.. Checkpoint Calendars ..

The `Checkpoint Calendars` were published by Cwmbran Community Press, which was a self supporting, non-profit making co-operative run by paid staff and volunteers. Cwmbran Community Press aimed to to provide printing and publishing services for the benefit of the community and to help local unemployed people by creating opportunities for interesting and socially useful voluntary work, training for young people, work experience, and where possible. paid jobs.

.. The Checkpoint Headquarters was 13 Victoria Street, Old Cwmbran ..

This is the first calendar published by the new towns community newspaper Cwmbran Checkpoint

Cwmbran Community Press also produced Wales` oldest community newspaper `Cwmbran Checkpoint` which was available from newsagents at a cost of 20 pence(1986). It also provided a printing service, for Village Publishing and for the Community Bookshop.

The idea of the calendars, was to offer glimpses of Cwmbran and its life before the arrival of the new town. It was felt that more and more of the landscape and buildings of the original valley communities were vanishing beneath the new town developments taking place each year. Local people contributed interesting and varied photographs for the Checkpoint team to consider for inclusion in the yearly calendar and local business's contributed to the costs of publication by the inclusion of their advertisements.

.. A selection of front covers ranging from 1976 to 1989 ..

..  click on the thumbnail images to enlarge ..

Torfaen Checkpoint Calendar `1989` was the first `joint` calendar published, covering Cwmbran and Pontypool