Our Standard - it's quite a story...!

The "County Standard" was created during the year of 1988, it was dedicated by the Rev K Evans at St David’s Church, Hopkinstown, Pontypridd on Thinking Day the 22nd February 1989.

It measures approximately 180cm by 60cm (6ft by 2ft).

The design of the County Standard was created by Mrs Esme Jones – wow, its quite a story...

It originated from the dedication service of the Welsh Standard at St David’s Cathedral. Mary Wiltshire was the County Commissioner at the time and walked behind the Welsh Standard without her own County Standard to lead her down the aisle of the Cathedral. It was then that both Mary Hunt and Esme Jones decided to create a County Standard for Central Glamorgan and before Mary Wiltshire before she finished her term of office the following year. Esme travelled to CHQ London to discuss the Heraldic requirements for the design of the County Standard. On establishing the baseline information Esme put together the design that depicted the Heraldic requirements and the localized area highlights to be sown into the County Standard. The material was sourced by Mary Hunt and a team of people from around the County received pieces of the Standard to put together and embroider, all of these individual sections were returned to the Cynon Valley were a family of dressmaking Guiders from Penrhiwceiber put together all of the individual sections.

The Heraldic protocol of the County Standard:-
Has a Trefoil, which is key to our promise, as an essential part of the design.
Together with the Red Dragon that symbolizes the Welsh connection. The Girlguding motto “Be Prepared” crosses next to the Dragon, which divides the main part and the localized section of the County Standard.

In this localized section the following items symbolize the various activities and areas of the County:-
The river bridge at Pontypridd - the town was considered to be in the centre of the County of Central Glamorgan, A lighthouse – symbolizing the links with the sea, The mountains and sea to demonstrate the links with the Brecon Beacons in the North and the sea in the South.

The Standard is, of course, double-sided and it pieced together by a group of people who were known to be fine needle-workers. All this was orchestrated and achieved in a twelve month period by Mary Hunt and Esme Jones, including their team of willing volunteers for the final Thinking Day Service that Mary Wiltshire would attend as County Commissioner, it was at this service that the County Standard was dedicated.