A new digital trail has been launched in Ebbw Vale that explores the history of the town. Pupils from Pen-y-Cwm School were the first visitors to walk the trail. The trail was part of tourism developments funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The trail was commissioned by Blaenau Gwent Council and uses the History Points platform for the trail. Fourteen buildings, artworks and sites take you on a circular route through the town exploring links to Paul Robeson, Italian ice cream and its industrial past. Pupils were surprised to learn that the library was once a chapel that only had services in Welsh and that the train line ran straight along the main street of the valley town.
Cllr John Morgan, Blaenau Gwent Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Place said:
“Ebbw Vale is largely known for its industrial history and grew rapidly with the development of its steelmaking. Alongside this are stories of Italian migrants introducing ice cream to the valleys, of international artists and freedom fighters visiting the town to sing at the Eisteddfod. These are aspirational tales of overcoming adversity and how the people of the town made it a better place to live and work.
“We hope that the trail will attract more people into our towns and encourage them to stay longer. Ebbw Vale is the first trail to launch and the Abertillery trail will be the next, with other towns following on.”
Nichola Fry, Teacher at Pen-y-Cwm school said:
“It was great to showcase how aspirational our learners are and what they can achieve. We all learned so much about Ebbw Vale and were really excited to see one of our learners, Ciaran Mitchel-Neal, featured in one of the History Points. Other learners from Pen-y-Cwm will be visiting the trail soon, it is an excellent way to learn more about our locality in an innovative way.”
Pupil Emily Bevan said:
“It was really nice to learn the different history of Ebbw Vale and the ice-cream was a bonus.”
If you would like to take the trail visit www.historypoints.org and click on Tours in Blaenau Gwent.
