The Bridgend Constituency is situated
on the South Wales coast roughly halfway between the cities of
Cardiff and Swansea.
Consisting of the Bridgend County
Borough Council wards of Brackla, Bryntirion, Laleston &
Merthyrmawr, Cefn Glas, Coity, Cornelly, Coychurch Lower, Litchard,
Morfa, Newcastle, Newton, Nottage, Oldcastle, Penyfai, Pendre,
Porthcawl East Central, Porthcawl West Central, Pyle and Rest Bay,
it is ideally located with excellent transport links to the rest of
the UK.
Bridgend is steeped in history from
its early beginnings right through to the modern, forward looking
town that it is today.
The industrial era and the arrival of
the Great Western Railway meant that Bridgend, with a station on
the main London to Fishguard line, become a vital distribution
centre between the coal mines of the valleys and the local ports,
including Porthcawl. Several quarries were
opened near to the town centre, with an engine works and large
farmers’ market helping to create a prosperous, thriving
community.
The Second World War brought a
prisoner of war camp at Island Farm, a large munitions factory at
Waterton and a munitions storage base in Brackla before Bridgend
returned to some semblance of normality after escaping most of the
heavy bombardment that neighbouring areas received during the
hostilities. In 1948, Newbridge Fields hosted
the National Eisteddfod, and Bridgend resumed its pre-war role,
predominantly as a market town.
Flooding after the River Ogmore burst
its banks in the early 1960s meant that the concrete flood defence
walls, which can still be seen today, were installed by the Welsh
Water Authority. Passenger rail links were lost
as a result of the Beeching cuts at around the same time to the
Vale of Glamorgan and to the northern Valleys – a decision only
recently partially rectified in 2005 by the Welsh Assembly
Government’s decision to reinstate the Vale of Glamorgan route to
Barry via Rhoose.
Transport links were transformed in
the 1970s with the construction of the M4 and that, combined with
the development of the new Bridgend Industrial Estate, attracted
two major multinational companies, Ford and Sony to set up
factories in the area.
The 1980s saw the development of the
Brackla Housing Estate which has grown so rapidly that it is now
the largest privately-owned housing estate in
Europe. Taken together with the new housing
recently built at Broadlands, the town has undergone a dramatic
expansion in its population in the past 20-30
years.
A new bypass was built in the late
1990s linking the town centre with the M4 motorway and in 1997,
Parc Prison, the only privately run prison in Wales, was opened,
joining the headquarters of the South Wales Police which has been
based in Bridgend since the 1960s.
The 21st century brought a
brand new bus station and the transformation of the town centre
enabling successful and popular events such as Celtic Festivals and
Continental Markets to take place there.
Significant investment has been earmarked to regenerate the area,
including the creation of a walkway along the River Ogmore and
continued redevelopment of the retail part of the town
centre.
Business &
Transport
Bridgend is an attractive place to do
business and has a solid manufacturing base, thriving shopping
centres and first class transport
links.
With the large Bridgend and Waterton
Industrial Estates providing facilities for a number of small and
multi-national companies, the biggest private sector employer in
the constituency is the Ford Motor Company. IT
consultants Logica CMG have an office in the town and German
retailers Lidl have their Welsh headquarters and distribution
centre at Waterton.
The Rhiw Shopping Centre, Bridgend
Market, Adare St, Caroline St, Derwen Road, Nolton St, Queen St,
Dunraven Place, Market St and Cheapside play host to a wide range
of high street names and local retailers in the town
centre. Out-of-town shopping is available at
Waterton and at the Bridgend Designer Outlet at Junction 36 of the
M4.
Porthcawl is one of the leading
holiday resorts in South Wales and has one of the largest caravan
and camping parks in Europe. It has an extensive
promenade, several beaches, a Grand Pavillion, hotels, bed and
breakfasts, a fun fair and 3 golf courses.
Porthcawl is regarded as a top location for surfing and
competitions are regularly held at Rest Bay.
Every September, the annual Elvis Festival descends on the resort
with Elvis impersonators coming from all around the
world.
Regular rail services run from
Bridgend Railway Station to West Wales, Swansea, Cardiff, London,
Birmingham, Manchester and the South West of
England. It is also the terminus for the newly
reopened Vale of Glamorgan line. At the same
time, Bridgend is serviced by a newly built bus station with routes
to all the major population centres in South
Wales.
A cycle route running from Brackla to
Cefn Glas, via Broadlands has been newly finished and Bridgend is
now on the National Cycle Route. Top class
mountain biking is also available nearby in the Ogmore Valley,
Glyncorrwg and the Upper Afan
Valley.
Sport
The famous Brewery Field hosts rugby
league in the summer months and rugby union in the
winter.
The Celtic Crusaders Rugby League
team were 2007 National League Two Champions and will be playing in
National League One (one division below Super League) in
2008. Born out of the ashes of the original
world famous Bridgend RFC, the Bridgend Ravens Rugby Union side are
semi- professional and play in the Welsh
Premiership.
Bridgend is also home to the Bridgend
Blue Bulls, one of the most successful amateur rugby league teams
in the UK, and rugby union sides such as Bridgend Athletic RFC,
Bridgend Sports RFC, South Wales Police RFC, Pyle RFC and Kenfig
Hill RFC.
Football teams Bridgend Town FC and
Bryntirion Athletic FC participate in the Welsh Football League and
there are many local cricket clubs, golf courses and tennis and
bowls facilities.
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