YOUNG people in Blaenavon have developed an arts project to celebrate the history and heritage of the town.

Teens at the Blaenavon Hwb youth group wrote and performed a poem about the town and their connection to it, entitled ‘Mynavon’, and created a YouTube video to go with it.

The group were supported by the Blaenavon Male Voice Choir, who performed the background music for the project.

The video is the first in a series of exhibitions and been created by youngsters in the town to showcase its history and heritage.

Dan Oliver, Hwb manager, said: “This exhibition has given our young people a voice and a platform to talk about the things that are important to them, their work is testament to their sense of community and pride in their hometown.

“Mynavon is about identity, and the young people have captured that beautifully.

“My thanks go to the choir for providing such a meaningful backdrop, and to the Hwb staff for facilitating this important and engaging piece of work.”

‘Mynavon’ is funded through the Blaenavon Townscape Heritage Partnership, a programme which saw the town awarded £1.2m of National Lottery Funding to help regenerate the town centre and promote Blaenavon as a World Heritage Site and tourist destination.

The programme is being delivered through funding contributions from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Torfaen County Borough Council, Blaenavon Town Council, Cadw and private sector applicants.

Councillor Alan Jones, Blaenavon World Heritage Champion, said: “This digital exhibition is fantastic.

“To see how our young people have captured the history and heritage of our town is very moving and impressive.”

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(Members of Blaenavon Hwb working on the ‘Mynavon’ project. Pictures: Torfaen council)

Gareth Davies, chairman of the Townscape Heritage Programme board, said: “It’s wonderful to see such cohesion between generations and the results it can produce.

“Well done everyone, the video is passionate, vibrant and real.”

The Townscape Heritage Programme aims to fund projects designed to engage with the local community, creating opportunities for school children to celebrate their town’s heritage, and delivering projects to engage the community and volunteers on a wide range of activities that deliver skills and training.

Richard Bellamy, head of the National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales, said: “We believe that heritage is a living thing and should be a part of our everyday lives.

“Historic town centres are the beating heart of communities, so it is vital that we take care and celebrate them.

“This YouTube video is a perfect example of this.”

You can read the full ‘Mynavon’ poem on the Torfaen council website, where you can also watch the video produced by Blaenavon Hwb.