‘Sea Monster’ teaches children about Porthcawl breakwater work

Ongoing work to reinforce Porthcawl’s iconic Western Breakwater has been explained in a fun new cartoon for children featuring a friendly sea monster called Dilwyn.

Lonely sea monster Dilwyn lives in the waters off the coast of Porthcawl and wants to make friends with the people he sees enjoying time on the beach.

However, Dilwyn is left upset one day when he swims into the shallows to wave to everyone and they all flee the beach in fear. He soon learns, from his new friend Ned, that it is not his “best fang-filled smile” that is scaring them but the giant waves he sent crashing against the sea walls with his waving tail.

Dilwyn and Ned then work to reinforce the breakwater in a story which construction specialist Knights Brown hope will help explain their ongoing work to protect Porthcawl’s breakwater.

Once complete, the £6.4m scheme will help to defend Porthcawl from flooding and any potential future rise in sea levels. The first phase of the project is focusing on renovating and refurbishing the 19^th Century breakwater to ensure that it can continue to stand up to the tides and tough maritime weather conditions.

A second phase, which will run alongside the first, will see the Eastern Promenade upgraded as well as the installation of improved flood defences between Porthcawl Marina and Coney Beach. The work will then extend into Sandy Bay and as far as Rhych Point, where flood defences and dune protection works will be upgraded.

The work has been jointly funded by Welsh Government and Bridgend County Borough Council as part of the Coastal Risk Management Programme.

The story of Dilwyn the Sea Monster is a brilliant and engaging way to explain to children what is going on with the Western Breakwater project in Porthcawl.

Hopefully it will inspire a new generation to consider the issues posed by coastal flooding and motivate children to become engineers in the future.

The breakwater forms a vital part of the infrastructure for defending the town against flooding, and will also help to secure future development in the Salt Lake area of Porthcawl.

Councillor Charles Smith, Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration

The full, illustrated story of Dilwyn the Sea Monster can be found on the Knights Brown website.