What's on Communitywise

Hafod Ladies cycle to Bangor and back in 12 hours!

In their first ever season Hafod Ladies FC have already been braking records. In a crazy 12 hour challenge, the team ran a sponsored bike ride aiming to cycle to Bangor and back whilst raising money for the team and local primary school. Armed with exercise bikes the team took shifts all day and completed the challenge in a record time of 11 hours and 14 minutes.

With many of the team made up of young mums with children attending the local primary school, it was clear that the club wanted to inspire the next generation of footballers. The day was a fantastic success with a number of the children also helping to clock up the miles. The ride managed to attract enough sponsorship and raffle money to pay for a brand new football kit for the school. The children will now proudly wear their kits in competitions and tournaments, and will hopefully encourage more youngsters to follow in their mums footsteps and take up the sport.

This is only the beginning for Hafod Ladies FC’s fundraising events as they have big plans to help the community in 2012. If you are interested in finding out more please check out Hafod Ladies FC on Facebook.

Ponty to swallow parts of Cynon in shake-up

PONTYPRIDD will swallow up parts of the Cynon Valley in a major shake-up of parliamentary boundaries unveiled today.

Some Valleys seats will disappear completely, with the rest merged as part of the re-drawing of the political map of Wales.

Under proposals published on Wednesday, Cynon Valley and Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney will go, while a new seat called Heads of the Valleys will be created.

Ogmore will be merged with Aberavon, while part of Caerphilly will be merged with Cardiff North and the rest merged into new seat called Newport West and Sirhowy Valley. Affected by these changes will be Labour MPs Ann Clwyd, Dai Havard, Huw Irranca-Davies, Hywel Francis and Wayne David.

But the existing seats of Rhondda and Pontypridd will not be merged, averting would could have been a tough battle for political survival between current Labour MPs Chris Bryant and Owen Smith.

The changes are being proposed by the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales, which was given a remit to reduce the number of MPs elected in Wales from 40 to 30. Under the new arrangements, all seats in the UK are meant to have between 72,810 and 80,473 voters.

Among the new seats proposed are:

Rhondda: The proposed seat includes the whole of the current Rhondda constituency plus part of Cynon Valley.

Heads of the Valleys: This seat includes the whole of the current Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney constituency, plus part of Cynon Valley.

Pontypridd: Includes the whole of the current Pontypridd seat plus part of Cynon Valley.

Caerphilly & Cardiff North: Includes part of the current Caerphilly seat plus part of Cardiff North.

Newport West and Sirhowy: This new constituency will comprise elements of the existing Caerphilly, Islwyn and Newport West seats.

The proposals, full details of which can be seen on the Boundary Commission’s website at www.bcomm-wales.gov.uk and in main public libraries and council offices, are now out to public consultation until April 5.

Interested parties can send their views to the Boundary Commission for Wales, Caradog House. 1-6 St Andrews Place, Cardiff CF10 3BE or email them to bcomm.wales@wales.gsi.gov.uk