Latest news with #BridgendCouncil
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
'Mystery' reptiles delay school opening in Wales
The opening of a new school building in Wales has been delayed by two years thanks to some mystery slithery creatures living at the site. Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Ogwrwas, a Welsh-medium school (that means all the lessons are taught in Welsh) in Brackla, Bridgend, was meant to move to a new location this September, but that has now been pushed back until September 2027. The council said "the presence of reptiles at the new site has caused a delay to the completion of the ecology work". That means checking how animals, plants and nature might be affected by building the new school. The council hasn't said which reptiles are on the site, but they're likely to be either slow-worms, grass snakes, adders or common lizards which are often found in areas of the UK and are protected by law. Conservative South Wales West Senedd member Altaf Hussain said the delay was "devastating news for parents in Bridgend who wish for their children to learn through the medium of Welsh".Education Secretary Lynne Neagle from the Welsh government called the delay "regrettable" and said £500,000 had been provided for expansion of the existing school, with two temporary classroom buildings from this new school building has cost £18.6 million with room for 525 children aged four to 11. For now children at the school will have to stay put and the reptiles will soon be rehomed. A spokesman for Bridgend County Borough Council told the BBC: "The relocation of the reptiles is expected to take place over the coming summer period and further site investigation works will then be able to take place following the removal of the remaining scrub and brambles."
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Bridgend council loses £3,500 in shipping container fraud
A council lost more than £3,500 when a shipping container it ordered never council paid £3,658 up front, half of the total cost, but the container was not delivered and the sale was identified as fraud.A request for the remainder of the payment had been rejected and the authority said it had tried to contact the firm it bought the container from, but it is unsure if it will succeed in recovering the council's governance and audit committee heard officers would investigate if there had been a breach in procedure in order to prevent it happening again, although it was deemed a one-off incident. While it was unclear exactly why the shipping container had been bought, some members pointed out a number of others had been set up in Porthcawl for start-up businesses to bosses heard about the purchase during discussions about an audit inquiries letter to Audit of the report given to councillors noted a case of "actual, suspected, or alleged fraud" in relation to the missing shipping letter that was submitted to Audit Wales said: "The council ordered a shipping container which did not arrive and paid 50% up-front."This has been identified as a fraud and a request for the final 50% payment was rejected."Steven Easterbrook, Independent councillor for Bridgend Central, described the situation as embarrassing and said the authority needed to be "a lot more careful" in the future. This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
A look back at Coney Island Amusement Park, Porthcawl, through the years
It's the end of an era for a seaside attraction which has been in south Wales for more than 100 Beach Amusement Park, which opened in the Newton area of Porthcawl, Bridgend county, in 1918, will close in a social media post, its owners said: "It's the end of an era, for over 100 years we and other showmen and their families have lived and worked in Porthcawl, helping to make it a busy seaside destination."It follows a consultation in February on plans by Bridgend council and the Welsh government to redevelop the waterfront with up to 1,100 new homes, shops and restaurants, and the extension of boardwalks and green spaces.
Metro
09-07-2025
- Business
- Metro
Woman sets up National Lottery syndicate - now they've won £3,600,000
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Friday the 13th can be an unlucky date for some but for a group of 16 strangers it turned out to be anything but. The 'West Is Best' syndicate group from Bridgend, south Wales, bagged a whopping £3,613,997 on the EuroMillions – the equivalent to £212,000 each. The syndicate was founded by Rhian Owen, 44, while she worked with colleagues at Bridgend Council. After she left that job she continued the syndicate and posted on Facebook looking for new members. This is when it blossomed into an eclectic mix of people, including old friends, family members, and even her former rugby coach. Rhian is still at the heart of it all but most of the group have never even met. She found out about the news on the Saturday morning and said: 'My alarm went off and I checked my emails and saw I'd won a prize on The National Lottery – but I didn't think much of it. 'Then on the way to work, I stopped outside a shop as I had something in the back of my head nagging at me to check my account. 'When I logged in, I saw it said 'claim your prize' – and when I scrolled down and saw all the numbers matched, I was in complete shock! I immediately video called my sister, who's also in the syndicate, and we just couldn't stop screaming. 'I still went to work because I didn't know what else to do – but I ended up going home early as I was in a bit of a daze.' Rhian then delivered the life-changing news to the rest of the syndicate via the Facebook group. She knows already what she is going to do with the winnings and said: 'I'm going to do up my house at last – it's been on my list for years! 'I've also booked a family holiday in October and we're planning a bigger trip with all my sisters, brother and parents, it's just incredible knowing we can do this together now.' Andy Carter, Senior Winners Advisor at Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, said: 'Huge congratulations to the West Is Best Syndicate! 'This win is not just a celebration of good fortune, but also a brilliant example of how The National Lottery brings people together – in this case, from all walks of life and corners of Rhian's world. 'I hope they all enjoy their winnings and make unforgettable memories with their friends and families.' More Trending A lucky EuroMillions winner from County Cork managed to bag £208,000,000 in the largest draw ever. The EuroMillions jackpot had been sat at £208million for two weeks after it reached its maximum size earlier in June. The win was Ireland's 18th winner of the EuroMillions jackpot. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: 'I thought I adopted a tiny cockapoo – but he just won't stop growing' MORE: Man banned from every pub is banned again for biting another bouncer MORE: Elderly woman dies after waiting 14 hours for ambulance following fall
ITV News
09-07-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Friday 13th turns out to be lucky day for Bridgend residents as EuroMillions syndicate wins £3.6m
A group of 16 almost-strangers from Bridgend had some luck on 'Friday the 13th' as they bagged a life-changing £3.6 million on EuroMillions. The members of the West Is Best Syndicate, which is based in Bridgend, South Wales, will each get just over £212,000 following the win on Friday, 13 June. The syndicate was formed by Rhian Owen, 44, with a handful of her work colleagues at Bridgend Council. The group was named after the location where she worked – the West Hub. Despite leaving that job, the syndicate continued as Ms Owen posted on Facebook looking for new members. That is when the group blossomed into an eclectic mix of people, including old friends, family members, and even her former rugby coach, although many have never met. 'My alarm went off on the Saturday morning and I checked my emails and saw I'd won a prize on The National Lottery – but I didn't think much of it,' Ms Owen said. "Then on the way to work, I stopped outside a shop as I had something in the back of my head nagging at me to c heck my account.' When I logged in, I saw it said 'claim your prize' – and when I scrolled down and saw all the numbers matched, I was in complete shock. 'I immediately video-called my sister, who's also in the syndicate, and we just couldn't stop screaming. 'I still went to work because I didn't know what else to do – but I ended up going home early as I was in a bit of a daze.' The excited syndicate leader then revealed the life-changing news to the rest of the group via a Facebook group chat. 'I'm going to do up my house at last as it's been on my list for years,' Ms Owen said. 'I've also booked a family holiday in October and we're planning a bigger trip with all my sisters, brother and parents, it's just incredible knowing we can do this together now.' Other members of the syndicate are equally excited about their plans. Wayne Jenkins, Ms Owen's former rugby coach, is jetting off to Spain for a month and plans to gift money to his grown-up daughters. Ex-colleague Nicola Butler found out about the win on the same day her husband left his job. The money has now taken a lot of the stress away and they are now planning a much-needed family holiday. Tracey Harry, Ms Owen's sister, is buying a campervan, helping out her three children, and looking into dental procedures. Jayne Owen, Ms Owen's other sister, plays two lines and therefore walked away with double the winnings. She has already bought a campervan and plans to get some dental work done, and said the win could not have come at a better time for her. Jayne Davies, a close family friend, has battled with health problems and has used her winnings to fund a private knee replacement. Liann Gregory, Ms Owen's lifelong best friend, is giving money to her three adult children, making some home improvements, and buying a caravan for the whole family. Louise Fahey, another close friend, is taking a more measured approach as she is investing in a rental property for long-term financial security and will be helping out her children. The syndicate's win was significantly boosted because the EuroMillions jackpot had reached its cap of £208 million, meaning additional prize money from ticket sales rolled down into the next prize tier. The estimated prize for matching five main numbers and one Lucky Star in a draw without a rolldown is £130,554.30. In contrast, the syndicate's £3,613,997 win is roughly 27 times higher. The West Is Best Syndicate celebrated with family and friends The Blaenogwr pub in Bridgend where, for many of the syndicate members, this was their first time meeting each other. The West Is Best Syndicate plays 17 Lucky Dips on EuroMillions every Friday, with each member playing one line apart from Jayne Owen, who plays two. Winnings from each draw were put towards tickets for the next draw as EuroMillions continued to roll over. They matched five main numbers and one Lucky Star number in the EuroMillions draw on 13 June, 2025. The winning numbers for the draw were 2, 28, 40, 43, 45 and the Lucky Star numbers were 3 and 7.
