Meetings

Enough of this frivolity! Things are happening around Hay.

Tomorrow night, the 22nd, Transition Towns are having their AGM at Kilvert's at 7.30pm (followed by Open Mic Night). They are aware that they have only scratched the surface of what is possible in Hay, despite the success of the Community Garden, and will be asking such questions as: Could Hay be self sufficient in fruit and vegetables? Could we use waste cooking oil for community transport? What would a Zero Waste Hay look like? Anyone who's interested in finding out more should go along.

And on Thursday, at Hay School, there will be a meeting about the proposed changes in traffic management for Hay. From April 1st, Powys Council will be enforcing traffic regulations around Hay, and I think they can see quite a substantial income in fines coming their way. I certainly see cars illegally parked on double yellow lines all over Hay every single day. Officers of Powys Highways Department will be at the School from 6.30pm to talk to people.

Sometimes, it seems as if Hay and this area of the Welsh Marches exists in its own little bubble, unconcerned with the problems of the wider world. At other times, though, all those problems press in on us.
Take last week's issue of the B&R, for instance. Secondary school teachers threatened with compulsory redundancy are planning one day strikes across the county - six jobs at Brecon High School are thought to be in danger. 500 people went to a meeting in Crickhowell about the proposed re-organisation of the county's high schools.
It's not just secondary schools, either - there are plans to close ten primary schools and replace them with five, but using existing school buildings to house three of the five new schools. Schools run by the Church in Wales seem to be safe, but Llanigon, Glasbury, Ffynnongynydd and Rhosgoch would go - and Llanigon and Ffynnongynydd, at least, are excellent small schools that provide a wonderful education for the children. (I have no personal experience of the other two.)
There are new plans to redevelop the Bronllys Hospital site (they say they want to avoid a repeat of what happened after Talgarth Hospital closed, to the ruination of the buildings).
And Brecon Library is being considered for listing as an example of 1960s architecture, inspired by St Catherine's College, Oxford - which would make it rather more difficult for the Council there to sell the land to build a new shopping mall.