VE Day 80th Anniversary 8th May 2025

Garw Valley Community Council is marking the 80th Anniversary of VE Day on 8th May in the following ways:

• A short service will be held at the war memorial in Pontycymmer
• There will be a 2 minute silence at 12.00 midday throughout the UK.
• Church bells will ring at 6.30 pm.   There is a UK wide initiative for all church bells to ring at this time.
• Our councillors will light Lamp Lights of Peace, 1 Blaengarw, Pontycymer and Llangeinor, at 9.30 pm.  Participants are asked to sing I Vow to Thee My Country as the lamps  are being lit
• Throughout the year our planter and flower beds will bloom with red, white and blue flowers.

The UK wide message is to encourage our residents to eat  Fish and Chips as part of this event in our collective ‘tribute’ to the amazing and brave Fishermen and women that still fished the seas having to constantly avoid the mines laid around our shores, and the selfless farmers and Land Girls that ploughed to fields keeping the Nation fed, not knowing if loved ones would ever return. (Fish and Chips was one of our Nations established foods that was not rationed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill).

Below are some photos of the lit Lamp Lights of Peace on 8th May 2025:

Councillors W Davies & M Lewis           Councillor H Griffiths                             Councillors D Davies & Chris Lloyd

Pontycymer Ward                                      Pontycymer Ward (Pantygog)              Llangeinor Ward (accompanied by Councillor G Lloyd, Bettws Ward)