Improve a Child's Life

There are children in Merthyr Tydfil who need your help and support. Do you have the time to help make a difference to the lives of these children?

Did you know that Merthyr Tydfil has over seventy foster care households within the County Borough. These foster carers are people from different backgrounds and experiences who have a commitment to developing a child’s abilities and strengths to fulfil their potential.

Could you be one of these people who is able to devote the time to care for and stimulate the lives of children and young people?

Fostering provides the care and attention that will help children grow and learn and Merthyr Tydfil needs a wide range of people with different skills and abilities to meet the varying needs of children and young people.

There are no upper age limits to becoming a foster carer and one can be married, single, divorced or living together. In Merthyr Tydfil we expect people to be sufficiently mature to work with children, and fit enough to provide for the child’s needs.

"Our foster carers talk about the rewards for them in being able to make a child’s life better and seeing them bloom in their care."

Looked after children are best cared for by foster carers and Merthyr Tydfil is hugely grateful to the people locally who share their lives with a child who needs to be looked after and make them special, as a part of a loving foster family.

It is important to recognise, that the children our foster carers ‘look after’, are ordinary children who in some cases may have suffered extraordinary circumstances and this has resulted in separation from their parents. Many of these children, as with any other child, need nurturing and somebody to have aspirations for their future.

Are you that person to help promote the interests of our children and make a real difference to their lives?

For further information please call Freephone:0800 678 3798/email: foster.adopt@merthyr.gov.uk or visit the Council's website on www.merthyr.gov.uk.and follow the link from the homepage.

Digital Switchover

Digital switchover is less than a year away and with Merthyr Tydfil set to start the switch on 3 March, 2010, here’s how we need to prepare for going digital.

Many of you will already be enjoying digital TV through your aerial (Freeview), via satellite, with cable in some areas or through broadband. However, it’s important to make sure every TV set and recorder that you plan to use after switchover is capable of working with digital signals.

Virtually all households will be able to receive around 20 of the most popular Freeview channels, as opposed to the five currently available on analogue TV. Many households will be able to receive more than 40 channels.

Most viewers in Merthyr Tydfil are served by the Wenvoe transmitter group which will switch over between 3 March, 2010 and 31 March, 2010.

Information and help on switchover is available on the Digital UK website at www.digitaluk.co.uk. Here you can find your options for switching to digital, check whether you live in an area that can currently receive digital television via an aerial, and find out which transmitter group you’re most likely to be receiving your terrestrial TV signal from.

If you haven’t got a computer or access to the internet, information is also available on the phone. Simply call the Digital UK helpline on 08456 50 50 50. Welsh Language help and advice is available by calling 08458 48 48 48

Heritage Lottery Fund

Heritage Lottery Fund is looking for potential project in Merthyr Tydfil. There are several grants available:

Young Roots (£3,000 to £25,000)

Providing grants of between £3,000 and £25,000, the Young Roots Programme aims to involve 13-25 year-olds in finding out about their heritage, developing skills, building confidence and promoting community involvement. Young Roots projects stem directly from young peoples' interests and ideas, harnessing their creativity and energy and helping them work with others in their local community

Your Heritage (£3,000 to £50,000)


Your Heritage provides grants of between £3,000 and £50,000 to support projects that relate to the local, regional or national heritage of the UK. We welcome applications that help people to learn about, look after and celebrate heritage in a fun and enjoyable way.

Heritage Grants (grants of more than £50,000)


Heritage Grants is our main grants programme offering grants of more than £50,000 for projects that relate to the national, regional or local heritage of the UK.

For more information or for help completing a Pre-application enquiry form please contact the office.