Latest news from Bridgend County Borough

Bridgend town centre jobs fair

The streets of Bridgend town centre will host a mobile jobs fair between 10am-2pm tomorrow (Thursday 16 September) with stalls in Dunraven Place and Caroline Street. Dozens of local employers will be in attendance including South Wales Police, Avon Cosmetics, First Cymru Buses, Harlequin Home Care Ltd and A&R Cleaning Services. Staff will also be available to provide information on a range of part-time, full-time, permanent and temporary vacancies as well as advice on training and opportunities for school and college graduates. The event has been organised by Employability Bridgend as part of the council’s partnership with Jobcentre Plus – find out more at the council website.

Ogmore valley brownfield site becomes wildlife haven

A disused coal washery in the Ogmore Valley has been transformed into a haven for nature and wildlife. The council’s Rural Development Team, Reach, worked with Ogmore Community Council to secure funding to develop the site into an area that benefits the local community. The project focused on encouraging biodiversity in the Ogmore Valley through habitat management, restoration and creation. Funding of £50,000 was awarded by the Valleys Regional Taskforce for the provision of paths, benches and artwork at the site. The community council also received £4,700 in Heritage Lottery Funding for the installation of QE codes and the development of a map to create a heritage trail. An outdoor classroom and picnic area have also been installed.

 

Care workers in recruitment drive

Home care workers have spoken about why others should consider joining the team as part of a new recruitment drive in the social care sector. The new video is aimed at promoting the benefits of working in care and encouraging people to apply for roles within the sector. A recruitment drive was launched at the end of August by Welsh Government and Social Care Wales. For jobs across Wales, visit the WeCare Wales website or find out more via @WeCareWales on Twitter or Facebook. Within Bridgend County Borough, there are roles available in a variety of areas, from home care and reablement teams to young people’s services. For more details or to apply, just visit the Bridgend County Borough Council website or visit the council’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

Carn Rovers FC take over Garw Valley facilities

Responsibility for Cwm Garw Pavilion and Playing Fields has been transferred to Carn Rovers FC after a 35-year lease was agreed with Bridgend County Borough Council. The Bridgend League side aim to make improvements to the existing pavilion and playing fields after securing the transfer as part of the local authority’s Community Asset Transfer Programme (CAT). The project will be funded in partnership with the council under the CAT fund with £10,883 made available for pavilion improvements as well as £10,000 towards the cost of pitch maintenance equipment.

 

Land transfer agreed for new schools in Cornelly

Plans for new primary schools and educational facilities in the Cornelly area have moved a step closer after a transfer of land owned by the authority and Valleys to Coast Housing (V2C) was approved by Cabinet. V2C land at Plas Morlais will be purchased by the council under proposals to build a new English-medium primary. Once the state-of-the-art development is up and running, V2C will acquire the Afon y Felin site from the council. As part of the plans, the existing Welsh-medium primary school, Ysgol y Ferch o’r Sgêr, will gain new buildings and expand onto the Corneli Primary site. The Integrated Children’s Centre, which is currently located on the Corneli Primary School site, will remain in place.

 

Plans for new seedling school in Porthcawl

Plans for the development of an all-new Welsh-medium seedling school have been agreed by Cabinet members following Welsh Government’s recent announcement over the next phase of its capital grant scheme for Welsh-medium education. The council is in the early stages of developing plans that could see a new Welsh-medium seedling school and childcare facility established in the Porthcawl area. For more details, visit the council website.

 

Regional skills and talent hub launched

Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) has announced the launch of a new skills and talent hub. Called Venture, the new employment and skills service goes live on 13 September and aims to connect the ambitions and aspirations of career-seekers and employers across the 10 unitary authorities that make up the CCR. The new skills hub includes Venture Graduate, a graduate recruitment scheme provided at zero cost to any organisation in South East Wales, and Venture Specialist which brings together various niche skills initiatives supported or funded by CCR. To find out more about Venture, please visit www.venturewales.org

 

Help and support for 16-24 year olds

The Inspire 2 Work programme provides support and advice for school and college leavers on a range of issues. Access the team’s online chat, call 01656 815146 or email [email protected].                                                                     

 

Resurfacing works continue along Bridgend’s Ewenny Road

Resurfacing works in the latest round of investment into the local highways network are continuing along Ewenny Road between the Five Bells pub and Heronston School. With the first round of work completed on Sunday 12 September, the second and final phase will take place on Sunday 19 September. While every effort will be made to minimise inconvenience, drivers are being advised that there may be temporary delays along the A473 Cowbridge Road and Ewenny Road while the work is underway.

 

Changes to lateral flow test collection

The health board has announced that lateral flow testing kits are no longer available for collection from mobile testing sites, and will now need to be either ordered online for home delivery or picked up from a participating pharmacy. Further information, including details of how you can arrange to receive a free testing kit, are available at the Welsh Government website.

 

Walk-in centres offer second vaccine dose

People who are overdue for their second Covid-19 vaccination can now walk in to any community vaccination centre for their second jab without an appointment. The offer is available to those who received their first dose of the vaccine eight weeks ago or more, and applies to every community vaccination centre in the health board area. This includes Ravens Court in Bridgend town centre (CF31 4AP) where walk-in appointments are available between 9.15am and 4.30pm. Details of other vaccination centres in the region are available on the health board website, which is updated weekly.

 

Mobile testing arrangements

Free mobile testing for anyone who is experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 remains available in Bridgend County Borough with sites currently based at Porthcawl, Coity and Bridgend town centre. Testing is available at Porthcawl RFC (CF36 3DH) from 9am to 5pm all week, including Saturday and Sunday. This site incorporates both a drive-through testing facility, which must be booked in advance, and a walk-in option where no booking is required. Drive-through testing is also available at Coity and Litchard Community Centre (CF31 1PA) from 9am-5pm, and at the walk-through facility based at the Bowls Hall car park in Angel Street, Bridgend (CF31 4AH) which is available between 8am-8pm – booking for both of these sites is essential. You can arrange appointments by visiting the Welsh Government website or by calling 119 (18001119 for people with hearing or speech difficulties).