Bridgend County Borough

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Bridgend County Borough Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr (Welsh)
County borough
Left to right: Ogmore Valley to Nant-y-moel St Mary's Nolton Church, Bridgend Trecco Bay from Newton Point, Porthcawl
Coat of arms
Motto:  Onward With Confidence
Bridgend shown within Wales
Coordinates: 51°33′17″N 03°35′29″W / 51.55472°N 3.59139°W / 51.55472; -3.59139
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	Wales
Preserved county	Mid Glamorgan
Incorporated	1 April 1996
Administrative HQ	Bridgend
Government [1]
• Type	Principal council
• Body	Bridgend County Borough Council
• Control	Labour
• MPs	3 MPs Chris Bryant (L) Chris Elmore (L) Stephen Kinnock (L)
• MSs	2 MSs Huw Irranca-Davies (L) Sarah Murphy (L) +4 regional members
Area [2]
• Total	97 sq mi (251 km2)
• Rank	17th
Population  (2022)[2]
• Total	146,136
• Rank	8th
• Density	1,510/sq mi (583/km2)
Welsh language (2021) [3]
• Speakers	9.2%
• Rank	19th
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
ISO 3166 code	GB-BGE
GSS code	W06000013
Website	bridgend.gov.uk

Bridgend County Borough (Welsh: Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. The county borough has a total population of 139,200 people, and contains the town of Bridgend, after which it is named. Its members of the Senedd are Sarah Murphy MS, representing the Bridgend Constituency, and Huw Irranca-Davies MS representing the Ogmore Constituency, and its members of the UK parliament are Chris Bryant, Chris Elmore, and Stephen Kinnock.

The county borough lies at the geographical heart of south Wales. Its land area of 110 mi² (285 km²) stretches 12 miles (20 km) from east to west and occupies the Llynfi, Garw and Ogmore valleys. The largest town is Bridgend (pop: 39,773), followed by Maesteg (pop: 20,700) and Porthcawl (pop: 19,238). It is situated on the Ogmore River and its tributaries, although the Ewenny and Ogwr Fach rivers form the border with the Vale of Glamorgan for much of their length.

It was formed on 1 April 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. It includes all of the former Ogwr borough apart from the communities of Wick, St Bride's Major and Ewenny, which went to Vale of Glamorgan. Bridgend County Borough was divided into 20 communities: Brackla, Bridgend, Cefn Cribwr, Coity Higher, Coychurch Higher, Coychurch Lower, Cornelly, Garw Valley, Laleston, Llangynwyd Lower, Llangynwyd Middle, Maesteg, Merthyr Mawr, Newcastle Higher, Ogmore Valley, Pencoed, Porthcawl, Pyle, St Bride's Minor and Ynysawdre. The communities of Brackla, Bridgend and Coychurch Lower make up the town of Bridgend.

The region is governed by Bridgend County Borough Council, a principal council. It is currently in the control of the Labour party with 26 seats out of 54.^{[citation needed]}

From 2024, Bridgend County Borough would be in three UK Parliament constituencies, Aberafan Maesteg, Bridgend, and Rhondda and Ogmore.^[4]

Bryngarw Country Park is the largest (113 acres) country park in the borough. It offers many amenity based areas including an adventure play area, barbecue and picnic areas, car park, cafe, visitor centre and toilets; as well as a patchwork of woodland, grassland and freshwater habitats. Bryngarw Country Park is a Grade II listed Historic Park and Garden and has been designated a 'Green Flag' Park since 2010. The Oriental Garden in the park has been noted as a 'Visit Wales Sustainable Tourism, Historic Gardens Centre of Excellence' by the 'One Historic Garden, Centre of Excellence'.^[5]

Kenfig National Nature Reserve with Glamorgan's largest natural lake, Kenfig Pool, is set on the edge of this area, with views from Sker beach across Swansea Bay to Gower. It is one of the finest wildlife habitats in Wales,^{[citation needed]} and one of the last remnants of a huge dune system that once stretched along the coast from the River Ogmore to the Gower peninsula. The reserve is home to unique wild orchids, as well as insects and wildlife. Kenfig is one of the most important sites in Britain for nature conservation.^[6]

Parc Slip Nature Reserve is an environment of wetlands, woodlands and meadows at the Parc Slip Nature Park where there is a wealth of wildlife.^{[citation needed]} After a century of coal mining on the site, the Wildlife Trust began to manage the land for nature in the late 1980s. Varied habitats have since been created and the park supports an increasing diversity of wildlife.^[7][8]

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Bridgend:^[9]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (November 2020)

• The Royal Welsh: 30 August 2008
• 2 Company 1st Battalion The Welsh Guards: 11 May 2011^[10]

As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the county borough's ethnic groups are as follows:^[11]

As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the county borough's religious make-up is as follows:^[11]

• List of places in Bridgend County Borough
• List of Scheduled Monuments in Bridgend
• List of community and voluntary groups in Bridgend County

• Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations