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Villages' and Local News Archive 2011 to present

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2012 

Five pupils from St. Brides Major School represented the Vale of Glamorgan Schools under-11 rugby team in the prestigious D C Thomas Cup Final in 2012.  All received medals after beating Pontypool Schools at the Millennium Stadium. 

Cowbridge Rotary Club organised a seven-a-side junior football tournament for local primary schools in 2012 in which St. Brides Major School pupils were the winning team. 

St Brides Major School won a local primary schools seven-a-side junior football tournament organised by the Rotary Club of Cowbridge.  Medals and certificates were awarded to the winners and runners-up. 

Villagers attended a Garden Party on Saturday, 2nd June, 2012 at the Vicarage, St. Brides Major, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

St. Brides Major School Street Party to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II was held on Friday, 1st June, 2012.

Playgroup held a Garden Party on Thursday, 31st May, 2012 at the Vicarage, St. Brides Major, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.   

St. Brides Major Primary School year six pupils buried a time capsule near the steps of a new junior playground in May, 2012. 

The Big Welsh Coastal Walk was held on the Bank Holiday weekend of 5th, 6th & 7th May, 2012, to celebrate the opening of the footpath covering the whole nation’s coastline.  The Ramblers Association organised over 50 walks including several along the Heritage Coast, to highlight the magnificent coastline of Wales and the fantastic walking available.  Three events took place in Cardiff, Aberystwyth and Flint, when the 870 miles / 1,400 km of Wales Coast Path was officially opened by Welsh ministers.  In readiness, Penybont Life Saving Club, Keep Wales Tidy and other volunteers helped to remove litter from the coastal path and collected more than a tonne of rubbish.  Thanks to Dunraven Estates, 7.5 km was made available as a public path with major works carried out at Cwm Mawr to improve access.  Rangers from the Heritage Coast widened some sections, re-routed when too close to the cliff edge owing to collapse or erosion, cleared land through a wooded area, repaired fencing, rebuilt walling, renewed a bridge, upgraded gates, replaced steps and installed or replaced signage, to name just a few of the jobs undertaken. 

To raise funds for the Carnival to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, a prize bingo evening and auction was held on Friday, 27th April, 2012, in the Church Hall, St. Brides Major and the refreshments included tea or coffee with Welsh cakes. 

Members of the Parish, including: The Venerable Philip Morris (Archdeacon of Margam and Priest in Charge) and his wife Sheila, as well as a St. Bridget's bell ringer, attended Llandaff Cathedral on Thursday, 26th April, 2012, when the Queen visited Wales to start the celebrations of her Diamond Jubilee.

Thanks to a £5,000 Lottery Award, a colour brochure was produced for Coed-y-Bwl Nature Reserve, Castle-upon-Alun and a new interpretation board made from local limestone.  At the annual open day on Sunday, 18th March, 2012, the board was unveiled by Murray McClaggan of Merthyr Mawr Estate.  Alun Cairns, Conservative MP for the Vale of Glamorgan, was also present. 

It was announced in March, 2012 that the Vale of Glamorgan Council was to begin building a new slipway at Ogmore-by-Sea beach that had been designed by the Highways team.  This reinstatement of a ramp would improve access for emergency services and Penybont Surf Life Saving Club, as well as disabled persons and families with pushchairs. 

Southerndown Beach and Jackson's Bay won the Seaside Award for attaining the European Union standard of bathing water quality and beach management, while Ogmore achieved the Green Coast Award for the highest environmental standards and top quality bathing water, from Keep Wales Tidy in March, 2012. 

Villagers got together and volunteers organised to run a local community library service in the Church Hall in St. Brides Major.  On Saturday, 17th March, 2012 an opening ceremony was attended by: Archdeacon of Margam, Philip Morris; Alun Cairns MP; Jane Hutt, AM; Andrew RT Davies, AM; Gordon Kemp, Councillor; Audrey Preston, Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council.  There was also a coffee morning, local produce market and arts & crafts sale.  It was envisaged that several computers and a printer would also be provided for Parish residents and a regular rota for Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoon and evenings was set up. 

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The Mobile Library service (provided by the Vale of Glamorgan Council) ceased in December, 2011. 

Penybont Surf Life Saving Club was awarded £2,000 in December, 2011, by the Co-operative Membership Community Fund in aid of a new slipway and club house at Ogmore-by-Sea.  Members of the The Co-operative Group can elect to donate all or part of their twice-yearly dividend payments which is then used to help local community projects; application forms can be obtained from www.co-operative.coop/communityfund

Vale MP Alun Cairns volunteered to work a lunchtime shift behind the bar at the Fox & Hounds, St. Brides Major, during British Pub Week (that ran from 28th October to 6th November) in order to learn the challenges facing the pub trade. 

Volunteers working at Ceod-y-Bwl (Daffodil Wood) were highly commended in the Vale of Glamorgan Biodiversity Partnership Awards for Wildlife. 

It was announced in November, 2011 that a local resident of St. Brides Major had come second in the Best Village Garden category of the Vale in Bloom Competition that was judged in August, 2011. 

August, 2011 saw the village shop in St. Brides Major become a Mace Store. 

To raise funds for the Western Vale Eisteddfod Appeal, several events such as car boot sales, firework display and led walks were arranged.  A Proclamation Ceremony on Saturday, 25th June, 2011 in Gladstone Gardens, Barry, marked the official launch of the Vale of Glamorgan Eisteddfod due to be held at Llandow from 4th to 11th August, 2012.  The last time this event was held in the Vale area was in 1968.  Visit National Eisteddfod of Wales website

Penybont Surf Lifesaving Club announced an attempt to secure lottery funding towards building a new slipway and clubhouse at Ogmore Rivermouth with the intention of also providing a venue that could be used by the local community.  An open meeting was held on Saturday, 16th July, 2011 to discuss the plans. 

Following national surveys it was announced in May, 2011 that otter activity had been recorded in the major rivers of Bridgend, including Ogmore, as well as evidence of breeding, and that water quality was being carefully monitored because a safe and clean environment was essential for these animals and other wildlife. 

The seventh Earl of Dunraven died peacefully at his home in Adare County Limerick on Friday, 25th March, 2011.  A memorial service was held on 23rd June 2011 in St. Bridget's Church. 

Sunday, 22nd May, 2011 saw the grand opening of the two function rooms known as The Barn at West Farm, Southerndown, incorporating a fully licensed bar, in-house catering facilities and digital projectors for cinema-like experience, together with grounds that could accommodate a number of marquees.  

In May, 2011 hopes were raised that another pair of swans would nest on St. Brides Major pond. 

Pen-y-Bont Surf Life Saving Club were presented with a cheque from the Tidy Towns project (organised by Keep Wales Tidy) in April 2011 to buy a new trailer so that volunteers could collect then cart away refuse that came in on the tide, had been swept down tributary rivers or left behind by visitors, at Ogmore Rivermouth, Merthyr Mawr Warren and isolated areas. 

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 The Diary | News Archive: 2001 to 2005  2006 to 2010  2011 to present

 

 

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