Keep Wales Tidy has unveiled this year’s Green Flag Award winners and we’re thrilled to announce that Parc Bryn Bach has won an award for the second consecutive year. 

In total, 183 parks and green spaces in Wales have met the high standard needed to receive the coveted Green Flag Award or the Green Flag Community Award, which is the international mark of a quality park or green space.

Anthony Hughes, Managing Director of Aneurin Leisure, the Trust that runs Parc Bryn Bach said; “We at Aneurin Leisure are extremely proud to earn the right to fly the prestigious Green Flag at our venue at Parc Bryn Bach.  The award means a great deal to us as it not only recognises the quality of our excellent facilities, but also our commitment to delivering great quality green spaces for our visitors.”

The Green Flag Award scheme is delivered in Wales by environmental charity, Keep Wales Tidy, with support from Welsh Government. It is judged by green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, environmental management and community involvement.

Lucy Prisk, Green Flag Coordinator at Keep Wales Tidy said:“The Green Flag Award is all about connecting people with the very best parks and green spaces. Keep Wales Tidy is proud to run the scheme in Wales because we know having a good quality environment can have a big impact on our communities, health and well-being, and economy.

“I’d like to congratulate Aneurin Leisure and thank everyone who works tirelessly to maintain the standards demanded by the Green Flag Award. I’d encourage everyone to get outdoors and explore the diverse range of fantastic facilities we have on our doorstep.”

This summer Blaenau Gwent Libraries and The Reading Agency are inviting children aged 4 – 11 years to join the Summer Reading Challenge and embark on a literary adventure with the Animal Agents!

Each year the challenge has a different theme designed to capture the children's imagination,  this year it’s Animal Agents, based on a detective agency staffed by all kinds of clever animals – furry, scaly and slippery – who are out to crack a case at the library with a little help from their friends.

Tony Ross, the UK’s best-selling children’s illustrator (creator of the Little Princess books, illustrator of the Horrid Henry series by Francesca Simon, and of books by David Walliams and Claire Balding), has created this year’s exclusive artwork. 

To take part in Animal Agents, all children need to do is to head to their local library where they will be given a collector folder to keep a record of their reading journey.  As children read at least six library books over the summer, they collect stickers which will help them crack the clues and help the Animal Agents find out what's really been going on behind the scenes!

There’s a whole programme of events and activities planned at our libraries for families over the summer to celebrate the Summer Reading Challenge, including a variety of free arts and crafts activities, treasure hunts and storytelling sessions.

Sue Wilkinson, CEO, The Reading Agency, said: “At The Reading Agency, we believe that everything changes when we read and we know from our research how much fun families and children have when taking part in the Challenge. This year we hope the wonderful characters created for us by Tony Ross will inspire more children than ever to take part and make use of their local library throughout the summer and beyond."

Ceri Waters, Partnerships Manager for Aneurin Leisure added: “The Summer Reading Challenge is a great initiative and Blaenau Gwent Libraries are thrilled to be part of it again this year.  The challenge has always been very popular in our libraries and not only does it encourage children to develop a love of reading, but it also enables them to continue their reading development throughout the Summer holidays, a time when children’s literacy traditionally slips, ensuring that they return to school in September as more fluent and confident readers.”

To find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge call in to your local library or visit https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/

For more information on our six libraries located across Blaenau Gwent and the varied services they offer please visit our website at http://aneurinleisure.org.uk/heritage/libraries

We’ve got lots of great activities for children of all ages at our Aneurin Leisure venues throughout the summer holidays; whether you’d like to get creative with some messy play and storytelling, find your next adventure or get active with a range of sports – we have something for everyone!

Something mysterious is stirring in the grounds at Bedwellty House & Park this summer… join us for the Great Victorian Dinosaur Hunt on Sunday 30^th July at 11am and 2.30pm.  If dinosaurs aren’t your thing, we also have lots of fun and interactive storytelling sessions with Louby Lou, Lush Workshops where participants can make their very own bath bombs and bubble bars, a day of FREE activities for National Play Day on 2^nd August, Simon Sparkles Magic Show on 11^th August and Pirate Pandemonium and Princess Pampering on 22^nd and 24^th August.  For more information on any of our activities, visit www.bedwelltyhouseandpark.co.uk or call 01495 353397.

Throughout the school holidays our libraries are inviting children aged 4-11 years to join this year’s Summer Reading Challenge and read six library books, participating in events and collecting a fun range of stickers as they go.  There’s also a selection of free storytelling sessions and Alice in Wonderland themed crafts to enjoy throughout August.  For more information ask at your local library.

For the young adventure seekers out there Parc Bryn Bach will be hosting an exciting range of Adventure Activities throughout the summer holidays; including canoeing, bush craft, climbing, archery, stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, caving, laser tag and gorge walking.  The activity days are suitable for ages 8 - 12 years and cost just £15 per person, which includes expert tuition from our qualified instructors, return transport to activity sites and all equipment.  For more information call 01495 355920 or visit www.parcbrynbach.co.uk

If you’re looking for something a little sporty this summer, our three Sports Centres have a fantastic range of activities on offer for children of all ages, including football and netball camps, Play Scheme days, roller discos plus much more.  For more information visit www.bglife.co.uk or call Abertillery on 01495 357779, Ebbw Vale on 01495 357777 and Tredegar on 01495 355958.

Cardiff City Football Club Foundation returns to Ebbw Vale Sports Centre this summer with a two day Soccer School on 9^th and 10^th August and a three day Soccer School which includes a stadium tour from 21^st – 23^rd August.  For more information on these schools or to book online visit www.cardiffcityfoundation.org.uk. 

This year we’ve also launched two brand new summer fitness initiatives for young people at Ebbw Vale Sports Centre; our Fighting Fit Training Camp for ages 11 – 15 provides an innovative range of training techniques with instructors from Tillery Combat MMA Academy, and on Friday 1^st September young people aged 11-16 years have the opportunity to enter our Junior Try-A-Tri triathlon, with training sessions taking place throughout August in the lead up to the event.  Cal 01495 357777 for more information.

For more information on any of these events and activities take a look at our Events Calendar at http://aneurinleisure.org.uk/events/month.calendar/2017/07/27/-