First Cymru temporarily remove Maesteg 70/71 bus
First Cymru have advised Bridgend County Borough Council that they are temporarily removing their 70/71 bus service from Maesteg bus station due to safety concerns over private vehicles entering the bus bay areas.
The 70/71 service will now pick up and drop off at Maesteg College/Plasnewydd School.
The X3 service will still operate in Maesteg bus station.
The council is currently liaising with First Cymru to resolve the issue and is reminding drivers of the need to keep all other vehicles out of the bus station area.
Good luck to Penybont FC
Bridgend County Borough Council is wishing good luck to Penybont FC ahead of their JD Welsh Cup final showdown against seven-time winners, The New Saints.
Bont will travel to the Cardiff City Stadium for the occasion in May after a successful campaign which saw them dispatch Undy Athletic, Cambrian and Clydach Vale BGC, Caernarfon Town, Taff’s Well and Bala Town en route to the final.
They will face current Cymru Premier champions, The New Saints, with the winner qualifying to play in next season’s UEFA Europa Conference League.
Learn to swim this Easter
Halo Leisure are running two intensive five-day ‘learn to swim’ courses at Ynysawdre Swimming Pool over the Easter break, and children who are not already enrolled on existing swimming courses can sign up for free.
The two courses will be available between 9am-9.30am from Monday 11 – Friday 15 April, and Monday 18 – Friday 22 April.
Each 30 minute lesson will be held in the small training pool and led by friendly, fun instructors. The sessions are suitable for children aged four and over who are either complete beginners or want to improve their water confidence.
To find out more, visit the Halo Leisure website or call 01656 678895.
Snoopy hits the sculpture trail in Porthcawl
A much-awaited public art trail featuring colourful Snoopy sculptures has arrived in Porthcawl to raise money for Dogs Trust.
Six supersized statues depicting Charlie Brown’s trusty sidekick from the cartoon strip Peanuts will be located in key locations around the town until 5 June 2022.
Each statue has been uniquely decorated by local artists with the addition of 12 mini-Snoopy sculptures created by schools including include Brynmenyn Primary, Brynteg School, Afon y Felin Primary, Tondu Primary, St Mary’s and St Patrick’s RC Primary, Ysgol Cynwyd Sant, Maesteg School, Nottage Primary, Abercerdin Primary, Coety Primary, Pencoed Primary, and Cwmfelin Primary.
The mini statues will be displayed in ‘packs’ at indoor locations across Porthcawl including at the harbour, Rest Bay Watersports Centre and Grand Pavilion.
Gwyn Francis teaches a Year Four class at Abercerdin Primary School and spoke of his pupils’ excitement at the launch of the trail.
He said: “The class have been really engaged in the activity from day one. They’re all dog lovers so we spent a bit of time talking about dog welfare before we started the project.
“In our literacy class one day we were talking about what a perfect planet would look like after reading a story about people who discovered a chocolate planet – then we thought it might be a good artwork for our Snoopy sculpture, so our theme is ‘Perfect Planet’.”
Abercerdin Primary School’s mini sculpture can be found outside the café in Rest Bay and Mr Francis says his class are “very excited” to go and see it.
Visitors to the town will be able to locate each of the colourful artworks and take advantage of special offers from businesses along the trial using the Dog’s Trail app which is available for free from the App Store and Google Play Store.
A digital map can also be downloaded for free from the A Dog’s Trail website in English and Welsh.
Rebecca Staden, project manager of A Dog’s Trail with Snoopy, said: “We are so excited to finally unleash our Snoopy sculptures across south Wales and can’t wait to see everyone out there exploring over the next eight weeks.
“A Dog’s Trail will offer everyone, two and four-legged, a fabulous day out and will get people exploring parts of south Wales they may not have visited before, while helping to support the care we provide to thousands of dogs across south Wales each year.
Janine Nightingale, Bridgend County Borough Council’s Corporate Director for Communities, said: “Over several months now, the local authority has been working closely with the Dog’s Trust, which has a rehoming centre based near Penyfai, to host the mini-trail in Porthcawl as an extension of the main trail in Cardiff.
“It’s a brilliant opportunity for the visitor economy in Porthcawl and will also help the local economy while benefiting a fantastic charity which already has links to the county borough.”
Sponsors for the Porthcawl event include Bridgend College who have sponsored the Snoopy sculpture called Kintsugi which will be located in front of the Grand Pavilion and First Cymru Buses whose Snoopy sculpture, Happy Little Clouds, will be located in the band stand on John Street.
Similar trails will also be available to visit in Caerphilly and Cardiff as well as Porthcawl.
When the trail ends, the sculptures will be auctioned at a special event in Cardiff on 21 June to support the work of Dogs Trust. There will be a final chance to see all 40 large Snoopy sculptures together at a farewell event at Cardiff City Hall Lawn from 16-19 June. Tickets for the farewell event will go on sale later this month via the A Dog’s Trail website.
To find out more about the trail please visit www.adogstrail.org.uk.