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 Hello Subscriber,
A £400,000 refurbishment at Maesteg Sports Centre is now underway, in a move that will improve accessibility as well as benefiting both the physical and mental health of residents right across the community.
The project is made possible thanks to investment from Bridgend County Borough Council, Halo Leisure and Sport Wales, who are all working in partnership to make sure residents receive the best service possible.
The upgrade will include a larger gym area with brand-new cardio machines, a strength and conditioning space, a wellness zone, and various other new pieces of equipment.
Improvements are also being made to the changing rooms as well as installing new studio, training and workshop spaces.
In addition to the work at Maesteg Sports Centre, a refurbishment at Pyle Swimming Pool has also recently been completed thanks to a £200,000 investment from the council and Halo.
The renovations were designed to not only improve facilities but to make them more accessible and environmentally friendly.
The improvements include new ceilings, energy efficient lighting to enhance changing rooms, accessible family changing rooms along with new energy efficient showers and around 30 new changing cubicles.
Also, accessible changing spaces are being built poolside, to create a much-improved space for people who need additional support when changing.
Please visit our website for more information on the refurbishments to Maesteg Sports Centre and Pyle Swimming Pool.
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 Work to enhance A48 active travel route set to begin
Work to improve the A48’s active travel route, from Waterton roundabout to Picton Court is set to begin.
The development, scheduled for approximately 12 weeks and beginning on 3 January 2023, will provide active travel facilities for pedestrians and cyclists travelling along the route.
It will also expand on the existing active travel network from Bridgend to Pencoed - providing more direct access to the southern units of Bridgend Retail Park.
At an estimated cost of £586,000 and funded by the Welsh Government, enhancements will include widened footways along the A48 into shared use facilities, footway and verge reconstruction, vegetation clearance, traffic sign and street lighting improvements and more.
Please visit our website to read more about the works to improve the A48 active travel route.
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 County borough schools showcase their range of talents
Once again, schools across the county borough have been praised for their achievements over the last year.
Cynffig Comprehensive School and Nottage Primary School were listed among several schools from the area to take part in a recent Dragon’s Den competition, which was aimed at developing the Welsh language and ‘Welshness’ within schools.
Continuing with the Welsh language theme, children at St Robert’s Catholic Primary School have achieved the ‘Siarter Iaith Cymraeg Campus’ bronze award – pupils are now fuelled with motivation and excitement about ideas for further developing Welsh within the school and working towards the silver award.
Whilst, Ysgol Bryn Castell has become the first special school in the Central South Consortium region to win the ‘Siarter Iaith Cymraeg Campus’ bronze award. The school was raised for creating a strong Welsh ethos and for its bilingualism.
Brynteg School has been paving the way for a new way of teaching and learning at secondary school level. In recognition of the diverse needs of pupils, the school has established a provision for learners in years seven to nine - aptly named ‘Dyfodol’, meaning ‘future’. Dyfodol aims to support pupils who face challenges with studying the normal timetable.
The learners have a base classroom where they are taught for most of the week - an environment which resembles a primary school classroom so that learners may feel more comfortable, while still having access to appropriate secondary learning and teaching experiences.
Also, Maesteg Comprehensive School has been recognised for its pupil-led learning which celebrates the uniqueness of each pupil. Highlights for this year have included pupils creating a uniform swap shop. The pupils sourced, washed, and ironed uniform to be distributed through the community shop. Another enterprise project involved pupils building raised beds and polytunnels to grow their own produce, which they then sold to staff.
For more information on the success of schools in Bridgend County Borough, please visit our website.
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Bryngarw Country Park awarded £130,000 worth of funding
Bryngarw Country Park has been awarded £130,000 worth of funding thanks to the Welsh Government and National Heritage Lottery Fund’s Woodland Investment Grant.
The funding will be used to:
- Carry out conservation work on the existing trees
- Build a new boardwalk and viewing platform
- Plant semi-mature native broadleaved trees
- Install new gates, oak benches and hedgehog and bird boxes
- Add signage and interpretation
- Undertake works to the river
- Deal with invasive species including Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam within the 113 acre site.
The grant will also be used to create a woodlands classroom and education packs for schools and groups, as well as helping to resurface some of Bryngarw’s footpaths which will help to make them more accessible to visitors with limited mobility.
Please visit Awen’s website to find out more about how this grant will benefit Bryngarw County Park.
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Reminder of New Year arrangements at Bridgend County Borough Council
Residents are reminded that waste and recycling collections will return to normal from Monday 2 January, until then collections will be one day later than unusual.
Households can put out one extra waste bag for their first refuse collection after Christmas.
Council services will be unavailable on Monday 2 January due to the Bank Holiday but residents are advised to visit the council’s website to find out any information they are looking for.
The My Account service will also be available for to report any issues to the council, so they can be resolved as soon as possible once normal services resume. Individuals can also use the service to manage their council tax or housing benefits account.
Please visit our website for more information on the New Year arrangements.
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Have your say- budget consultation is underway
All residents are being encouraged to take part in our budget consultation, which will help to shape spending priorities for the coming year.
Every year, as part of the budget setting process, we consult with you to seek your views on what you think should be the priority areas for the forthcoming year. We then examine those views against the funding provided by Welsh Government.
Budget planning for the financial year 2023-24 is more uncertain than ever before.
As well as the impact of the covid-19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine has contributed to the rise of energy and other prices globally, leading to the current cost-of-living crisis which will also have a significant impact on the council’s overall costs.
The council faces an unprecedented financial challenge over the coming years, which estimates a funding gap of up to £20m in the 2023 - 2024 financial period.
Please visit our website to complete the survey online before 22 January or you can request a hard copy by emailing consultation@bridgend.gov.uk, calling 01656643664 or writing to Consultation and Engagement, Civic Offices, Angel Street Bridgend, CF31 4WB.
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 Give blood and save lives!
The need for blood has never been more important. Can you help? Welsh Blood Service need more people from the Bridgend area to sign up as donors to help patients across Wales. Appointments are available in Bridgend at the Heronston Hotel (CF35 5AW) on:
Please be advised that if you have recently had a Covid-19 vaccination, then you must wait two days before making a blood donation.
Book your appointment to help save lives today.
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 We are recruiting!
We have several exciting job opportunities available and are currently recruiting for the following positions:
- Headteacher - Llangewydd Junior School
- Architectural Technician - Communities - Corporate Landlord
- Basic Skills Development & Delivery Worker - Adult Community Learning
- Green Spaces Project and Planning Officer
- Science Technician - Pencoed Comprehensive School
- Social Care Worker - Parc Prison
Find out more about current vacancies and apply online today.
Sign up to our new weekly jobs bulletin to be the first to know about our latest job opportunities.
The bulletin will be sent straight to your inbox, all you need to do is sign up online.
Find out more and sign up online today!
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Emergency support is available
We would also like to remind residents that a range of emergency support continues to be available:
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