Wide range of activities organised for young people

A broad range of activities have been provided across Bridgend County Borough to keep young people active this summer.

Over 30 community groups have answered the call to help young people across the area have a ‘summer of fun’ and have put on activities for all abilities and interests ranging from day trips and art to surfing and climbing.

The programme has been supported by Welsh Government and adds to the local opportunities that are provided by Bridgend County Borough Council and key partners.

Clubs, groups and organisations are now being supported to run holiday activities for their members and others after the Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations (BAVO) announced that community opportunities could be supported over the summer and also into September.

A whole range of new activities have become available through organisations who form Bridgend Youth Matters including youth work and outdoor adventure.

These include BAD Bikes in the Ogmore Valley who have set up cycling and bike maintenance sessions, nature challenges and camp fire cooking and Menter Bro Ogwr who are offering Welsh language activities including summer sports, woodland rangers club and online cooking club.

Meanwhile, Bridgend YMCA have organised a range of outdoor adventurous activities including climbing, gorge walking and canoeing and demand for places has been high.

And multi activity youth programmes are being taken forward by local youth groups including Bettws Boys and Girls Club, Noddfa Community Project, the Courthouse project and also Calon Y Cwm.

There has also been a focus on surfing opportunities expanded by Welsh Coast Surf Club while local charity, Karma Seas, are offering surf therapy activities for young people

With the Olympics in full flow and the Paralympic games to follow Bridgend Athletic Club have been setting up Run Jump Throw skills sessions while, building on the success of Wimbledon, tennis development and coaching opportunities are being delivered by Garw Valley Tennis Club.

Local communities are being supported to develop and own their own activities and to increase the range of things that young people can do on their doorstep this summer.

It’s fantastic to see such a wide range of activities being put on by community groups and charities for young people across the county borough.

Keeping young people active throughout the summer can seem quite challenging, but with so many options for all abilities on offer this year, the real challenge will be deciding what to do.

I’d like to thank each of our partners, community groups and charities for providing a programme of events and activities that I’m sure are going to be a big hit with young people this summer.

Councillor Dhanisha Patel, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations