was called The Matchstick Man, The children of Wales are now the third most obese in the world. together with his son Lewis. In 2011, Merthyr was given another unwanted tag - Wales' sick claim capital. There are still a few people on drugs, he said, but it was not like how it used to be. It wasn't for the Gurnos. If Hoover was here today the place would be booming.. There When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. Is life expectancy lower in Merthyr Tydfil than Haiti? occupied by William Charles from Breconshire. Consultant Professor David Owens shocked me with the latest statistics. Once I worked as as an artist-in-residence I then became a community artist around the South Wales Valleys using photography as an educational and social tool, he said. Shauna Hibbard - Unsolved Murder 1995 - 62 Marigold Close, Gurnos The women of the Gurnos did their own research - partly funded by Equal - to find out what people wanted to do about it. During the initial investigation into the Gurnos murders three local women - Donna Clarke, her aunt Annette Hewins and Denise Sullivan - were arrested in connection with the case. The estate is her home, a good place.. Women are jailed for arson attack on love rival - The Independent the land for their Ironmasters. Hoover is one of many businesses that are no longer in the area. Now and again you get trouble but I wouldnt say it was a bad place at all, the worker said. The area is among the most deprived in Europe, and he has returned as part of BBC Wales' Me and My Health season to find out what has changed. Paul Beards Gurnos Fish Bar was doing equally brisk trade. He said: We have been told that by people in the council offices. Denise said one of the highlights of her career was when she established a family education support officer role at the school to liaise with the school, families, police and other agencies. He added: There is no trouble here, no cars being pinched. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, A youngster rides his bike through The Gurnos, in Merthyr in Wales, one of the largest housing estates in the UK, The area was dubbed 'sick note city' in 2011 after more than 4,500 out of the 55,000 population said they were unfit to work, Hoover, Birmingham Small Arms and toy makers Lines brothers are all gone from the area and job prospects are low, Gurnos estate resident, Jeremy Davies said 'most of the people here are law abiding citizens who work and help their community', During the 1960s and 70s there were more than 5,000 people working at the Hoover plant but production ended there on May 13, 2009, The precinct was given a 2.5m overhaul in 2010 with shops reclad and extended, A report published by global childrens charity Plan International UK ranked Merthyr as the worst local authority area in Wales for girls to live last year, Writer, Anthony Bunko, who wrote a play about the Gurnos, poses on the Merthyr estate, In 2011 more than 4,500 out of the 55,000 population said they were unfit to work giving Merthyr another unwanted tag - Wales' sick claim capital, The Department for Work and Pensions ranked the county fourth in a list of places with the highest levels of unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds, Residents have hit back at the area's poor reputation - insisting it is nothing but "character assassination" of their town, Residents say that the bad reputation stems from 20 years ago and the area has now been transformed, On the walls of the shops at Chestnut Way graffiti presumably council-sanctioned were daubed with positive messages, Resident Jeremy Davies said 'youve got a minority around here that openly take drugs and leave needles everywhere but that is just a select few', Anthony Bunko was brought up on the nearby Galon Uchaf estate and wrote a spoof of the Wizard of Oz set on the Gurnos called the Wizard of Gurnwah, A major housing expansion in the 1970s has made The Gurnos, in Merthyr in Wales, one of the largest housing estates in the UK, Prince Charles Hopsital, Gurnos, Merthyr which has been dubbed 'sick note city', Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). The place gets a bad rap, said the 43-year-old, who has Mam and the names of two other family members tattooed on his hand. There is a little bit of messy people who cannot get the hang of the bins, Melanie said. the bottom end of Oak Road. They go on about benefits Britain and the Gurnos but it is because the wages are so s***, she said. There are three schools within the If you are ok with anonymous tracking please click ok, Support our Nation today - please donate here. outstanding unresolved murder cases in the force area, appointing independent But there were few prospects for youth growing up on the estate. A new car park was built, flats were demolished and turned into offices and shops were reclad and extended. The public house The only reason you would not be is because of the reputation it has got. hunting parties. The retired cabbie and builder has three sisters living on the same street as him. area. if(MSFPhover) { MSFPnav2n=MSFPpreload("_derived/old_merthyr.htm_cmp_oldmerthyrtydfil010_vbtn.gif"); MSFPnav2h=MSFPpreload("_derived/old_merthyr.htm_cmp_oldmerthyrtydfil010_vbtn_a.gif"); } But it has dropped down in terms of teen pregnancy rates - in 2010, Merthyr had the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Wales. The Gurnos has had its problems over the years.. Some of the kids are little wasters, but you say to them Stop being a waster or I will come and kick your a***, and they apologise, he said. Gurnos Estate in Brynmawr is in Wales. The Gurnos Farm area was the largest stretch of clean, uncontaminated land in the Borough of Merthyr Tydfil. You could go to college but when you finish college are there going to be any jobs when you come out? In Bramble Close the noise of dogs barking filled the air. Lets hope the kids there do and the future is bright for the Gurnos. Do you have A } Rowan etc. There are also discussions about staging an exhibition at their venue in Aberystwyth. This was about poverty which fuels appalling health statistics. If Hoover was here today the place would be booming.. and the farm supplied Cyfarthfa Castle with fresh food stuffs, meat, Tydfil', suggested that gyrnos meant 'night fold'. Gurnos Estate is in Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale and in Blaenau Gwent district. The wonderful photographs that capture growing up in Wales in the 1980s He insisted it was very quiet down here and he would not live anywhere else. 1923 the Merthyr Express, contained the headline ' Sale of Stock at Gurnos Farm' and the news that Lord Buckland was giving up farming Mum-of-two Melanie Howells, 44, has always lived on the Gurnos, apart from a brief time away. Tydfil', suggested that gyrnos meant 'night fold'. Professor Owens also sounds an alarming note when he says that unless we tackle the problem of obesity it will "bankrupt the NHS". 1970s the Gurnos was made into a separate Ward. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account. // -->