Throughout the past few months, youngsters have been thrilled with all the exciting schemes on offer thanks to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Libraries and Museum Service.

With a wealth of information at their finger-tips, schoolchildren were able to not only enjoy the many books on offer, but so many other state-of-the-art services, projects and awards.

The Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Recreation Cllr Robert Bevan said: “Rhondda Cynon Taf Libraries are some of the best in the business with so many innovative new projects launched to stimulate the minds of people of all ages.
”With the school summer holidays upon us, youngsters will have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the many events being held throughout out network of libraries and I hope they will take advantage of the inspiring schemes on offer.”

Teenagers from three comprehensive schools in the county borough have spent the last few months reading and discussing the books short-listed for the celebrated Carnegie Medal, the award given by children’s librarians to the best book written for children and young people each year.

Pupils from Mountain Ash Comprehensive School, Ysgol Gyfun Y Cymmer and Treorchy Comprehensive School read the seven short-listed titles. Opinions were divided on which books they preferred, but all agreed that shadowing the award had been an enjoyable experience.

The Carnegie Medal was awarded to “Here Lies Arthur” by Philip Reeve, a thought provoking retelling of the King Arthur legends.

Children registering for Team Read, the 2008 Summer Reading Challenge run by the Libraries Service, will get free gifts each time they borrow books from any of the authority’s 29 branches.

Last year more than 1,500 children took part in this promotion, reading an estimated 7,000 books.

This summer it is hoped that Team Read, the Olympic-themed programme will encourage more children to complete the challenge and get their Team Read certificate and medal.

Throughout the summer months children’s activities will be held in 23 libraries throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf including story and craft sessions.

The events will all have an Olympic theme and range from designing a Chinese dragon puppet to sport stories and craft sessions.

The visitors from Timbuktu in Mali are in Wales to visit Hay on Wye, the town they have chosen to twin with. Hay on Wye beat off competition from more than 50 other UK communities to become Timbuktu’s international community partner because of its strong cultural and literary connections, following an appeal in the Independent newspaper last year.

Since the twinning announcement, Hay2Timbuktu were successful in becoming one of the five pilot projects in the new Gold Star community linking scheme, launched last week by the First Minister.

The Gold Star Communities project aims to contribute to the creation of a ‘gold Star’ framework of standards and good practice, aligned to the UN’s Millennium Development Goals on poverty reduction. The Wales pilot is being developed with the support of the UN, to produce a model for recognising and spreading quality community partnerships that address issues such as fair and just trade, climate change and the environment, children’s rights and social inclusion.

Rhodri Morgan said:

I’m pleased to welcome the delegation from Timbuktu to Cardiff Bay, so soon after the launch of the Gold Star community pilot scheme. It is yet another proof that Wales has not become inward looking and self-obsessed since devolution started in 1999. Welsh people are renowned for their internationalist outlook and their desire to help those elsewhere in the world less fortunate than us living in Wales and this new, international partnership is a great example of what we are trying to achieve through the Wales for Africa framework.

Both communities share a literary background and both are homes to world-class festivals – the Hay Festival of Literature and in Timbuktu, an annual musical extravaganza called the Festival au Desert. These appear to be great foundations on which to establish a long-lasting partnership from which both communities can reap huge benefits.

The delegation from Timbuktu includes Said Ould Mahmoud, the First Mayor of Timbuktu, Ali Ould Sidi, the Cultural Minister and Boubacar Addia Toure: President of the Twinning Association. A group from Hay on Wye will return to Timbuktu in 2008.

Bookworms have risen to the challenge to read a million words this year and have devoured thousands of books between them.

There are now 22 schools in Rhondda Cynon Taf, all of which have a word count of one million, thanks to pupils who have completed a Wales-wide challenge to increase interest in books and literacy and to raise basic skills.

Edword, Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Read A Million Words mascot, has been out and about this week visiting some of the latest school to reach the reading landmark.

These include the first Millionaire Infants school, Porth Infants and the first Millionaire Welsh Medium School – YGG Pont Sion Norton.

Cllr Graham Thomas, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said: “The younger generations of Rhondda Cynon Taf are certainly attaining a name for the county, for all the right reasons.

“They have risen spectacularly to the challenge issued earlier this year by the Basic Skills Agency, challenging people to read a million words.

“We now have more than 20 schools that have attained millionaire status and also a large number of individual children who have worked their way through a million words.

“The effort has been outstanding and a huge congratulations and well done to all the bookworms out there!”

Read A Million Words in Wales is an exciting joint project involving the Basic Skills Agency, Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Library Service and Primary Schools.

The project is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government as part of its ‘Words Talk – Numbers Count’ strategy.

One hundred primary schools, including all but two in the county’s Communities First areas, signed up to the Read A Million Words project and have had a whole new world opened up to them.

Thanks to a huge range of books on offer at libraries across the county, and more than 65 events organised to encourage children on board, twenty two schools have achieved millionaire status and there are nearly 50 children who have read a million words each!

In total, 1017 books have been borrowed from the Schools Library Service and 5436 children have been involved in Read A Million Words sessions in libraries.

Harry Potter, dragons, dinosaurs and even magicians have all been used to entice children into a world where reading is fun, as well as beneficial.

The highlight of the event will be ‘An Evening with Rob Brydon’ on 7th August at Rhydycar Leisure centre. The comedian will be interviewed by Owen Money about his life and career.

Other events happening as part of the festival include:

5th August: Verona Comes to Dowlais – A dance, film and musical extravaganza based on the story and themes of Romeo and Juliet, at Dowlais Engine House with local participants and musicians.

14th – 18th August: West Side Story – A week of performances of the musical. The shows will take place in St Tydfil’s Church and will be produced by the performing arts department of Merthyr College.

18th – 24th August : the Science of Shakespeare – A series of events and activities that focus on the relationship between the arts and science. This will take place at the GATES shop in the High Street.

19th August: Romeo and Juliet – A special performance of the play with adapted text, in promenade theatre style, staged in Cyfarthfa park.

Keith Davies, Glamorgan GATES Project Manager said, “This festival is a first for Merthyr and will be a fantastic way of involving the whole community in innovative arts and science projects. We hope that people in Merthyr take full advantage of these activities which are suitable for all of the family.”

The event is also supported by The Arts Council for Wales, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and Science Shops Wales.

All tickets and more information available from the GATES shop in the High Street or by calling 01685 729940

They will be among the 25,000 young people and 1,100 schools across the UK participating in the biggest-ever drama youth festival.

Budding performers from Treorchy Comprehensive, Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg, Bryncelynnog Comprehensive, Tonyrefail Comprehensive and Cardinal Newman Roman Catholic Comprehensive will take to the stage at the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd.

The schools will be performing on the following evenings in February:

• Treorchy Comprehensive [Twelfth Night] and Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg [Henry V] on Monday 5th

• Bryncelynnog Comprehensive [Taming of the Shrew] on Tuesday 6th

• Tonyrefail Comprehensive [A Midsummer Night’s Dream] on Wednesday 7th

• Cardinal Newman Roman Catholic Comprehensive [Twelfth Night] on Friday 9th

Pupils were able to choose which play they wanted to perform from 15 specially adapted half-hour plays, including abridgements from Sir Tom Stoppard and Sir Arnold Wesker.

Tickets are available from the box office at the Muni Arts Centre, Gelliwastad Road, Pontypridd on 01443 485934.

As part of the University’s graduation ceremonies, writer Elaine Morgan received an honorary doctorate.

Born in 1920 in the Cynon Valley, Elaine Morgan is a writer with diverse credits to her name. She has authored several books on the theory of the ‘aquatic ape’ whilst also having written for television.

During her career Elaine, an Oxford graduate, has been considered somewhat of a maverick, breaking ground in areas which many considered to be out of her field.

Elaine currently writes a regular and thought provoking column for the Western Mail.

The two-day event which is organised in partnership with The Hay Festival and the First Campus initiative welcomed four world-class artists, each with their own unique performance.

On day one, Year 7 children were able to explore the energetic world of live poetry, rap and race issues with the legendary performer Benjamin Zephaniah. Followed by an afternoon session with compelling writer, poet and broadcaster Michael Rosen, who has spent the last 3 decades writing for and working with children. Known for his captivating performances, Michael also presents Word of Mouth on BBC Radio 4.

Professor David Halton, Vice-Chancellor for the University said, “The idea of this festival is to introduce young people to creative writing in as many forms as possible, to give them the opportunity to meet world-class authors, and inspire them to keep reading and try some writing for themselves.

Photograph : Rachel Trezise (left) and Aeronwy Thomas (Dylan Thomas’ daughter)

Rachel was born in the Rhondda Valley, Wales, in 1978. After graduating from Glamorgan University in 2000, her debut novel In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl was published that same year.

Fresh Apples deals with the troubled times for the once vibrant coal valleys of South Wales and for the area’s youngsters. BAFTA award winner and Chair of the judges, Andrew Davies, made the announcement at a glittering awards dinner at the Brangwyn Hall in Dylan Thomas’ hometown of Swansea.

Dylan Thomas’ daughter and Patron of the Prize Aeronwy Thomas, presented Rachel with the check for £60,000. Andrew Davies compared Fresh Apples to James Joyce’s Dubliners saying: “We are delighted to announce that the winner of the EDS Dylan Thomas Prize for 2006 is Rachel Trezise’s Fresh Apples. For all the judges, Rachel seemed to be the most original voice. The confidence, coolness and maturity of tone in Fresh Apples is exceptional. In fact, I would go as far as to say that her collection of short stories in Fresh Apples can be easily compared to James Joyce’s Dubliners. Rachel is an extremely talented author and we wish her all the best in what we are sure will be a long and successful literary career.”

Rachel Trezise said: “I am extremely proud to be the inaugural winner of this prestigious prize which I know will inspire generations to come of younger writers. This prize is vital in giving new opportunity and encouragement to fresh new talent.” Rachel Trezise fought off stiff competition from authors spanning four continents – including the Americas – to win the EDS Dylan Thomas Prize.

She was amongst six finalists who come from a wide range of educational and cultural backgrounds – two Oxbridge graduates, Nick Laird and James Scudamore; American writer Liza Ward; first-time novelist and Zimbabwe-based schoolteacher Ian Holding; and Belfast-born playwright, Lucy Caldwell. The six books cover a huge range of topics and themes from racism, politics and religion, to traveling and family, and constitute an effective introduction to the psychology and perspective of a generation. Joining Andrew Davies on the international judging panel for the 2006 EDS Dylan Thomas Prize was the Prize founder, Professor Peter Stead; the screenwriter and renowned Welsh poet, Menna Elfyn; the (British) Independent newspaper editor, Simon Kelner; the acclaimed Welsh American novelist, Paul Watkins; and the American poet and academic, Kurt Heinzelman.

Professor Peter Stead, the Prize’s founding Chairman, said: “Rachel is a worthy winner of the 2006 EDS Dylan Thomas Prize. She has displayed maturity beyond her years in her work, producing something that touched everyone on the judging panel. Judging the prize puts you through almost as many emotions as there are in the novels, such has been the high quality of the short list. Each of the six authors can, I’m sure, look forward to a long and successful literary career, in particular Rachel who can take great pride from this award.”

The Dylan Thomas Prize is sponsored by the global technology services company EDA headquartered in Plano, Texas. Roger Alderson of EDS said: “EDS is delighted to be the headline sponsor of this unique literary prize. Given our presence in Wales and particularly in Swansea, it always seemed like a natural fit.”