Merry Christmas from Cynon Valley Museum
As we come to the end of 2021, everyone at Cynon Valley Museum would like to wish you a merry Christmas, a happy festive period, and New Year. The museum team has been delighted to be able to share the build up to Christmas with you this year, with Christmas trails, visits by Santa, and the Christmas Museum shop supporting local artists and crafters.
Similar to 2020, this year has been a challenge for all of us. It started with the museum closure as we weathered the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the situation stabilised the museum was able to commence with a major capital project to renovate the existing toilets and create a new accessible ground floor office. These works have improved our visitor experience immensely and made the museum more accessible than ever before.
Cynon Valley Museum Reopens
Halfway through 2021 Cynon Valley Museum was finally able to reopen to the public, bar a brief period in November of 2020, for the first time since March 2020. Since then the museum has gone from strength to strength; expanding opening hours, reopening all three galleries, and bringing back the room hire service. As we come to the end of the year we will have been open for a full six months, visitor numbers are growing and people are returning to the museum once again. The museum would like to thank everyone who has supported the museum through visiting, exhibiting online and physically, selling in our museum shop and using the museum as a venue for meetings, events and classes. All of your support has been crucial to the museum’s successful reopening and working to return to where it was prior to the pandemic at the centre of the Cynon Valley community.
A Thank You to Our Volunteers
The museum’s recovery and reopening would not have been possible without the dedication of our volunteers who have helped reopen the museum and expand our opening hours, without our current volunteers and those who joined the museum team through 2021 the museum would certainly not be where it is today.
If you are interested in volunteering follow the link to find out more about being a volunteer at Cynon Valley Museum
Christmas and New Year Opening Hours
Cynon Valley Museum will be opening until 1pm on Christmas Eve for last minute Christmas shopping and for your final chance to see Blackwood Art Society stunning art exhibition. The museum will be closed through the week after Christmas reopening to the public on Monday 4th January at 10am. During the Christmas break we will stay vigilant for any changes of guidance from Welsh government and update you as soon as we can on any consequential impacts of the museum.
A Look to 2022
As we start to look to the new year there is much for you to look forward to!
We are delighted to welcome in January local artist Neil Burridge, a painter based in Tonyrefail, South Wales. Neil has taught on the Art and Design Foundation course in Coleg Y Cymoedd for the last twenty years and is known for his still-life and portraits works, you can see his digital exhibition with us here.
Our second new exhibition will be by Nigel Whitbread who will be sharing his poignant works of the Homeless World Cup which took place in Cardiff back in 2019. You can see Nigel’s digital exhibition here. Finally, in January the museum will be taking part in Holocaust Memorial Day, more information will be shared in the new year of our planned events to commemorate this important day.
Trustees Needed
Returning to the museum’s work we continue with our search for new trustees to join our board, if you are interested in becoming a trustee please do get in touch, I look forward to hearing from you!
Become a Trustee of Cynon Valley Museum
Thank you
We would like to say a thank you to our funders who have supported us through 2020 and 2021
- Pen Y Cymoedd
- National Lottery Heritage Fund
- Moondance Foundation
- Welsh Museums Federation
- Museums, Archives and Libraries Division of Welsh Government
- Welsh Church Acts Fund
- Peoples Health Trust
And thank you, to you for your continued support through 2021. I would like to wish you a peaceful festival period and a happy New Year and look forward to seeing you visit us this coming week and through 2022.
Will Tregaskes
Museum Manager
