Town celebrates past and present (From South Wales Argus)

Town celebrates past and present

1:50pm Monday 29th June 2009

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THOUSANDS of people took to the streets of Blaenavon at the weekend to celebrate the town's World Heritage day.

Now in its ninth year, the day celebrates Blaenavon's transformation from an industrial town, with a distinct nod to the past.

Around 6,000 people flooded the streets throughout Saturday, making the most of the sunshine, to enjoy a mix of music, history and workshops.

Spanning across the whole town centre, there some something for every taste, from a Victorian stilt walker to a Punch and Judy show and an exhibition of art.

Andrew Nummelin, 62, who runs Browning Books in Broad Street, said: "It's great fun, it brings a lot of people into town and it's just a great celebratory day. It's all about enjoying yourself."

The festivities were kicked-off at 11.30am by the town crier Derrick Price and ran throughout the day, including a parade through the streets featuring costumes from the past, designed with the help of schoolchildren from across Torfaen.

Music was pumped through speakers across the town, keeping the masses entertained as they wandered between the activities and events.

Katie Gates, 40, who was part of the organising team, said: "It's been fabulous, it's nice to get the mix of local people and visitors from outside the area."

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