Weekly Round Up with Tom

13 June 2025

Helo bawb,

As Rob is away this week taking part in a Panel Performance Assessment at Carmarthenshire Council – I’ll be stepping into his shoes to share some of what’s been happening across the Vale. There’s been so much happening which shows Vale 2030 in action right across the Council.

This week marked Carers’ Week, a UK-wide awareness campaign running from Monday 9 June to Sunday 15 June.

It recognises the incredible contribution unpaid carers make to their families, communities, and wider society.

The theme for this year is "Caring About Equality" - focusing on ensuring that carers are recognised, valued, and supported equally across all aspects of society. This is something that really chimes with our commitment to support and protect those who need us.

A number of events were held across the Vale to celebrate Carers’ Week, including a picnic in the park at St Fagans, a taster dance session at the YMCA in Barry and TuVida, - a not-for-profit organisation that offers support to unpaid carers – held a drop-in session at the CF61 community building in Llantwit Major in partnership with Vale Council Carers Team.

These events were a chance not only to celebrate the vital role carers play, but also to connect, share experiences, and highlight the support available across the Vale.

A big thank you to all colleagues who helped organise activities and who support unpaid carers across the Vale. It is really important that we recognise the contribution carers make every day and ensuring we continue to support them through our work, not just during Carers’ Week, but all year round.

To find out more about Carers' Week, or to get involved in more upcoming events or helpful training sessions, click here.

Meanwhile, I’m pleased to share the brilliant news that the Council has been awarded over £78,000 through the Welsh Government’s Cultural Transformation Capital Grant Programme.

This funding will support a major refurbishment of the first-floor area in Penarth Library, transforming it into a versatile, modern space designed to better meet the needs of the local community.

The project aims to refurbish the first floor to create an improved environment featuring a dedicated local history collection space, modernised study areas with a hireable community meeting room equipped with media facilities and adaptable seating.

The refurbishment aims to:

• Increase access to Welsh history and support its role in the Curriculum for Wales
• Enhance community engagement by providing a welcoming space for local groups and events
• Support students, local entrepreneurs, and remote workers with improved workspaces

These improvements are a direct result of feedback from Vale residents - including input from the Youth Service - which highlighted the current limitations of Penarth Library’s first-floor space and it is great to see how we’re able to listen to our residents and put their feedback into action in a way that will transform the space to benefit the whole community.

Well done to Library and Cultural Services Manager Jordan Forse who worked hard to put this successful project bid forward – da iawn!

On the subject of community, I’d like to share a piece of tremendous generosity that took place this week after one of the fridges at the Food Pod at St Luke’s in Penarth stopped working.

The Food Pod opened in March 2021 and operates out of a converted shipping container – and offers residents tinned and perishable goods, toiletries and hygiene products on a pay-as-you-can basis. It’s one of a number of food projects that run across the Vale and is a great example of strengthening communities and working in partnership.

Andy Bladon from the ABM group – our kitchen maintenance contractor – visited the Food Pod to see if the fridge could be fixed and did so free of charge.

When Andy found that the fridge wasn’t repairable, he contacted the Council to say that the ABM group would donate a new stainless steel commercial fridge to replace the old one.

This was an incredibly kind offer and such a wonderful gesture that will benefit all who use the Food Pod and the wider community at St Luke’s. Thank you from us all.

In other news, and with Father’s Day just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to shine a light on the Fathers Reading Every Day (FRED) programme - a brilliant initiative that is supported by colleagues at Flying Start that encourages dads and male carers to make reading a part of daily life with their children.

Developed by the Fatherhood Institute, the FRED programme encourages fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other male role models to spend a few minutes each day reading with their child over a four-week period.

Anne Brock is a Flying Start Learning Coach and helps deliver the scheme to families in the Vale.

Anne says that she has immensely enjoyed being a part of the programme: “It has been really lovely meeting the dads and their children who have been involved with the FRED programme so far. Everyone seems to have enjoyed their reading journey, and I look forward to encouraging more dads and children to take part in the programme in the future.”

Anne said that the dads she has spoken to as part of the programme have all said that they have enjoyed spending focused time with their child/children. This was some of their feedback:

"It was a good experience and has boosted my confidence. We loved sitting together doing the FRED programme and we still do."

"My daughter loves reading with me and brings me books when I come home from work."

"We are enjoying the time looking at books together."

These reflections really speak for themselves, and as a Council we want to give everyone a good start in life and we are committed to providing opportunities for growth and learning – especially for our youngest residents.

Thank you to Anne and the entire Flying Start team for all that you do in supporting families across our communities.

One of my favourite things to do each month is to meet new starters at the Welcome to the Vale induction sessions to welcome them to the council and talk about Vale 2030 and our ambitions. However, recognising colleagues’ contributions as they retire is a close second! So in that spirit, I’d like to give a big shout out to Ricky Mountjoy who has recently retired after 53 years of service.

Ricky, who was the Council’s longest-serving employee, recently celebrated his 73rd birthday and has had a remarkable career that began on 19 April 1972.

In 1972, a pint of milk cost around five pence and the Ford Cortina was one of the most popular cars on the road! That same year, Ricky Mountjoy took his first steps into public service as part of a local street cleaning team - a role he would continue in for over five decades.

Speaking of his time in the role, Ricky said: “I have really enjoyed doing this job, in this area of Penarth for all these years. I’ve loved working for the Council and will miss it tremendously but now, it’s time for me to retire.”

Colin Smith, Head of Neighbourhood Services, said: “Ricky has been an outstanding, model employee dedicated to the town of Penarth.

“Up until his retirement, Ricky has kept Cornerswell Road and Stanwell Road shopping centres and surrounding areas, clean and tidy ensuring they are maintained and presented to the highest of standard. Ricky will be sincerely missed by all his colleagues, and we wish him all the very best for a well-deserved retirement.”

Ricky’s dedication and consistency over more than five decades is an inspiration to us all, and his contribution to the community in Penarth and the Council is greatly valued.

I think I can say on behalf of everyone Ricky, all the best in your retirement and thank you for all that you’ve contributed to our community for so long.

I’m very proud to be the SLT champion for LGBT+ colleagues and June is always particularly busy with Pride month activities. This weekend will see a number of celebrations in Barry as part of Barry Pride.

Barry Pride is taking place on Saturday, 14 June from 12pm until 7pm, with colleagues from our LGBTQ+ network GLAM being there to show our commitment to all parts of the community in the Vale.

It’s set to be a great day, and the Barry Pride team have worked hard to create an event with stalls and performances on the day spread across King Square and Central Park.

As part of our own Pride Month celebrations this June, we are proud to be hosting a free, staff-only screening of the award-winning film Pride.

The screening will take place at the Penarth Pier Pavillion on the 27th June at 7pm and is an opportunity for colleagues to come together to celebrate inclusivity, solidarity, and LGBTQ+ history in one of the Vale’s most iconic venues.

This is a fantastic opportunity to connect, reflect, and honour the spirit of Pride through the power of cinema. Tickets for the event can be found here.

On Sunday 29th June, Cowbridge Pride will take place and again, GLAM will be there representing us. Thank you to the GLAM team for all the work you do, and to all of the network members and allies for your support in making the Vale an inclusive place to work. 

Finally, I’d like to share an update with you all about the Eich Lle office accommodation project, with the next phase of moves set to take place between July – August.

Work will begin next week and is expected to last for approximately 8–10 weeks. During this time, we’ll be making a number of improvements to our office spaces to better support collaboration, hybrid working and make the best use of our assets. 

This is an important part of our Reshaping Programme and it’s great to see even more progress. Thanks to the project team for your continued commitment and enthusiasm, it’s much appreciated.

As part of the project, several teams will be moving to allow colleagues from Place to relocate to the Civic Offices and make best use of our space.

In the coming weeks, you’ll see more activity as internal works begin. We’ll continue to keep you informed with regular updates and will provide support to all teams involved in the moves.

Thanks everyone for the work you do to make this the best council we can be, week in week out. For those not in work this weekend, I hope you enjoy a restful and relaxing couple of days off.

Diolch yn fawr iawn,

Tom