Student of the Year 2010

A harp-playing teenager from Aberdare who has performed in front of Prince Charles has won the prestigious Rhondda Cynon Taff student of the year award.

A HARP-playing teenager from Aberdare who has performed in front of Prince Charles has won the prestigious Rhondda Cynon Taff student of the year award.

The 18-year-old, who was head girl at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun, landed the top prize which she keeps for a year, at a gala dinner event at the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff, beating 17 other students.

The awards, jointly sponsored by the council, recognise outstanding achievement in three fields: educational standard, community involvement and voluntary work.

Each senior school in the council footprint puts forward a nominee.

Amy, who will study French and Welsh at university and hopes to become a special needs teacher, impressed the judges with her charity work for Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice and her musical ability.

She plays the violin and harp, performing in the community and at the Eisteddfod, on her own or with the school choir.

Amy also performed for Prince Charles at Ty Hafan’s tenth anniversary event when she donated part of her earnings to the charity.

The Story of Pip (Griffin Mill Student of the year)

She said:

'I got involved in music in primary school, where I used to copy the teacher when she was playing the piano.

 

My mum works for Ty Hafan so I have been involved with the charity for well over seven years. They have helped me a lot with my confidence and I am so grateful I help them when I can.

 

I am so shocked to have won, I really was not expecting it at all, it is a huge weight off my shoulders.'

Three regional winners from the Cynon Valley, Taf Ely and the Rhondda all receive £100 in WHSmith vouchers.

The regional winners were Ffion Jones, from Aberdare, Thomas James, from Pontyclun and Charlotte Stanford, from Trebanog.

Ffion Jones, former head girl at Blaengwawr Comprehensive, studied A levels in Biology, Chemistry and History and is heading to Bristol University to study medicine and specialise in Neurology.

The 18-year-old has volunteered in workshops in primary schools, coached younger hockey teams and been awarded for her work in the community.

She captained the school hockey team to the final of the Welsh Cup U14, takes part in the Eisteddfod and participated in fundraising for the Year 13 summer ball and is the secretary of the school council.

RCT Council cabinet member Eudine Hanagan said the awards ceremony was a great opportunity to reward outstanding students across Rhondda Cynon Taff.

She said:

'We are always proud of our young people.

 

With these awards we can show that students from the South Wales valleys can go out in to the world and excel, and nothing is stopping them.

 

They are all a credit to us — this is only a small section of the wealth of intelligence that we have in Rhondda Cynon Taff.'

Anthony Griffin, managing director of Griffin Mill Garages, said:

'Once again we have a fantastic crop of students, in the sense that they are not just academic but we have got pupils who are good at so many other things. The thing that strikes me is how humble they all are, not boasting about their achievements.'

Student of the Year 2010 nominees