CHARITY WALK: Blaenavon-born Carlie Beavan is intending spending summer 2008 walking from Land's End to John O'Groats, in order to raise money for two charities.

Carlie is a final year student at Cardiff University, and is a keen walker, as is her boyfriend, Edward Matts.

The couple are going to start the walk in July, after they have completed their university studies.

Carlie tells me that they are aiming to create the first "official" walk through the countryside, using the minimum of main roads for the long journey.

They expect the walk to take two to three months, and they will be camping along the way.

They have been doing plenty of training as they will be walking about 7 to 30 miles every day.

Carlie and Edward have always loved walking the rugged hills of Blaenavon, and Edward is in the Territorial Army, so has experience of surviving in the outdoors.

The two students are not just walking for pleasure or personal ambition, they wish to raise money for two very deserving causes, Marie Curie Cancer Care and the Alzheimer's Society.

Carlie and Edward would like as many people a possible to sponsor them, as they would like to reach their target of £3,500.

If you could help with sponsorship please visit www.justgiving.com/ lejogmccc for Marie Curie Cancer Care and www.justgiving.com/lejog for Alzheimer's Society.

Good luck to the both of you!

IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT: There are several environmental improvement schemes being carried out in Blaenavon at the present time, and one that is attracting some curiosity is situated at the bottom of Broad Street.

I was told by officers of Torfaen County Borough Council that this is an environmental improvement scheme, which has been funded by the Welsh Assembly.

The aim of this scheme is to improve the approach to the town centre from Prince Street.

The re-designed area will be much more attractive, with planting, paving, and space for community art.

It is hoped to make this approach to the town a much more welcoming area.

The design and form of the art piece to be placed in this site will be decided later on in a Community Engagement' project.

The local community will be encouraged to participate in developing proposals for the design, etc. More details about this will follow when available.

The scheme currently being worked on at the Centre of Broad Street, outside Ivor Gardens flats, is to replace all the paving slabs there.

A new pennant stone is being used to replace previous slabs so that this area matches all the rest of the paving work in the town centre.

ST PETER'S CHURCH SCHOOL: I came across a brochure the other day, that was written and published by Blaenavon Chamber of Trade and Commerce in the early 1980s'.

The Chamber of Trade then were keen to promote the various attractions and history of Blaenavon, and produced a short guide of places of interest in the town.

This is the information given about St Peter's Church School: "Unlike many of his contemporaries, ironmaster, Samuel Hopkins, was concerned for the welfare of his workers, and the education of their children.

"When he died, his sister Sarah built a school house, the first purpose-built ironmasters school in Wales, next to his church.

"Part of the Latin inscription on the school entrance says, That she might carry into effect the benevolent intentions of her deeply lamented and most deserving brother towards his Glenavonians'.

"It opened in 1816 with 120 such poor and needy boys and girls who reside within three miles of the school'.

"Both Sarah and Samuel Hopkins were devout Anglicans and the school was a national (ie: Anglican) school.

"The children were To be instructed in the knowledge of reading, writing and arithmetic, in the Church of England catachism and in the principles of the Christian religion, according to the doctrines of the Church of England'.

"The school was enlarged in 1849 and 1860, and the original school became the girls' school.

"Sadly it is scheduled to close in 1982".

Many years have passed since that brochure was written, and it has taken many years for St Peter's Church School to be restored and brought back into use.

The school lay in a state of disrepair for years, deteriorating in condition, awaiting funding and indeed ideas for its future use.

However, there is a happy ending to this particular story, as the school site will open at the end of March 2008 as the Blaenavon World Heritage Centre.

The outside of the building now looks very impressive and I can't wait to see the interior.

£3 million has been spent on the centre and it is hoped tourists will enjoy visiting the site to learn about Blaenavon's heritage and enjoy the state of the art facilities.

I also hope it will help in encouraging visitors into the nearby town centre.

The new World Heritage Centre will have an exhibition hall, information rooms, a cafe and teaching rooms, ensuring that education will still be an important part of the new life of the old St Peter's Church School.