MUSEUM NEWS: The museum has started off well this year with a coffee morning, when Sian Price, one of the producers of the BBC Wales programme, the Coal House Project, gave a talk on a look behind the scenes of the series.

The morning was well attended, and was as well as being a good fundraising event.

There are photos on display at the museum and a book setting out recipes and household hints from the 1920s. Thank you to all who gave, came and bought and made the event a success.

The next lecture will be on Wednesday, March 5 - Mons on the March, by Richie Rudd. Lectures start at 7.00pm in the Metropole Theatre, with teas and a chat downstairs in the museum afterwards. Entry is £2 and the public are most welcome.

Although there was no lecture in January it was a busy month, nonetheless.

Our annual dinner was very enjoyable, with Brian Davies (Curator of the museum at Pontypridd) on good form as our after-dinner speaker, and Enid Dean provided an entertaining quiz.

A big thank you to Roy Pickford for organising the event - no easy task! Thank you also to Nora Lewis, who very generously donated a painting for the raffle, raising £73.

A coachload of our members were off again at the end of January on a visit to the National Museum, to see, in particular, the Lowry painting of Six Bells (with a piece by Don on display below it) and the Red Lady skeleton.

The museum provided guides to explain the items more fully and that was much appreciated.

Fundraising January: £517. The Coal House coffee morning contributed a very welcome £160 - many thanks, Sian.

PACT: The next community meeting of Partnerships and Communities Together (Abertillery Town Ward) takes place Wednesday, March 5, at 7pm, in Abertillery Comprehensive School Hall.

If you want to voice any concerns, or learn about future policing plans, now is your chance - please attend.

FELLOWSHIP MEAL: Penniel Church, Tillery Street, is holding a Fellowship Meal, on April 26, at 6pm. Tickets cost £5 and all proceeds will go to Victory Outreach.

DONEGAL: A five-day trip to Donegal is being organized by Sue Rocke. The trip starts on May 11 and costs £305, which includes half-board and trips.

Early booking is advised.Please contact Sue Rocke, on (01495) 213477.

AGE CONCERN NEWS: Many thousands of older people across Wales could be missing out on extra help with their health costs, that could save them hundreds of pounds each year.

As part of its Your Rights benefits campaign, Age Concern Cymru is urging older people across Wales to get in touch with their local Age Concern for a free financial health-check to find out what they could claim towards visiting the dentist, doctor and optician.

LOCAL AUTHOR: Neil Milkins has written a book entitled Every Mother's Nightmare, which deals with the murders in Abertillery in 1921 of eight-year-old Freda Burnell and 11-year-old Florence Little, by Harold Jones, aged 15.

The book contains 152 photographs of people and locations connected to the murders, including 23 original Scotland Yard scenes of crimes photographs.

Bakehouse Publications, Aber-tillery are currently in the setting-up stage of publishing the book, which has been researched entirely at Neil's own expense.

All profits will go to charity, with the RNIB being offered the opportunity to publish the story free of charge in their Talking Books for the Blind.

The proceeds will go to a charity-run nursing home located at the old Baverstock Hotel in Merthyr Tydfil.

If anyone would like to help support this venture and contribute to the printing costs, please contact Neil, on (01495) 213744.