Bridgend County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) is a county borough in the south-east of

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. The county borough has a total population of 139,200 people, and contains the town of

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...

, after which it is named. Its members of the Senedd are Sarah Murphy MS, representing the Bridgend Constituency, and Huw Irranca-Davies MS representing the Ogmore Constituency, and its members of UK parliament are Jamie Wallis and

Chris Elmore Christopher Philip James Elmore (born 23 December 1983) is a Welsh Labour Party politician. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Ogmore since 2016. Early life and career Elmore was born in Newport and lived in Brynmawr and in Caerphilly ...

. The county borough lies at the geographical heart of south Wales. Its land area of 110 mi² (285 km²) stretches 12 miles (20 km) from east to west and occupies the Llynfi, Garw and Ogmore valleys. The largest town is Bridgend (pop: 39,773), followed by Maesteg (pop: 20,700) and seaside resort of Porthcawl (pop: 19,238). It is situated on the Ogmore River and its tributaries, although the

Ewenny Ewenny ( cy, Ewenni) is a village and community (parish) on the River Ewenny in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Over the years the village has grown into the neighbouring village of Corntown to such an extent that there is no longer a clear bound ...

and

Ogwr Fach The Borough of Ogwr was one of six districts of Mid Glamorgan in Wales, which existed from 1974 to 1996. History It was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 from the urban districts of Bridgend, Maesteg, Ogmore and Garw and Porthcawl, ...

rivers form the border with the Vale of Glamorgan for much of their length. It was formed on 1 April 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. It includes all of the former

Ogwr The Borough of Ogwr was one of six districts of Mid Glamorgan in Wales, which existed from 1974 to 1996. History It was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 from the urban districts of Bridgend, Maesteg, Ogmore and Garw and Porthcawl, al ...

borough apart from the communities of Wick, St Bride's Major and

, which went to Vale of Glamorgan. Bridgend County Borough was divided into 20 communities: Brackla,

Cefn Cribwr Cefn Cribwr is a village and community in Bridgend County Borough in south Wales. The village is located about 5 miles (8 km) from the centre of Bridgend town, and inbetween Bridgend and Pyle. Description The village is situated on a ridge ...

, Coity Higher,

Coychurch Higher Coychurch Higher is a community in Bridgend County Borough, south Wales. It covers the westerly area of the county north of Pencoed and south of Ogmore Vale. The community is sparsely populated and contains only one settlement, the small villag ...

, Coychurch Lower, Cornelly, Garw Valley, Laleston, Llangynwyd Lower, Llangynwyd Middle, Maesteg, Merthyr Mawr, Newcastle Higher, Ogmore Valley, Pencoed, Porthcawl, Pyle, St Bride's Minor and Ynysawdre. The communities of Brackla, Bridgend and Coychurch Lower make up the town of Bridgend.

Government

The region is governed by Bridgend County Borough Council, a

Principal council A Principal council is a local government authority carrying out statutory duties in a principal area in England and Wales. The term “principal council” was first defined in the Local Government Act 1972, Section 270. This act created great ...

. It is currently in the control of the Labour party with 26 seats out of 54.

Schools

Parks and green spaces

Bryngarw Country Park is the largest (113

acres The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

) country park in the borough. It offers many amenity based areas including an adventure play area, barbecue and picnic areas, car park, cafe, visitor centre and toilets; as well as a patchwork of woodland, grassland and freshwater habitats. Bryngarw Country Park is a Grade II listed Historic Park and Garden and has been designated a 'Green Flag' Park since 2010. The Oriental Garden in the park has been noted as a 'Visit Wales Sustainable Tourism, Historic Gardens Centre of Excellence’ by the 'One Historic Garden, Centre of Excellence'. Kenfig National Nature Reserve with Glamorgan's largest natural lake, Kenfig Pool, is set on the edge of this area, with views from Sker beach across Swansea Bay to Gower. It is one of the finest wildlife habitats in Wales, and one of the last remnants of a huge dune system that once stretched along the coast from the River Ogmore to the Gower peninsula. The reserve is home to unique wild orchids, as well as insects and wildlife. Kenfig is one of the most important sites in Britain for nature conservation. Parc Slip Nature Reserve is an environment of wetlands, woodlands and meadows at the Parc Slip Nature Park where there is a wealth of wildlife. After a century of coal mining on the site, the Wildlife Trust began to manage the land for nature in the late 1980s. Varied habitats have since been created and the park supports an increasing diversity of wildlife.

Notable people

* :People from Bridgend

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Bridgend.

Individuals

Military Units

* The Royal Welsh: 30 August 2008. * 2 Company 1st Battalion The Welsh Guards: 11 May 2011.

References

External links

* *
Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations
{{Coord, 51, 30, 24, N, 3, 34, 46, W, type:adm2nd_region:GB_dim:12000, display=title Glamorgan Principal areas of Wales County boroughs of Wales