Mr D.M. Harris, the headmaster of Fynnon Taf school was elected to serve as Chairman for the meeting. He gave an explanation of the reason for the meeting being held. Mr D. Rees gave a report of what had taken place at a meeting between Caerphilly Urban District Council, British Rail and local members of the Caretaker Committee regarding the acquisition of the British Rail cooking centre as a village hall. The Cooking Centre was a large building constructed from corrugated steel sheets. It was originally built in the 1900s as a ‘Drill Hall’ for the Territorial Army. Later it was converted to a cinema and during the war was used as a cooking centre.
Mr Tom Whilding also presented to the meeting the agreement that Mr Evan Williams was prepared to enter into negotiations with British Rail so that the cooking centre could be acquired for use as a village hall.
There was an election for Officers for the Caretaker Committee and Mr D.M. Harris was elected as Chairman, Mr D. Rees as Secretary, Mr E.B. Lloyd-Jones as Assistant Secretary and Mr D. Chaplin as Treasurer. It was also agreed that letters be sent to all village organisations inviting them to send representatives to make up the Caretaker Committee.
At the next meeting held at the Half Way Garage (now the site of three houses opposite the hall) on Thursday 11th August 1954. Letters were received from nine of the village organisations giving the name of their representative to serve on this committee. In addition, there were a further seven nominations from local businesses and included the National Union of Mineworkers, Rookwood Colliery and Steetly Dolomite Ltd.
The following meeting was held on 30th August 1954 in the Vestry of the Tabernacle Chapel, in Tabor Street, the Caretaker Committee had expanded to sixteen representatives. At this meeting, Mr Williams reported that the agreement between himself and British Rail for the handing over the hall was in course of preparation. The tenancy would commence on 29th September 1954. During the meeting, it was also asked to accept the co-option of eight further members of the community who had expressed an interest in participation.
The Tabernacle Chapel was also used for the next meeting on the 9th September 1954 and saw the attendance of the committee standing at twenty members. There was a great deal of enthusiasm from both members present and from organisations and individuals who had promised a wide range of voluntary services to get the Hall Project up and running. This included an offer from Taff’s Well Dramatic Society to erect, at their own expense, a permanent stage, fully equipped with necessary electrical and staging equipment. It was also agreed that a Finance Sub Committee be formed, which would comprise of the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer together with three other members of the General Committee. These were to be Mrs M Ward, Mr Tom Whilding and Mr Tom W Stephens. It was also agreed to invite Mr Glyn Russell, Mrs Viv Williams, Mr Cled Williams, Mr David Porter and Mr Dudley Jenkins to join this committee.
On the 16th September 1954, there was a meeting of the Finance Sub Committee with the venue being recorded as the Village Hall. This meeting started off with a declaration to circulate a letter to all households, businesses and professional people to appeal for funds and offer assistance.
The Community Association took over the hall in 1956 and for three years rented it for £200 a year. The money was paid entirely by local garage owner Mr Evan Williams. When the association took over the hall it was falling down. Volunteer labour made the floorboards, built a stage, anterooms cloakrooms and decorated the hut. During the first years, a weekly house to house collection helped to supplement the funds, to which almost every family contributed. Later a loan was obtained from Caerphilly Urban Council to buy the freehold.
At a Public Meeting on October 22nd 1959 to discuss whether to resign the constitution and adopt the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisations as an application for a grant to build a new village hall was turned down through a slight difference between the constitution adopted by the committee and the constitution required by C.I.S.W.O.
The new village hall was eventually built with money from the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO) and from public subscriptions (door to door collections) at a cost of around £12,000. At a committee meeting in July 1961 it was decided that a letter would be sent to every household in Taff’s Well and District so that everyone would be kept up to date as to the progress being made and pointing out that all the activity planned would need the support of everyone and that helpers would call weekly or monthly to collect contributions. At this time it was estimated the running costs of the hall would be £10 per week. (water, gas, electricity)
The hall has multiple rooms and a large hall which can be used for a variety of events and classes. It was originally called The Miners Welfare Hall and a declaration of Trust was made in 1959 between Caerphilly Urban District Council (the landlords) in the Parish of Eglwysilian and David James Rees a Building Contractor of Weir House Taff’s Well, retired Railway Signalman William John James of Pickersleigh King Street, William John Greedy a Colliery Under Manager of Aldsworth House Taff’s Well, Coke Ovens Manager Evan Benjamin Lloyd Jones of Brongarn, Hollybush Villas, Church Village, Collier George Roberts of 4 Yr Hendre, Nantgarw and Collier John Jones of 66 Ty Rhiw, Taff’s Well (original trustees)
A Special General Meeting was called on 23rd September 1985 to discuss a letter received from the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation regarding the future of the village hall. This had become necessary due to cutbacks in manpower in the mining industry and would affect all Welfare Halls. Subsequently, a meeting was set up with Mr Verdun Price (C.I.S.W.O) on 7th October 1985, who explained that although the hall was set up under the coal industry, it had been self-supporting for many years and one of the few Miners Welfare Halls that looks after itself, through the management committee. When the Nantgarw Colliery closed, Taff’s Well was no longer classed as a mining community. Many of these types of halls are closing all over the country through a lack of support. Mr Price asked whether the Trustees wished the Borough Council to take over the running of the hall, to which there was an emphatic “No” in response. The hall was then given to the village of Taff’s Well, as long as the hall covered all the legal fees to amend the Deeds. The conveyancing carried out by the solicitor’s Morgan Bruce & Nichols
The land was leased to us from the local authority (now Rhondda Cynon Taf) at a peppercorn rent and is now paid up in full until the end of the lease. We are one of the longest surviving halls in the locality.
In 1998 an application for funding was made for an extension and refurbishment project. The project was conceived after an initial application was made to Cynnal following an article in the South Wales Echo inviting Halls to bid for Millennium funding. No money had been spent on the hall since it was built and the committee were also experiencing difficulties in accommodating all the people and organisations wishing to hire the hall. The money would enable the hall to be brought up to modern-day standards and increase its overall capacity.
Initially, the prospect of receiving the total funding looked promising, however, The Millennium Commission decided to spread the funding over several halls, which greatly limited the amount of refurbishment work that could take place. Therefore only a minor refurbishment was undertaken with no money available for the planned extension.
A public meeting was called on February 19th at 7.00 to save the village hall, the hall had been forced to close for a brief period of time due to a lack of committee members. A new committee was formed at this meeting with Mike Phillips duly elected as chairman, Carol Morgan as Treasurer and Dawn Fenner as Secretary.
The new committee soon put together a ‘Five Year’ plan, as the hall had no real money spent on its upkeep for a number of years. They were fortunate in successfully applying for a number of grants, which allowed the much-needed refurbishment work to commence. The hall was completely repainted inside, new PVC double glazed windows and doors were installed, new flooring throughout and updated the heating system.
The services that village halls provide in rural areas across Wales, provide vital centres for communities to come together, collaborate and celebrate. Taff’s Well Village Hall is an essential part of rural life and provides services to the local area surrounding Taff’s Well, Nantgarw, Gwaelod-y-Garth and Ty Rhiw, the area has an approximate population of around 5000 people with 762 of the population is 65 years of age and over.
In February 2020 Storm Dennis struck causing flooding to the Nantgarw and Taff’s Well community, the hall opened up on day one, providing hot food and drinks. Donations of food, blankets and bedding, cleaning equipment, toiletries, electrical items slowly began to trickle in, and the hall became the community’s main emergency centre. Unsurprisingly volunteers came in their droves and provided support and assistance for local residents affected by the flood. The hall would not have been able to function without them. In addition, fundraising was organised for those affected by the flood and eventually, a total of £16,238 was raised.
This work had not gone unnoticed and when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country, RCT asked if the hall could remain open and continue to help coordinate a food bank. The hall not only provided food bank facilities but also dog walking and delivering medication to those elderly and vulnerable people self-isolating, this continued until late in 2021. At the height of the pandemic, an average of ten food boxes a day were being distributed. Packed lunches were also being supplied and a hot meal most days of the week, including a Sunday lunch.
Taff’s Well Village hall is a vehicle for community involvement, it contributes to diversity. The committee has responded to the challenges ahead and actively participates in developing new approaches to local problems as they arise, and to this end, they help identify new needs quickly. The hall provides facilities, in what is an ageing population, in both the local and surrounding communities. Today the village hall is run by a team of seven trustees, a management committee totalling twelve, and volunteers to ensure its existence. The village hall committee and trustees exist with the purpose of meeting the needs of our users.
The activities and events have grown from strength to strength over the last three years and has proved that the community centre is an integral part of the community and can provide services and support to the local area. Without the village hall, many people in the community and surrounding areas would be very lonely, and the refurbishment, currently taking place will enable us to bring even more people together. The impact will make a great difference to the rural community of Taff’s Well. Village halls and miners institutes across the country are closing. In contrast, the committee is helping to increase community cohesion, while reducing isolation and loneliness. There can be no doubt that with the right vision, village halls are more important and relevant than ever.
My eternal thanks to Mrs Josie Thomas and Mr Alun Toghill for giving me their time and knowledge and supplying me with historical Minutes from the Management Committee meetings in order for me to produce this brief history.
Mike Phillips
Chairman October 2021
