PORTHCAWL

Send Your News To: 42 Suffolk Place, Porthcawl, CF36 3EB. 01656 451844 davidn-w@homecall.co.uk

Local Charity Celebrates Fairtrade Fortnight: Watch out for the ‘Story Bombs’. The annual, hugely popular UK Fairtrade Fortnight takes place in 2020 from Monday, February 24 until – Saturday, March 7.

To celebrate, Porthcawl-based charity, Sustainable Wales has organized the events to show the full extent of Fairtrade products with regard to food, fashion, stories and stalls.

Their community cooperative, SUSSED, will offer students, parents and shoppers free samples of fairtrade chocolate, tea, coffee and sugar at stalls held in schools and in the Porthcawl street.

A small new range of dresses/skirts made from recycled saris will also be available for the ethical, eco-chic fashionistas amongst us. Alongside these will be displayed a wide range of fairly traded gifts.

On Saturday, March 7, the charity will hold a Fairtrade Pop Up Café from 11am – 4pm, at 5 James Street, Porthcawl, CF36 3BG. Diners will be able to select from a menu chosen to celebrate Wales, whilst showing support for people in developing countries.

Throughout Fairtrade Fortnight, shoppers will discover at

SUSSED, Porthcawl’s fair trade shop, several ‘storybombs’(in English and Welsh).

These ‘storybombs’ will tell some extraordinary stories from women producers and help us understand their need for a ‘living income’. The ‘storybomb’ can then be placed somewhere else for others to uncover and so on.

Co-ordinator, Margaret Minhinnick said: ”Shoppers increasingly question where their products come from, how they were made, and how the people involved were treated and paid. The public do not want exploitation to be part of the price of their goods.”

“For example, the UK chocolate industry is worth at least £4bn each year, but Fairtrade cocoa represents a mere fraction of this.The average cocoa farmer in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, where 60 percent of all cocoa is grown, makes less than 75p a day.

“This is well below the extreme poverty line of around £1.40 and is less than the price of a latte which can’t be right, it just isn’t fair”.

For More information call 01656 783 962 or 77 627 or email: mm@ sustainablewales.org.uk.

Free Support For Community Groups: To reduce their carbon footprint. Porthcawl based charity, Sustainable Wales, contracted by Renew Wales www. renewwales.org.uk, is able to offer free support to reduce your group’s carbon footprint. The support is tailored to your particular circumstance and project activity.

The idea is to help groups respond to the climate change emergency. Are your activities and projects environmentally and people friendly? Do you need help to develop new ideas and ways of working or understand the Welsh Government’s Well-being of Future Generations Act?

Further support is available from a mentor - specific advisor/expert (equivalent to 2 daysworth of time) to help with more detail.

I would be pleased to come to one of your meetings and join staff, trustees and/or volunteers who will all be able to contribute in an informal way.

You will also be able to promote yourselves on the Renew Wales website action plans and evaluate what you have achieved. Contact Margaret Minhinnick at www. renewwales.org.uk.

Cancer Research

Porthcawl Branch: One for your Diary! The Porthcawl Branch of Cancer Research UK has now given a date for their Spring Lunch in the Hi-Tide in Mackworth Road. It is to be held on Saturdaay, April 18 at 12.30pm for 1pm Information on ticket prices and menu will be available next week. This is always a most enjoyable function and which always raises a health sum for Cancer Research. There will be stalls and a raffle as well as lots of friends and friends you havn’t met yet!

Sandville Self Help:

There is always a First Class Table Top Sale at Sandville Court (CF33 4PU) on the first Saturday of the month and the next one will be held on Saturday, March

7th at 2.30pm-4pm.

There are always lots of Bargains from £1 up and there will be numerous stalls, a Class Raffle and Refreshments will be available on the day.

Community Events Porthcawl: Every year there are a number of events taking place in the town which have been organised by local community and voluntary groups. Porthcawl Town Council are keen to see more such events and are therefore inviting applications from local charity or voluntary groups needing financial support to make the event a success.

The Council is targeting support for events small or large that reflect the Council’s aims: a) benefit residents, business and visitors to Porthcawl b) showcase Porthcawl c) and are open to the public.

This particular fund is not eligible for events which are fund raisers or collect money for onward distribution. Porthcawl Town Council are particularly interested in receiving early proposals, plans and costings for a Summer and/or a Christmas event in 2020.

Further details of how to apply can be obtained from the Interim Town Clerk in the Council Offices in Mary Street (01656 782 215).

Note that all submissions must be presented by the required deadline of Saturday, March 7.

Col Canto: Col Canto are organising a Flower and Music Festival on Saturday, June 6 in All Saint’s Church in Victoria Avenue. The Concert

The Flower and Music Festival is Free to enter and the Maesteg Male Voice Choir and Col

Canto will be there during the day along with other Porthcawl Choirs and Groups so look out for Posters and Programmes nearer the time.

Porthcawl Weekly Table Top Sale: Griffin Park, New Road, Porthcawl, CF36 5DF - This is a weekly event held every Friday at Griffin Park Hall in

New Road with doors open between 8am and 12noon. There are always stalls with Books, Games, CD’s, DVD’s and much more. Re- freshments are available on the day and if you want a table to sell things yourself, then tables are available at £5 for the morning. For further information or to book a table contact Jean on 07778 599 616.

Porthcawl Veterans Hub: The Veteran’s Hub offers a NAAFI Break on Saturday mornings between 9am and 12noon to all exservicemen and women.

It is held in the Porthcawl Wellbeing Centre adjacent to the tennis courts and bowling club at Griffin Park and is a place where regular and reserve military veterans and their families can meet with other veterans, raise their problems and get advice in a pleasant and convivial atmosphere.

Get help and advice in getting back to work and note that the Hub is also open to members of the emergency services including Coastguards, RNLI and NCI.

Ex Service men and women of all ages should call in and try it out and while you are there try the bacon butties and char!

I called in last Saturday and was informed that between 40-50 ex-service people call in regularly on a Saturday over the three hours they are open.

Museum And Historical Society: The next lecture in the PM&HS series of Lectures will be held on Tuesday, March 17 when there will be a talk on ‘Shipwrecks Off Our Coast’ given by Mr. Ross Martin from Porthcawl RNLI and then for the last lecture of the series on Tuesday, April 21 Mrs Ceri Joseph will be giving a talk on ‘The Civil War in Wales’.

Anybody who heard the talk she gave on the Battle of Waterloo to celebrate the bicentenary back of the event, back in 2015 will never forget the image of Ceri striding across the stage as Wellington with an over the shoulder throwaway line telling us that one of the reasons why he (Napoleon) lost at Waterloo was that he suffered from an unmentionable complaint!

Just think that if ‘Preparation H’ existed then, Wellington could have lost. I’m sure that this is the way History should be taught and I can’t wait for her talk on the Civil War in Wales!!.

Porthcawl Stroke Club: The Porthcawl Stroke

Club meets every Wednesday afternoon between 2pm and 4pm Albert Edward Prince of Wales residential Home in Pen y Lan Avenue Porthcawl CF36 3LY and their mantra is ‘All Friends Together.’

Porthcawl Town Mayor’s Community Awards: Friday, March 27 will see the first Mayor’s Community Awards evening: this event will be instead of the Annual Mayor’s Ball and is aiming to recognise the unseen heroes who quietly and surely help make our town a better place or those who help others and make life better for everyone around them.

A nomination process has already started and worth winners will be announced on the evening and receive their due recognition.

The evening will feature a meal with coffee, good company, the band

‘The Vallí Boys’, widely acknowledged as the ultimate tribute act to ‘Frankie Valli and the

Four Seasons’.

DJ Robbie Owen will be supporting the event with dancing till midnight.

The dress code is ‘smart casual’ and tickets and Nomination Forms can be obtained by contacting Caroline Newman the Committee secretary for the Mayor’s Community Fund on 07799 717

801 or by e-mail on mayorofporthcawl communityfund@gmail. com.

Porthcawl Townswomen Guild News: Since their last report members of the PTG have enjoyed two luncheons - always the most popular activity!

The first was at Finnegans - who can resist good fish and chips!- and then they had their Birthday Luncheon at the Grove Golf Club when they welcomed old friends from Cardiff.

They had a fascinating talk from Gail Ivins at their last meeting who told members about “

Sea Glass Trinkets and Treasures” with each member there.

Receiving a sample gift from the finds she has gathered along local beaches and she had a display of items she had made from these pieces.

I am sure all the members will be looking more closely at the beach when the walk along the coast now!

The next meeting will be on Wednesday, March 11 at 2pm at All Saints’ Church Hall.

This will be the Branch A.G.M. and there will be someone from Porthcawl National Coastguard Institution showing us a video of the work that they carry out in Porthcawl to make the Bristol Channel a safer place to be.

Porthcawl Townswomen’s guild raised £500 for the NCI recently so it will be interesting to see how the money is used.

Why not join them on the day-everyone is welcome.

For further information on the PTG contact Dorothy Thomas. On 01656 772 157.

Cream Tea For Carers In Porthcawl: Are you looking for information and support with your caring role?

Do you want to know more about what is going on in Porthcawl?

If yes, then go along to the Stage Door at the Grand Pavilion on Friday, March 6 from 12.30pm – 3.30pm and find out lots of useful information to help you whilst enjoying a spot of free afternoon tea.

Organised by

BAVO’s Community Navigators Project and Bridgend Carers Centre, information and support for carers will be available throughout the afternoon, alongside taster sessions in Tai Chi, stress control techniques, confidence building and lots more.

You are welcome to take part in as much or as little as you like.

Working together to connect you to information and activities in your community to help your health and wellbeing, feel free to pop in for a chat to learn more about what is going on in Porthcawl.

For more information, please contact: Jodie Williams at BAVO, T:

0792 321 2731 or E: jodiewilliams@bavo.org. uk

BAVO: Community Navigators Project for Bridgend County Borough is funded through Welsh Government’s Integrated Care Fund, working in partnership with

Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health

Board and Bridgend County Borough

Council’s Resilient Connected Communities Programme for Bridgend.