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 Hello Subscriber,
Bridgend Register Office will be hosting an open day on Saturday 18 February where staff will be on hand to show people around the new state of the art ceremony room and to answer any questions about the booking process or any upcoming ceremonies.
The open day will be between 10am and 1pm at Civic Offices, Angel Street and the ceremony suite is fully accessible to cater for all disabilities.
The Register Office relocated to Civic Offices in July 2020 and the newly licensed Swit Pen-y-Bont ceremony room can host up to 50 guests. Since the relocation, there have been over 500 ceremonies, which include couples of all ages from all over the country.
The room also benefits from a modern surround sound system, which allows couples to choose from a wide variety of music. Whether it’s rock, pop or classical, it’s all up to the couple.
The new facility also has an outside garden area, which provides a fitting picture opportunity for both before and after any ceremony.
There is onsite parking for one car and the train and bus stations are nearby. There are also several town centre car parks within walking distance and the Rhiw multistorey car park is currently free for three hours until 1 April 2023.
The Register Office is available for a range of ceremonies such as marriage, civil partnership, naming ceremonies, commitment ceremonies and renewal of vows. Citizenship ceremonies with the High Sheriff of Mid Glamorgan, representatives of the Lord Lieutenant and the Mayor of Bridgend have also been held at the facility.
Mr and Mrs Patterson, who recently got married at the Register Office, said: “The overall experience of the wedding ceremony was excellent. We were both made to feel at ease and would recommend Bridgend to anyone who is thinking of getting married.”
If you cannot attend the open day and would like more information, please contact registrar@bridgend.gov.uk or phone 01656 642391.
Please visit our website for more information on Bridgend Register Office.
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 Visit the Repair Café!
Repair Café Wales offers training and advice to local communities, with the aim of creating a culture of repair and recycling - reducing the need for waste and landfill.
These pop-up events help the local community to get their broken household items repaired for free by volunteers.
The types of things they fix include clothes, household electrics, technology, woodwork, children’s toys, furniture, bikes.
Volunteer repairers will attempt to fix any damaged or broken item at no cost, whilst visitors can watch and learn relevant skills, or simply enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a chat! To find a Repair Café near you, please visit the Repair Café Wales website.
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 Council put plans in place to support unaccompanied child asylum seekers
Plans to provide care and supported accommodation for unaccompanied child asylum seekers in Bridgend County Borough have moved a step forward.
The council’s cabinet have given their approval for the relevant modifications to be made to an existing contract with supported accommodation provider Dewis Ltd.
As part of the mandated National Transfer Scheme, the Home Office operates a rota, which requires local authorities within each region to ‘take it in turns’ to accept children into their care.
The Home Office previously advised that the Cwm Taf Morgannwg region has a maximum allocation of 91 unaccompanied children, which equates to an overall total of 29 children for Bridgend.
To date, the council has successfully placed six children by using our supported accommodation and independent foster agencies. However, placements in these environments are very limited.
Two more children are required to be placed into the care of Bridgend County Borough Council in the coming months. They are expected to arrive between January and March 2023. The duration of the mandatory placements is currently unknown.
A registered social housing landlord has recently offered the council a three-bedroom property, which is deemed to be very suitable for young people.
The service requires a support team to be based in the home at appropriate times during the day to support young people in line with their specific needs.
The current supported accommodation contract in place with Dewis only allows a 10% change regarding the value of the contract, but to meet the requirements of this mandatory scheme a change of 36% is needed. The approval from cabinet, will now allow this change to be put into place.
For more information on our plans to support unaccompanied child asylum seekers, please visit our website.
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 £21m funding for community projects in Bridgend County Borough
More than £21m is set to support a range of community projects in Bridgend County Borough following a successful application to the Shared Prosperity Fund.
The money has been allocated towards specific initiatives and includes schemes that range from the Great Glamorgan Way - a 270km network of ‘green corridors’ which will connect communities throughout the region - to funding for new tourism events, projects designed to improve adult literacy, a new local enterprise support programme and more.
Around £8m of the funding will be used to establish a range of initiatives that will enable people to learn new skills, gain new qualifications and abilities, and ultimately find long term permanent work.
More than £3.5m will be used to set up new centres of enterprise across the county borough, while just over £1m will support health, climate and economical projects to help develop stronger and more resilient local communities.
A further £2m will be used for community capacity projects such as establishing a new third sector fund and extending grants in support of commercial properties beyond local town centres.
Welcoming news that the funding has been approved, Councillor Neelo Farr, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “This is excellent news, and the £21m will be used to fund projects that deliver a wide range of positive outcomes for local people across all of the county borough, especially within our valley communities.
“Opportunities to access the funding, which will be in place until March 2025, will be announced soon.”
For more information on the Shared Prosperity Fund, please visit our website.
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Have your say on active travel in Bridgend town centre!
The Bridgend town centre active travel survey is now open, and residents can have their say on how to make the town centre even more accessible.
The survey has been launched as part of the Infuse Programme to better understand user needs around Active Travel, particularly the barriers that people and communities face in accessing and using local schemes.
The consultation discusses plans such as a new eastern entrance to Bridgend railway station from Tremains Road and a new drop-off area. There could also be a new walking and cycling route introduced to the town with a "vibrant open space and active frontage along Brackla Street
The survey has been designed in partnership with the council, Welsh Government and Transport for Wales.
To share your thoughts on active travel in Bridgend town centre, please visit the Welsh Government website.
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Have your say: Public Service Board wellbeing plan
Bridgend and Cwm Taf Public Services Boards have created a joint draft wellbeing plan for the whole of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg area covering Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Wellbeing is about quality of life, and how that is connected to the environment, the economy, the services we need and the culture we share. The draft plan outlines how we will all work together to achieve this aim.
We welcome your feedback; you can share your thoughts by completing the following survey.
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 Cabinet approve policy to address unreasonable behaviour towards staff
Our Cabinet has approved a revised policy to address unreasonable behaviour, which includes vexatious complainant behaviour, from members of the public.
Although usually positive, some contact with the public can be challenging. In the last 12 months, only 0.9 per cent of complainants have been deemed as unreasonable- one of the complainants, over a three-month period, called the council over 2,500 times, despite the issues raised, having already been resolved.
The considerable amount of officer and member time used in this situation is detrimental to the service that the council is trying to provide.
Unreasonable behaviour towards council staff is not limited to complaints and can also present as actual or threatened violence or abuse.
A policy dealing with such behaviour offers consistency amongst employees, as well as supports officers in having a clear understanding of what is expected, what options are available and who can authorise these actions.
Councillor Rhys Goode, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations, said: “The council is committed to responding openly and with transparency to all complaints. However, local authority staff have the right to feel safe and appreciated in their work, and we have a clear set of values that does not tolerate unreasonable or abusive behaviour.”
For further details on the unreasonable behaviour plan, please head to our website.
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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 at the following locations and dates:
- Princess of Wales Hospital- 6 February 2023
- Heronston Hotel- 6 and 17 February 2023
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:
- Harbour Master - Porthcawl Marina
- Paralegal – Commercial - Chief Executive - Legal
- Assistant Cook Ysgol Bryn Castell Bryncethin Campus
- Flying Start Family Support Worker (Fixed Term)
- Pupil Services Officer
- Senior Youth Worker
- Business and Workforce Apprentice
- Ceremony Co-Ordinator / Deputy Superintendent Registrar
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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