Cultural Well-being

People need to feel part of their community and many want to offer their time, skills and connections

Community spirit connects people, makes them happy and improves well-being. There are many activities and social groups that bring people together and although many of these are at ‘grassroots’ level, there are examples of these resulting in communities coming together for a common cause such as businesses being set up or land being taken on.

“Having family and friends close by was seen as good for social well-being”

“People taking part in cultural activities felt it was important to keep them going for their own well-being”

“The increase in digitalisation means more people spending time indoors and not knowing their neighbours so well”

Our heritage and history, landscape and buildings should be celebrated and used in the future

The landscape, buildings, natural environment and languages spoken in Cwm Taf are the things that help people feel like they belong. The heritage of Cwm Taf can also bring economic benefits to the region through tourism and celebrations within local communities.

“The area is rich in assets such as Cyfarthfa Castle Museum, Rhondda Heritage Museum, Canolfan Soar and Redhouse showcasing our heritage and culture”

“The unique landscape in Cwm Taf, moulded by humans and industry, is shown to have a positive effect on people’s physical and mental health”

“Theatres, miners’ institutes and clubs from our industrial past still exist and provide a place to come together”

Taking part in things seems to be good for everyone’s well-being

Participation can make a difference to people’s lives and help individuals to socialise, work through problems and gain new skills which can help with work. Exercise, playing and watching sport has a similar positive effect on physical and mental well-being.

“People who were unwell, elderly or frail said that looking forward to something was important to their well-being and recovery”

“Local assets encouraging recreation, like the Taff and Trevithick Trails, and the National Lido of Wales in Pontypridd were seen as really important.”

“There is a thriving music scene across Cwm Taf with choirs, Merthyr Rock and Merthyr Rising festivals and venues such as the Pop Factory and Muni”

Language is an important part of who we are and makes us feel like we belong

The language that we speak is an important part of our culture and who we are. Our industrial past attracted people from around the world, bringing a range of languages to the South Wales Valleys.

“The main languages spoken are Welsh and English but the 2011 census for Cwm Taf includes Arabic, Chinese, Filipino, Polish and Portuguese”

“The Merthyr Tydfil Global Village festival welcomes all languages and cultures and Parti Ponty is just one example of the events that take place celebrating Welsh language and culture”

“More children and young people in Cwm Taf are now able to speak Welsh, although overall the number of Welsh speakers is going down”

100,000

“To meet the national target, there would need to be around 100,000 Welsh speakers in Cwm Taf – around a third of the current population”