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Has something of interest happened that we've not mentioned? Why not use our feedback link or drop the details into St. Brides Major Post Office. 2005
November, 2005 saw the completion of refurbishment and extension of St. Brides Major Church Hall that had begun in July, 2005. A new foyer, meeting room for about 20 people and toilets for the disabled were added to the building together with installation of gas central heating and fitting of a new floor. The project was funded by a Welsh Assembly grant from the Rural Regeneration Fund and St. Bridget's Church. To show their support for the Church Hall renovation, the Vale Council subsidised and ran taster Adult Learning Courses in the hall during December, 2005 so that they were free of charge to all participants. Following the overnight snowfall on Thursday, 24th November, 2005, two brothers visiting St. Brides Major made an igloo on the front garden, which was big enough to walk inside. They gathered the snow together and used old ice cream containers to make blocks of compressed snow which were then used to build the igloo. Children of St. Brides Major Church in Wales School raised £679.41 for Children in Need 2005 by taking part in a sponsored bounce organised by Mrs Alexander and Mrs Jury. Cheltenham Racecourse on Wednesday,
26th October, 2005
saw a Welsh National Hunt Jockey recover and go on to win the opening event by one and a half lengths after
nearly being unseated when his mount, Darrias, slipped and collided with runner
up Double Dizzy. Later the same day, the rider, who came originally Three scouts from St. Brides Major along with two from Llantwit Major, attended a presentation evening at Cardiff County Hall in 2005 to receive the Gold Chief Scouts Award. They were the first Vale Scouts District members to receive the award under a new programme introduced in 2003. Each scout completed at least five challenge badges as well as further personal challenges to demonstrate leadership, organisation skills and personal achievement. Members of the Glamorgan Youth Orchestra between 1949 and 1974 were invited to a reunion weekend at the Ogmore Centre Trust (formerly Ogmore School Camp/Ogmore Education Centre) from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th September, 2005. Donations were given to the Russell Sheppard Memorial Trust and the Ogmore Trust from the money raised. The Sealawns Hotel and Restaurant, Ogmore-by-Sea, closed in 2005.
Cyclist Nicole Cooke won the Silver Medal in the World Championship Road Race in Madrid in 2005. To commemorate
LOGS (League of Ogmorian Gentlemen!) from the villages took part in the Three Peaks Challenge on the weekend of Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th June, 2005 and raised money for Tenovus Cancer Charity. The challenge was to climb the three highest national peaks in the UK in 24 hours, namely: Snowdon, Wales, at 1,085 metres; Scafell Pike, England, at 978 metres; and Ben Nevis, Scotland, at 1,344 metres. Apprentices from Lovell Partnership spent two weeks in May, 2005 redecorating a section of one of the four accommodation blocks at the Ogmore Centre Trust. The team of four were supervised by sub-contractor Wynne Jones Decorators Limited of Swansea who also provided the materials for the project. Participating in the task enabled the Lovell employees to complete a unit of their NVQ qualifications as well as gain practical experience. The Watermill in Ogmore Village, along with another Brains pub, the Duke of Wellington in Cowbridge, won a prestigious Welsh Food Hygiene award in April, 2005 and was commended for its commitment to excellent food and hygiene standards. In 2002 Welsh local authorities and the Food Standards Agency Wales began awarding gold, silver and bronze medals to businesses who had received unannounced visits from environmental health officers and were found to have high standards of food hygiene and cleanliness. A silver medal was presented to The Watermill by the Mayor of the Vale of Glamorgan, Councillor Emlyn Williams, at a national awards ceremony which was also attended by cabinet member of legal and regulatory services, Councillor Hunter Jarvie. Southerndown beach, together with Rest Bay and Trecco Bay in Porthcawl, qualified to fly a blue and yellow flag when they were given a Seaside Award in April, 2005 in recognition of the quality of water, disabled facilities and visitor enjoyment. Outsider Royal Auclair at 40-1was ridden to second place in the Aintree Grand National on Saturday, 9th April, 2005 by a local jockey from Ogmore Village. Owing to the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Mrs. Camilla Parker-Bowles earlier in the afternoon, the steeplechase was delayed by 25 minutes to allow BBC1 to broadcast live at 4.10 pm. A record 107 entries were remaining at the forfeit stage - there is a maximum field of 40 for this race. G Many villagers watched with pride on Saturday, 19th March, 2005 as Gareth Thomas and Gavin Henson (former pupils of Brynteg School) and the rest of the Welsh team won the Grand Slam, for the first time since 1978, in the RBS Six Nations Tournament. A few weeks later they were both among the 10 Welsh rugby players selected to join the British Lions tour of New Zealand. Eight members of Southerndown WI entered a quiz held in Nolton Church Hall, Bridgend, in March, 2005 and came a close second to Coychurch WI. Vale beaches again achieved stringent water quality levels, set by the European Bathing Directive, in March, 2005. Dunraven Bay at Southerndown, Jackson's Bay and Cold Knap (Barry) were judged as complying with EC guideline standards and Whitmore Bay (Barry) as complying with mandatory standards. St Brides Major Schoolchildren
held a Red Nose Day on 11th March, 2005. A video was shown giving
information about Comic Relief and highlighting the plight of children in
Africa. Southerndown WI Darts team won the district tournament play-off held at Aberkenfig Pensioners Hall on 5th February, 2005 and went through to the county rounds in Cowbridge. Frolics Restaurant, Southerndown, came top in the Dining Out in Wales guide and was upgraded from silver to gold in 2005. In addition, their 20 year old sous chef made it to the final cook-off in the National Junior Chef of Wales contest held in Llandudno on 8th February, 2005 and came second overall. Father Michael Komor left the Parish of St. Brides Major and Ewenny following the service on Sunday, 9th January, 2005. Father Michael took up the Parish of Coity with Nolton and a service was held at St. Mary's, Nolton, on 20th January, 2005 for his inauguration as Rural Dean. Various sections of the community raised funds and/or collected items for for those affected by the tsunami in East Asia which occurred on 26th December, 2004, such as: The Watermill, Ogmore, held a charity night on St. David's Day with raffles and auction; St. Brides Major Spar shop collected £300; Church Wardens from St. Bridget's Church and All Saints, Southerndown, received donations from parishioners; St. Brides Major Community Council gave £250 from the community; Fox & Hounds, St. Brides Major, held a charity blind auction in January with many donated prizes and raised almost £1,300; Farmers Arms, St. Brides Major, took a collection of well over £200 following their New Year Party. St. Brides Major School gathered together items to send to the disaster area, including: towels; bedding; shoes; light clothing; dried food such as pasta and rice; sugar; bottled water; and dried milk. The children had a sponsored dressing-up day with the infants as characters from films and cartoons, and the juniors as pop stars. This raised around £310 to help other children whose lives were devastated by the force of nature. Members of Southerndown Surf Life Saving Club raised money for the tsunami DEC appeal by bravely diving into the rough sea at Dunraven Bay at 11.00 am on New Years Day. They then stood in the car park for a further hour and managed to collect almost £200 from onlookers, walkers and the public. St. Brides Major Church in Wales School Choir made a trailer which was shown on television in November, 2004 to encourage entries for a Schools' Choir competition. Frolics in Southerndown was one of only four
restaurants in the borough chosen in November, 2004 to be featured in
Bonfire Night
Members of St. Bridget's Church held a successful Quiz and Auction Night on Friday, 15th October, 2004. The varied questions, such as contemporary news, national anthems and general knowledge, kept everyone entertained. Chris the Auctioneer proved to be excellent at encouraging enthusiastic bidding for items such as a local artist's paintings, gardening products, meal for two with wine, and having a bag of ironing dealt with. Ogmore Centre Trust were chosen to be the first beneficiary of a new UK wide community project called "Brighten up Life" by washing powder brand Surf in October 2004. The Mayor of Bridgend presented the Chairman of the Trustees, Mr. Roger Lewis, with an extended 99 years lease on 22nd September, 2004 and acknowledged the hard work undertaken by staff at Ogmore Centre. Supported by the Vale Council, DEFRA (Environmental Action Fund) and Crown Estates, a survey and "Beachwatch" clean up organised by the Marine Conservation (MSC) took place on Saturday 18th September, 2004 at Ogmore when 24 volunteers collected 142 kg of rubbish. This was part of a 12th annual event focusing on making a difference to local beaches and to raise money for the charity through sponsorship. In 2003, nearly 2,700 volunteers took part at more than 240 beaches and a total of 279,847 items of litter were recorded! One of the three winners from the Bridgend Deanery of a Poetry Competition held by the Mothers' Union to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the UN Year of the Family, was a St. Brides Major School pupil. The competition to write a poem entitled "My Family" was open to all primary-school aged children in the Diocese of Llandaff. Vale Cricket Club 1st XI won Division Two of the Welsh Club Cricket Conference in 2004. The 2nd XI just missed promotion on the last day of the season, finishing in third place. The under-13 cricket team completed a league and cup double when they beat Whitchurch Heath at St. Fagans. Southerndown beat Port Talbot to win the Hywel Evans Memorial Cup. Cyclist Nicole Cooke won the Giro Donne in Italy in 2004.
About a week after the torrential flood in Boscastle (which occurred on Tuesday 16th August, 2004) a direction sign for the village was washed up on the Heritage Coast shoreline.
Afternoon cream teas sold at a villager's home in Ogmore-by-Sea on Saturday, 24th July, 2004 in aid of the National Osteoporosis Society (Bridgend & District Branch) raised £912. This amount was matched £ for £ by RWE Innogy, Aberthaw, making a grand total of £1,824. Two parishioners who entered the villages section of the Vale in Bloom 2004 competition were successful in the best front garden category when a resident of St. Brides Major was awarded second place and a resident of Ogmore-by-Sea was awarded third place. St. Brides Major Primary School received third place in the best commercial entry category. Vale Cricket Club (newly formed from Southerndown and Ewenny & Corntown cricket Clubs) under 13-side were unbeaten in the 2003/04 season. Ogmore Down Scouts group entered a team for Vale-trek 2004 and came away with the first prize. The event consisted of the team navigating from St. Mary Hill to Peterston-Super-Ely with a night's camp at Tair Onen. St. Brides Major Church in Wales Primary School won a Special Award for Continued Excellence in the Schools Section of the Best Kept Village School Award in 2004 (a new category) with prize money of £50. Pupils and teacher attended the annual presentation on Wednesday 14th July, 2004. St. Brides Major School won the junior section of the Vale of Glamorgan Best Kept Village Competition for the fourth year running in 2004. The judges commented on how astounded they were that already-established grounds could be developed further, and that the knowledge and enthusiasm of the pupils was to be commended. Three local beaches received the coveted Blue Flag award in May, 2004, one of which was Southerndown in the Seaside Award, resort category. In all, 35 Welsh beaches had their water quality and beach management recognised in this way. Frolics Restaurant was put into Michelin's BIB Gourmand guide for good food at reasonable prices in 2004. Proprietor and chef Doug Windsor was very pleased as he had only opened the restaurant in September 2003. A villager of Main Road, Ogmore-By-Sea, received the Vale in Bloom award for Best Kept Garden in 2003. Sunday, 14th December, 2003 saw the last Service to take place in Horeb Chapel in St. Brides Major. Many villagers and friends from the surrounding community attended a wonderful event, tinged with sadness. Membership had been decreasing steadily until they were very few in number. Cyclist Nicole Cooke won the World Cup in August 2003 - the first Briton to take the title and the youngest ever victor at the age of 20. Community Councillors and members of the public took part in a pilot scheme during July and August, 2003 in an effort to reduce speeding through the village. The 16 volunteers were issued with a laser gun speed detector and, after appropriate training from South Wales Police, started to monitor traffic. Villagers worked in pairs (wearing luminous yellow vests and carrying identification) one operating the camera and the other noting vehicle registration. Although they were unable to issue fixed penalty notices, the South Wales safety camera partnership had the power to send warning letters to persistent offenders. It was reported that if deemed a success the scheme could be used across South Wales - it had already been operating in some parts of England. Several other local villages expressed an interest in joining the scheme. An open air baptism took place at 2.00 pm on 20th July, 2003 in the River Ewenny of a member of Brackla Baptist Church. A music teacher from Pen-y-fai was baptised by the Pastor following a normal Sunday morning service. St. Brides Major Church in Wales Primary School won the Schools Section of the Best Kept Village School Award in 2003. On Friday, 18th July, 2003 a cheque for £100 was presented by Assembly Member Carwyn Jones and Judge Mrs Pinkard commended the children. Mrs Marion Webber from Keep Wales Tidy applauded the school on its achievements. Also during this ceremony a £750 cheque was presented from Legal & General for being the regional finalist in the Greenfingers Challenge, 2003 and the school going on to represent Wales in the UK finals. The school was a national runner up in the BECTA Creativity in Digital Video competition. A St. Brides Major School pupil represented the Vale in the Chess Championship in Monmouth in 2003 and won a gold medal. Congratulations and well done. Adam and Aled also represented Wales in Devon. A St. Brides Major School special needs and sustainable development co-ordinator was nominated and won the Rural Schoolteacher of the Year category of the National Farmers Union (NFU) Countrywide Awards held in London in July, 2003. The awards recognised work that had a positive impact on rural areas. Thanks to Clare's efforts the school was awarded Eco School status. Headteacher and colleague of St. Brides Major School attended a garden party in June, 2003 in the presence of Princess Anne to celebrate the achievement of the Basic Skills Award. An excellent Quiz and Auction Night was held on Saturday, 10th April, 2003 by members of the St. Bridget's Church. Tony was the expert Quizmaster, testing memory and general knowledge, and Chris the Auctioneer testing nerve and pocket! The friendly, relaxed atmosphere made it a most enjoyable evening. St. Brides Major School became UK champions when they won the national final of the 2002 Greenfingers Challenge, organised and judged by The Royal Horticultural Society. Presentation of the Award was held on 29th October, 2002. The school also won the Wales in Bloom final. The World's Biggest Coffee Morning to support Macmillan Cancer Relief was held on Friday, 27th September, 2002. St. Brides Major Village Shop raised a total of £350 which included £30 from a mini event held at the Heritage Coast Home in Ogmore-by-Sea. A Southerndown WI member at Ogmore, raised over £250 and raffle prizes were donated by Revlon and L'Oreal as well as Mrs Yeoman who kindly gave some beautiful pansies. Macmillan Cancer Relief is a UK wide charity dedicated to improving the lives of people living with cancer. Cyclist Nicole Cooke won her first senior international title when she won Gold in the Commonwealth Games Road Race in Manchester in August, 2002. Carnival Day on Saturday, 20th July, 2002 was a wonderful event. Stalls and attractions for all the family and a party spirit throughout the day. The winning float was entered by St. Bridget's Church & Sunday School - picture in the Carnival Gallery. St. Brides Major Church in Wales Primary School won the Best Kept Village in Vale of Glamorgan (Schools Section) in 2002 and were also selected to represent Wales in the UK Green Fingers Competition. The school was a regional winner in the Tesco Computer Competition. In addition to being awarded the All Wales Quality Award, Basic Skills Quality Mark and Healthy School status, they also achieved the best Key Stage 2 SATs results in Wales. Southerndown Home for the Blind & Elderly had their Summer Fete on Sunday, 7th July, 2002. Barclay's Bank manned a football game which kept many youngsters happy. There was a balloon race, Magic Show and Bouncy castle/slide for the children. Both RAF St. Athan Brass Band and St. Brides Major music group performed expertly as usual. A cheque was presented by Steve James of the Bridgend Lions. St. Brides Major School Summer Fayre was held on Saturday, 22nd June, 2002. There was a lot to do and see. Outside there were pony and horse rides, coconut shies, BBQ and throwing the wet sponges at the prisoner in the stocks. Inside there were many traditional stalls plus face painting and candy floss ....and much much more! (see pictures on the school Gallery page) On Friday, 7th June, 2002 a 'Jubilee Bingo' evening was held in the church Hall when winners had to shout 'Jubilee line' or 'Buck House' in order to claim their prizes for winning lines. After the games, remaining prizes were auctioned to raise further cash. There was a good attendance and the proceeds went to the Carnival Committee funds. The Old Fashioned Sports Day on Monday, 3rd June, 2002 was a huge success despite earlier bad weather. It was followed by a tea party for all the local children at the Pavilion in St Brides Major, in celebration of the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The day raised £400 for the Carnival Committee funds. Thanks were given to all those concerned on the day and to the committee for all their hard work. Later the same evening there was a Barn Dance at Pitcot Farm, and villagers danced the night away to the live music of 'Calennig'. There was a lot of fun at St. Brides Major School on 30th May, 2002 at their 'fun day' to celebrate the Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. Hot dogs, ice creams, Union Jack flags and face painting all contributed to a special day for everyone. The day concluded with the children being presented with an Ewenny Pottery commemorative mug each, thanks to the PTA and Community Council. On Saturday, 25th May, the 2002 Junior Welsh Grand Prix Chess Final was held in St Brides School. Councillor Anthony Powell, (Vice-chairman, Vale of Glamorgan) presented the prizes. Many thanks were given to Jill Jury for her hard work and efforts in organising the various events that led up to these finals. The Three Villages Carnival Committee held a very successful 60s, 70s & 80s dance on Saturday, 20th April, 2002 in the Church Hall. All the proceeds went towards The Three Villages Carnival. SCHOOLS EXTRA AWARD - our village school was awarded a certificate in recognition of their outstanding commitment to out-of-school-hours learning in 2002. Pat, our local correspondent, included a piece in her column in the Glamorgan Gazette about the impromptu presentation of our web site to the Ladies Thursday Club. (This occurred when the expected guest speaker was unable to attend. We were pleased for the opportunity of telling the club about our web site.) PS We've also been spotted in Thailand........ see our guest book The school in St. Brides Major won £1,000 in the 2002 Vale of Glamorgan Yellow Pages Competition, comprising £500 for collecting the most per head and £500 for collecting the most overall. A new bicycle shed, plants for their new 'Senses Garden' and tables were purchased. An open day in the school was held on Monday, 25th March, 2002 for the planting of the Senses Garden. Everyone was welcome to go along and help. In 2002 the school Easter Service was entitled 'Way of the Cross'. There was an Easter Bonnet parade with refreshments afterwards. After being runners up in previous years, St. Brides Major Church in Wales Primary School won the Junior Section of the Best Kept Village Award in 2001. Whilst still studying at Brynteg School, Nicole Cooke won three world cycling titles in 2001, building on her many successes. Nicole was the youngest ever champion of the British Elite Road Race Championship in 1999 and won many British Youth Titles in Mountain Bike, Cyclo Cross Mountain Bike and Time Trial events. Gavin Henson, a former Brynteg School pupil, represented Wales at the U19 competition in Chile in 2001. He was named IRB (International Rugby Board) World Young Player of the Year.
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