When Bargoed is mentioned in Penarth or anyway around Cardiff people mutter curses or giggle at it. But why? Is it the reason that it has a large crime reputation, or is that it is a largely working class town or is it the fact that is at the end of a train line and therefore must be an industrial wasteland. I find this an unfair assumption as I assume that the majority of the people that make uncomplimentary comments about the town have never ventured there and they have just heard the horror stories about the area, I on the other hand spent nine years of my life there and never heard the horror stories until I left.I remember once hearing someone say that they spent six hours in my home town and they claimed that they were the worst six of their life, I intend to prove all Bargoed's damning critics wrong.
Bargoed is an ex mining town with the colliery at the bottom of the valley which is home to Bargoed and Aberbargoed. Bargoed was a rural town until the railway arrived and the colliery opened in 1903. Within seven years the mine employed two thousand workers. Today Bargoed has a well established shopping centre with a popular weekly market.
A ten million pound reclamation scheme has removed many industrial scars from the town and created a country park. Bargoed has a population of around twenty five thousand. Bargoed is not a mine of talent (forgive the pun) but we have had the odd sports star including Robbie Reagan (World featherweight champion), Mark Williams (Snooker legend) and Rhino from gladiators whom I witnessed assault another man at a town fair(he was put away for that. ) The common citizen of south Wales may think that Bargoed is a haven for criminalsBut only one of my friend's fathers were murdered and I only ever witnessed one axe attack scene, but apart form that I never actually saw any crimes being committed. Well okay this not quite true as my dad was attacked by a tramp on his own doorstep but that's nothing considering all the hype that is made about it. I remember walking through the terraced streets of Bargoed's with no fear everyone was willing to leave their doors open.
Everyone knows everyone; everyone knows and looks down on the criminal types and everyone sticks together against the police.All the children play on the street together or in the park. The park is the nicest part of Bargoed. It is a great place to cycle and play football or rugby. It has fantastic slopes for sledging down in the winter. Everyone respects the park.
It is the jewel in the crown. The park gates are shining and regularly cleaned by the proud park keeper. The green lush grass is always cut to the right length. The athletic track stadium is kept free from rubbish and graffiti. The war memorial is surrounded by a multicoloured wash of flowers.
The world war one Tommy looks strong and daunting.He watches over the park and protects it with his large bronze rifle. He probably has the most respect in Bargoed!! The playground is well kept and the children play gleefully on the colourful climbing frames and slides. The park is a haven of beauty in a industrialized terrace town. The view form the mountain of Bargoed is also great.
Littered with burnt out cars, sheep and ancient Celtic crosses. It is a paradise for extreme sports fans with the slopes and jumps cut out of the mountain, you can try joy riding, drag racing, scrambling and even cow tipping.Cow tipping is a very popular sport in Bargoed. It involves creeping up to the sleeping cows that sleep on their feet and pushing them so they end up with their udders in the air, the rule is the first one to get gored by the angry cow loses. From above, bargoed looks like an urban haven of wartime Belgrade.
No that's a bit harsh; it looks like a labyrinth of terraced houses where the most uncommon colour is green. Mind you my old house had a huge garden with tennis courts. The people of Bargoed are very untactful creatures and will come out with anything that you are doing wrong.Gossip spreads like wild fire and some people are quite snobby about who they will talk to. Homosexuals and ethnic minorities are looked down on as they are very rare in Bargoed as they have been for a very long time.
People are very early twentieth century in their morals. They don't accept adultery, drugs or alcoholism. This obviously doesn't apply to everyone but does anything. There are the criminal minority but the 95 percent try to overlook them. People in Bargoed are quite nationalistic they are very pro plaid cymru and are for the welsh assembly.
