Readers will probably be aware of the sorry state of the River Taff, as it passes alongside Radyr and Morganstown. The recent floods dragged huge quantities of plastic bags and other items into the river - much of which is now caught up in the branches of the river-bank trees, which hang over the river.

This is both unsightly - and damaging to wildlife.

It is not, however, an unusual sight. This stretch of the river is constantly subject to pollution incidents - and hardly a day goes by without more plastic bags attaching themselves to the river bank.

As such, the Community Council has been working with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to prepare an information leaflet, setting out  what NRW is doing to tackle river pollution, in liaison with other organisations.

The leaflet also includes contact details, so that members of the public can contact NRW (and others) to seek advice - and to report any new pollution incidents.

We are pleased to publish the leaflet (below) - and we invite readers to make use of the contact details to encourage Natural Resources Wales to do all that it can to keep our stretch of river free of pollution. 

The Coronavirus outbreak is leading to delays in distributing this month's Radyr Chain.

In the meantime, here's an electronic copy for you to enjoy.

It contains some articles submitted by the Community Council, including one about our general work - and one about some ideas we're developing for the Station Road area.

The Community Council has been represented on a group of volunteers working to build 'community resilience', to help all of us to cope with the Coronavirus outbreak. The group is called Community.

Today the group is ready to go - with the first step aimed at recruiting volunteers who can help with a variety of tasks - aimed at helping those who become ill, or who just need some support during these difficult times. 

Below is the group's first public announcement / recruitment drive. If you think you can help in any way (big or small) please register via the online form mentioned below.

​We're an amazing community! Let's work together to smash this virus!

Running short of green recycling bags? We understand that you can pick these up at the Co-op.

We love our Co-op!

During the Coronavirus outbreak, as most readers will know, our rubbish collection service has changed.

We have just received a lengthy press release from Cardiff Council (you can find it at the foot of this page).

Basically, it announces that we are now moving to a weekly collection of our black wheelie bins.

You now need to add your food waste to that wheelie bin (the brown food caddies will no longer be collected).

You also need to add any hygiene waste (nappies/medical waste etc) into your black wheelie bin.

Your green recycling bags should also be put out weekly alongside your black wheelie bin - with items rinsed to rid them of food residue etc.

Our collections will take place on Mondays, as usual.

Green recycling bags are available at the Central Library Hub and Ely Hub. They can also be ordered online here. 

Bulky waste collections and green garden waste collections will not take place until the Coronavirus emergency is over. We must all build compost heaps!

Cardiff Council is also asking us to wipe down our bin handles with disinfectant for the safety of both ourselves and their staff.

You can read all there is to know about our rubbish, here.

We've posted before about our Coronavirus postcards, here and here.

Has your street been included? Have you posted or received a postcard?

We want to see 100% of Radyr and Morganstown involved - so that all parts of our community know that, if they become ill, there are people around them who can help.

So - if your street is a postcard 'not-spot', why not see if you, or a neighbour, can pick up a supply of cards from the Co-op, the Chemist or McColl's on Station Road - and build community resilience where you live!

We are very grateful to the businesses on Station Road for agreeing to hold stocks of the postcard for the public to collect.

Let's help each other the best we can!

In our previous item we explained that the Community Council is represented on a group of local volunteers seeking to develop enhanced community resilience techniques and services. 

We've developed a cute new logo to help draw attention to the work. Here it is:

So look out for the logo - it will accompany important information about help required and help available.

We are a great community! Let's work together to beat this thing!

Last week we announced that our Coronavirus postcards were available for local volunteers to use. They have been warmly welcomed by many - with almost 3,000 cards distributed from many locations across Radyr and Morganstown.

Stocks are running low - but there are still some cards available in the Co-op. We can print more if the demand is there.

We think the cards are compliant with the Uk Government's lock-down announcement which included the follwoing statement:

You should only leave the house for one of four reasons.

• Shopping for basic necessities​, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible.
• One form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household.
• Any medical need​, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.
• Travelling to and from work​, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home.
  
  

Please remember that these four reasons are exceptions - even when doing these activities, you should be minimising time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are 2 metres apart from anyone outside of your household.

We believe that our postcards deal with the third bullet point, which refers to providing care or helping a vulnerable person.

How to use the cards?

If you want to volunteer:

1. Fill in your details on the card (your name, 'phone number etc)
2. Indicate on the card the services you can provide 
3. Post to houses on your street. We think this card is good for very local volunteering, rather than helping people far away. This should help safeguard vulnerable people - whilst ensuring that individual volunteers don't take on more than they can deal with.
4. Volunteers shouldn't worry if some of their neighbours are also posting these. More volunteers in a street leads to a more robust support system. For instance, if one volunteer falls ill, other volunteers will be available.
5. Be sure to have some ID to hand, so the self-isolator can check who you are. (For instance, if you've never actually met the person living at the far end of your street!)
6. Help the best you can! Good luck - and thank you!

If you need help and someone has posted a card through your door:

1. Good news! You have a neighbour able to help you if you are self-isolating!
2. Ring the number he or she has provided - and explain what you need.
3. Please be ready to pay for any shopping
4. Don't let the volunteer into your house. You are self-isolating!

​Apart from these postcards, the Community Council is represented on a group of local volunteers seeking to develop enhanced community resilience techniques and services. More to follow about that in the very near future.

They're here! And they're ready for community volunteers to distribute to their friends and neighbours - to help those who will have to self-isolate over the coming weeks and months.

We are facing a difficult time - so it will be amazing if we can pull together as a community, to help each other the best we can.

These cards will help you let people know that you can assist them with shopping, cooking, collecting prescriptions, dog-walking and more. 

If you want some cards, please leave a comment, below. In addition, several local organisations will be distributing them across Radyr and Morganstown. We'll let you know more details as soon as we have them.

​Good luck everyone! And thanks to all who will be volunteering!

Note: if you're collecting someone's prescriptions, it would help the Well Pharmacy on Station Road if you could provide them with your neighbour's name, address and date of birth.