Garw Valley (

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

: ''Cwm Garw'') is a

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, villag ...

and coterminous electoral ward in the north of

Bridgend County Borough Bridgend County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) 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. ...

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a 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 Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. As the name suggests, it follows and encompasses the valley of the River Garw. The community includes the village of Blaengarw at the head of the valley, followed by

Pontycymer Pontycymer, also spelt Pontycymmer, is a former mining village in Wales. It is situated in the Garw Valley, in Bridgend County Borough, about 7 miles or 11 km north of the town of Bridgend. It‘s attractions include a small Heritage rai ...

and Llangeinor on the river, with Bettws between the Garw and the Llynfi in the south. Garw Valley is bordered to the west by

Maesteg Maesteg is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translation ...

, Llangynwyd Middle and Llangynwyd Lower; to the east by Ogmore Valley and to the south by

Ynysawdre Ynysawdre is a small community in Bridgend County Borough, south Wales. It is located to the east of Aberkenfig in Wales, and comprises the two villages of Tondu and Brynmenyn. The name Ynysawdre is also usually used for a small section of Tondu ...

and

St Bride's Minor St Bride's Minor is a community in Bridgend County Borough, south Wales. Located north of Bridgend town it is made up of Sarn, a large housing estate, and the villages of Bryncethin and Abergarw. The southern border of the community is defined ...

. Attractions include the Garw Valley Railway, a four and half mile narrow gauge steam railway, which volunteers began re-laying in 2016. Passenger rail services had previously ceased in the valley in 1991.

Governance

At the local level, Garw Valley elects 13 community councillors to Garw Valley Community Council, from the four wards of Bettws, Llangeinor, Pontycymmer and Blaengarw. At the county level, until 2022 the community was covered by four electoral wards, of Blaengarw, Pontycymmer, Llangeinor and Bettws, each electing one county councillor to Bridgend County Borough Council. Following a boundary review, the four wards were combined to form a new Garw Valley ward, electing three county borough councillors.

References

External links

Garw Valley Community Council website

TheGarwValley.org

GarwValley.co.uk
{{coord, 51.60, -3.58, display=title Communities in Bridgend County Borough Valleys of Bridgend County Borough Wards of Bridgend County Borough