Arena Pontardawe Project
Arena Pontardawe is a community-based social enterprise organization,
consisting of a large number of societies, groups and individuals from
within the local community who have identified the need for a fully
accessible, multipurpose community venue.
The ARENA venue will be an all-weather, purpose-built, complex, which has been designed to accommodate a range of events and
activities that require specialized facilities not normally provided for
within existing venues.
It will include an
all-weather outdoor arena, plus educational, training, business and
exhibition facilities.
Arena Pontardawe has now been granted full planning permission for the
development of the ARENA on the Glanrhyd Industrial site and Tenders have been completed.
Other Projects
Riverside Park Project
Arena Pontardawe took over a derelict building and part of the Park
and raised funds to renovate it for use by the community. For three years,
with the help of Lottery Funding, a development manager was employed to work
with local groups to develop a programme of activities and to ensure its
future for the people of Pontardawe and the Swansea Valley.
Arena Pontardawe has also undertaken some major improvements to the Park. A
large meadow has been drained and has been used for many events, such as the
Heart of the Valley Show and a grand Medieval Fayre with knights on
horseback and jousting displays. A new pathway has been constructed between
the Centre and the Canal, allowing for greater ease of access for walking in
the Park, together with a picnic site and outdoor class room area.
Gateway Sculpture
Groundwork Bridgend Neath Port Talbot, in partnership with the Arena
Pontardawe, has completed work on a sculpture at the entrance to the Park. The sculpture by
Paul Kincaid, symbolises the natural features of the valley along with its
industrial past, and was unveiled by the Mayor of Pontardawe on 30 November 2011.
Sounds of The Valley - Multi-media production with video and live performance.
Arena Pontardawe commissioned artists David Marchant and Marlo Flores to
work with schools, individuals and user groups at the Riverside
Park, to record their responses to the environment; its history,
culture and landscape, both natural and man made.
“The work combines sound,
dialogue, music and visuals in a thought provoking collage.”
An Arena Pontardawe project with support from Y
Gronfa Wledig
Birth of a Valley Project
The history of Pontardawe and the Swansea Valley has
been recorded and preserved thanks to an award from the Heritage
Lottery Fund. The
award enabled Arena Pontardawe to employ a Heritage Officer
two years to develop a series of activities, which would create community
awareness and participation.
The Project involved working with local school children to create a
staged performance in songs and music to celebrate the national importance of Pontardawe and the Swansea
Valley and to put into context the significance of the canal to the local
mining, iron making, tinplate, pottery manufacture and quarrying industries
of the area.
In addition, a Guide tracing the changes in
the Valley and Park environment is available from the Centre. Interpretive Panels
have also been erected in the Park.