These are the main council offices in Neath. The large new civic centre is located opposite the…read morePolice Station. Access is easy for all, with power assisted doors if needed. Otherwise you have to use revolving doors, which can confuse at times! All the main council services are available at the main reception desks, although you may have to make an appointment if you want to see someone in particular. There's no parking in adjacent to it, so you'll have to use the main car parks in Neath. However, you can normally park for free on one of the nearby roads and walk the short distance back to it.

I first saw the sand dunes from the other side of the river at Ogmore…read more Merthyr Mawr Sand Dunes are situated about one mile outside the village of Merthyr Mawr. Once the largest sand dune system in Europe they are a huge network, spreading across towards the Ogmore/Porthcawl coast. The dunes also claim fame to the highest single sand dune in Europe, known as the 'big dipper'. The dunes are very popular with kids for rolling and sliding down, (me included)runners for training (once saw Lynn Davies, Olympic long-jump gold medallist, running up them) and local wildlife enthusiasts. Scenes from the famous film Lawrence of Arabia were filmed at the dunes. Good desert little heat :) There is a footpath to the village of Merthyr Mawr and then one to Ogmore and its castle. WONDERFUL (dangerous?) stepping stones across the river). Also nearby is Candlestone (Candleston) Castle. (Really a fortified manor house.) A truly great area to spend a day or two exploring and picnicing. Race you up the big dipper!

A beautiful place for a walk in the summer and winter. Ogmore river running nearby so if it gets…read moretoo hot can always go for a dip in the river or the sea. The dunes are also idea for sports training and are often used by athletes for sprint training.

When I was a child I was a little bit of a Matilda, in that I used to go to this library very…read moreregularly, and spend hours scouring the shelves for new books to devour. Situated in a classic old stone building, this library conforms to all those lovely ideals of what a library should be. There is a very wide selection of books, CDs and DVDs at this government branch library. They have an especially good children's section (from what I can remember!), and there are regular storytelling sessions for children. A couple of years ago, Canton Library suffered severely from fire-damage. Since then, the interior has been redecorated well, and new books have been brought in. So out of tragedy, comes a nice selection of slightly crisper books than there might have been otherwise. This is a beautiful old library to go and while away an afternoon in.

Canton Library is well-located in the heart of the busy shopping area along Cowbridge Road East,…read morenear the police station and not far from Chapter Arts Centre. Housed in a solid old building, the selection of books, CDs and DVDs isn't bad for a local library - but with Cardiff's central library only about a mile away I'd rather walk there and get tonnes more choice. It is pretty popular with local mums and their children during the daytime, however, because it's easy for them to walk to - and there's a story time and craft session every Tuesday afternoon. There's also an adult reading club that meets monthly, with set books to read and then discuss. There's no really convenient parking outside the library, but it's within a short walk of about four different car parks including the free one behind Chapter.

What a lovely friendly Library. Joined today - staff really helpful and answered my queries about…read moreevening classes/lessons etc. Advised about ordering books in if required. Good stock of books, well laid out and tidy and nice quiet area to sit and read papers or chill out with a book. Good computer section if you need to go on line for anything. Children section upstairs so downstairs is relatively child-free for those of us that prefer the peace and quiet.

I like this library quite a bit. It's got nice little layout with children's books/area upstairs…read moreand the adult section downstairs. Even the computers are divided by age so you don't get noisy kids disturbing you during the holidays or etc. There's a nice selection of books and the staff are friendly. It's really just a comfortable layout with plenty of room to sit after picking a book, e.g. a table with newspapers or benches at the back. Just seems a comfortable place to go and it's probably one of my favourite libraries. Obviously it doesn't have a huge selection of books but, as always, you can order them in.

Although this is a small example of the local post office, it's particularly friendly and quaint…read more This is a classic little post office that sell precisely everything that you want it to. By no means as busy as the post office in the centre of town, this is a great one to pop into if you want to avoid the queues and spend your afternoon doing something productive instead. There is something British and charming about any post office, I think. In this age we live in swiftly moving towards a paperless society, then maybe one day these premises will, all around the country, become obsolete. Perhaps they'll just be empty brick shells that sell stamps to collectors and pencil sharpeners (although only artists would buy them). Balls of fluff will gather in the corners. But no! We cannot let this happen, we must support our local establishments. Without the postal system, how would housewives have affairs? How would charities give you free pens? We would all have boarded up little slots in our front doors. Support! Support! Support!!

Welsh Refugee Council is an independent charity that empowers refugees to rebuild their lives in…read moreWales. It has offices in Cardiff, Wrexham, Swansea and Newport. It works in 4 ways: *WRC runs specialist teams that give asylum seekers and refugees advice: for example, they help people to understand the asylum system, find a lawyer and deal with any health and housing problems. Children who have arrived without their parents have a specialist advice worker. People with the right to work can get advice on job hunting. *WRC runs innovative arts events such as Refugee Week which tell a refugee story, in partnership with artistic, cultural and educational organisations, *WRC works with Welsh politicians, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Home Office, to develop fair policies for asylum seekers and refugees in Wales. *WRC works in partnership with small organisations and individuals throughout Wales to promote the inclusion of refugees in local communities. They welcome enquiries about how to get involved in their work.

The Redwood Building is another large building along King Edward VII Avenue, in Cardiff's…read moreprestigious Civic Centre - although this one is more modern and perhaps a little less appealing than some of its neighbours, such as the Glamorgan and Bute buildings, because it was built later. Opened in 1960, it houses the university's School of Pharmacy and is named after Theophilus Redwood (1806 - 1892), a founding father of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, who was from Boverton, near Llantwit Major (a small town just outside Cardiff). The building's most interesting feature is a big, striking relief sculpture on the pale stone wall above the building's entrance, which depicts an elderly figure wearing a toga, surrounded by books and a globe, reaching out with a protective gesture over a young scientist and a nurse.

The main draw to this building for me is the University cafe. Generally populated people in white…read morecoats and music students it offers a sort of common room type feel. Large leather sofas in the window give students a place to relax after heavy lectures (well, recover from their hangovers) while the round tables and chairs provide a good place for a spot of lunch. The cafe is open til 4 and is also handy for a coffee and a chat. It is pretty well stocked, but then it really isn't great if you have any food intolerances. They only have salads every other day (why I do not know!) but they do have some gluten free biscuits. For students this cafe is a great addition to the university and student experience and is far more sedate than the busy union building.

A surprisingly large post office which also sells greetings cards and stationery. Sometimes you…read morehave to wait in a queue but usually not for very long. There is a 'hole in the wall' outside to withdraw cash (see my photo) and a post box just around the corner.