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Hello Subscriber,
A Bridgend town centre restaurant, Morgan’s Bistro and Cocktail Bar, has been crowned the ‘Best Restaurant in Wales 2023’ at the Best of Welsh Business Awards 2023, which were held last week at the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff.
The French restaurant first opened in August 2020 and is located at a building in Caroline Street which was brought back into use as part of the Bridgend Townscape Heritage scheme.
Morgan’s Bistro and Cocktail Bar was one of several town centre businesses who were nominated for awards, alongside Beth Daniels Hair Design, who scooped a ‘Highly Commended’ accolade in the hairdresser’s category, and nominations for Dean Morgan’s Salon, and Cabo Roche in the ‘Best Hairdressers’ and ‘Best Pub of the Year, Family Run Business’ respective categories.
The award follows the Bistro’s previous win for ‘Highly Commended Food, Drink & Hospitality’ at the recent Business Growth Awards 2023.
Adrian Reynolds, Director, and Head Chef at Morgan’s Bistro and Cocktail Bar said: “As a small, independent restaurant, we are overwhelmed to win the awards for ‘Best Restaurant in Wales 2023, and ‘Highly Commended Food, Drink & Hospitality’.
“We are so proud to be recognised for the hard work and perseverance that our staff have shown since launching the restaurant, especially during a pandemic.
“It’s such an honour, and we would like to thank our fabulous customers for their continued loyal support and votes.”
Please visit our website for more details about ‘destination restaurants’ in the county borough.
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 Last chance to apply for September 2023 full-time nursey places!
We would like to remind residents that the deadline for full-time nursery school applications is 24 March 2023, 4PM.
It’s quick and easy to apply through the council’s My Account service- all you need is an email address.
Parents/carers will be notified of the result of their application on Monday 15 May 2023.
Please visit our website for more information on school admissions.
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 Have your say on Porthcawl Welsh-medium seedling school plans!
A consultation on plans to establish a Welsh-medium seedling school and childcare provision on land at Porthcawl Primary School is now live.
An options appraisal previously found that the existing Porthcawl Primary School site was the most suitable location to accommodate both a seedling school and childcare facility.
To compensate for the land which will be used for the new facility, an all-weather pitch would be provided at Porthcawl Primary School.
The proposed seedling school is a ‘starter class’ with 30 full-time equivalent nursery places, and 30 Reception places.
It is planned that the seedling provision will be operated and governed by Ysgol y Ferch o’r Sgȇr, and pupils would transition to that school at Year 1 to conclude their primary education; that is until a Welsh-medium primary school is established in Porthcawl as part of a future band of the school modernisation programme, which Cabinet previously approved in principle.
The proposed childcare facility will have capacity for 16 full-time (32 part-time) childcare places, together with 6 places for 0 to 2 provision offering full care from potentially birth to four years-old. This includes afterschool and holiday provision, to offer full wrap-around care via the medium of Welsh. It is planned that this facility will be operated by a private provider.
Porthcawl was previously identified as a key location that would benefit from a Welsh-medium childcare facility. It is thought that such facilities will help support transition from childcare into Welsh-medium primary school education.
It is currently estimated that if the proposal progresses to completion, the new provision will open in January 2025.
To have your say on the plans, please visit our website.
The consultation is due to close on 11 April.
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Green Top markets to return to Bridgend and Porthcawl!
Shoppers are in for a treat as the Green Top Events street markets return to Bridgend and Porthcawl next month.
Green Top Events operate artisan food, craft and gift street markets across South Wales and the West Country and feature traders selling locally sourced, handmade, personally designed items.
The Bridgend street market will take place on the first Saturday of every month and will be located on Caroline Street & Adare Street, the next event is Saturday 1 April.
In Porthcawl, the street market takes place on John Street and will be held on the third Friday of every month with the next event taking place on Friday 21 April.
We would like to reiterate that John Street in Porthcawl is a pedestrian only area. Access for vehicles needing to load / unload and for Blue Badge holders is ONLY permitted prior to 11am and after 5pm. Please note that shoppers are not entitled to loading access.
Blue Badge holders are reminded that they can park for free in any council managed car park as long as their badge is displayed correctly. There are also disabled bays located on Well Street.
Please visit our website for more information on council run car parks.
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 Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils in schools across Bridgend are set to benefit from free school meals
From 17 April, the beginning of the summer term, all Bridgend school children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will be offered a free school meal.
Reception pupils have benefitted from a free school meal since September 2022. The expansion of the offer to Year 1 and Year 2 pupils following the Easter break, means that over 4700 learners will be eligible for universal primary free school meals.
Councillor Jon-Paul Blundell, Cabinet Member for Education, said: “How wonderful it is that the local authority is supporting families in this way.
“It is so important to make it clear that the free school meal offer is for all infant school pupils, regardless of family circumstances.
“In addition to Reception pupils, who have benefited from this initiative since September 2022, all Year 1 and Year 2 pupils will automatically benefit from the provision, so there is no application process for parents and carers to complete.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank Bridgend County Borough Council staff and schools for their continued hard work to deliver this vital service.”
Please visit Welsh Government’s website for more information on the universal free school meal roll out.
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Successful ‘Help for Households’ event supports local community
Employability Bridgend’s recent event, ‘Help for Households’, proved to be a success, with local residents receiving bespoke financial advice from a variety of organisations from across the county borough.
Aiming to support the community in addressing the cost-of-living challenge, the event took place on 16 March at Bridgend Indoor Market.
Providers included Citizens Advice, Welsh Water, Valleys 2 Coast - Money Matters team, Bridgend Care and Repair, Utilities Warehouse, BCBC Childcare Offer, Baobab-Bach, BAVO and Bridgend Repair Café – all supporting local residents with a range of issues, as well as providing cost saving ideas and benefit advice.
The event was a resounding success, with more than 100 residents having attended.
A range of cost saving items were also given to attendees, including LED lightbulbs, draft excluder tape, water bottles and tumble dryer balls in a bid to support the community during these financially challenging times.
Further cost-of-living advice is available on our website.
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The next £150m Community Ownership Fund application window is now open!
The UK Government’s Community Ownership fund is designed to help local communities across the county borough to take control of assets which are at risk of being lost such as theatres, sports clubs, post offices and more.
Applicants can now see exactly what they need to include in their applications with the newly published Assessor Guidance.
To help organisations, a virtual briefing event will be taking place on Tuesday 28 March at 6pm.
Officials from UK Government will be in attendance to provide an overview of the fund and there will be time for Q&As.
Email regenerationfunding@bridgend.gov.uk to book your place.
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 Brynmenyn Primary School Shines in Estyn Inspection
In a recent Estyn inspection, Brynmenyn Primary School demonstrated its success in helping its learners develop.
One of four Bridgend schools inspected between summer and autumn term 2022, Brynmenyn Primary School was visited by Estyn in October 2022, under new inspection arrangements that support the renewal and reform in Welsh education.
The new inspection reports detail how well providers are supporting a child to learn, rather than using the summative gradings used previously.
The current Estyn reporting format uses the following categories when judging a school:
- No follow up
- Estyn review
- Significant improvement required
- Special measures required
Satisfied that the school is making sufficient progress, Estyn inspectors deemed that ‘no follow-up action’ is required at Brynmenyn Primary School.
Recommendations for the school to continue to strive forward with its success ranged from improving the Welsh speaking skills of learners, to providing opportunities for pupils to become independent learners.
Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Jon-Paul Blundell, said: “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all schools were exempt from Estyn inspections for a two-year period – from March 2020 to February 2022. In the meantime, Estyn has developed its inspection procedures and a pilot for this new approach took place in the spring and summer term 2022.
“We are extremely proud of Brynmenyn Primary School, having been marked as needing no Estyn follow up. In light of both the academic and personal challenges posed by the pandemic, the school has done exceptionally well to demonstrate the progress of its learners.
“The inspection report is a clear indication of the hard work of staff and children alike. Keep up the sterling efforts!”
Please visit our website for more information about our county borough schools.
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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:
- Heronston Hotel- 24 March, 6 and 12 April 2023
- Trinity Church (Porthcawl)- 21 April 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:
- E-Learning Tutor - Adult Community Learning
- Fostering Support Officer – Social Services and Wellbeing
- Operational Manager – Youth Justice Service
- School Transport Contract Monitoring Officer
- Social Work Lead in Adult Social Care
- Deputy Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships
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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