FEATURES

DOGGY DILEMMAS & PUPPY PROBLEMS

Enrichment, why does my dog need it? Enrichment encourages a dog’s natural behaviours by providing sensory experiences. It’s essential to provide different enrichment to keep boredom at bay and to prevent your dog from becoming ‘self-employed’.

1) Sensory,

Scent; Create a sensory garden with dog safe plants and herbs, Collect items from your walks for investigation later. Taste; Provide a taster board of novel, dog safe, foods including meats, veg, fruits. Touch; Explore different surfaces, sand, mud, gravel, tree stumps. Sounds; Wind chimes, birdsong, make a sounds playlist.

2) Food Based,

Roll up a towel with goodies in, a muffin tin with different foods in with balls on top, apple bobbing, use a snufflemat, load a lickimat, provide a new chew – a Yaker, goats ear, braided lamb stick.

3) Physical,

Digging, exploring, walking on wobbly surfaces, chasing bubbles, climbing on.

4)Social,

Car ride, interactions with people or other animals, investigate new places together.

5) Brain Games,

Play hide n’ seek, search for favourite toys/treats, use puzzle feeders.

6) Toys,

Chase a flirt pole/long tuggy, let them unstuff an old toy, rustling plushie. Have fun!

Julie Williams APDT IMDT South Wales Dog Training Academy

TALBOT COMMUNITY CENTRE

During the pandemic, Talbot Community Centre has been providing a meal delivery service for those who have been shielding. We want to thank those who volunteered to help us provide that service. Several projects/alterations have also been undertaken during this time. This includes redecoration and changes to the layout of the main hall, new lighting throughout the Centre and repairs that had become necessary. As you may be aware, membership subscriptions were due on 1st April for this year. We have an additional membership benefit this year where members can book the half for party/ function with £5 discount. Another small change this year, our Bingo sessions will only be open to members and membership cards will be required to play to meet with Gambling Commission requirements. We look forward to. We are pleased to advise there will be no increase in the annual membership fees of £5.00 (less than ten pence per week). If you or someone you know may be interested, please let them know to contact us for a membership form on 01656 749754 or talbotcc@tiscali.co.uk. We look forward welcoming previous members back to the Community Centre as well as seeing some new faces as we are start to re-open.

Amy Jones

PORTHCAWL LIONS

At last, we will soon be able to meet in person, instead of zoom, to plan properly. We hope to run a new Porthcawl in Bloom contest next month, in which proud gardeners can send us photos of their pride and joy - from specimens to flowerbeds, lawns to window boxes (lionsinbloom@gmail. com between 7th and 21st June - full details on our website, entry free but donations welcomed). We also hope to arrange a variation of our annual Sandcastle Competition in August; also more runs, booksales and - in answer to so many questions - CAR BOOT SALES as soon as we can resolve issues of social distancing etc. Keep an eye on our website. This restart would also be a great time to join us - anyone keen to serve the community in a time of change and uncertainty, coming out of lockdown, working from home, new to the area, think about joining us - perhaps along with like-minded friends and new ideas. You would be most welcome and ‘lionism’ really is rewarding and worthwhile.

Ring Jim to discuss on 01656 859505

COYCHURCH WI

Over 30 members met up for an outside dining experience at The Haywain pub for lunch on 12th May. This was the first time that members had met since the restrictions of the Covid pandemic were enforced. The event was very well organised by the president Sandra Davidson and the committee members. Keen to return to “normality” various events and activities were proposed for this year and 2021. During lunch we all thoroughly enjoyed catching up with each other and Liz Smith won the free raffle for afternoon tea at The Coed-y-Mwstwr. Members will meet next at The White Horse pub, Coychurch on 1st June between 1-3pm where more details of organised events will be announced. Interested new and lapsed members are very welcome to join us. For further details please contact Sandra on 01656 669232.

Janet James

PORTHCAWL KIDNEY WALES FUNDRAISING NEWS

The Porthcawl Committee are pleased to report that the 5K Virtual Walk in March raised the fantastic sum of £907 which will be divided between Porthcawl KRUF and Polycystic Kidney Disease Charity in memory of our dear friend and Vice Chairwoman Jude French. Thank you to everyone who took part for your time, effort and generosity we really appreciate your continued support.

Kathryn Roper

TOOLS FOR SELF RELIANCE

Hello everyone, we are back in the workshop but with limited numbers to ensure all members are as safe as possible. Although we were not taking tool donations during the lockdown we had quite a few people just dumping stuff off resulting in us now being short of space. Until we have sorted and processed these tools please do not bring any for a while until we have storage space. If you wish us to make a collection, you can telephone us with your details and what you have so we can plan it in. Things are starting to move, there is a big project just started in Sierra Leone where 84 young people will be doing a vocational course through our partner, Craftshare. We will be making kits for metalwork, welding, building and electrical installation. The course also teaches literacy skills, business and life skills helping them on the way to running a successful business. The tools you donate and we process are only a small but important part in getting people out of poverty into a wage earning environment.

Thank you all for you generosity in the past and hopefully we can look forward to a better future very soon. Contact – John Hanson 01656 786367

NATIONAL COASTWATCH INSTITUTION – PORTHCAWL

April was a busy month with 20 monitored and 8 logged incidents, including 4 in one watch. These involved tidal cut-offs and surfers, bodyboarders and paddleboarders being blown out to sea by strong offshore winds. We logged and monitored 169 commercial vessels, 1019 leisure, 1 military and 21 others and undertook 360 hours watchkeeping. In May 2021 we celebrate our fifth anniversary at Porthcawl. Our station opened on 21st May 2016 and we have gone from strength to strength, increasing our capability each year and maintaining our status as one of the busiest NCI stations in the UK, handling 279 incidents since opening. We are holding a sponsored walk on June 26th in partnership with our new neighbours at NCI St Donat’s Bay, starting at Sker Point and finishing at Atlantic College, home to NCI St Donat’s Bay. Setting up this Coastwatch station is a new venture for them and will give added coverage along the coastline beyond Nash Point. We welcome their commitment to improving safety and wish them well. All NCI stations are voluntary-run and these events raise funds to allow us to operate. You can support us by going to the Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/philipstyles-3

Nick Weedon, Media Officer

THROUGH CHRISTIAN EYES

Gilgal Baptist Church, are extending and developing their Park Avenue home to have a building more suitable for Christian worship and community use in the 21st Century. The building extensions will contain a new entrance, a kitchen and office on one side, and modern toilet facilities and store room on the other. A community cafe style area will be created inside, with a balcony above providing space for seating and extra rooms. These facilities will help the building to be used seven days a week by the church and the community. The church hall alongside will continue its present use as a church and community meeting place both during and after the work. While the building work progresses the church will continue meeting for Christian worship twice on Sundays and the venue/s can be found on the church website www.gilgal.co.uk or on our Facebook pages. The church also welcomes Owen Hughes as its new Youth Pastor, while former Associate Pastor, Steve Lock, starts a new job with the Diocese of Llandaff as Team Leader ‘Schools Engagement Officer’. If you would like to know more about following Jesus Christ or about the churches of Porthcawl, please contact us at: faith@ gilgal.co.uk

REV. MARTIN GILLARD Gilgal Baptist Church, Porthcawl

BRIDGEND SOROPTIMST AGM

Bridgend Soroptimst club held their AGM on ZOOM on Wednesday 22nd April 2021. The club has had a successful year in spite of COVID restrictions and held their monthly meetings as usual. Fundraising opportunities were somewhat limited but a Virtual Dog Show was held and raised £800 for Wales Mental Health charities. President Sharon expressed her thanks for continued support to all members and handed over the Chain of Office to Gaynor Hoare for the coming year. It is hoped conventional face-to-face meetings will be resumed later in the year but until then we will continue on ZOOM. For more information on Soroptimism find us on sigbi.org/ bridgend-and-district Facebook www.facebook.com/BridgendSoroptimists

Eileen Bayley Publicity Officer

MADAGASCAR SCHOOLS PROJECT UPDATE

Porthcawl Rotary has recently received a letter from Mark Jacobs, Managing Director - SEED Madagascar (Sustainable Environment, Education & Development). Mark has given us an update on projects we are supporting in two rural communities, Vatambe and Mahatalakay, Madagascar. Thanks to Rotary support, work on these projects started last year and has continued throughout January and February at a great pace. The school building work in the village of Tsagnoriah is where the Rotary support will mainly go. Work commenced in this distant community in January. Mark expects the furniture element for the school classrooms, that Porthcawl Rotary supported, to start in a couple of months and he will keep us informed as progress is made. Porthcawl Rotary President Andrew Singer would like to thank the people of Porthcawl for their continued support and we look forward to posting further updates in the near future. If you would like to know more about Rotary and its activities, please contact Jeff Perren at jeff@perrenpartners.co.uk. Keep safe and well.

Rtn Robert Lee

KENFIG NATURE RESERVE UPDATE

There has been lots of maintenance work going on at the Reserve over the last couple of weeks. The rooms are newly decorated ready for hire and we have managed to get some desks and chairs all recycled!! If you are interested in hiring one of the rooms just email clerk@ kenfignaturecorporation.com or call 07483 392077. We are also working hard on a small outside meeting area that will allow groups and organisations to meet in a lovely cosy undisturbed open space. The Trust has also organised a poster competition with the local primary schools asking them to design some appropriate posters for our new and existing bins which will encourage people to dispose of their rubbish and dog waste responsibility. They are currently being judged and 1st, 2nd and 3rd entries will be announced shortly. The Warden will be doing guided walks, Wardens Wild Walks, one Saturday every month starting on the 29th of May, meet at the centre at 9:30 and aim to be back by 12:30, there will be lots of flora, fauna and fungi to see. We are looking to start outdoor volunteering in June, keep watching our website for updates, if you have not signed up yet, please do, we can promise fresh air and hard work to help Kenfig NNR be the best habitat for all the species that live here.

PORTHCAWL INNER WHEEL CLUB

In April President Mary Emment-Lewis of Porthcawl Inner Wheel club attended a virtual Zoom Convention meeting in Jaipur India lasting over two days. Over 351 members worldwide attended the Zoom meeting, 15 from District 15 South Wales. We were treated to a virtual tour of ‘The Pink City’ and various Indian and Philippine dancing and Sitar music. We discussed Proposals and General Motions aligning to the benefit of Girls and women all over the world. We heard speakers who were Doctors, Scientists and Financial experts to name but a few. Also for the first time receiving an attendance certificate. Inner wheel is the biggest female voluntary organisation in the world and we work alongside our Rotary partners to hopefully bring friendship, comfort and help under privilege people in this country and the Third world hopefully to have a better life. It has been my privilege to be the President celebrating our 70th Charter year this year having been a member for 26 years and I look forward to handing over to incoming President Gill in my back garden handover tea party in June.

Liz Jones