THE Cynon Valley Peace Festival, taking place in Saint Elvan’s Church in Aberdare on Saturday, will be addressed by a Kyoko Gibson, who was born in Hiroshima shortly after it was struck by an atomic bomb 80 years ago.

An oleander tree Mr Gibson presented to the church on Nagasaki day — August 9 — will be dedicated in its grounds during the event.

The oleander was the first tree to blossom in Hiroshima after the dropping of the bomb.

Students from the local community school will also speak at the event.

Chair and secretary of its organising committee, Jill Evans and Mary Winter, said: “This event is about our future as much as it is about marking past events. 

“The involvement of children and young people has been so important as they are our future and we desperately want to make sure that all children across our world have a future of hope and peace.”