Fun Days Spread The Word About The Taff

PONTYPRIDD, Wales - Oct. 30, 2014 - PRLog -- Mid-week visitors to the Rhondda Heritage Park recently enjoyed an extra treat, when they were invited to investigate the host of creatures that may be found in the River Taff and to take part in a range of free, nature-themed activities, as part of the South East Wales Rivers Trust’s “Gŵyl Taf” project to encourage local people to better understand and care for the river.

River samples, taken from the River Taff by Jen Pilkington, the Gŵyl Taf Project Officer, have featured at many Gŵyl Taff fun days and exhibitions over the past 18 months and have included large numbers of beetle grubs, snails, worms, river-fly larvae and shrimps, as well as leeches and small Bullhead fish. Young visitors are always particularly excited to examine and identify the tiny creatures under magnifying glasses and fascinated to learn how important they are to a healthy river.

Many of the adult visitors have clearly recalled the days when the “Taff ran black with coal dust” and weren’t surprised to learn that it was once one of the 10 most-polluted rivers in Europe. However, most were amazed to see how clean and rich in life the river now is, and to hear  that the Taff now boasts trout, salmon, otters, kingfishers and herons, agreeing that the river has truly been “reborn”.

Younger visitors have also enjoyed learning how dragonflies live and thrive around our waterways, and many made a colourful glittery-dragonfly to take home as a souvenir. Other river-themed activities included making “river-creature” fridge magnets and origami frogs as well as a variety of quizzes and games.

A new challenge for visitors to Gŵyl Taf exhibits this year has been the “Litter Timeline” game, requiring small teams to guess how long it takes for various items of litter to degrade if dropped in our countryside, instead of being properly treated. Many players, young and old, have been shocked that a baby’s disposable nappy would take about 550 years to decay, whilst small batteries would take about 100 years and cigarette ends about 10 years. Jen has recently introduced this game to the Gŵyl Taf primary-school programme, where many children have also completed it very enthusiastically.

At the end of the day, Jen commented, “This fun-day, like those run earlier in the year and the other Gŵyl Taf exhibitions at the “Welsh Big Bite” and “Go Wild” shows, help to spread the message on the ongoing recovery of the river and to encourage increasing numbers of local people to play their part in continuing the improvement of the Taff and its environment. These events have also stimulated many volunteers to help clear bracken-infested areas, plant native trees and wild flowers, repair paths and stiles, clear litter and install bird boxes and other homes for wildlife in the Pontygwaith Nature Reserve”.