Maes-yr-haf Educational Settlement, Trelaw Rhondda

The Maes-yr-haf Educational Settlement was founded in 1927 in response to the problems of unemployment, extreme poverty and feelings of despair experienced by miners and their families during and following the General Strike of 1926. Emma Noble, a member of the Society of Friends visited the Rhondda Valley in June 1926 in order to see the situation at first hand and reported back to the Society that the region's population was in need of considerable material assistance and sympathy. Voluntary service and financial help was provided by the Friends with the overall guiding principle being that of 'Self-help'. Women's sewing groups were formed to repair and alter clothing donated by people across Britain for the people of Rhondda, and boot-repairing centres were also established. William Noble, Emma's husband also helped during weekends away from his position as President of the Engineering Union in the Great Western Railway works at Swindon.

The General Strike came to an end by the end of 1926 but extreme poverty, unemployment and industrial depression continued to be a problem in the Valleys. Adult education and spiritual services had developed alongside the relief work and led to a committee forming in January 1927 in Oxford in order to discuss providing more long-term assistance and support to the people of Rhondda. William and Emma Noble agreed to return to the Valley for a period of 2 years and a house was purchased named 'Maes-yr-haf' as a home for the Nobles and a centre for their work. The prime aims of the Maes-yr-haf Centre were to provide fellowship, counsel, sympathy and practical helpfulness and provide opportunities for adult education, study and discussion. However since large-scale unemployment spread throughout the coalfield over the next 10 years the centre also became an administrative centre for material relief.

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