In May Year 8 visited three locations in the Ebbw Vale area:  Ebbw Vale town centre, Festival Park Factory Shopping Village, built on the 1992 Garden Festival site and the village of Cwm - a small village to the south of Ebbw Vale which grew around a coalmine.  The principle aim of the trip was to get pupils to consider how and why places change over time and how the range of shops and services, the physical landscape and the environment varies in a locality.

Ebbw Vale and its surrounding area have experienced tremendous change over the last 200 years.  At its height in the 1930s and 40s the steel works in Ebbw Vale was the largest in Europe.  In 2003 work began on demolishing the last steelworks, and currently around two miles of the valley stands empty awaiting development.  In their follow up report Year 8 were asked to produce their own development plan for this site.  Some very interesting ideas were put forward ranging from cinemas and bowling alleys to ‘Disney-style’ theme parks to a very large, but quite appealing, chocolate factory!

The trip generated a great deal of interest and lots of questions from Year 8 as can be seen in the comments below:

Mr N Meek

“I enjoyed our trip to Ebbw Vale; I liked completing the questionnaires and surveying the shops and services.  It was interesting to learn about the decline of Ebbw Vale and Cwm and the plans to regenerate these areas.  It was an ‘eye-opening’ trip and I look forward to future trips.” Ella

“The trip was amazing and also interesting, the scenery was beautiful.  The steelworks that had been demolished has changed the lives of so many people in Ebbw Vale.  It will be interesting to see what the council will do with the land where the steelworks once stood.” Tiffany

‘The trip to Ebbw Vale was very interesting and enjoyable.  Whilst eating our delicious lunches we had spectacular views of the surrounding valley.  I very much enjoyed interviewing the people in the town centre that was a favourite of mine.” Katie

“I really enjoyed talking to the local people they were very friendly; it was very interesting to hear their thoughts on the redevelopment of Ebbw Vale.” Hannah