[2] The ancient parish of Llanwynno (or Llanwonno) included Abercynon, Penrhiwceiber, Ynysybwl, most of Mountain Ash, part of Pontypridd (the area north of the River Rhondda and west of the River Taff), Porth, Stanleytown, Ynyshir, Wattstown and Blaenllechau in the Rhondda.

The story of the life, and death, of Guto Nyth Brân is remembered and celebrated in the centre of the nearby town of Mountain Ash every New Year's Eve, with an event known as the Nos Galan Road Races, in which runners hailing from all parts of the world race through the local streets, with the finishing-line placed at the point of the bronze statue of the legendary figure, which sits in the centre of a public seating area known as 'Guto Square' on Oxford Street.

[5] Welsh writer and broadcaster Gwyn Thomas immortalised Llanwonno in his 1968 autobiography A Few Selected Exits, in which he recounted how every Sunday he and his father would begin a journey from their home in Cymmer in the Rhondda Valley to visit family in Mountain Ash.

The exterior scenes of the Doctor Who television episode The Hungry Earth (BBC, 2010) were shot in Llanwynno.

The centre offers a wide range of activities to visitors, including several training courses for disadvantaged young people.