Brynna () is a small village situated between Pencoed and Llanharan. It is located at the point where the borders of two Welsh county boroughs,

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff () and Ely valleys, ...

and

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

, meet. Due to Brynna's proximity to the

M4 motorway The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is the third longest motorway in the United Kingdom, running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh ele ...

as well as both Pencoed and Llanharan railway stations, it offers residents easy access to most of

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

. Brynna was originally called Brynna Gwynion but church records show that it was later shortened to Brynna from 1897 onwards.Rhondda Cynon Taf

Education

Brynna is home to one

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

, Brynnau Primary School and is a feeder school for nearby Pencoed

Comprehensive School A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

. Welsh language provision is catered by Ysgol Gynradd Dolau in nearby Llanharan. Opening in 1904 Brynnau Primary School celebrated its centenary year in 2004 with a number of events taking part in the village.

Governance

Brynna was also the name of an

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council () is the governing body for Rhondda Cynon Taf, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council headquarters are at the Llys Cadwyn development in Pontypridd. History The council was established on 1 Ap ...

. It formed the western half of the Llanharan

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

(bordered to the west by

Bridgend County Borough Bridgend County Borough () is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. The county borough has a total population of 139,200 people, and contains the town of Bridgend, after which it is named. Its members of the Senedd are Sarah Murphy ...

) and included Brynna village, Bryncae and Llanilid. The ward elected a county councillor. Following a ward boundary review, Brynna merged with the Llanharan ward to form a new ward named 'Brynna and Llanharan' effective from the May 2022 local elections. The new ward elects three county borough councillors. Brynna is also a community ward for Llanharan Community Council, electing six of the fourteen community councillors.

Social life

Social life in Brynna focuses around The Mountain Hare and Whitehills pubs. A previous pub the Eagle Inn is now closed. Brynna FC is the local

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

team and it currently has 3 senior teams. The first team play in the Bridgend & District Premier Division; the second team play in the Bridgend & District First Division and the third team play in the Bridgend & District Second Division.BRYNNA FC , South Wales Amateur League - Division 2

Amenities

Brynna Woods and Llanharan Marsh have recently (2010) been taken over by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and work is in progress to improve access for local people to enjoy this outstanding area for wildlife. 2013 will see major work by the Wildlife Trust to improve the habitat of Llanharan Marsh which is one of the few types of 'Valley Mire' habitats in Rhondda Cynon Taff. Fencing and subsequent grazing by local Welsh black cattle will help to bring back some of the natural flora and fauna that were previously there.

References

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Brynna and surrounding areawww.mountainhare.co.uk : Website of the Mountain Hare Inn, Brynnau Gwynionwww.2426.org.uk : Website of the Local Air Cadet Unit
{{authority control Villages in Rhondda Cynon Taf Wards of Rhondda Cynon Taf