.2 million in future funding to expand the current programme. This second phase of research capacity building involves matched funding from WORD and HEFCW (Higher Education Funding Council for Wales).

Initially, eleven fellowships have been awarded to researchers studying across Wales under the rcbcwales scheme. In 2005, the Welsh Assembly Government through the Wales Office for Research and Development for Health and Social Care (WORD) and The Health Foundation (THF) approved a proposal from seven Departments in academic institutions in Wales to enhance research training in Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions. The Partners in this Collaboration have established rcbcwales in order to administer and manage this training scheme.

Similar collaborations operate in England and Scotland and rcbcwales hopes to share and draw from mutual experiences.

This all-Wales initiative builds on the strengths of each institution and creates a new momentum for healthcare research. By offering high quality research training to nurses, midwives and allied health care professionals at all levels including doctoral and post-doctoral research, it is expected that the scheme and the Community of Scholars it funds will, over time, produce evidence-based research that improves patient care and experience.

The Community of Scholars have just returned from a residential training session in Gregynog (Mid Wales) and travel around Wales learning about research and leadership through a series of Masterclasses with distinguished academics from across the UK. This week they met with Edwina Hart to discuss how Wales is building capacity in research expertise amongst nurses, midwives and allied healthcare professionals.

The research projects being undertaken by the ‘Scholars’ focus on optimising health through:
• public participation in health care
• policy development, service delivery and evaluation of health care services,
• the prevention and management of chronic conditions
• the promotion and maintenance of healthy living.

Current projects range from research into healthy eating in secondary schools; exhaustion in people undergoing radiotherapy and crisis resolution in mental health treatment to research on COPD; Parkinson’s, umbilical cord blood; kidney transplant rejection ; termination of pregnancy ; autistic spectrum disorders and into how nurses prepare people for leaving hospital.

Professor Donna Mead, Dean of the Faculty of Health, Sport and Science at the University of Glamorgan who heads the coordinating centre says “The Community of Scholars promotes collaboration, research capacity building and provides unique opportunities for sharing information and expertise across the Principality”.

Together they have succeeded in ensuring that Rhondda Cynon Taf residents, visitors and workers have indeed adhered to the law. Compliance overall has been excellent and Public Health and Protection Officers have undertaken 2,914 inspections of premises across the county borough.

No fixed penalty notices have been issued for people smoking, or for failing to display the correct bilingual “no smoking” signs. Free signs have been provided to the 221 premises found not displaying the correct signs.

Fourteen warning letters have been issued to businesses. These have been issued for either not displaying the correct signs, or for smoking in smoke free premises. Where a warning letter has been issued for smoking in a smoke free place, this has quite often been where the smoking shelter provided for smokers is substantially enclosed. That means it needs to be amended to be at least 50% open for smoking to be permitted there.

In the small number of instances where the smoking ban in a smoke free place has been witnessed, warnings have been issued and officers have been closely monitoring compliance. Several repeat infringements have been identified and formal action is now being considered.

The past six months has provided businesses and the public an opportunity to adjust to the providing of the ban The Council’s approach to enforcement has focused on encouraging compliance through proactive contact with businesses and the provision of timely advice and support. Now that the requirements of the ban are widely known and understood there can be no excuse for failing to comply. The Councill will be vigilant in monitoring compliace and will not hesitate to take legal action where necessary.

The ban on smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces was introduced from April 2 2007. The Smoke Free Legislation affected all businesses, residents and visitors within Rhondda Cynon Taf. The provisions of the Health Act 2006 aims to protect workers and the general public from the harmful effects of second hand smoke by imposing a smoking ban in all enclosed public places and workplaces.

On the run up to the ban, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council appointed a Smoke-Free Premises Coordinator and five technical officers within the Public Health and Protection Department who are designated to deal with the Smoke Free Legislation.

Together they produced an informative DVD for smoke free premises and vehicles, which covers the provisions and implications of the ban. Six well-attended roadshows for businesses within Rhondda Cynon Taf were also held in order to support them in their move towards becoming smoke free. Advice and guidance was also given to various voluntary groups, partnerships and the public in general. One of the more recent initiatives included a total blitz on town centres and villages across the county borough with posters and pamphlets making people aware of the importance of the ban.

The council website has also been an essential tool in providing Information and downloads to various bodies and individuals along with a No Smoking Day trailer to further raise public awareness in Pontypridd town centre earlier in March.

With the implementation of the ban the work of the department certainly didn’t end there. They continued to respond to requests for advice and deal with complaints, having already trained Enforcement Officers, Technical Officers and Administration staff on the implications of the ban.

All of Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Public Health and Protection Enforcement Officers have the power to enforce the law and as such have received specific training. Compliance has been assessed whenever a business is visited by members of the Public Health and Protection team, on matters such as food hygiene, trading standards, licensing, pollution, or health and safety.

Cabinet Member for Open Government, HR and Youth Services Cllr Clayton Willis said: “Clearly the smoking ban has enjoyed incredibly high-profile publicity throughout the county borough thanks to the tireless efforts of our staff in the Public Health and Protection Department.

“Nobody has an excuse in saying that they are not aware of the ban. Therefore it’s clear to me that with such widespread public awareness, implementing the ban caused very few problems, illustrated by the fact that not a single fine has been issued.

“Rhondda Cynon Taf has certainly led the way in the manner in which we’ve run this ongoing campaign and it stands as a testimony to the efforts of all concerned. The general public will thank us for this and will come to see the medium and long term improvements to the health of our nation.”

Just a month after launching the welfare rights service for people suffering with cancer and their families, 15 people have already come forward to take up the offer of advice.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Macmillan Cancer Support in partnership with the local cancer centre Cancer Support (Cynon Valley) RCT have employed a part time welfare rights advisers to cover the Cynon Valley.

The adviser is available to visit any individual or families who are affected by cancer and assist them in obtaining all the benefits they are entitled to.

Best of all, the service is free.

The diagnosis of cancer within a family can often have an extremely detrimental affect on income. The welfare rights adviser will work with the person with cancer and their families to ensure their income is maximized and any financial worry is minimized as much as possible.

Councillor John David, Cabinet member for Health and Adult Services, said; “The last thing people affected with cancer want is reams of complicated government forms to fill in and the confusion of trying to work out what kind of financial help they can receive.

“The early success proves this is a much needed service.”

For further information contact: the Macmillan Welfare Rights Adviser for

Cynon Valley based at Cancer Support (Cynon Valley) RCT Cancer Centre on 01443 479369.

People from across Rhondda Cynon Taf and surrounding areas are invited to the Community Day Centre in Ynysngharad Park this October 10th, where there will be a number of activities and information on offer to help you look after your own mental health and inform you about the range of mental health services available in the County Borough.

The day will run from 11am until 3pm, with a number of presentations including, Taste Buddies offering ‘How to’ sessions showing you how to make healthy, low cost snacks, meals and desserts. From 11.30am until midday the Taf Ely Community Mental Health Team will give a talk explaining how to get in touch with the right person if you have concerns about your mental health and may need support from local services. At 12 o’clock a highlight of the day will be the opportunity to take a guided walk through the park with a local historian, who will give those joining him on the walk a wealth of interesting information about the park’s history. After building up an appetite walking around the park, you will be able to enjoy a buffet lunch between 1pm and 2pm.

As well as the programme of talks, a number of information stalls will operate throughout the day – staffed by agencies working in Rhondda Cynon Taf. For example the Rhondda Cynon Taf Carers Support Project, New Horizons, Hafal, Gofal, Benefits Advisers and Alzheimer’s Society.

Councillor John David, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services said, “We are pleased to be able to offer so many information stalls and services based in the County Borough to help and advise people about Mental Health issues.

“Everyone is encouraged to go along and see what they can find out about their own mental health and ways of maintaining and improving it.”

This is just one event that is going on throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Mental Health week – if you would like to know more about the week then please call Rhondda Cynon Taf Carers Project on Freephone 0808 100 1801 or visit www.mentalhealthsupport.co.uk

Steve Davies, of Steve’s Meat, Oxford Street, admitted 10 breaches of the Food Hygiene (Wales) Regulations, when he appeared at Aberdare Magistrates’ Court this month.

The charges are all as a result of conditions discovered at the premises when it was inspected by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Environmental Health Officers in June 2006.

Issues were identified and the officers put in place a series of interventions and improvements needed to rectify the situation and protect the public. However, the situation was not resolved to the satisfaction of officers and legal proceedings began.

The charges are:

1. Failure to ensure the construction of the premises was such that it prevented entry by pests.

2. Failure to provide hot water to the sink units.

3. Failure to ensure that the hand washbasin and taps in the shop were maintained in a clean condition.

4. Failure to ensure that the walk-in chiller units in the premises were maintained in a clean condition.

5. Failure to ensure that the floor in the premises was maintained in a clean condition.

6. Failure to ensure that the floor in the cooked meat chiller as maintained in a clean condition.

7. Failure to ensure that the cooker was maintained in a clean condition.

8. Failure to ensure that the ceiling covering the preparation/cooking area was maintained in a clean condition.

9. Failure to ensure that the floor surface in the raw meat chiller was maintained in a clean condition.

10. Failure to comply with an Improvement Notice in that suitable and sufficient ventilation has not been provided in the preparation/cooking room.

Cllr John David, Cabinet member for Environmental Health, said: “This case is yet another example of the fact we will take action against those who flout the law and do not pay heed to the important advice and instruction they are given by experts.

“I am proud of the professional work carried out on behalf of the public by my officers. They work across the county to ensure those in the food industry take their position of responsibility seriously.

“We want to work with people to ensure they know the law and what they must do to abide by it to prevent court proceedings in the first place.”

He concluded: “The recent prosecution against William Tudor highlighted why it is so important those in the food industry maintain the highest-possible standards.

“The rules, regulations and standards are there for a reason and must be adhered to at all times.

“We have experts on hand to help you fulfil your responsibilities and support businesses in these matters. However, we will also continue inspections and, where necessary, court proceedings, to protect the public.”

From November a Junior Samba and Senior Samba Group for pupils aged nine to 19 will be launched in the county borough with the support of the Council’s innovative E3+ extra-curricular programme.

The Junior Group, for children aged nine to 11, will rehearse every Friday from 4pm to 5pm at Pontypridd High School on the Albion site in Cilfynydd.

And from 5.30pm to 6.30pm on the same date and venue a Senior Samba Group for youngsters aged 11 to 19 will also hold rehearsals.

Musician Mark Galozzi-Hibbert will run this high-energy performing band, which relies heavily on percussion such as drums of all sizes and shakers.

The loud, marching, rhythms will hopefully become a permanent feature in events throughout the county borough and further afield in the months ahead.

Those interested in joining the samba groups are asked to go along to rehearsals which will begin on Friday November 9th.

On January 1st the Department of Health announced an increase in age limit on cigarette sales, meaning it will be illegal for you to buy cigarettes or tobacco products if you are under 18 and retailers can no longer sell these products to under 18s.

Trading Standards understand it can be very difficult for retailers to judge the age of a young person, and it is hoped that increasing the legal age of smoking will significantly assist retailers in coping with the law, making it easier to spot underage smokers.

Retailers are advised to adopt the ‘no proof of age – no sale’ motto. If retailers do sell age-restricted products to someone who is under the specific age they are committing a criminal offence.

Councillor Paul Cannon, Cabinet Member for Communities and Joint Chair of the Community Safety Partnership said, “It is easy for young people to look older than they actually are these days, that’s why we are encouraging retailers to only serve people who have ID on them.

“This message is for everyone, young people and retailers. If you are currently 16 or 17 and regularly buy cigarettes or tobacco you will no longer legally be permitted to do so and retailers will be quite right to ask anyone for identification.

“We want everyone to be fully aware of the change in law and the consequences of breaking it.”

If you are a retailer and would like more information on how the legislation will affect you and what you can do, please visit www.tobaccoagechange.co.uk

If you need information on how to obtain a proof of age card then contact Maria Richards on 01443 484481.

Anyone wanting support in stopping smoking can call the National Public Health Service for Wales for free on 0800 085 2219.

Many people in Rhondda Cynon Taf cannot afford to heat their homes adequately for sufficient warmth and as such has negative impacts on their health. Cold homes, energy inefficient housing and high levels of health related illnesses are amongst the most evident signs of a problem that affects the most vulnerable residents in the County Borough.

Tackling fuel poverty is key to the UK Government’s wider poverty and social inclusion agenda and the Welsh Assembly’s Fuel Poverty Commitment 2003 has set targets for the eradication of fuel poverty in Wales.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and its partners are committed to reducing fuel poverty in the area and are currently working on the Affordable Warmth Strategy and Action Plan 2007-2012.

Councillor Robert Bevan, Affordable Warmth Champion and Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Skills is looking forward to implementing such an action plan, “This strategy aims to bring partners and projects together in order to provide a co-ordinated approach to eradicating fuel poverty. It will provide information, help and support to people across the County Borough.

“The link between fuel poverty and health has been clearly established and this is something that we are committed to tackling in a number of ways from raising awareness, signposting eligible households to available grants and encouraging the installation of energy efficiency measures in a person’s home regardless of tenure, encouraging more energy efficient behaviour, maximising income and providing support for excluded and vulnerable people.”

This action plan is one part of the overall Local Housing Strategy 2007-2012 and has wider contributions to delivery Health Social Care & Well-Being Strategy.

Starting on the 1st of October, the events will run for a fortnight aiming to tackle the stigma and prejudice surrounding mental illness and help us all to take action to improve our mental health and emotional well being.

Since 1992 World Mental Health Day has been celebrated annually with a different theme each year – this year’s theme is ‘Mental Health in a changing world: the impact of culture and diversity’.

“One in four people will experience some kind of mental health problem during the course of their lives,” said Councillor John David, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services.

“We aim to enable people to tackle these difficulties and we are pleased to support local initiatives, many of which have been led by service users.”

There are a number of events going on throughout the fortnight from, the opportunity to meet Boyd Clack writer/actor of ‘High Hopes’ and Laura Williams from Big Brother 8 at New Horizons open day in Aberdare, medication information talks, a social evening and much more.

If you want to find out more about what’s on over the fortnight then please visit www.mentalhealthsupport.co.uk which was launched during last years world mental health celebrations by GMTV’s Dr Hilary Jones.

Some of the events are open to everyone whilst others have been organised for specific groups. If you would like more information please call the Rhondda Cynon Taf Carers Project on Freephone 0808 100 1801.

The team have worked hard to put on weekly salsa-cise and keep fit sessions in Ynysmaerdy, not only for the benefit of residents but also local workers.

The classes at Ynysmaerdy Community Centre are part of the ongoing drive to develop sustainable physical activity opportunities for residents and those who work in the area, and aid people to achieve their recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day.

Taking place every Thursday, the sessions include Salsa-cise from 5pm to 5.45pm and then legs, bums and tums from 6pm to 6.45pm.

Funded by the Community Chest scheme, which offers funding for community schemes that aim to get people moving, the course runs for 10 weeks and costs £1 a session.

New participants are welcome and those who are interested can contact Michelle Gibbs in the Sports Development Unit on 01443 400563.

In 2006, firefighters attended 106 fires caused by smoking materials in South Wales.

Chief Fire Officer Brian Fraser said, “I’d like to encourage smokers to take No Smoking Day as an opportunity to give up the habit. Smoking puts your health at risk in more ways than one. It can even put you and your family under major threat of a house fire.”

”Cigarettes are the third most common source of ignition after cooking and electrical appliances and they are the second biggest cause of injury in fire. Many of these fires could have been prevented if cigarettes and smoking materials had been extinguished with greater care. So please remember when you put your cigarette out, put it right out!”

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s advice for smokers:

Make sure you have completely extinguished smoking materials before leaving the house or going to bed.

Don’t empty ashtrays into bins; place them in a metal container and preferably outside.

If you are tired or have consumed alcohol and are alone in a room, don’t smoke.

Never smoke in bed.

* National No Smoking Day Website