With the end of the school year upon us, a summer holiday jam-packed with exciting events and activities awaits children across Bridgend County Borough.
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Bridgend County Borough Council’s annual ‘school’s out’ programme of summer activities, organised in partnership with Awen, Halo Leisure, Urdd, Menter Bro Ogwr and several town and community councils, is crammed with fun activities for children of all ages to look forward to this summer.
From keeping active to letting their imaginations run wild, there is a huge variety of events and activities to keep children entertained.
Zorb football, pond dipping, Tai Chi, Nordic walking and parkour are just some of the FREE ‘ParkLives’ activities taking place every weekday this summer. The popular initiative this year also features a summer roadshow, which will visit some of the county borough’s most popular outdoor spaces every Friday with a bumper programme of activities.
Brackla Community Hub (Archbishop McGrath Catholic High School) and Parc Derwen Community Hub (Coety Primary School) will play host to a broad programme of ‘B-actif’ sessions. Children aged three to eight can keep active and explore their imaginations through a range of sport activities and series of quests through space, history and different landscapes.
Eight to 12 year olds can attend the popular Active 4 Life schemes, which are returning to community venues. The FREE weekday sessions, which are supported by local town and community councils, will feature a range of sports, games, arts and creative activities. Parents and carers will need to register their child for Active 4 Life when attending their first session.
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There are also lots of activities available for the county borough’s Welsh speaking youngsters. Menter Bro Ogwr is hosting a series of FREE play schemes for children in Welsh medium education, as well as a family picnic, pirate-themed day of family activities, a trip to Oakwood Theme Park and more. Meanwhile, Urdd is running a number of summer sports camps where children can have fun learning new skills with their friends.
Elsewhere, families can make a splash at Halo Leisure Centres thanks to the Welsh Government’s FREE swimming initiative for under 17s. In addition to standard swimming sessions, there will also be extra fun pool time with inflatables, toys and floats to dip into.
Bridgend County Borough Council’s partners, Awen Cultural Trust also have plenty going on. At local libraries, The Summer Reading Challenge invites youngsters to read six books of their choice over the holidays, and collect exclusive rewards along the way. This year’s challenge has a ‘Mischief Makers’ theme, featuring a number of recognisable Beano characters including Dennis the Menace and Gnasher.
In addition to its full schedule of shows at Maesteg Town Hall and Porthcawl’s Grand Pavilion, Awen will also be setting the stage for a summer of outdoor theatre at Bryngarw Country Park. From Peter Pan to Pride and Prejudice, there are plenty of performances in store for everyone to enjoy. The park rangers will also be helping youngsters to discover what lies beneath the surface of the Bryngarw pond, with a series of pond dipping sessions.
This summer’s school’s out programme has an incredible range of exciting events and activities across the county borough, with something for all children to enjoy.
Keeping children active throughout the holidays can seem like quite the challenge, but with so many free and low cost options on offer this year the real test is going to be cramming everything in. I’d like to thank each of our partners for contributing to a programme of events and activities that I’m sure is going to be a big hit with local children this summer.”
Councillor Dhanisha Patel, Bridgend County Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations,
The full ‘School’s Out’ programme of activities will be available at www.bridgend.gov.uk/schoolsout
