Twinning
Tredomen House
Tredomen Park
Ystrad Mynach
Hengoed CF82 7WF
01443 864321
Musical trio Serin are set to dazzle audiences in the Czech Republic to celebrate 20 years of friendship.
Former pupils of Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni, Caitlin Hudson, Rhianna Davies and Joanne Griffiths make up the singing sensation known as Serin. The group will travel to Caerphilly county borough's twin partner town Pisek, located in the heart of the Czech Republic, to perform in the annual town festival.
The girls were first recognised for their unique style and incredible vocals back in 2008 after winning 'Caerphilly's got Talent', hosted in Blackwood Miners' Institute. Currently studying in university the girls are setting some time aside during the summer break to be a part of the Pisek town festival.
Taking centre stage on Saturday 14th June, Serin will perform both English and Welsh songs to entertain the masses. Musical exchanges have been at the forefront of twinning activities over the years with song uniting the people of both towns.The past 20 years has seen hundreds of residents and community groups from both towns make old friends and new, share values and learn about local culture and heritage.
Mayor of Caerphilly County Borough Council, Cllr. David Carter, said, "I have no doubt that Serin will perform magnificently during the festival and it will be a fitting gift to share their talent with our friends in Pisek."
For more information about Twinning please contact 01443 863218.
2014 marks the 20th anniversary of Caerphilly's twinning partnership with Pisek in the Czech Republic.
With more than 20 years of exchanges, hundreds of people have had the opportunity to share culture, sport music and art, forging lasting friendships. Sharing a strong musical heritage choirs from both countries have had the benefit of sharing musical knowledge and performing alongside one and other in a number of concerts.
To mark the milestone anniversary one of the events taking place is the visit from the Sborissimo choir, which is made up of 20 mixed voices and a small band, members of which will be hosted by the Caerphilly Community Chorus for an action packed schedule. During the visit the choir will perform for pupils in Plasyfelin Primary School and take part in an outdoor "community sing" at the Castle Court Bandstand, in Caerphilly town centre.
The 3 day visit will culminate in a celebratory concert hosted in Bedwas Workmens Hall at 7pm on Saturday 18th May. The choirs will complement one and other with a wide-ranging musical repertoire from Classical to Jazz to Czech Folk Songs.
Tickets can be purchased from the Visit Caerphilly Centre for Ł5 alternatively visit www.caerphillycommunitychorus.org.uk
2014 marks the 20th anniversary of Caerphilly's twinning partnership with Pisek in the Czech Republic.
Caerphilly Youth Forum's finest, travelled to Germany to represent Caerphilly in a European youth conference.
The innovative conference titled 'Our Europe' was recently hosted by Caerphilly's twin partner Ludwigsburg located in the heart of Germany.
More than 90 young people from across Europe joined together for a 'kick off meeting' for debates on a range of topics including, protection of the environment and sustainable development, mobility through education and forums of participation and communication.
First established back in 2012 the conference is designed to offer young people a voice and to formulate and develop strategies to bring suggestions and ideas to the attention of policy makers within Europe.
The 6 young people from Caerphilly will join online discussion forums over the coming months before meeting in Strasburg in May to present their findings to representatives from the European Parliament and the media.
Cllr. Keith Reynolds, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, said, "It is fantastic to see the youth of Caerphilly taking a keen interest in political debates. The youngsters had the opportunity to meet like-minded people from all over Europe, make friends and share views. This for me is the pinnacle of Twinning where we are able to see the fruits of these longstanding partnerships passed down to the youth of our community."
Cllr. Mike Prew, Local Councillor and Youth Champion, added, "I am sure that the Youth Forum members acted as excellent ambassadors for Caerphilly during the conference. I am constantly impressed with their maturity and what they are able to achieve. I am very much looking forward to hearing the results from the discussions in May."
Picture: Lauren Jayne Prosser, Sophie Lauren Jones, Gerraint William Jones-Griffiths,
Lewis James Harding, Rosemarie Ann Davies and Jonathan Chan.
A group of art students from the Czech Republic have recently taken part in a collaborative art project with pupils from two Caerphilly schools to help mark the anniversary of the largest mining disaster in British History.
The group, who have travelled almost 1000 miles from Caerphilly County Borough's twin town, Pisek, have spent their visit discovering the heritage of the county borough, which has included learning about the history of the mining industry which has deep roots in the area.
Pisek also has strong links to a history of mining. Gold mining in particular was historically popular in the area and this shared heritage led to the successful twinning partnership between the Czech town and Caerphilly County Borough.
The group joined pupils from St Cenydd Comprehensive School on Monday 14th October at the unveiling of the Welsh National Mining Memorial, to honour the lives of the 440 men and boys who perished during the worst mining disaster in British history, which took place 100 years ago at Universal Colliery in Senghenydd.
Inspired by the centenary event and a visit to Big Pit in Blaenavon, the group worked with St Cenydd Comprehensive School and Blackwood Comprehensive School to produce poignant photographs and create ceramic and copper teardrops to show at an exhibition, which was attended by the Mayor and Cabinet Member's of Caerphilly County Borough Council on Wednesday 16th October.
Cllr Keith Reynolds, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, commented, "This exhibition exemplifies exactly what twinning means to me; sharing knowledge, history and our heritage with our friends from Europe in a truly collaborative project. Twinning allows us to promote our culture widely and to learn from the culture of others. I am sure that all of the students who have been involved in this exchange will agree that they have learnt valuable lessons and skills from their peers."
Cllr Michael Gray, Mayor of the Council, added, "This trip has given us the chance to showcase all that our county borough has to offer to a group of young people, some of whom have never flown overseas before. The artwork we have seen tonight is creative and a fitting tribute to all the miners who died during the Universal Colliery disaster and in other Welsh mining disasters."
For further information about Twinning contact Sarena Hughes at hughes2@caerphilly.gov.uk or by calling 01443 863218.
The Mayor of Caerphilly County Borough Council, Cllr Michael Gray, recently visited one of the county borough's twin towns, Pisek, in the Czech Republic to meet with the Mayor of the town, Ondrej Veselý.
The weekend visit allowed the Mayors to discuss plans for the 20th Anniversary celebration of the twinning agreement between the county borough and the town.
He was also able to visit the sights of Pisek including the regional Práchenské museum and the 13th century Dean´s Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary.
The Mayor said, "It was wonderful for me and my wife to visit the beautiful town of Pisek again. We met with old friends and took in the sights as well as discussing the exciting plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our twinning partnership."
Caerphilly county borough and Pisek have a long history of friendship, dating back to June 1994 when Islwyn County Council and Pisek signed a twinning partnership agreement. The partnership was continued by Caerphilly County Borough Council from 1996 with many cultural, sporting and arts orientated exchanges taking place over the years.
Cllr Keith Reynolds, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, said, "As a council we are incredibly proud to be partnered with Pisek, as well as the German city of Ludwigsburg, and are always keen to meet with members of each community to continually strengthen this friendship. In addition to the Mayor's trip to Pisek, a football team from Caerphilly were lucky enough to visit Ludwigsburg earlier this year. Both trips have allowed us to learn, share and discover more about different cultures as well as our own heritage."
In October, an art group from Pisek will visit Caerphilly to take part in a collaborative art project with a number of schools in the county borough.
Fantastic folk dancers from the Caerphilly county borough are set to compete in the annual International Dance Festival hosted in the Czech Republic later this month.
After more than 20 years of exchanges with Caerphilly county borough's twin partner Pisek, the Friends of Pisek Twinning Association are once again gearing up to showcase the county borough's talent. Set against the striking backdrop of the Palacký Gardens, the dance group will perform a beautifully choreographed routine representative of the Welsh Folk dancing cultural tradition.
The twinning relationship with Pisek was first established in 1994 and will reach a significant milestone next year celebrating 20 years of continued friendship. A full programme of celebratory events will take place to mark the anniversary.
Cllr. Keith Reynolds, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services said, "It is wonderful to see so many members of our community nurturing existing friendships and making new ones by visiting both of our twin partners Pisek and Ludwigsburg. Over the past 20 years we have built a strong and successful partnership sharing experiences and culture."
He continued, "I wish the troupe all the best in the dance festival and I am very proud to know that they will be showcasing a little slice of Welsh tradition."
The Friends of Pisek Twinning Partnership recently submitted a successful application for grant funding from the authorities twinning budget to assist with the cost of the trip. For further information on the grant funding process please call 01443 863218 alternatively email hughes2@caerphilly.gov.uk.
A talented troupe of young footballers from Caerphilly county borough are set to strike their mark on the German city of Ludwigsburg this summer, on a cultural and sporting exchange with one of the county borough's twinning partners.
16 players representing the Under 14 Caerphilly Schools Football Association squad will travel to the heart of Southern Germany this week to play matches against 2 local teams.
German club football is as strong as ever, with both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich reaching the Champions League Final this year, providing the travelling players with the opportunity to learn from their peers in Germany.
Caerphilly county borough has been twinned with Ludwigsburg since 1960 when the friendship began with the former Caerphilly Urban District Council and was continued with Rhymney Valley District Council until 1996. Since then Caerphilly County Borough Council took over all twinning arrangements.
The county borough is also twinned with the picturesque town of Pisek in southern Czech Republic. The partnership was established in 1994 with the former Islwyn County Council and was continued when Caerphilly County Borough Council was introduced in 1996.
Over the years strong friendships have been made through the partnerships, over many sections of the community. Community groups, choirs, schools and local clubs have taken part in exchange visits, sharing cultural differences and similarities with each other and forging strong links and friendships.
Cllr Keith Reynolds, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, commented, "Twinning is not merely a way for us to share civic links with partners in Europe, but also a way for each twinning partner to learn from each other and share culture, heritage, language and best practice during visits and, especially in this digital age, through linking up over the Internet. Over the years many lasting friendships have been forged through our links in both Ludwigsburg and Pisek and I am happy to see this continuing and growing."
If you would like further information on Twinning please contact 01443 863218.
The Twinning partnership between Caerphilly and Ludwigsburg continues to flourish after celebrating 50 years.
Back in 2010 Caerphilly welcomed guests from Ludwigsburg for an action packed schedule to mark the 50th anniversary, culminating in a musical extravaganza hosted in Blackwood Miners Institute.
Over the past 50 years the partnership has seen many exchanges under a number of themes including sporting exchanges those of a musical or cultural nature and official visits. Residents and groups from the Caerphilly county borough who had taken part in exchanges over the years were invited to share stories and contribute towards an exhibition specially created to mark the occasion.
The 5 day visit also tied in with the spectacular Freedom of the Borough Ceremony in both Blackwood and Caerphilly town centre where the 1st Battalion of the Royal Welsh Regiment were awarded the Freedom of the Caerphilly county borough.
Twin partners from Pisek in the Czech Republic were also able to share in the celebrations and attend the road naming ceremony of Ludwigsburg Strasse the road leading to Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr.
If you or your organisation would like to be involved in a twinning visit or you have a story you would like to tell please contact us on 01443 863218 alternatively email hughes2@caerphilly.gov.uk
2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the twinning partnership between the two towns. The celebrations will be held in Caerphilly next year and we would like to invite all interested clubs or individuals to join and support the celebrations.