Rhiwfawr

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Rhiwfawr is a small hamlet of some 40 houses in the Swansea Valley. Most of the hamlet is raised high upon a ridge overlooking Cwmtwrch and most of the houses are over 900 feet above sea-level. Most of the houses date from the 1930s and were built by the local authority, then Glamorgan, now Neath Port Talbot council to house miners for a local colliery that has since been closed and returned to countryside. The hamlet has a primary school, a community hall, and a small chapel. The road is now used to get to Cwmllynfell or the Gwrhyd mountain which leads to Rhyd-y-fro on the outskirts of Pontardawe. Rhiwfawr is home to many Welsh-speakers, mainly due to the Welsh-speaking school in its heart - Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Draddodiadol Rhiwfawr (English: Rhiwfawr Traditional Welsh Primary School). The school is currently attended by 30 - 40 children. Although it is a small school, education standards are respectable and the learning experience enjoyable. The school employs up to thirteen teachers at a time. The current headmistress is Mrs. Ann Phillips. The school celebrated its centenery in 2006. The village also houses a garage run by Leighton Lewis and a small sweet-shop. Both the garage and sweet-shop are popular among residents of the village. A BMX track can be found alongside a wide, grassy rugby field and a small park. There is also a scenic walkway in a field behind the park. These areas are extremely popular among the village children. The village is homely and very beautiful. It has been described as "a giant family". Overlooking the village is the Gwrhyd, a set of picturesque mountains housing a road leading as far as Pontardawe.