The well-populated village of Treorchy lies nestling towards the top of the Rhondda Fawr Valley and runs alongside the River Rhondda for about a mile and a half.
A typically friendly valleys ex-mining community aided no doubt by its ample supply of public houses and a wide array of sporting groups, cultural and voluntary societies and organisations, which serve both the local community and wider area.
Some would argue that Treorchy could be considered as a small market town, given the few market stalls that appear each Thursday morning near the railway station and its adult voting population of around 6,000 (that's if you include the integral streets of Ynyswen and 'cul-de-sac' village of Cwmparc).
However, the general pace of life along the main shopping area would realistically dispute any such elevated status claim.
Apart from the horrendous traffic queues at peak travelling times along the narrow main road, Treorchy benefits from being located in a generally peaceful and pleasant valleys environment.
The area has a traditionally rich valleys mining and cultural heritage - the Gorsedd Stones were erected here (pictured right, in present day Druids Close) to mark our hosting of the National Eisteddfod in 1928.
Its most recent claim to fame was in 2003, when Treorchy became the first place in Wales to provide a small housing unit to specifically accommodate homeless people with learning difficulties.
Rising proudly in its midst is the Park and Dare Theatre. Constructed in two parts, the initial building was a workingmen's hall funded by the local miner's contributions of a weekly penny deducted from their wages.
The predominant theatre section was tacked on later with the entire premises being eventually handed over to the local council authority, to ensure its future prosperity following the demise of the mining industry.
Treorchy is of course, home to the world famous Treorchy Male Voice Choir who practise faithfully each week at the local primary school hall and enjoys the continued success of the well-renowned Treorchy Comprehensive School's Brass Band which celebrated their golden jubilee in September 2003.
Treorchy also played host briefly to HRH Queen Elizabeth II (pictured left, in green) and the Duke of Edinburgh during her Golden Jubilee Tour of Britain in 2002 when they made a scheduled break in the village.
The royal couple took a short walkabout between the Park and Dare Theatre on Station Road and on to the main street at the Stag Square in Treorchy.
The presence of the local comprehensive school ensures a bustling of activity in the shopping area during the school terms much to the delight of local traders who naturally strive to compete with the variety of out-of-town shopping developments and Wales's capital city of Cardiff, which lie comfortably within an hours travelling time by road or rail.
The village straddles the end junction of the A4058 (North from Pontypridd & Cardiff) where it meets the A4061 (which leads West to Bridgend and Easterly to Merthyr Tydfil) and is also served by the Cardiff to Treherbert main valleys railway line.
The shopping centre stretches along the main street amongst the terraced homes and boasts both a wide variety of local trade premises and an equal measure of service industries, providing the main shopping/trade area for the Upper Rhondda Fawr.
Boasting a housing stock from small terraced homes to executive style dwellings, Treorchy also provides schools in both our language mediums of Welsh and English, has several places of worship (for a variety of denominations), a substantial library, theatre, cafés, dentists, opticians etc, banks and post office premises, two supermarkets, a couple of sheltered-accommodation blocks for the elderly/vulnerable, a small hospital for respite care, a privately-run nursing home and a local authority-run residential home for the elderly.
With its own rugby field home to Treorchy Zebras - football and cricket pitches, refurbished tennis courts, bowling green, children's playing park and paddling pool providing some of the outdoor sport and leisure facilties, there are also indoor swimming pool and sports centre facilities only a short distance southwards down the valley to Ystrad Rhondda.
Both ends of the village are flanked by two relatively small industrial estates - Cae Mawr at the southern end and Abergorki at the north - providing a convenient location to both live and work.
A forward-looking community which enjoys the modern day benefits of its own community website at www.treorchy.net (established in 2000 by three local volunteers in order to encourage use of the Internet throughout the area) and a delightfully substantial community magazine/newsletter which is produced by the website team and delivered free to each home and business premises each quarter.
All things considered, Treorchy would appear to have the lot "from cradle to grave" and I am speaking literally here, since we even have our own cemetery!
Rosemarie Knape - January 2004
Pictures courtesy of www.treorchy.net community website
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