Saturday 14th & 21st December BREAKFAST WITH SANTA 10:00am – 12:00pm
Why not have breakfast with Santa in the Heritage Café?
£6 per person for all ages, includes light breakfast and selection box.
February Half Term Activities
Holiday activities to keep the family occupied from 11:00am to 4:00pm each day. Tuesdays 18th Make a unique gift in this mug decorating workshop (£2.00 per make) Wednesday 19th & Thursday 20th Get crafty for Earth Hour 2020. Free activity. Thursday 20th Story & Craft in the Library at 2.30pm. Free entry (pre-booking required).
Big Pit National Coal Museum
Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th December
CHRISTMAS AT BIG PIT 10:00am – 4:00pm
Visit Big Pit for a Special Welsh Christmas experience!
Wrap up warm and gather at Pit Top at 10.15am to welcome Santa as he comes UP from underground.
On Saturday Blaenavon Ladies Choir and Beaufort Male Choir will be performing.
On Sunday it is Blaenavon Town Band’s turn to help build the excitement.
Whilst you wait for your timed slot for Storytime with the ‘Main Man’ join in with traditional Carols accompanied by the Choir or the Brass Band at 1:00pm. Visit the Christmas Market, make your own Christmas Crafts (small cash charge payable on the day) and enjoy the Festive Food on offer in the Canteen.
Every weekend throughout December
SANTA SPECIALS
Enjoy a train ride to Blaenavon High Level, where, next to a roaring fire, sits the big man himself in the station grotto!
The train will return to Furnace Sidings following a non-stop run through Furnace Sidings to Whistle Inn Halt.
As well as the opportunity to meet with Santa, each child will receive an age appropriate gift.
For the Adults there will be Sherry and a Mince Pie.
The buffet carriage will be transformed into a festive waiting room alongside the platform, so everyone can stay warm while opening their presents and waiting for the steam train to depart.
Booking is essential.
See Father Christmas in his grotto at the Ironworks this Christmas - and make unique memories for the whole family!
There will be a £5.00 charge per child to enter the grotto. Each child will receive a gift.
There will be a Christmas Trail too! 14th, 15th, 21st & 22nd December To book to see Father Christmas phone 01495 792615.
Note: the grotto is situated within the site and so normal admission prices still also apply to enter the Ironworks site on the day for all visitors.
Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall
As well as the weekly cinema films there will be a live broadcasts from The Royal Opera House: Tuesday 10th December at 7:15pm -- Coppélia Tuesday 16 January at 7:15pm -- The Nutcracker Thursday 16th January at 7:15pm – Sleeping Beauty Wednesday 29th January at 7:15pm – La Bohème Tuesday 25th February at 7:15pm -- Marston & Scarlett
Saturday 14th December at 8.30pm -- The Liquid Engineers, the ultimate Gary Newman Tribute Band Tuesday 21st January at 7:00pm -- Up Pompeii, based on the original characters in the Frankie Howerd comedy, this hilarious romp through ancient Pompeii brings back all the television favourites in this full length play,
There’s entertainment for the younger ones too! Thursday 12th, Friday 13th & Saturday 14th December there will be performances of the family pantomime “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”’
This will be Adhoc@TheWorkmen’s first pantomime.
Sunday 15th December WETLANDS BIRD SURVEY
This event starts at 10:00am from the Garn Lakes top car park.
Walk around the Garn Lakes and surrounding areas with a local birdwatcher and see what birds are over-wintering on the lakes.
Count and record the different species.
No dogs allowed at this event.
For more information go to https://www.bwheg.wales
Community News
World Heritage Centre Welsh Gift Shop Launch
Torfaen’s Rural Development project Taste of Torfaen has been working with Blaenavon World Heritage Centre and its Heritage Tea Rooms to source, serve and sell local and Welsh products
Blaenavon World Heritage Centre launched its new look gift shop on Thursday 28th November with a traditional festive fayre evening, the public were invited to come along to browse the new range perfect for Christmas gifts. The evening’s festivities continued with traditional dance, carols around the Christmas tree and festive treats served from the Heritage Tea Rooms.
The recently upgraded gift shop now stocks a range of local produce from chocolate and fudge, to chutneys and gin all sourced from Wales. Our gift range has a strong welsh theme with jewellery from welsh companies NOA and Ronin, soaps from the Welsh Valley Soapery all alongside bakestones, Welsh cook books and traditional Welsh gifts.
The Blaenavon Townscape Heritage Programme (THP) Celebrating 25 years of the National Lottery Heritage Fund:
Blaenavon recently welcomed members of the NLHF to meet groups who have benefited from their funding. Blaenavon is the only Welsh area to be visited as part of the NLHF 25th Birthday Celebrations.
We were delighted that they got to meet the people behind the projects, members of the community and groups who have received funding and worked tirelessly to support Blaenavon.
Visit the NLHF website to see the work carried out as a result of this funding and see who YOU know! https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/news/25-years-restoring-prosperity-and-pride-blaenavon
Capital Projects:
The first of the Blaenavon THP building projects was successfully completed at Bethlehem Chapel in September 2019, and further Townscape projects are being developed for delivery in 2020-21.
Get Creative with Head4Arts
We are gearing up to produce our second exhibition, inspired by our town centre shops and created by people aged 65 or above. We will be working in a variety of crafty media (eg clay, textiles, paint) and we would love to hear to from anyone in this age group who wants to get creative with us.
Contact: mair.sheen@torfaen.gov.uk
