1.
Welsh language
–
Welsh is a member of the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages. It is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, historically it has also been known in English as the British tongue, Cambrian, Cambric and Cymric. The United Kingdom Census 2011 counted 3.1 million residents of Wales, 27% of whom had been born outside Wales, and 73% of whom reported having no Welsh language skills. Of residents of Wales aged three and over, 19% reported being able to speak Welsh, and 77% of these were able to speak, read and this can be compared with the 2001 Census, in which 20. 8% of the population reported being able to speak Welsh. 787,854 of residents in Wales aged three and over had one or more skills in Welsh, in surveys carried out between 2004 and 2006, 57% of Welsh speakers described themselves as fluent in the written language. An estimated 110,000 to 150,000 people speak Welsh in England, Welsh emerged in the 6th century from Common Brittonic, the common ancestor of Welsh, Breton, Cornish and the extinct language known as Cumbric. The Middle Welsh period is considered to have lasted from then until the 14th century, when the Modern Welsh period began, the name Welsh originated as an exonym given to its speakers by the Anglo-Saxons, meaning foreign speech. The native term for the language is Cymraeg, and for the name of the country of Wales it is Cymru, Welsh evolved from Common Brittonic, the Celtic language spoken by the ancient Celtic Britons. Classified as Insular Celtic, the British language probably arrived in Britain during the Bronze Age or Iron Age and was spoken throughout the island south of the Firth of Forth. During the Early Middle Ages the British language began to fragment due to increased dialect differentiation, evolving into Welsh and it is not clear when Welsh became distinct. Kenneth H. Jackson suggested that the evolution in syllabic structure and sound pattern was complete by around 550, Jackson, however, believed that the two varieties were already distinct by that time. The earliest Welsh poetry – that attributed to the Cynfeirdd or Early Poets – is generally considered to date to the Primitive Welsh period. However, much of this poetry was composed in the Hen Ogledd, raising further questions about the dating of the material. An 8th century inscription in Tywyn shows the language already dropping inflections in the declension of nouns, the next main period, somewhat better attested, is Old Welsh, poetry from both Wales and Scotland has been preserved in this form of the language. Both the works of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin were in this era, Middle Welsh is the label attached to the Welsh of the 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This is the language of all surviving early manuscripts of the Mabinogion. It is also the language of the existing Welsh law manuscripts, Middle Welsh is reasonably intelligible, albeit with some work, to a modern-day Welsh speaker. The famous cleric Gerald of Wales tells, in his Descriptio Cambriae, during one of the Kings many raids in the 12th century, Henry asked an old man of Pencader, Carmarthenshire whether the Welsh people could resist his army
2.
Swansea
–
Swansea, officially known as the City and County of Swansea, is a coastal city and county in Wales. It is the second largest city in Wales after Cardiff, Swansea lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan and the ancient Welsh commote of Gŵyr. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county includes the Gower Peninsula. According to its council, the City and County of Swansea had a population of 241,300 in 2014. During its 19th-century industrial heyday, Swansea was a key centre of the copper industry, archaeological finds are mostly confined to the Gower Peninsula, and include items from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. The Romans reached the area, as did the Norsemen, Swansea is thought to have developed as a Viking trading post. Its English name may be derived from Sveinns island – the reference to an island may refer to a bank at the mouth of the river Tawe, an alternative explanation is that the name derives from the Norse name Sweyn and ey, which can mean inlet. This explanation supports the tradition that the city was founded by the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard, the name is pronounced Swans-y /ˈswɒnzi/), not Swan-sea. The charter gave Swansea the status of a borough, granting the townsmen, a second charter was granted in 1215 by King John. In this charter, the name appears as Sweyneshe, the town seal which is believed to date from this period names the town as Sweyse. Following the Norman Conquest, a marcher lordship was created under the title of Gower and it included land around Swansea Bay as far as the River Tawe, the manor of Kilvey beyond the Tawe, and the peninsula itself. Swansea was designated chief town of the lordship and received a borough charter some time between 1158 and 1184, the port of Swansea initially traded in wine, hides, wool, cloth and later in coal. Smelters were operating by 1720 and proliferated, following this, more coal mines were opened and smelters were opened and flourished. Over the next century and a half, works were established to process arsenic, zinc and tin and to create tinplate, the city expanded rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries, and was termed Copperopolis. However, the census understated Swanseas true size, as much of the area lay outside the contemporary boundaries of the borough. Swanseas population was overtaken by Merthyr in 1821 and by Cardiff in 1881. Through the 20th century, heavy industries in the town declined, leaving the Lower Swansea Valley filled with derelict works, the Lower Swansea Valley Scheme reclaimed much of the land. The present Enterprise Zone was the result and, of the original docks, only those outside the city continue to work as docks, North Dock is now Parc Tawe
3.
Ordnance Survey National Grid
–
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude. It is often called British National Grid, the Ordnance Survey devised the national grid reference system, and it is heavily used in their survey data, and in maps based on those surveys. Grid references are commonly quoted in other publications and data sources. The Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system is used to provide references for worldwide locations. European-wide agencies also use UTM when mapping locations, or may use the Military Grid Reference System system, the grid is based on the OSGB36 datum, and was introduced after the retriangulation of 1936–1962. It replaced the previously used Cassini Grid which, up to the end of World War Two, had issued only to the military. The Airy ellipsoid is a regional best fit for Britain, more modern mapping tends to use the GRS80 ellipsoid used by the GPS, the British maps adopt a Transverse Mercator projection with an origin at 49° N, 2° W. Over the Airy ellipsoid a straight grid, the National Grid, is placed with a new false origin. This false origin is located south-west of the Isles of Scilly, the distortion created between the OS grid and the projection is countered by a scale factor in the longitude to create two lines of longitude with zero distortion rather than one. Grid north and true north are aligned on the 400 km easting of the grid which is 2° W. 2° 0′ 5″ W. OSGB36 was also used by Admiralty nautical charts until 2000 after which WGS84 has been used, a geodetic transformation between OSGB36 and other terrestrial reference systems can become quite tedious if attempted manually. The most common transformation is called the Helmert datum transformation, which results in a typical 7 m error from true, the definitive transformation from ETRS89 that is published by the OSGB is called the National Grid Transformation OSTN02. This models the detailed distortions in the 1936–1962 retriangulation, and achieves backwards compatibility in grid coordinates to sub-metre accuracy, the difference between the coordinates on different datums varies from place to place. The longitude and latitude positions on OSGB36 are the same as for WGS84 at a point in the Atlantic Ocean well to the west of Great Britain. In Cornwall, the WGS84 longitude lines are about 70 metres east of their OSGB36 equivalents, the smallest datum shift is on the west coast of Scotland and the greatest in Kent. But Great Britain has not shrunk by 100+ metres, a point near Lands End now computes to be 27.6 metres closer to a point near Duncansby Head than it did under OSGB36. For the first letter, the grid is divided into squares of size 500 km by 500 km, there are four of these which contain significant land area within Great Britain, S, T, N and H. The O square contains an area of North Yorkshire, almost all of which lies below mean high tide
4.
Local government in Wales
–
For local government purposes, Wales has since 1 April 1996 been divided into 22 single-tier principal areas. The elected councils of these areas are responsible for the provision of all government services, including education, social work, environmental protection. Below these there are also elected community councils to which responsibility for specific aspects of the application of local policy may be devolved. The Queen appoints a Lord Lieutenant to represent her in each of the eight preserved counties of Wales, subdivisions of Wales created for such purposes as the provision of police and emergency services and the organization of the National Health Service are made up of combinations of principal areas. There are six cities in total in Wales, in addition to the three areas with city status, the communities of Bangor, St Davids and St Asaph also have the status. City status is granted by letters patent, the status was, however, not officially recognised for many years. When city status was restored to St Davids in 1994, St Asaph town council submitted a petition for the same purpose, the petition was refused as, unlike St Davids, there was no evidence of any charter or letters patent in the past conferring the status. Applications for city status in competitions in 2000 and 2002 were unsuccessful, There are 22 principal areas in Wales. They came into being on 1 April 1996 by virtue of the Local Government Act 1994, eleven are named as counties, including the Cities and Counties of Cardiff and Swansea, and eleven are styled as county boroughs. In 2002 Newport was granted city status, and the county borough is now styled as the City of Newport, Welsh language forms are given in parentheses, except where there is no English equivalent. Locations of each council headquarters are indicated by yellow markers, the current names of certain unitary authority areas are different from those specified in the Local Government Act 1994. Elections planned for 2012 were delayed until 2013, the historic counties of Wales are ancient subdivisions of Wales, used for various functions for several hundred years. The oldest date from 1138 By 1066 the whole of England had been divided into counties, the first counties, Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire, were established in the 1240s. In 1284 the Principality of Gwynedd was divided into three counties, Anglesey, Caernarvonshire and Merionethshire and this can be regarded as an arrangement imposed on Wales by the English during the last years of Prince Llywelyn II. Before the end of the century, Flintshire had also become a county, the formation of counties was completed under the Act of Union 1536, which created Pembrokeshire, Montgomeryshire, Denbighshire, Radnorshire, Glamorganshire, Brecknockshire and Monmouthshire. These 13 counties were the main subdivisions of Wales from 1889 until the implementation in 1974 of the Local Government Act 1972. At the lowest level of subdivision in Wales are the communities. They may have elected community councils which perform a number of roles, such as providing local facilities, community councils are the equivalent of English parish councils
5.
Preserved counties of Wales
–
The preserved counties of Wales are the current areas used in Wales for the ceremonial purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty. They are based on the created by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government. The Local Government Act 1994 abolished the eight ceremonial counties created by the Local Government Act 1972, however, it created the concept of preserved counties based on their areas, to be used for purposes such as Lieutenancy. The Defence Act 1842 – Lieutenants are those appointed to preserved counties, the Sea Fisheries Act 1967 – relevant portions of the sea shore shall be deemed to be within preserved counties. There were however two local government areas, Caerphilly and Conwy, split between preserved counties, the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales were instructed by the National Assembly for Wales on 11 March 2002 to undertake a review of preserved county boundaries. The boundary between Mid Glamorgan and South Glamorgan was also to be re-aligned to reflect changes in local government boundaries. The Assembly accepted these proposals such that from 2 April 2003 each preserved county now encompasses between one and five local government areas. The boundary between Mid Glamorgan and Powys was further modified on 1 April 2010 to reflect the 2009 local government boundary changes in the Vaynor area. The population figures are estimates for 2007 from the Office for National Statistics. Historic counties of Wales Local government in Wales Ceremonial counties of England Shires of Scotland
6.
West Glamorgan
–
West Glamorgan is a preserved county and former administrative county of Wales, one of the divisions of the ancient county of Glamorgan. From 1982, the council offices were located in County Hall. Lliw Valley was partitioned between the two authorities, a West Glamorgan preserved county was created for the limited functions of Lieutenancy and High Shrievalty. The arms of West Glamorgan were, Argent three chevronels gules, between in chief two pine cones vert dimidiating as many gouttes sable, and in base a lozenge sable, the crest is a Welsh dragon holding a Tudor rose in its forepaws, rising above four gold cogwheels. The supporters are an osprey and a heron, both with a fish in their beaks, and wearing a chain round their necks, the osprey is standing on water, and the heron on a ploughed field. The motto is Cadarn pob cyfiawn, the chevronels derive from the arms of the de Clare family, the pine cones represent forestry, the black drops the oil industry, and the black lozenge, coal. Lord Lieutenant of West Glamorgan High Sheriff of West Glamorgan West Glamorgan constituencies
7.
Countries of the United Kingdom
–
The United Kingdom comprises four countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Within the United Kingdom, a sovereign state, Northern Ireland, Scotland. England, comprising the majority of the population and area of the United Kingdom, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are not themselves listed in the International Organization for Standardization list of countries. However the ISO list of the subdivisions of the UK, compiled by British Standards, Northern Ireland, in contrast, is described as a province in the same lists. Each has separate governing bodies for sports and compete separately in many international sporting competitions. Northern Ireland also forms joint All-Island sporting bodies with the Republic of Ireland for most sports, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are dependencies of the Crown and are not part of the UK. Similarly, the British overseas territories, remnants of the British Empire, are not part of the UK, southern Ireland left the United Kingdom under the Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922. * Figures for GVA do not include oil and gas revenues generated beyond the UKs territorial waters, various terms have been used to describe England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Wales was described as the country, principality, and dominion of Wales, outside Wales, England was not given a specific name or term. The Laws in Wales Acts have subsequently been repealed, the Acts of Union 1707 refer to both England and Scotland as a part of a united kingdom of Great Britain The Acts of Union 1800 use part in the same way to refer to England and Scotland. The Northern Ireland Act 1998, which repealed the Government of Ireland Act 1920, the Interpretation Act 1978 provides statutory definitions of the terms England, Wales and the United Kingdom, but neither that Act nor any other current statute defines Scotland or Northern Ireland. Use of the first three terms in other legislation is interpreted following the definitions in the 1978 Act and this definition applies from 1 April 1974. United Kingdom means Great Britain and Northern Ireland and this definition applies from 12 April 1927. In 1996 these 8 new counties were redistributed into the current 22 unitary authorities, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are regions in their own right while England has been divided into nine regions. The official term rest of the UK is used in Scotland, for example in export statistics and this term is also used in the context of potential Scottish independence to mean the UK without Scotland. The alternative term Home Nations is sometimes used in sporting contexts, the second, or civic group, contained the items about feeling British, respecting laws and institutions, speaking English, and having British citizenship. Contrariwise, in Scotland and Wales there was a much stronger identification with each country than with Britain, studies and surveys have reported that the majority of the Scots and Welsh see themselves as both Scottish/Welsh and British though with some differences in emphasis. The propensity for nationalistic feeling varies greatly across the UK, and can rise and it reported that 37% of people identified as British, whilst 29% identified as Irish and 24% identified as Northern Irish
8.
Wales
–
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and it had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2. Wales has over 1,680 miles of coastline and is mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon. The country lies within the temperate zone and has a changeable. Welsh national identity emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, Llywelyn ap Gruffudds death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of Englands conquest of Wales, though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century. The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism, Welsh national feeling grew over the century, Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, two-thirds of the population live in south Wales, mainly in and around Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, and in the nearby valleys. Now that the countrys traditional extractive and heavy industries have gone or are in decline, Wales economy depends on the sector, light and service industries. Wales 2010 gross value added was £45.5 billion, over 560,000 Welsh language speakers live in Wales, and the language is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west. From the late 19th century onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the land of song, Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness. The Old English-speaking Anglo-Saxons came to use the term Wælisc when referring to the Celtic Britons in particular, the modern names for some Continental European lands and peoples have a similar etymology. The modern Welsh name for themselves is Cymry, and Cymru is the Welsh name for Wales and these words are descended from the Brythonic word combrogi, meaning fellow-countrymen. The use of the word Cymry as a self-designation derives from the location in the post-Roman Era of the Welsh people in modern Wales as well as in northern England and southern Scotland. It emphasised that the Welsh in modern Wales and in the Hen Ogledd were one people, in particular, the term was not applied to the Cornish or the Breton peoples, who are of similar heritage, culture, and language to the Welsh. The word came into use as a self-description probably before the 7th century and it is attested in a praise poem to Cadwallon ap Cadfan c. 633. Thereafter Cymry prevailed as a reference to the Welsh, until c.1560 the word was spelt Kymry or Cymry, regardless of whether it referred to the people or their homeland. The Latinised forms of names, Cambrian, Cambric and Cambria, survive as lesser-used alternative names for Wales, Welsh
9.
United Kingdom
–
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
10.
South Wales Police
–
South Wales Police is one of the four territorial police forces in Wales. Its headquarters is based in Bridgend, in February 2014, SWP introduced a requirement that anyone wishing to become a police constable first studies for the certificate in knowledge of policing before applying for the role. SWP is the first force in Wales, and only a handful in the UK to introduce this, South Wales Police employ 2,862 sworn officers. In recent years, special constables have not been recruited although about 100 remain throughout the force, there was a recruitment drive for specials in June 2014. South Wales Police employ 400 unsworn PCSOs who are posted throughout the force area and they are mostly funded by the Welsh government. Approximately 1,631 support staff are employed by the force and their roles vary widely from call handlers to crime scene investigators. Police Support Volunteers are used to police officers. South Wales Police currently have 285 Police Support Volunteers which is their maximum capacity, in 1974, with the re-organisation of local government, the forces area was expanded to cover the newly created Mid Glamorgan, South Glamorgan and West Glamorgan. In further local government re-organisation in 1996 the force area lost the Rhymney Valley area to Gwent Police. Today it covers the areas of Bridgend, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea. This issue caused sharp divisions amongst some members of the police force, the South Wales Police has participated in the World Police and Fire Games since 1995, except for the 1999 Stockholm Games. The current Chief Constable is Peter Vaughan, due to a change in the way the public access police services, only Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Central police stations have front desk services. Michael OBrien, Darren Hall and Ellis Sherwood were arrested and spent 11 years in prison before being released, in 1989 the body of Karen Price was discovered in Cardiff, Wales. Two construction workers unearthed a rolled carpet while installing a garden behind a house, on conclusion of the longest murder trial in British history, in November 1990 three of the men were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. In December 1992 the convictions were ruled unsafe and quashed by the Court of Appeal after it was decided that the investigating the murder had acted improperly. The wrongful conviction of the three men has been called one of the most egregious miscarriages of justice in recent times. The police claimed that they had done nothing wrong, that the men had been released purely on a technicality of law, in 2004 the Independent Police Complaints Commission began a review of the conduct of the police during the original inquiry. Over the next 12 months around 30 people were arrested in connection with the investigation,19 of whom were serving or retired police officers, in 2007 three of the prosecution witnesses at the original murder trial were convicted of perjury and each jailed for 18 months
11.
Fire services in the United Kingdom
–
The fire services in the United Kingdom operate under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Emergency cover is provided by over fifty fire and rescue services, many FRS were previously known as brigades or county fire services, but almost all now use the standard terminology. They are distinct from and governed by an authority, which is the legislative, public and administrative body. Fire authorities in England and Wales, and therefore fire and rescue services, Scotland and Northern Ireland have centralised fire and rescue services, and so their authorities are effectively committees of the devolved parliaments. The total budget for services in 2014-15 was £2.9 billion. The devolved government in Scotland has an agency, HMFSI Scotland. This Act provided for centralised co-ordination of fire brigades in Great Britain,1947, Fire Services Act 1947 This Act transferred the functions of the National Fire Service to local authorities. Now repealed entirely in England and Wales by Schedule 2 of the Fire,1959, Fire Services Act 1959 This Act amended the 1947 Act, it dealt with pensions, staffing arrangements and provision of services by other authorities. It was repealed in England and Wales along with the 1947 Act,1999, Greater London Authority Act 1999 This act was necessary to allow for the formation of the Greater London Authority and in turn the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority. In 2002, there was a series of fire strikes. In December 2002, the Independent Review of the Fire Service was published with the action still ongoing. Bains report ultimately led to a change in the relating to firefighting. 2002, Independent Review of the Fire Service published 2004, Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, generally only applying to England and it came into force on 1 October 2006. The DfCLG has published a set of guides for non-domestic premises,2006, The Government of Wales Act 2006 gave the National Assembly for Wales powers to pass laws on Fire, promotion of fire safety otherwise than by prohibition or regulation. But does not prevent future legislation being passed by the UK government which applies to two or more constituent countries, There are further plans to modernise the fire service according to the Local Government Association. The fire service in England and Wales is scrutinised by a House of Commons select committee, in June 2006, the fire and rescue service select committee, under the auspices of the Communities and Local Government Committee, published its latest report. For example, where FRSs were historically inspected by HMFSI, much of this work is now carried out by the National Audit Office, Fire Control On 8 February 2010 the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee heard evidence on the Fire Control project. Called to give evidence were Cllr Brian Coleman and Cllr James Pearson from the Local Government Association, also giving evidence Matt Wrack from the Fire Brigades Union and John Bonney Chief Fire Officers Association
12.
Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom
–
Emergency care including ambulance and emergency department treatment is free to everyone, regardless of immigration or visitor status. The NHS commissions most emergency services through the 14 NHS organisations with ambulance responsibility across the UK. As with other services, the public normally access emergency medical services through one of the valid emergency telephone numbers. This led to the formation of predominantly county based ambulance services, which gradually merged up and changed responsibilities until 2006, when there were 31 NHS ambulance trusts in England. Following further changes as part of the NHS foundation trust pathway, the commissioners in each region are responsible for contracting with a suitable organisation to provide ambulance services within their geographical territory. The primary contract for each area is held by a public NHS body, of which there are 11 in England. The service was operated before reorganisation in 1974 by the St Andrews’ Ambulance Association under contract to the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service was established in 1995 by parliamentary order, and serves the whole of Northern Ireland. The Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust was established on 1 April 1998, there is a large market for private and voluntary ambulance services, with the sector being worth £800m to the UK economy in 2012. This places the voluntary providers in direct competition with private services, expenditure on private ambulances in England increased from £37m in 2011−12 to £67. 5m in 2013/4, rising in London from £796,000 to more than £8. 8m. In 2014−15, these 10 ambulance services spent £57.6 million on 333,329 callouts of private or voluntary services - an increase of 156% since 2010−11, in 2013, the CQC found 97% of private ambulance services to be providing good care. These private, registered services are represented by the Independent Ambulance Association, there are also a number of unregistered services operating, who do not provide ambulance transport, but only provide response on an event site. These firms are not regulated, and are not subject to the checks as the registered providers, although they may operate similar vehicles. There are a number of ambulance providers, sometimes known as Voluntary Aid Services or Voluntary Aid Societies, with the main ones being the British Red Cross. The history of the ambulance services pre-dates any government organised service. As they are in competition for work with the private ambulance providers. Voluntary organisations have also provided cover for the public when unionised NHS ambulance trust staff have taken industrial action, there are a number of smaller voluntary ambulance organisations, fulfilling specific purposes, such as Hatzola who provide emergency medical services to the orthodox Jewish community in some cities. These have however run into difficulties due to use of vehicles not legally recognised as ambulances, all emergency medical services in the UK are subject to a range of legal and regulatory requirements, and in many cases are also monitored for performance. This framework is largely statutory in nature, being mandated by government through a range of primary and secondary legislation and this requires all providers to register, to meet certain standards of quality, and to submit to inspection of those standards
13.
Welsh Ambulance Service
–
The Welsh Ambulance Service, formally the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, is the national ambulance service for Wales and one of the three NHS trusts in the country. It was established on 1 April 1998 and has 2,500 staff providing ambulance, the Welsh Ambulance Services headquarters is located at H. M. Stanley Hospital, St Asaph, Denbighshire. The service is divided into three regions, Central and West Region – based at Ty Maes Y Gruffudd, Cefn Coed Hospital, Cockett. The Welsh Ambulance Service provides, Emergency Medical Services - This service responds to emergency 999 calls, a standard crew combination for this service would normally consist of a Paramedic and an Emergency Medical Technician. However double Paramedic / double Technician crews are not uncommon, as of 2013, the majority of the EMS fleet consists of Wilker Mercedes Benz 519 Sprinter Ambulances, And Honda CRV / Ford Focus Rapid Response Vehicles. Helicopter Emergency Medical Service - Wales is served by three helicopters operated by Wales Air Ambulance, each helicopter crew consists of a pilot and two critical care Paramedics. The service is charity funded and operated by Bond Air Services but carries the Welsh ambulance service trust logo, equipment, as of 2012, all three aircraft operated by the charity are Eurocopter EC135s Patient Care Services - This service deals with the planned care aspect of ambulance work. PCS staff usually provide transport between home and healthcare facilities or some inter-hospital transfers, NHS Direct Wales supports EMS Operations by providing clinically triage for Green 3 calls that are deemed suitable. More than 45% of 999 calls have a disposition of not requiring 999 conveyance, in addition during times of escalation other calls deemed suitable are triaged. Community First Responders - CFRs are volunteers from the community trained in basic first aid, oxygen administration and they are used by the ambulance service mostly in rural areas to provide basic care, such as Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation before an EMS crew arrives. As CFRs are usually sent to local calls in specified communities, they often arrive before an EMS ambulance crew, even without the use of blue lights. Whilst most CFR teams are the responsibility of WAST, a number of teams are made up of regular divisions from St John Ambulance in Wales although this does not give them any exemptions. In 2012 a strategic review of the service was commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government and was conducted by Professor Siobhan McClelland, national Health Service NHS Direct Wales Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Direct Wales
14.
Wales (European Parliament constituency)
–
Wales is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 4 MEPs using the method of party-list proportional representation. The constituency corresponds to the boundaries of Wales, one of the four countries of the United Kingdom and it was formed as a result of the European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999, replacing a number of single-member constituencies. These were Mid and West Wales, North Wales, South Wales Central, South Wales East, elected candidates are shown in bold. Brackets indicate the number of votes per seat won
15.
Gower (UK Parliament constituency)
–
Gower is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by one member of parliament. Byron Davies, Conservative, is the MP after winning by the narrowest margin nationwide —27 votes — in the 2015 UK General Election, the constituency was created in 1885 and has had relatively widely varied boundaries. Before 2015 it had elected Labour MPs since 1906, sharing the longest single-party representation with Normanton and it holds approximately a third of the electorate of the city and county of Swansea, the rest of which is Swansea West and Swansea East. 1885-1918, The Municipal Borough of Swansea, and the Sessional Divisions of Gower, Pontardawe, 1918-1950, The Urban District of Oystermouth, and the Rural Districts of Gower and Swansea. 1950-1983, The Urban District of Llwchwr, and the Rural Districts of Gower, the constituency encompasses most of the old Lordship of Gower and covers the inner Gower Peninsula and outer Gower areas including Clydach, Gowerton, Gorseinon, Felindre and Garnswllt. The first years, seeing more heavy industrial make-up than today, although its new electors in 1885 were predominantly the miners and tinplaters of the Swansea Valley, the new MP was Frank Ash Yeo, a local colliery owner and clearly an upper-class figure. In 1885 he comfortably defeated Henry Nathaniel Miers of Ynyspenllwch in the Swansea Valley, on Yeos death in 1888, representatives of the trade unions in the constituency overturned the Liberal associations choice of Sir Horace Davey and ensured the selection of David Randell as candidate. Subsequently, Davies victory brought 105 consecutive years of Labour representation to an end, General Election 1914/15, A General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. Gower List of Parliamentary constituencies in West Glamorgan Morgan, Kenneth O, Morgan, Kenneth O. Wales in British Politics 1868–1922
16.
National Assembly for Wales
–
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, the Assembly was created by the Government of Wales Act 1998, which followed a referendum in 1997. The Assembly had no powers to initiate primary legislation until limited law-making powers were gained through the Government of Wales Act 2006, the council had 27 members nominated by local authorities in Wales, the University of Wales, National Eisteddfod Council and the Welsh Tourist Board. A post of Minister of Welsh Affairs was created in 1951 and the post of Secretary of State for Wales, the establishment of the Welsh Office effectively created the basis for the territorial governance of Wales. The Royal Commission on the Constitution was set up in 1969 by Harold Wilsons Labour Government to investigate the possibility of devolution for Scotland and Wales. Its recommendations formed the basis of the 1974 White Paper Democracy and Devolution, proposals for Scotland and Wales, however, voters rejected the proposals by a majority of four to one in a referendum held in 1979. After the 1997 general election, the new Labour Government argued that an Assembly would be more accountable than the Welsh Office. For eleven years prior to 1997 Wales had been represented in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom by a Secretary of State who did not represent a Welsh constituency at Westminster. A second referendum was held on 18 September 1997 in which approved the creation of the National Assembly for Wales by a majority of 559,419 votes. The following year the Government of Wales Act was passed by the United Kingdom parliament, the Richard Commission reported in March 2004. It recommended that the National Assembly should have powers to legislate in certain areas and it also recommended changing the electoral system to the single transferable vote which would produce greater proportionality. In so doing, the Government rejected many of the cross party Richard Commissions recommendations and this has attracted criticism from opposition parties and others. The Government of Wales Act 2006 received Royal Assent on 25 July 2006 and it conferred on the Assembly legislative powers similar to other devolved legislatures through the ability to pass Assembly Measures concerning matters that are devolved. Requests for further legislative powers made through legislative competence requests were subject to the veto of the Secretary of State for Wales, the Act reformed the assembly to a parliamentary-type structure, establishing the Welsh Government as an entity separate from, but accountable to the National Assembly. It enables the Assembly to legislate within its devolved fields, the Act also reforms the Assemblys electoral system. It prevents individuals from standing as candidates in both constituency and regional seats and this aspect of the act was subject to a great deal of criticism, most notably from the Electoral Commission. Plaid Cymru, the Official Opposition in the National Assembly from 1999–2007, many commentators have also criticised the Labour Partys allegedly partisan attempt to alter the electoral system. By preventing regional Assembly Members from standing in constituency seats the party has accused of changing the rules to protect constituency representatives
17.
Gower (Assembly constituency)
–
Gower is a constituency of the National Assembly for Wales. It elects one Assembly Member by the first past the post method of election, the constituency has elected a Labour AM since the assembly was created in 1999. However in 2007 and 2016 the party won narrow majorities, the AM from 1999 to 2016 Edwina Hart was Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science from 2011 to 2016. The current MP for Gower in the House of Commons Byron Davies was the Conservative party candidate in 2007, the constituency was created for the first election to the Assembly, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of the Gower Westminster constituency. It is entirely within the county of West Glamorgan. The other six constituencies of the region are Aberavon, Bridgend, Neath, Ogmore, Swansea East, in general elections for the National Assembly for Wales, each voter has two votes. The first vote may be used to vote for a candidate to become the Assembly Member for the voters constituency, the second vote may be used to vote for a regional closed party list of candidates. Additional member seats are allocated from the lists by the dHondt method, with constituency results being taken into account in the allocation
18.
Geographic coordinate system
–
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
19.
Peninsula
–
A peninsula is a piece of land surrounded by water on the majority of its border, while being connected to a mainland from which it extends out. Examples include the upper and lower peninsulas of the state of Michigan, the surrounding water is usually understood to be continuous, though not necessarily named as a single body of water. Peninsulas are not always named as such, one can also be a headland, cape, island promontory, bill, point, a point is generally considered a tapering piece of land projecting into a body of water that is less prominent than a cape. A river which courses through a very tight meander is also said to form a peninsula within the loop of water. In English, the plural of peninsula is peninsulas or, less commonly, peninsulas can be found on coastlines and in smaller bodies of water throughout the world, ranging in scale from square meters to millions of square kilometers. Theres the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe, and in Southern Europe theres the Iberian Peninsula, the Italian Peninsula, south America has the Brunswick Peninsula, and Antarctica has the Antarctic Peninsula. In Africa, theres the Horn of Africa, and in Australia, asia has the 3 largest peninsulas in the world, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Peninsula, and the Indochinese Peninsula
20.
South Wales
–
South Wales is the region of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the southwest of the United Kingdom, the Brecon Beacons national park covers about a third of South Wales, containing Pen y Fan, the highest mountain south of Snowdonia. Areas to the north of the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains are generally considered part of Mid Wales, the expression south Wales is not officially defined, and its meaning has changed over time. Between the Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284 and the Laws in Wales Act 1535 and this was divided into a Principality of South Wales and a Principality of North Wales. The southern principality was made up of the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, the legal responsibility for this area lay in the hands of the Justiciar of South Wales based at Carmarthen. Other parts of southern Wales were in the hands of various Marcher Lords, the Laws in Wales Acts 1542 created the Court of Great Sessions in Wales based on four legal circuits. The Brecon circuit served the counties of Brecknockshire, Radnorshire and Glamorgan while the Carmarthen circuit served Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Monmouthshire was attached to the Oxford circuit for judicial purposes. These seven southern counties were thus differentiated from the six counties of north Wales, the Court of the Great Sessions came to an end in 1830, but the counties survived until the Local Government Act 1972 which came into operation in 1974. The creation of the county of Powys merged one northern county with two southern ones, there are thus different concepts of south Wales. Glamorgan and Monmouthshire are generally accepted by all as being in south Wales, but the status of Breconshire or Carmarthenshire, for instance, is more debatable. In the western extent, from Swansea westwards, local people might feel that they live in both south Wales and west Wales, areas to the north of the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains are generally considered to be in Mid Wales. A further point of uncertainty is whether the first element of the name should be capitalized, as the name is a geographical expression rather than a specific area with well-defined borders, style guides such as those of the BBC and The Guardian use the form south Wales. The most densely populated region in the southwest of the United Kingdom, the Brecon Beacons national park covers about a third of South Wales, containing Pen y Fan, the highest mountain south of Snowdonia. This natural beauty changed to an extent during the early Industrial Revolution when the Glamorgan and Monmouthshire valley areas were exploited for coal. By the 1830s, hundreds of tons of coal were being transported by barge to ports in Cardiff, lord Bute then charged fees per ton of coal that was transported out using his railways. Whilst some of the left, many settled and established in the South Wales Valleys between Swansea and Abergavenny as English-speaking communities with a unique identity. Industrial workers were housed in cottages and terraced houses close to the mines and foundries in which they worked. The large influx over the years caused overcrowding which led to outbreaks of Cholera, and on the social and cultural side and this number is now very low, following the UK miners strike, and the last traditional deep-shaft mine, Tower Colliery, closed in January 2008
21.
Bristol Channel
–
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean. It takes its name from the English city of Bristol, and is over 30 miles across at its widest point. Until Tudor times the Bristol Channel was known as the Severn Sea, the International Hydrographic Organisation defines the western limit of the Bristol Channel as a line joining Hartland Point in Devon to St. Govans Head in Pembrokeshire. The upper limit of the Channel is between Sand Point, Somerset and Lavernock Point, East of this line is the Severn Estuary. The Severn Estuary and most of the embayments around the channel are less than 10 m in depth. Within the channel, however, there is an E-W trending valley 20 to 30 m in depth that is considered to have formed by fluvial run-off during Pleistocene phases of lower sea level. The Bristol Channel is an important area for wildlife, in particular waders, at low tide large parts of the channel become mud flats due to the tidal range of 43 feet, second only to the Bay of Fundy in Eastern Canada. Development schemes have been proposed along the channel, including an airport and a barrier for electricity generation. The largest islands in the Bristol Channel are Lundy, Steep Holm, the islands and headlands provide some shelter for the upper reaches of the channel from storms. These islands are uninhabited and protected as nature reserves, and are home to some unique wild flower species. In 1971 a proposal was made by the Lundy Field Society to establish a marine reserve, on the Gower Peninsula, at its western extremity is the Worms Head, a headland of carboniferous limestone which is approachable on foot at low tide only. The beaches of Gower and North Devon, such as Croyde and Woolacombe, win awards for their quality and setting. In 2004, The Times Travel magazine selected Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire as one of the twelve best beaches in the world, in 2007, Oxwich Bay made the same magazines Top 12 best beaches in the world list, and was also selected as Britains best beach for 2007. The city of Swansea is the largest settlement on the Welsh coast of the Bristol Channel, other major built-up areas include Barry, Port Talbot and Llanelli. Smaller resort towns include Porthcawl, Mumbles, Saundersfoot and Tenby, the cities of Cardiff and Newport adjoin the Severn estuary, but lie upstream of the Bristol Channel itself. On the English side, the towns of Weston-super-Mare, Burnham-on-Sea, Watchet, Minehead. Barnstaple and Bideford are sited on estuaries opening onto Bideford Bay and it gives its name to the Channel, which forms its seaward approach
22.
Glamorgan
–
Glamorgan or, sometimes, Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally a medieval petty kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three preserved counties of Mid Glamorgan, South Glamorgan and West Glamorgan, the name also survives in that of Vale of Glamorgan, a county borough. After falling under English rule in the 16th century, Glamorgan became a more stable county, the county of Glamorgan comprised several distinct regions, the industrial valleys, the agricultural Vale of Glamorgan, and the scenic Gower Peninsula. The county was bounded to the north by Brecknockshire, east by Monmouthshire, south by the Bristol Channel and its total area was 2,100 km2, and the total population of the three preserved counties of Glamorgan in 1991 was 1,288,309. From 1974 Glamorgan contained two cities, Cardiff, the county town and from 1955 the capital city of Wales, the highest point in the county is Craig y Llyn which is situated near the village of Rhigos in the Cynon Valley. Glamorgans terrain has been inhabited by humankind for over 200,000 years, climate fluctuation caused the formation, disappearance, and reformation of glaciers which, in turn, caused sea levels to rise and fall. At various times life has flourished, at others the area is likely to have been completely uninhabitable, evidence of the presence of Neanderthals has been discovered on the Gower Peninsula. Whether they remained in the area during periods of cold is unclear. Sea levels have been 150 metres lower and 8 metres higher than at present, archaeological evidence shows that humans settled in the area during an interstadial period. The oldest known burial in Great Britain – the Red Lady of Paviland – was discovered in a coastal cave between Port Eynon and Rhossili, on the Gower Peninsula. The lady has been dated to c.29,000 years before present – during the Late Pleistocene – at which time the cave overlooked an area of plain. From the end of the last ice age Mesolithic hunter-gatherers began to migrate to the British Peninsula – through Doggerland – from the European mainland. Human lifestyles in North-West Europe changed around 6000 BP, from the Mesolithic nomadic lives of hunting and gathering, to the Neolithic agrarian life of agriculture and they cleared the forests to establish pasture and to cultivate the land and developed new technologies such as ceramics and textile production. A tradition of long construction began in continental Europe during the 7th millennium BP – the free standing megalithic structures supporting a sloping capstone. Nineteen Neolithic chambered tombs and five possible henges have been identified in Glamorgan, two major groups of Neolithic architectural traditions are represented in the area, portal dolmens, and Severn-Cotswold chamber tombs, as well as tombs that do not fall easily into either group. Such massive constructions would have needed a large labour force – up to 200 men – suggestive of large communities nearby, archaeological evidence from some Neolithic sites has shown the continued use of cromlechi in the Bronze Age. The Bronze Age – defined by the use of metal – has made an impression on the area
23.
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
–
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside in England, Wales or Northern Ireland which has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of their importance, by the relevant public body, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales. In place of AONB, Scotland uses the similar national scenic area designation and they also differ from national parks in their more limited opportunities for extensive outdoor recreation. To achieve these aims, AONBs rely on planning controls and practical countryside management, as they have the same landscape quality, AONBs may be compared to the national parks of England and Wales. National parks are known to many inhabitants of the UK, by contrast. The idea for what would become the AONB designation was first put forward by John Dower in his 1945 Report to the Government on National Parks in England. Dower suggested there was need for protection of certain naturally beautiful landscapes which were unsuitable as national parks due to their small size and lack of wildness. Dowers recommendation for the designation of these other amenity areas was eventually embodied in the National Parks, there are 46 AONBs in Britain. The first AONB was designated in 1956 in the Gower Peninsula, AONBs vary greatly in terms of size, type and use of land, and whether they are partly or wholly open to the public. The smallest AONB is the Isles of Scilly,16 km2, the AONBs of England and Wales together cover around 18% of the countryside in the two countries. The AONBs of Northern Ireland together cover about 70% of Northern Irelands coastline, AONBs in England and Wales were originally created under the same legislation as the national parks, the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. Unlike AONBs, national parks have special powers to prevent unsympathetic development. Two of the AONBs, which extend into a number of local authority areas, have their own statutory bodies. All English and Welsh AONBs have a dedicated AONB officer and other staff, as required by the CRoW Act, each AONB has a management plan that sets out the characteristics and special qualities of the landscape and how they will be conserved and enhanced. The AONBs are collectively represented by the National Association for AONBs, AONBs in Northern Ireland were designated originally under the Amenity Lands Act 1965, subsequently under the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands Order 1985. There are growing concerns among environmental and countryside groups that AONB status is increasingly under threat from development, the Campaign to Protect Rural England said in July 2006 that many AONBs were under greater threat than ever before. The subsequent development, known as Falmer Stadium, was opened in July 2011. The Weymouth Relief Road in Dorset was constructed between 2008 and 2011, after environmental groups lost a High Court challenge to prevent its construction, writing in 2006, Professor Adrian Phillips listed threats facing AONBs
24.
County borough
–
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, in the Republic of Ireland they remain in existence but have been renamed cities under the provisions of the Local Government Act 2001. The Local Government Act 1994 re-introduced the term for certain areas in Wales. Scotland did not have county boroughs but instead counties of cities and these were abolished on 16 May 1975. All four Scottish cities of the time — Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, there was an additional category of large burgh in the Scottish system, which were responsible for all services apart from police, education and fire. Some cities and towns were already independent counties corporate, and most were to become county boroughs, the Local Government Act 1888 as eventually passed required a population of over 50,000 except in the case of existing counties corporate. This resulted in 61 county boroughs in England and two in Wales, several exceptions were allowed, mainly for historic towns, Bath, Dudley and Oxford were all under the 50,000 limit in the 1901 census. Various new county boroughs were constituted in the decades as more boroughs reached the 50,000 minimum. The granting of county status was the subject of much disagreement between the large municipal boroughs and the county councils. County boroughs to be constituted in this era were a bag, including some towns that would continue to expand such as Bournemouth. Other towns such as Burton upon Trent and Dewsbury were not to increase in population much past 50,000, the threshold was raised to 100,000 by the Local Government Act 1958. The viability of the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil came into question in the 1930s. Due to a decline in the industries of the town, by 1932 more than half the male population was unemployed. At the same time the population of the borough was lower than when it had created in 1908. A royal commission was appointed in May 1935 to investigate whether the status of Merthyr Tydfil as a county borough should be continued. In the event county borough status was retained by the town, after the Second World War the creation of new county boroughs in England and Wales was effectively suspended, pending a local government review. The policy in the paper also ruled out the creation of new county boroughs in Middlesex owing to its special problems, the Local Government Boundary Commission was appointed on 26 October 1945, under the chairmanship of Sir Malcolm Trustram Eve, delivering its report in 1947. The report envisaged the creation of 47 two-tiered new counties,21 one-tiered new counties and 63 new county boroughs, although the Commissions did not complete their work before being dissolved, a handful of new county boroughs were constituted between 1964 and 1968
25.
District of Swansea
–
The Swansea district was one of the four local government districts of West Glamorgan, Wales from 1974 to 1996. It was formed from the areas of the county borough of Swansea and Gower Rural District and it inherited the city status of the county borough and so was styled as the City of Swansea, and was governed by Swansea City Council. On March 22,1982 the city was granted letters patent raising the mayor to the dignity of Lord Mayor, the district was abolished in 1996, when it was merged with most of the Lliw Valley district to form the larger City and County of Swansea. The last leader of the council was Cllr Trevor Gordon Burtonshaw
26.
City and County of Swansea Council
–
The City and County of Swansea Council is the governing body for one of the Principal Areas of Wales covering Swansea, Gower and the surrounding area. The council consists of 72 councillors representing 36 electoral wards, the council is controlled by the Labour Party. Elections take place five years. The last election was 3 May 2012, source, Between 1996 and 2004, the council was under Labour control. However these figures changed during the 2004-2008 period with the defection of Cllr, keith Morgan from Plaid Cymru to the Welsh Liberal Democrats in 2005 and Cllr. Rene Kinzett from the Welsh Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives in 2006, following the 2008 elections, the Liberal Democrats agreed with the Independents to form another coalition for the next four years. Swanseas first charter was granted sometime between 1158-1184 by William de Newburgh, 3rd Earl of Warwick, the charter gave Swansea the status of a borough, granting the townsmen, called burgesses certain rights to develop the area. A second charter was granted in 1215 by King John, by 1888, the borough acquired the status of county borough, separating it from the administrative county of Glamorgan. Swansea County Borough Council was created in 1889 and the first elections held in November of that year, in 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, Swansea was merged with Gower Rural District, to become a district of West Glamorgan called the District and City of Swansea. Swansea has had a Mayor since it became a borough in 1835, the dignity of Lord Mayor was conferred on the city by Queen Elizabeth II on 22 March 1982 to celebrate the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales. The status was confirmed on 1 April 1996 when the Unitary Authority of the City and County of Swansea came into being, the style of the Lord Mayor is The Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Swansea. The official residence is the Mansion House in Ffynone, which was built as the home of a previous mayor. It was purchased by the then County Borough of Swansea in 1922, undated, Cornelius Collins, The city is divided into 36 electoral wards. Most of these wards are coterminous with communities of the same name, each community can have an elected council. The following table lists council wards, communities and associated geographical areas, communities with a community council are indicated with a *, *1 -2001 Census The logo of the City and County of Swansea depicts a stylised Osprey. It is sometimes shown with the name the council written beneath it or written in a ring around the Osprey pictogram, the official coat of arms used by the council today were granted by the College of Arms in 1922. In April 1974, the City of Swansea was merged with the Gower Rural District to form the new District, the Arms granted to the Corporation of the County Borough of Swansea in 1922 were transferred unchanged to the new City Council in May 1975. The Certificate of Transfer of the College of Arms dated 11 March 1976 confirmed the re-granting of the Arms, with the 1996 reorganisation of local government, the arms were transferred a second time to the present City Council
27.
Normanton (UK Parliament constituency)
–
Normanton was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election, 1918-1950, The Urban Districts of Altofts, Castleford, Featherstone, Methley, Normanton, and Whitwood. 1983-1997, The City of Wakefield wards of Normanton and Sharlston, Ossett, Stanley and Altofts, and Stanley and Wrenthorpe, 1997-2010, The City of Wakefield wards of Horbury, Normanton and Sharlston, Ossett, Stanley and Altofts, and Stanley and Wrenthorpe. The West Yorkshire constituency includes the towns of Normanton and Ossett, the area has a tradition of being working-class, but it has now become almost entirely gentrified as nearby Leeds has expanded as a financial centre. Ossett is now actually the largest town in the area, due to its growth in recent years. The Tory vote is very low in Normanton itself and in Ossett, until recently the LibDems had all three councillors for the Ossett ward, but have never performed well in general elections, in this area. Stanley and Outwood East is a fairly safe Labour ward, the constituency is nicknamed the banana constituency on account of its unusual shape. The village of Altofts, located just to the north of Normanton, is included in the constituency. The village is planned to move into a proposed Pontefract and Castleford seat, following their review of parliamentary representation in West Yorkshire, the Boundary Commission for England had created a Normanton and Pontefract constituency. In late May 2006, the Commission published a revised recommendation changing the name of this constituency to Normanton, Pontefract and this was extended to cover all three names. At the time local groups and newspapers protested that this represented a takeover of the Wakefield district by the Leeds district, an early concern of the Labour Party was that Morley and Outwood would be won the Conservatives, which ultimately did happen at the 2015 General Election. Ossett and Horbury were moved to the Wakefield constituency, the constituency elected only Labour MPs since 1905, the longest run of any UK constituency. From 1885 to 1906, it had returned Liberal-Labour MPs, ed Balls, the former Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, represented the seat from the 2005 general election until 2010 when it was abolished. General Election 1914/15, Another General Election was required to place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to place and by the Autumn of 1939
28.
Makerfield (UK Parliament constituency)
–
Makerfield /ˈmækərfiːld/ is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Yvonne Fovargue of the Labour Party. This seat was formed in 1983 mostly from the Ince and Wigan seats however with some of the Leigh seat, in 2010 the constituency, of the 650 nationally, polled the 105th highest share of the vote for the Labour Party. 1983-1997, The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan wards of Abram, Ashton-Golborne, Bryn, Lightshaw, Orrell, Winstanley, 1997-2010, The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan wards of Abram, Ashton-Golborne, Bryn, Ince, Orrell, Winstanley, and Worsley Mesnes. 2010–present, The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan wards of Abram, Ashton, Bryn, Hindley, Hindley Green, Orrell, Winstanley, makerfield consists of the western and central section of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester. It comprises the wards to the south and to the west of Wigan, list of Parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester ^ Manchester Evening News, McCartney makes it a century Notes References
29.
Clydach, Swansea
–
Clydach is a village and community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, falling within Clydach ward and the Llangyfelach Parish. It is located some 6 miles north east of Swansea city centre and its population in 2001 was 7,320. Welsh is the first language of 24 per cent of the population, the village lies close to the M4 motorway which can be accessed via the bypass or old road via Ynystawe. Around 1878 Clydach was a small community if it could at all have been called that. There was also an area called Ty Gwyn as Ty Gwyn/White House was present on the land, the road leading to Ty Gwyn is now Ty Gwyn Road and also Coed Cae-Du near Craig Cefn Parc. A second school is shown where the current building of Clydach Infants stands which is also for girls/boys, the St Johns School was by this point being used as a Sunday school and not for general education. There was a Clydach woollen factory not far from the schools on a road named Prince Llewellyn Street or as it is now known Factory Road, St Marys Church is not on this map and is shown as a blank open space. In 1918 the Sunday school is still showing on the map under the name of Vardre close to Mount Pleasant. The top of Clydach near Lone Road and Bryn Mair was named Upper Forge not yet having its title of Sunny Bank with the locals. Note, Sunny Bank does not appear by name on any maps seen to date, in the early 19th century, Clydach was a small village in the Swansea Valley. The 16 mile long Swansea Canal was built through the centre of Clydach between 1794 and 1798 and it was constructed to transport up to 400,000 tonnes of coal a year from Ystalyfera to Swansea port. The canal remained profitable until 1902, when losses were first reported and this decline in revenue and profits was largely due to the competition from its rival the Swansea Vale Railway. The last commercial cargo carried on the Swansea Canal was in 1931 when coal was conveyed from Clydach to Swansea, boats continued to operate on the canal after that date but only for maintenance work, with horse-drawn boats last recorded in Clydach in 1958. Only 5 miles of the original length of 16 miles remain. The end of the 19th century and the early 20th century saw a significant growth in the village’s population, with the opening of the Mond in 1902 the village experienced significant growth as the factory became the main employer within the village. The figures below show the population for the parish of Rhyndwyglydach, the population has recovered from the reduction seen in the early 1980s following the demise of mining and the heavy metal industries. The villages population was approximately 7,500 on 23 February 2010, the population of Clydach, Glamorgan, Wales, UK on 6 May 2012 is approximately 12,593. General Medical Services were originally being provided by Dr Bowen and Partners, the practice had six partners and 10,844 patients, covering, in the main, the villages of Clydach, Glais, Craig Cefn Parc and Trebanos
30.
Gowerton
–
Gowerton is a village and community in Swansea situated about 4 miles north west of Swansea city centre, Wales. Gowerton is often known as the gateway to Gower, the village falls within the Gowerton electoral ward of Swansea. In 1980, the Welsh National Eisteddfod was hosted on the Elba area of the village, the Steel owners and white collar workers all resided in the Gowerton area hence the name starch. Gowerton is twinned with La Gacilly in the Bretagne région of France, Gowerton elects a community council of nine members. Gowerton has three schools, Gowerton Primary school, Gowerton Comprehensive School and Ysgol Gyfun Gŵyr, Gowerton once had five church buildings, St Johns Church, Tabernacl, Temple United Reformed Church, Bethel and Bethania. However, only two, St Johns Church and Temple URC still remain, the Bethel and Tabernacl buildings lie ruined and Bethania has been demolished. Bus services are provided by First Cymru and NAT and these depart Gowerton from Hill Street or Sterry Road. First Cymru provide a service through the village to Swansea and Gorseinon with the service 16. Gowerton once had two stations, but today only one remains. This was made single-track in 1986, work began in November 2012 to restore the double track to Gowerton by mid-2013, this has now been completed. The local rugby club is Gowerton RFC, gowertons Elba Sports Complex is home to Swansea Senior League Second Division, Gowerton FC. Gowerton is also notable for both its range and a nine-hole, par 3 golf course. Villages in Gower Gowerton local history
31.
Gorseinon
–
Gorseinon is a town within the City and County of Swansea, Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining. It is situated in the north west of Swansea City Centre, Gorseinon is a local government community with an elected town council. The population of the Gorseinon town council area in the 2011 Census is 8,693, however, the ONS defines an area called the Gorseinon Urban Area which comprises all of the continuous built up area in and around Gorseinon. This area includes Gorseinon, Loughor, Garden Village and Penllergaer and has a population of 20,581, in 1840 the population of Gorseinon was barely 250 people. There were then two churches in the area, One was St Teilos Church, Llandeilo Tal-y-bont, also known as the “Church on the Marsh” – this has now been rebuilt in the St Fagans National History Museum in Cardiff. The other church was Brynteg Chapel, the only non-conformist chapel for miles, Several churches and chapels were built in the 1880s. The first church in the town was Holy Trinity Church, built in 1882, Seion Baptist Church opened in 1886, built on a riverbank at the bottom of Gorseinon, but by 1902 a new Seion was built in the High Street. The old Seion was taken over by the English Methodists, Bethel English Congregational Church was built in 1894. West Street Bethel Chapel in Masons Road was built as an English Congregationalist church, ebenezer, the Welsh Congregational Chapel opened in 1887, but by 1909 a new chapel was built near Seion Capel. St. Catherine’s Church was built in 1913 and the Salvation Army church in 1910, a Roman Catholic church in Pontardulais Road was built in 1932 and a new church was built on Alexandra Road in the 1960s, designed by the architect Robert Robinson, a local Gower man. Gors Eynon first appeared on an Ordnance Survey map in 1813, there was one weaving mill and two flour mills on the river. These were worked by the monks to provide food and clothing for the Abbey, by the end of the thirteenth century the monks at Melyn Mynach owned vast acreage devoted to sheep farming. They produced high quality wool at Cwrt Y Carnau, which was traded in Flanders, with the arrival of the black death and bubonic plague in the fourteenth century, labour became scarce and the monks were forced to sell or rent to the local farmers. Eventually, during Henry VIII’s reign, the few monks that were left were pensioned off, Mr. John Pryce, a legal gentleman, who was originally from the area but had moved to London, returned to raise a family at Cwrt Y Carne. In 1575 he purchased the manor and land, and also the mill at Melyn Mynach, the whole estate totalled over 130 acres. Pryce tried to squeeze every penny out of his tenant farmers, the Pryce family prospered and by the early eighteenth Century, the name had changed to Price. The last owner of the Melyn Mynach was the husband of a Price family member and he was called Nathaniel Cameron – Mayor of Swansea
32.
Lordship of Gower
–
Gower was an ancient marcher lordship of Deheubarth in south-west Wales. The district, prior to the Norman invasion, was the commote of Gŵyr, soon after the Norman conquest of Glamorgan, the southern part of the Gower peninsula was colonised by English speakers, and was formally divided into Welsh Gower and English Gower. In 1203 King John granted the Lordship of Gower to William III de Braose for the service of one knights fee, the Charter dated 4 John 23 Feb. was transcribed by G. T. Clark and published in his Cartae, vol.2, charter no. 283, pp. Sciatis nos dedisse concessisse et presenti carta nostra confirmasse dilecto et fideli nostro Willelmo de Braosa totam terram de Guher cum omnibus pertinenciis suis in Wallia, habendam et tenendam sibi et heredibus suis de nobis et heredibus nostris per servicium unius militis pro omne servicio. Datum per manum Hugonis de Well apud Rothomagum, xxiii die Februarii anno regni nostri quarto. Added below is the writing in Norman-French, with marginal title — Ija chartre de la terre de Goulier. Logherne va desques a Amman e parte la terre de Govhek e la terre de OARNEWALDHAr, Amman parte parentre Gtouher e Iskennyn et le Commod puED desques a Lleuenedh. E Claud- HOVFEVN desques a Tourthe, Tourthe departe entre Gtouher et la terre de Breckeneu desques a Tawy. Tawy departe entre Gouher e la terre le coimte de Gloucestrie desques a Aber Gleys, de Pulcanan desques a Neth. desques a la Meek. The Lordship consisted of the bounded by the rivers Loughor, Amman, Twrch. Its caput and chief castle was Swansea, and it extended westward to the end of the Gower Peninsula and northward to Ystalyfera, the parish of Betws was detached from the lordship in the 13th century. The district remained part of the Diocese of St Davids, until the Diocese of Swansea, the boundary shown on the map is that of D T Williams. It had changed little in several centuries
33.
Coast
–
A coastline or a seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean, or a line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the Coastline paradox, the term coastal zone is a region where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs. Both the terms coast and coastal are often used to describe a location or region, for example, New Zealands West Coast. Edinburgh for example is a city on the coast of Scotland, a pelagic coast refers to a coast which fronts the open ocean, as opposed to a more sheltered coast in a gulf or bay. A shore, on the hand, can refer to parts of the land which adjoin any large body of water, including oceans. Similarly, the related term refers to the land alongside or sloping down to a river or to a body of water smaller than a lake. Bank is also used in parts of the world to refer to an artificial ridge of earth intended to retain the water of a river or pond. According to the UN atlas, 44% of people live within 150 kilometres of the sea, tides often determine the range over which sediment is deposited or eroded. Areas with high tidal ranges allow waves to reach farther up the shore, the tidal range is influenced by the size and shape of the coastline. Tides do not typically cause erosion by themselves, however, tidal bores can erode as the waves surge up river estuaries from the ocean. Waves erode coastline as they break on shore releasing their energy, the larger the wave the more energy it releases and the more sediment it moves. Coastlines with longer shores have more room for the waves to disperse their energy, while coasts with cliffs and short shore faces give little room for the wave energy to be dispersed. In these areas the wave energy breaking against the cliffs is higher, sediment deposited by waves comes from eroded cliff faces and is moved along the coastline by the waves. This forms an abrasion or cliffed coast, sediment deposited by rivers is the dominant influence on the amount of sediment located on a coastline. Today riverine deposition at the coast is often blocked by dams and other human regulatory devices, like the ocean which shapes them, coasts are a dynamic environment with constant change. The coast and its adjacent areas on and off shore are an important part of a local ecosystem, Salt marshes and beaches also support a diversity of plants, animals and insects crucial to the food chain. The high level of biodiversity creates a level of biological activity. More and more of the people live in coastal regions
34.
Walking
–
Walking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an inverted pendulum gait in which the vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step. This applies regardless of the number of limbs - even arthropods, with six, eight or more limbs, the word walk is descended from the Old English wealcan to roll. In humans and other bipeds, walking is generally distinguished from running in only one foot at a time leaves contact with the ground. In contrast, running begins when both feet are off the ground with each step and this distinction has the status of a formal requirement in competitive walking events. The most effective method to walking from running is to measure the height of a persons centre of mass using motion capture or a force plate at midstance. During walking, the centre of mass reaches a height at midstance, while during running. This distinction, however, only true for locomotion over level or approximately level ground. For walking up grades above 9%, this no longer holds for some individuals. Running humans and animals may have contact periods greater than 50% of a cycle when rounding corners. Speed is another factor that distinguishes walking from running, champion racewalkers can average more than 14 kilometres per hour over a distance of 20 kilometres. An average human child achieves independent walking ability at around 11 months old, regular, brisk exercise of any kind can improve confidence, stamina, energy, weight control and life expectancy and reduce stress. It can also reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes, diabetes, high blood pressure, bowel cancer. Life expectancy is also increased even for individuals suffering from obesity or high blood pressure, Walking also improves bone health, especially strengthening the hip bone, and lowering the harmful low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and raising the useful high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Studies have found that walking may also help prevent dementia and Alzheimers, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions fact sheet on the Relationship of Walking to Mortality Among U. S. Adults with Diabetes states that those with diabetes who walked for 2 or more hours a week lowered their mortality rate from all causes by 39 per cent. Walking lengthened the life of people with diabetes regardless of age, sex, race, body mass index, length of time since diagnosis, and presence of complications or functional limitations. It has been suggested there is a relationship between the speed of walking and health, and that the best results are obtained with a speed of more than 2.5 mph
35.
Paviland Cave
–
The Red Lady of Paviland is a male Upper Paleolithic partial skeleton dyed in red ochre and buried in Britain 33,000 years ago. It is the oldest known burial in Western Europe. Buckland believed the remains to be those of a female, dating to Roman Britain, later analysis, however, showed the remains to have been of a young male. Goats Hole was occupied repeatedly throughout prehistory, artefacts are predominantly Aurignacian, but there are earlier Mousterian, and later Gravettian and Creswellian ones as well. In 1822 Daniel Davies and the Rev John Davies, respectively surgeon and curate at Port Eynon on the south coast of Gower, explored the cave and found animal bones, including the tusk of a mammoth. The Talbot family of Penrice Castle was informed and Mary Theresa Talbot, then the oldest unmarried daughter, joined an expedition to the site, william Buckland, Professor of Geology at Oxford University and a correspondent of that well-connected family, was contacted. He arrived on 18 January 1823 and spent a week at Goats Hole, later that year, writing about his find in his book Reliquiae Diluvianae, Buckland stated, I found the skeleton enveloped by a coating of a kind of ruddle. Which stained the earth, and in some parts extended itself to the distance of half an inch around the surface of the bones. Close to that part of the bone where the pocket is usually worn surrounded also by ruddle about two handfuls of the Nerita littoralis. At another part of the skeleton, viz in contact with the forty or fifty fragments of ivory rods some small fragments of rings made of the same ivory. Both rods and rings, as well as the Nerite shells, were stained superficially with red, when Buckland first discovered the skeleton in 1823, he misjudged both its age and its gender. As a creationist, Buckland believed no human remains could have been older than the Biblical Great Flood and these decorative items, combined with the skeletons red dye, caused Buckland to mistakenly speculate that the remains belonged to a Roman prostitute or witch. In the 1960s Kenneth Oakley published a radiocarbon determination made on the bones of the Red Lady at 18,460 ±340 BP. Tests made in 1989 and 1995 suggested he lived about 26,000 years ago at the end of the Upper Paleolithic Period. In 2007 a new examination of the remains by Dr Thomas Higham of Oxford University, in 2009 a recalibration of the test results suggested an age of 33,000 years. Although now on the coast, at the time of the burial, the new dating however indicates he lived at a warmer period. Other food probably included mammoth, the rhinoceros and reindeer. When the skeleton was first found, Wales had no museum in which to keep it, so it was housed at Oxford University, in December 2007 it was loaned for a year to the National Museum Cardiff
36.
River Loughor
–
It flows past Ammanford and Hendy in Carmarthenshire and Pontarddulais in Swansea. The river divides Carmarthenshire from Swansea for much of its course, the Loughor meets the sea at its estuary near the town of Loughor where it separates the south coast of Carmarthenshire from the north coast of the Gower Peninsula. Among its tributaries is the River Amman, which joins the Loughor near Pantyffynnon, the area of the catchment is some 262 km2. In the 18th century, the river was a noted salmon, fish from the river was then carried on ponies to be sold at Swansea Market. The fishing declined in the 19th century due to increasing pollution from industrialisation, Carmarthenshire County Council is currently undertaking studies into the possibility of constructing a barrage across the River Loughor upstream from the Loughor bridges. The Loughor Estuary is the region of the waterway below the road and rail bridges at Loughor, the Afon Lliw empties into the estuary just below the Loughor bridges. This region almost completely empties at low tide, exposing extensive sandy areas supporting a thriving cockle industry, on the south side of the inlet, the gathering and processing of cockles contributes significantly to the economy of the villages of Crofty, Llanmorlais and Penclawdd. Anyone can take a bucket of cockles for their personal use, the estuary cuts through the southern part of a once-important coalfield. Llanelli, on its shore, was noted for its tinplate industry, whilst Penclawdd, on the south side. Both required ready access to the Bristol Channel via Carmarthen Bay, the wall has since been breached in several places. A later influence on the environment was the planting of cordgrass to claim grazing land at the western end of the Gower side during the 1930s. This vigorous grass has since spread in a band all along the south side, forming the basis of a salt-marsh supporting the grazing of sheep, ponies. The estuary is closed off by Whiteford Point, which extends from Llanmadoc in Gower towards Burry Port. This is now a National Nature Reserve maintained by the National Trust, just off the tip of the point is one of the few remaining cast-iron lighthouses, long since disused and in need of preservation. The area is swept by the Royal Navys bomb disposal team. The intention was to make way for a planned third London airport, the proposal was vigorously resisted locally and was dropped when another airport site was agreed. Aber Llwchwr Problems of a Small Estuary, ed. A. Nelson-Smith & E. M. Bridges, Institute of Marine Studies & West Glamorgan County Council, Swansea,1977
37.
Swansea Bay
–
Swansea Bay is a bay on the Bristol Channel on the southern coast of Wales. Places on the bay include Swansea and Port Talbot, the River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan, River Kenfig and Clyne River flow into the bay. Swansea Bay experience a tidal range. The shipping ports in Swansea Bay are Swansea Docks, Port Talbot Docks, Oyster fishing was once an important industry in Swansea Bay, employing 600 people at its height in the 1860s. However, overfishing, disease and pollution had all but wiped out the population by 1920. In 2005 plans were announced to reintroduce the Oyster farming industry, the bay is lined with sandy beaches. A pumping station inside the cliff adjacent to Knab Rock brought all of Swansea citys effluent in a raw form to this point, adding to the problem was the natural current flow of the waters in the Bay which often did not move the polluted waters further out to sea. If not fully discharged on that tide, the tide would then push the same effluent up the Channel. Efforts were made by the authority to reduce the pollution in the Bay. As a consequence of the huge improvement these works have made, aberavon beach was awarded Blue Flag status in December 2007. There is one existing GE built gas-fired power station located just inland at Baglan Bay, a second gas fired power station, the Abernedd Power Station has been approved for construction. A new biomass power station has been approved for construction near the coast at Port Talbot, Swansea Bay has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world. This offers a potential for electricity generation using tidal lagoons, a proposal has been put forward by Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay Ltd. for a tidal lagoon to be constructed. The tidal lagoon would be sited just south of the Queens Dock between River Tawe and River Neath estuaries, in addition to tidal power, construction of an offshore windfarm in the Bay has been approved, but construction has now been deferred owing to the costs involved. The windfarm was to have been sited at Scarweather Sands, about 5 km off the coast, Swansea Bay Official site from South West Wales Tourist Board An interactive, social networking and tourism web site based on the Gower Peninsula. Www. geograph. co. uk, photos of Swansea Bay and surrounding area
38.
Villages in Gower
–
The Gower Peninsula in the City and County of Swansea in south Wales in Britain is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It contains over twenty villages and communities, Bishopston – or Llandeilo Ferwallt – is an inland village,6 miles west-southwest of Swansea and near the beaches of Caswell Bay, Brandy Cove and Pwll Du. One of the villages in Gower, it has its own rugby club, South Gower Rugby Football Club. Bishopston church, at the head of Bishopston Valley, is dedicated to Saint Teilo, the church contains a plain, massive font of Romanesque type, and its tower holds two 18th-century bells. In the churchyard are the remains of an old stone cross, Cheriton, near the north coast, is popular with summer tourists as a place to stay whilst exploring the beaches in the local area. The 13th-century church of St Catwg is one of the most beautiful in Gower, the psychoanalyst Ernest Jones is buried in its churchyard. 51°38′18. 00″N 4°07′33. 00″W The inland village of Gowerton and its original name was Ffosfelin, it has also been known as Gwter Felen. In 1980, the Welsh National Eisteddfod was hosted on the Elba area of the village, the Eisteddfod stone is located on the round-about opposite the garage on the road to Penclawdd. It has its own community council, the population of the community in the United Kingdom Census 2001 was 538. The name of the village is thought to have originated from Saint Illtud, the village is home to a brook, a 13th-century parish church and a National Trust limestone quarry. The community is surrounded by land used as grazing land. See also Ilston Book Llangennith, in north-west Gower, has a scattering of houses and it sits at a crossroads, Moor Lane leads west to a caravan park near Rhossili Bay, and Burrows Lane leads north to a caravan park overlooking Broughton Bay. The 12th-century village church, St. Cenydds Church, is the largest in Gower, and was founded by St. Cenydd, who in the 6th century made a hermitage here, the folk singer, Phil Tanner, is buried in its churchyard. A painting of Worms Head from Llangennydd was made by Cedric Morris, a painting of Llangennith Burrows by John Nash is held in the Government Art Collection. Llanmadoc is in the north west of Gower, the village is named after the churchyard of St Madoc, who founded his hermitage or monastery here in the 6th century. The 13th-century building was restored in 1865, but retains a Romanesque font, Llanmadoc Hill, formed of Old Red Sandstone, is a landmark of west Gower and affords wide views from the top. An evocative painting of the Hill, by Cedric Morris, may be seen at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, a painting of Llanmadoc was also made by John Nash. The Medulli were the likely Celtic tribal ancestors of Madoc, haplogroup R1b is consistent with the regions of Llanmadoc, Wales and Médoc, Bordeaux, France and the Celtic migrations from the South East to the North West, and likely predates St. Madoc
39.
Blackpill
–
Blackpill is a suburban area of Swansea, Wales. It is located beside Swansea Bay, about 3 miles south west of the city centre, Blackpill falls into the Mayals ward. The area is centered on a seafront building on Mumbles road, today, it houses a cafe called The Junction. The land between Mumbles road and Blackpill beach is used as Blackpill Lido, a family and childrens area which is popular in summer. Also on Mumbles road is The Woodman, a local pub, behind the Woodman, to the left of the main entrance to Clyne Gardens, is Clyne Chapel. The chapel was built in 1907 by Graham Vivian, who owned the nearby Clyne Castle and Estate, Clyne Chapel is a Grade II listed building and serves as the Anglican church for the local community. The southern entrance to the Clyne valley cycle track is located just across the road from the lake area. Sloping uphill to the west of Blackpill are Clyne Gardens, the former park of Clyne Castle. Blackpill has leisure facilities such as a boating lake, which was located here for about thirty years and has now been converted into a shallow paddling pool. North of the lake is a mini golf course sandwiched between a carriageway and cycle track. Blackpill Pitch-and-Putt, despite its name, is located within the Sketty electoral ward. Blackpill Beach is a known for wildlife and wildlife watchers. Large numbers of wading birds and a variety of gulls, some rare, the beach and the stream that flows out of the area is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. The local council has plans to improve the facilities in the area. A new foot- and cycle-bridge has been proposed, crossing over the dual carriageway, a fourth park and ride site for Swansea is planned to be located at the existing car park at the entrance to the Clyne Valley Country Park. This new park-and-ride facility would serve both Mumbles and the city centre
40.
Bishopston, Swansea
–
Bishopston is a hamlet and community situated on the Gower Peninsula, some 6 miles west south west of the centre of Swansea in South Wales. Forming part of the Bishopston ward of the City and County of Swansea, Bishopston has its own rugby club, South Gower RFC, and its own primary and comprehensive schools. Local beaches include Brandy Cove, Caswell Bay and Pwll Du, the electoral ward consists of part or all of the following areas, Barland Common, Caswell, Clyne Common, Bishopston, Manselfield, Murton, Oldway, in the parliamentary constituency of Gower. It is bounded by the Bristol Channel to the south, and the wards of, Pennard to the west, Fairwood to the north and it is partly within the Gower Peninsula Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The church, located at the head of Bishopston Valley, is dedicated to St Teilo who gives the village its Welsh name, Bishopston gives its name to the Bishopston Mudstone, a name used by geologists to refer to a rock formation with a widespread occurrence in south Wales. Extended learning includes access to a range of school based Evening classes, Bishopston is a school which continually embraces new initiatives in education and technology in order that our students are grounded in all that marks the 21st century. Our purpose is reflected in our belief that all students can succeed, that achievement be celebrated, more details can be found on the schools website The Primary School. A Level 1 Rights Respecting School and bases its ethos on clear, in a recent Estyn inspection report it was stated that the good level of care, support and guidance provided for pupils is a strength of the school. It was also stated that, Pupils feel, secure, valued, Bishopston has several shops including a Co-Op and Post Office. Other local services include a hotel and cafe, three houses, a petrol station, retirement homes, post office, church halls, sports hall, medical centre. Other Bishopston beaches, such as Pwll Du and Brandy Cove, the population of Bishopston has increased steadily from the beginning of the 19th century. In 1801, the first census of England and Wales reported that 303 people were living in 73 houses in the parish of Bishopston, by 1931 the population had increased to around 1,500 people living in 369 houses. In 2001 the population of the village was 3,341, the village experienced significant growth between the First and Second World Wars and in the 1960s. Bishopstons rural location has influenced the pattern of its development, most dwellings are detached or semi-detached and benefit from generous gardens. As a result, property in Bishopston is expensive by the standards of most of South Wales and is beyond the reach of many first time buyers, nearly all of the property in Bishopston is privately owned, with only 1% of homes rented from the local authority. Bishopston and the Gower was named one of the best places to live in Wales in 2017
41.
Common land
–
A person who has a right in, or over, common land jointly with another or others is called a commoner. This article deals mainly with land in England, Wales. Common land or former common land is referred to as a common, for instance. This manorial system, founded on feudalism, granted rights of use to different classes. These would be appurtenant rights, that is the ownership of rights belonged to tenancies of particular plots of land held within a manor, a commoner would be the person who, for the time being, was the occupier of a particular plot of land. Some rights of common were said to be in gross, that is and this was more usual in regions where commons are more extensive, such as in the high ground of Northern England or on the Fens, but also included many village greens across England and Wales. Most land with appurtenant commons rights is adjacent to the common or even surrounded by it, example rights of common are, Pasture. Right to pasture cattle, horses, sheep or other animals on the common land, right to take sods of turf for fuel. Common in the Soil This is a term used for rights to extract minerals such as sands, gravels, marl, walling stone. Right to turn out pigs for a period in autumn to eat mast, right to take sufficient wood for the commoners house or holding, usually limited to smaller trees, bushes and fallen branches. On most commons, rights of pasture and pannage for each commoner are tightly defined by number and type of animal, on some commons, the rights are not limited by numbers, and instead a marking fee is paid each year for each animal turned out. However, if excessive use was made of the common, for example, in overgrazing, a common would be stinted, that is and these regulations were responsive to demographic and economic pressure. Thus rather than let a common become degraded, access was restricted even further, Pasture commons are those where the primary right is to pasture livestock. These habitats are often of high nature conservation value, because of their very long continuity of management extending in some cases over many hundreds of years. In the past, most pasture commons would have been grazed by mixtures of cattle, sheep, the modern survival of grazing on pasture commons over the past century is uneven. When not in use for those purposes, such commons were grazed, examples include the common arable fields around the village of Laxton in Nottinghamshire, and a common meadow at North Meadow, Cricklade. Lammas rights entitled commoners to pasture following the harvest, between Lammas day,12 August, to 6 April, even if they did not have rights to the land. Such rights sometimes had the effect of preventing enclosure and building development on agricultural land, most of the medieval common land of England was lost due to enclosure
42.
Suburban
–
A suburb is a residential area or a mixed use area, either existing as part of a city or urban area or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city. In some areas, such as Australia, China, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and a few U. S. states, new suburbs are routinely annexed by adjacent cities. In others, such as Arabia, Canada, France, and much of the United States, Suburbs first emerged on a large scale in the 19th and 20th centuries as a result of improved rail and road transport, which led to an increase in commuting. Suburbs tend to proliferate around cities that have an abundance of adjacent flat land, the English word is derived from the Old French subburbe, which is in turn derived from the Latin suburbium, formed from sub and urbs. The first recorded usage of the term in English, was made by John Wycliffe in 1380, in Australia and New Zealand, suburbs have become formalised as geographic subdivisions of a city and are used by postal services in addressing. In rural areas in both countries, their equivalents are called localities, the terms inner suburb and outer suburb are used to differentiate between the higher-density suburbs in proximity to the city center, and the lower-density suburbs on the outskirts of the urban area. The term middle suburbs is also used, Suburbs, in this sense, can range from areas that seem more like residential areas of a city proper to areas separated by open countryside from the city centre. In large cities such as London, suburbs include formerly separate towns and villages that have been gradually absorbed during a growth and expansion. In the United States and Canada, suburb can refer either to an residential area of a city or town or to a separate municipality or unincorporated area outside a town or city. The earliest appearance of suburbs coincided with the spread of the first urban settlements, large walled towns tended to be the focus around which smaller villages grew up in a symbiotic relationship with the market town. The word suburbani was first used by the Roman statesman Cicero in reference to the large villas, as populations grew during the Early Modern Period in Europe, urban towns swelled with a steady influx of people from the countryside. In some places, nearby settlements were swallowed up as the city expanded. The peripheral areas on the outskirts of the city were generally inhabited by the very poorest, by the mid-19th century, the first major suburban areas were springing up around London as the city became more overcrowded and unsanitary. A major catalyst in suburban growth came from the opening of the Metropolitan Railway in the 1860s, the line joined the capitals financial heart in the City to what were to become the suburbs of Middlesex. Harrow was reached in 1880, and the line extended as far as Verney Junction in Buckinghamshire, more than 50 miles from Baker Street. Unlike other railway companies, which were required to dispose of surplus land, in 1912, it was suggested that a specially formed company should take over from the Surplus Lands Committee and develop suburban estates near the railway. However, World War I delayed these plans and it was only in 1919, with expectation of a housing boom. The term Metro-land was coined by the Mets marketing department in 1915 when the Guide to the Extension Line became the Metro-land guide and this promoted the land served by the Met for the walker, visitor and later the house-hunter
.jpg)
.jpg)
