Маестег: город и община в Уэльсе

Town and community in Wales

Maesteg ('/m//aɪ/,/s//t//ɛ//ɡ//audio=LL Q9309 (cym) Jason. nlw Maesteg. wav/) is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translation of Maesteg is 'fair field'. Historically a part of Glamorgan, the growth of the town started with the opening of ironworks in the 1820s and 1830s. Once a coal mining area, the last pit closed in 1985. With the decline of the coal industry and, more recently, the closure of one large factory producing cosmetics and another manufacturing vehicle components, the valley has become a residential/dormitory area for the Port Talbot, Bridgend and Cardiff journey to work areas. 11% (1,867 out of 20,702) of the town's population speak Welsh with 27.9% of 3 15 year olds speaking the language. It is one of the few areas of Wales where the traditional Mari Lwyd is still celebrated during Christmas. The community of Maesteg had a population of 17,580 in the 2011 census and includes Nantyffyllon. The built up area having a population of 21,000.

Before the development of industry in the 1820s, the Llynfi Valley was a sparsely populated area of scattered farms. The nearest settlement was the village of Llangynwyd, located on the hillside about two miles south of the present day town centre of Maesteg. Close to Llangynwyd is an extensive earthwork known as Y Bwlwarcau ("the bulwarks"), an Iron Age enclosure that is probably a remnant of the earliest settlement in the Llynfi district. During the Middle Ages, the valley was part of Tir Iarll (the Earl's Land), an area "famous for its game coverts, its woods and sparkling streams" that was set aside as a hunting reserve by Robert Fitzhamon, Earl of Gloucester, the Norman conqueror of Glamorgan. Up to the 18th century, many of the farms of the Llynfi Valley were centres of local culture. For example, Llwydarth, the home of the influential Powell family, was a centre for writers and poets in Glamorgan in the 17th century. According to the Daily Telegraph, Maesteg was the first place in the UK where Japanese knotweed was spotted in the wild, sometime before 1886.

Maesteg Market was situated at the ground floor level of Maesteg Town Hall and offered a variety of goods until the final stallholder left in 2018.

Maesteg has three railway stations, all on the Maesteg Line. Services are operated by Transport for Wales and run directly to Cardiff Central via Bridgend. The services usually continue to Cheltenham Spa via Newport and Gloucester with one early morning service to Ebbw Vale Town. Previous, long distance extensions to London Waterloo and Wrexham General were short lived. The terminus station is Maesteg; the other two stations are the most recently built , and Garth station which serves the Garth and Cwmfelin villages situated just outside Maesteg. The Rail linc bus service used to replace a withdrawn rail service from Maesteg to Caerau, but it was removed in January 2012 due to council cutbacks. In the past, there were other railway stations in Maesteg. Llangynwyd Station used to lie on the Maesteg line a few miles east of where Garth Station is today, and Maesteg (Neath Road) was on the old Port Talbot Railway Line, but these are now closed. The original Maesteg station was situated a few yards west of the terminus that is there today. Remains of the original station remain behind the Asda supermarket, including the platforms and the bridge joining the two platforms. The old track was removed in 2007 during a land reclamation project. The present stations were reopened by British Rail in 1992.

Maesteg bus station is situated to the rear of the town hall. First Cymru operate the majority of the services from this station. Services run to Bridgend, Swansea via Port Talbot, Caerau Park, Llangynwyd and Cymmer.

In common with the rest of Wales, the town has two official languages, English and Welsh. The majority of people in Maesteg are native English speakers, but there is a Welsh speaking minority. The 2011 census reported that 11% of people over the age of 3 spoke Welsh. However, there were large discrepancies between age groups. 27.9% of 3 15 year olds spoke Welsh, 8.6% of 16 64 year olds spoke Welsh, and the lowest proportion was among the over 65s at 5.3%. Primary and secondary education is available through the medium of Welsh, there are Welsh language chapels, and the headquarters of Menter yr Iaith Pen y bont ar Ogwr is based in the town. The Welsh language author and Welsh medium education campaigner Norah Isaac was born and raised in Caerau. She was described as 'the most influential individual in the history of Welsh medium education' by Iolo Wyn Williams in his book Our Children's Language: The Welsh Medium Schools of Wales, 1939 2000. Wales' first ever Welsh language nursery was opened in Maesteg in 1949.

Maesteg has six English language state primary schools: Cwmfelin, Plasnewydd, Caerau, Nantyffyllon, Llangynwyd and Garth. Plasnewydd is one of the biggest primary schools in the Llynfi Valley, with just over 400 pupils, and is an Eco School. There is also a Catholic primary school, St. Mary's and St. Patrick's, and a Welsh medium school, Ysgol Cynwyd Sant. There are two comprehensive schools in Maesteg. The English medium Ysgol Maesteg School, previously known as Maesteg Comprehensive School, recently moved to a new site, at a cost of £17,000,000. The Welsh medium Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd then relocated to the former school's previous premises. The pupils of St. Mary's and St. Patrick's pursue their secondary education in Archbishop McGrath Catholic Comprehensive School, located in Brackla, a few miles to the south.

Maesteg Town Council has seventeen representatives covering the four electoral wards of Maesteg East (5), Maesteg West (5), Nantyffyllon (3) and Caerau (4). Until recently, there had been a majority of Labour members for over forty years. Following mass resignations from the local Labour Party as a result of an internal row over candidate selections, several Councillors resigned from the party and now sit as independents. The make up of the council as of June 2019 is 9 Labour and 8 Llynfi Independents members.

The largest religion in the valley is Christianity; the majority of denominations are Nonconformist. There are many churches and chapels in the Maesteg area, several of which have been converted into flats because they are no longer used for religious purposes. There is a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in one of Maesteg's villages, Nantyffyllon.

Maesteg has a tradition of music and theatre, including a rich tradition of singing. At present, there are two male voice choirs – Cor Meibion Maesteg A'r Cylch (Maesteg and District Male Voice Choir) and Maesteg Gleemen Male Voice Choir. Regarding competitions and awards, Maesteg Gleemen is the most successful MVC in the Llyfi Valley and Bridgend County Borough Council area. There is also a women's choir: Harmony Ladies Choir. There are two mixed groups, Noteworthy Choir and Take Note contemporary vocal group. Maesteg Children's Choir hosts many concerts throughout the year, and Curtain Up Youth Theatre has been performing musicals since the turn of the millennium. The rock band Funeral for a Friend originates from Maesteg. The Welsh national anthem "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" was first performed in Maesteg, in the vestry of the original Capel Tabor which is now Maesteg Workingmen's Club. The artist Christopher Williams was born in Maesteg in 1873: seven of his paintings are on display in the town hall.

As part of Bridgend County Borough, the local commercial radio station is Bridge FM. Maesteg is also on the fringes of the broadcast area of the Swansea based local commercial radio stations Hits Radio South Wales and Swansea Bay Radio. The town is also served by three local newspapers: The Glamorgan Gazette, published weekly, has its main office in Bridgend, but prints news related to Maesteg; The Gem, formerly The Recorder, a free weekly, printed in Cowbridge, and The Llynfi News, a free monthly paper, based in Maesteg.

Maesteg is home to Maesteg Park A. F. C. an association football team founded in 1945 and affiliated to the Football Association of Wales. There are four Welsh Rugby Union teams in Maesteg. The oldest is Maesteg RFC, founded in 1877, while Maesteg Harlequins RFC was formed in the 1920s. Other rugby union teams from the area include Nantyffyllon RFC and Maesteg Celtic RFC. For a time, Maesteg was also home to the now defunct rugby league team South Wales Scorpions. The town is home to two cricket clubs. Maesteg Cricket Club was founded in 1846 and won the South Wales Cricket Association League Cup in 2016. Maesteg Celtic Cricket Club is based at Garth Welfare Park; they have won the Welsh Cup three times and the first division of the South Wales Cricket Association on seven occasions, including a record four times consecutively. Both clubs play in the South Wales Cricket Association Division 1.