The Bro Ddyfi
Communities First 'Ideas Book'

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Ty Bro Ddyfi, 52 Heol Maengwyn, Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 8DT, UK. phone: 01654 703965 e-mail: info@ecodyfi.org.uk

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26 September 2003

In the Communities First section

The Ideas book!

Section home page

Free training

Update Spring 2004

Update February 2004

Update Autumn 2003

News September 2003

Update Summer 2003

Update Spring 2003

Update March 2003

Update January 2003

Here is the Bro Ddyfi Communities First 'Ideas Book' . It has been made a public document to provoke further comment, and to enable people to add any comments or additional suggestions and ideas.

The bilingual 'Ideas book' contains every single idea, view and suggestion received (up to the time of last up-date), from you, the local people, saying what you feel is required to improve upon your quality of life, and for the sustainable regeneration of the Dyfi Valley.

All new views, suggestions and ideas received will be included in the book when it is updated as an on-going process, so please feel free to put forward more of your ideas, views and suggestions.

It is NOT an Action Plan, but will obviously be a useful tool to assist the Facilitator and Steering Group as they work towards forming an Action Plan for the Dyfi Valley.

This is YOUR OPPORTUNITY to have YOUR SAY on YOUR FUTURE; this of course is also true for the community as a whole, so please encourage your family, friends and neighbours to also put forward their ideas.

This book will be updated regularly, so please help us by emailing us to put forward your comments and any further ideas or suggestions.

* More detailed information is available at the Communities First office on all ideas or suggestions within this book that are marked with an asterisk*

Original theme headings as per Communities First guidelines:

Identified sub-categories/themes

• Language and culture

• Entertainment

• CAT

• Transport and Communication

• Scenery

• Countryside and Environment

• Schools

• Village Halls

• Healthcare

• Funding

• Buildings, Accommodation & Housing

• Quality of life

• Work, Business & Service providers

• Legal & Social communication

• Language, Culture & Education

• Arts and Leisure

• Recreation and Entertainment

• Sports and Activities

• Tourism

• Sustainability

• Youth

• Elderly

• Awareness of the area

• Housing and Work

Economy and Employment

• Cheap, affordable workshop space

• Support for small family run shops

• Keep Post Offices open

• Sell local produce locally (village food shop)

• Encourage self-employment

• Farming diversification*

• Better advertising and continued support for tourism

• Better wages - provide more well paid jobs

• More fulltime jobs

• Provide work for young people to enable them to stay in the area

• Sustainable businesses and jobs for young people

• Higher profile for Wales in parliament

• Need to welcome tourists

• Create a golf course on the Rhos, Cwmllinau, and use Village Hall as Clubhouse

• Unemployment - provide local work

• Better/more promotion of the Llanwrin Dragon

• Promote the Owain Glyndwr connection

• Need more and better facilities and shops, nothing in Mach since Town Hall went, no Barber, Gents clothing, Cobbler, Sports shop or Watchmaker to mention but a few

• A new non-profit making company to market and arrange the slaughter, processing, packaging and distribution of local Welsh lamb and beef *

• Redevelop the County Council Highways depot at Llanbrynmair to provide high quality offices, providing high quality employment*

• One of these offices could be used to market Bro Ddyfi's existing small businesses, whilst also operating as a buying agent for small village and town shops within Bro Ddyfi*

• Open an "American Connection Centre" at Llanbrynmair*

• "Farming Century Exhibition"

• a diversification scheme as a working Farm Museum*

• "Wooden Castle" at the original site of Owain Cyfeiliog's wooden castle or fort at Tafolwern, Llanbrynmair - an on-site Celtic experience*

• Lead Mining Museum at Dylife, including an underground tour showing life as a lead miner in the 19th century*

• The provision of either a new Hotel, or adaptation of an existing Hotel, capable of accommodating a coach load of visitors*

• Dyfi Tourism - a Tourism Association to foster better communication between accommodation providers, attractions and others*

• 'Centre of Excellence' for timber industry - sawmill, workshops and exhibition*

• Economy and Employment (continued)

• Cycling tourism action plan*

• Local food chain link - link produce to hotels and restaurants and make more of local distinctiveness. Investigate pre-ordering of local food for self-catering and hampers*

• Target green and activity sector tourism markets*

• Guides network - identify local experts to act as guides for visitors to the area*

• Investigate the use of hemp in buildings and whether it can be grown locally*

• Encourage accommodation businesses to cater more for cyclists and walkers*

• Guided minibus tours*

• Upgrade the quality of accommodation, and provide additional limited lodge, bunkhouse, caravan, tent or group accommodation linked to activity provision*

• Local laundry to service the local hospitality industry*

• Establish culture of all year round opening*

• Enhancing and developing of new visitor attractions*

• Market Dyfi Valley as a pre-Christmas destination with excellent speciality shopping in Machynlleth*

• Expansion and enhancement of activity centres and other activities including angling, subject to evidence of demand and financial viability*

• Farmers Market

• Dry food factory

• Bigger slaughter house in Machynlleth

• Back-packers Hostel

• Welsh fast food facility including a drive through

• Craft Fairs and cooking demonstrations etc

A project by Llion Pugh on behalf of Ecodyfi

• *Results of questionnaires presented to twelve farmers in Bro Ddyfi asking for ideas / starting new businesses compatible with farming:

• Provide accommodation and services for people who wish to learn Welsh

• Woodwork

• Expand welding business

• Lorry driving

• Production of electricity and mill working off the River Dyfi

• Turn to tourism - let houses

• Engineer - spend more time in the workshop

• Buy a wood-chipper - explore the idea of burning product for heating schools etc.

• Concentrate on my wood treating business - Local Timber

• Sheds to provide winter storage of caravans

• Breeding earthworms (fishing is the fastest growing sport activity in the world)

Some ideas raised at a forum held at Glantwymyn Community Centre with the Young Farmers:

• Hedge and roadside chipping - group to buy machinery - could be used under animals -

• Groups of farmers to bid for Council contracts e.g. road treating, hedge cutting etc.

• Research into felting / wool

• Composting bracken

• Grow mushrooms

• Fish Farm

• Nature Environmental Centre

• Motorised water sports on the River Dyfi

Education and Training

• Ysgol Bro Ddyfi to become a Community College as well as school

• Community School

• Good educational resources

• More I.T. facilities

• Share knowledge and information

• Fulltime library with good resources

• Broadband for all

• Local history museum

• More Welsh classes

• Courses on culture

• Encourage talent in all fields

• Educating young people to show respect and kindness to their elders

• Community Service to involve keeping the area clean and tidy, and helping the elderly

• Nature reserve at Caepoeth Farm, Forge, could provide a diverse and fascinating platform for early learning and play work. there could also be support from colleges offering environmental studies, and fine art groups*

• A "Wind Energy Interpretation Centre" at Llanbrynmair or Glantwymyn*

• Develop educational and activity programmes*

• ICT training for tourism, inc Farm Tourism - establish web-sites and use e-mail as marketing and management tool*

• Machynlleth Foyer - informal training and accommodation for vulnerable young people*

Countryside and Environment

• Maintain and protect landscape

• Cut hedges so that the landscape can be seen and appreciated by all

• Aim for zero waste production

• Green awareness

• Promote use of solar and wind energy

• Sustainable use of local resources

• Wind/generator/ micro-hydro scheme for each village

• Ecodyfi*

• Centre for Alternative Technology - more involvement from and with local people

• Make use of local resources such as timber and wool

• More allotments

• Care not to overdevelop

• Open Nature Reserve*

• Tackle litter problem

• Appreciate the wonderful area we live in

• Tackle flooding problem with River Dyfi

• Development of a Biosphere Reserve*

• Upgrade and extend Forest, Farm and Nature Trails*

• Enhance entry and first impression of Machynlleth, the streetscape, car parks etc*

• Dyfi Solar Club - expand use of solar water heating*

• Horse Riding Network - identify routes and bring up to standard*

• Composting leaves from the side of the roads

Housing

• Need to build more council houses

• No more council houses should be sold

• Affordable housing

• The need for starter homes

• Energy efficient insulated housing

• Improve on existing, and provide better disabled access

• Sustainable 'green' housing project

• Special needs housing

• Encourage self-build projects

• Increase use of traditional stone

• Community Land Trust*

• More housing for people who are considered unsuitable for places such as Cartref Dyfi, but are not able to live on their own. People who need private bedrooms, but use of a communal lounge and dining area etc.

• Establish a local company, limited by guarantee, to build terrace type dwellings at Llanwrin and Dolfach, near Llanbrynmair. These would then be made available for letting to local first time home seekers*

Health and Well Being

• Health awareness

• Closer Hospital

• Help for disabled

• Compulsory organic school meals

• Encourage school allotments

• Maintain Community Hospital at Machynlleth

• Maintain home for the elderly

• Provision of nursing beds at Community Hospital

• Better disabled access

• Better and safer pavements with rain channels, as some of the existing pavements are a hazard to the elderly and disabled

• Litter removing - 'green therapy'

• More open spaces in shops to make it easier for elderly and disabled to move around shop interiors

Community Activities

• Urgent need for improvements to Village Halls

• Better Restaurants

• Need for a Cinema

• Festivals - continue with lantern parade and workshops

• Sports co-ordinator required

• Concerts at Tabernacl, Plas, and other venues for young people

• Reduced rate at Leisure Centre for locals

• Need for a Skateboard Park*

• Improve nightlife - (virtually non-existent)

• Increase and improve horse riding facilities

• More play areas for young children

• Somewhere for young people between the ages of 10 and 18yrs old to go in the evenings, especially in the winter - they would not then have to try and get into public houses

• Open village church rooms for youngsters to play games etc.

• Organised walks

• Barn dancing

• Choir singing

• 10 pin Bowling facility (poss.in or near Leisure Centre)

• A full all-weather sports pitch - possibly a joint project between Ysgol Bro Ddyfi, Machynlleth Rugby Club and Machynlleth Football Club. This would be for use by and benefit the whole community

• Small scale cycling course for the younger members of the community as well as younger visitors*

• Make use of former shop premises at Bryn-y-Gog, for any of the following: a. Youth drop-in Centre, b. Training facility, or c. Crèche

• Make use of video for community consultation and development*

• Celtica to develop an annual Welsh language and cultural programme in pubs and villages in the area*

• Interpret local heritage - encourage and support communities to draw out their distinctiveness*

• Dyfi Connections - bring together existing events for locals and visitors during October half-term, and organise more to fill gaps and publicise them collectively*

• Paint ball - Shooting

• Open air water sports

• Gallery

• Wet weather activities such as sports and climbing

• Motorised water sport on River Dyfi

• Night Club

Quality of life

• Low crime rate

• Affordable childcare

• Need for a meeting place for the elderly

• Greater police presence

• Respect for the elderly

• Close bilingual community

• Somewhere for young people to meet (just to hang out)

• Recognise contribution made by the arts

• Maintain chapel

• Create one church

• Sense of community

• Everybody speaking Welsh enthusiastically

• More integration of Welsh and English

• Carry out village surveys

• Deep mapping of Dyfi Valley*

• Community Survey

• Appreciation of good wide streets, a town clock, and a good market at Machynlleth

• Create a new type of Sunday School/Club that would attract young people

• Encourage people to spend more time out of doors and helping others to socialise

• Expand the Machynlleth Community Children's Project*

• An organisation or agency to provide Welsh entertainment in hotels*

Transport and Communication

• Improve community transport

• Better, more frequent bus service

• New vehicle bridge over River Dyfi

• Improve and extend cycling facilities*

• Create a network of cycle paths to each village

• Improve train service

• Re-open Llanbrynmair Railway Station

• Shared car scheme in each village

• Cheaper transport

• Make more use of rail freight

• Re-open or open new petrol station at Llanbrynmair*

• Subsidise cost of petrol

• Encourage both trains and buses to carry cycles

• Make a car park on the 'Rhos' (common) at Cwmllinau, so as to protect the verges

• Broadband for all

• More I.T. facilities

• Better communications

• Improve disabled transport, especially on the railway

• Make more use of existing community transport by providing a service for those with no transport of their own to attend Church and Chapel services

• Police to control speeding and noisy cars

• Provide cycle racks

• Free rail pass for elderly

• Demand responsive minibus*

Your comments, views and suggestions would be very much appreciated.