LETTERS REGENERATION SURVEY Dear Editor, In November/December, the Porthcawl Civic Trust Society ran a survey to determine the views of Porthcawl’s residents regarding BCBC’s regeneration plan for the town. Unfortunately, due to adverse weather conditions and problems caused by Covid, large swaths of the town were missed and, as a result, the number of responses was less than hoped for. However, by the end of December, 147 questionnaire forms had been returned and a report on the findings has now been completed. A copy of the report, one can be obtained by emailing porthcawlcivictrust@ hotmail.co.uk . Briefly, residents were asked 4 questions including whether they agreed with BCBC proposal to build in excess of 328 dwellings on Salt Lake and a further 912 on the Sandy Bay/Coney Beach Amusement Park site. The survey showed that, of the 147 replies, 14 respondents were in favour of some form of housing on Salt Lake while 51 were prepared to accept a number of homes on the Sandy Bay/Coney Beach Amusement Park site. The three main reasons for opposing BCBC’s plan were: 1. An increase of an estimated 3000 residents would put more pressure on health provision and schools; 2. The loss of Salt Lake car park would discourage visitors and have an adverse effect on trade. It would also make it more difficult for residents to carry out their shopping in the town, especially those with mobility problems, and result in more parking in residential streets; 3. Porthcawl needs more amenities not more housing. Coincidentally, since the survey has been completed, BCBC has revised its plan for Salt Lake. However, Salt Lake will still be lost as a car park and the intention is still to build about 1100 dwellings on the 2 sites. This clearly fails to meet the aspirations of residents. The Society will continue with its efforts to persuade BCBC to enter into meaningful consultation with residents of the town that are the main stakeholders. Don Tickner, Porthcawl For the Porthcawl Civic Trust Society
PORTHCAWL’S HIDDEN TREASURE Dear Editor, I visited Porthcawl Museum earlier in the month and wanted to write in and say what a fantastic job everyone there is doing & to encourage anyone and everyone to grab their friends and family and head down! I had always known there was (or used to be) a museum in Porthcawl but had never really thought to visit until my Grandma mentioned that she would be volunteering there – having not been there since I was younger I had no idea what to expect. Straight away it was clear to see how much hard work they’ve put in to build an incredibly informative and enjoyable museum centered on the history of Porthcawl. I couldn’t believe the attention to detail and how much I didn’t know about the place I’ve lived for most of my life. There are lots of rooms all focusing on a different time or part of Porthcawl’s history – I learnt so much when I was there and would really recommend that anyone with a spare hour or two makes their way to the museum to take a look. Seeing old pictures of Porthcawl, reading stories about events that took place here and the various anecdotes shared with us made the visit so worthwhile – a big thanks to them all for their time and hard work! We’ll definitely be back again! Alex Winkler, Dorking 8 | seaside news
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LIFEBOAT OFFICIALLY NAMED
Dear Editor, The RNLI’s new D Class lifeboat was named in memory of Hugo Missen in beautiful sunshine in front of a crowd of hundreds of invited guests and onlookers. With performances from both the South Wales Police band and Porthcawl Male Voice Choir it was a very special, memorable and at times emotional day. Hugo was the son of Helm Joe Missen and his fiancé Jessica Entwistle and was the grandson of Porthcawl RNLI’s Lifeboat Operations Manager, Philip Missen MBE. Hugo lost his courageous fight against cancer aged just 15 months in December 2016. The D Class lifeboat arrived at Porthcawl lifeboat station on 26 January 2022 and has already been launched on service four times, two of which were to assist vessels in distress. Helm Chris Page who was instrumental in getting the new D Class named after Hugo Missen handed the D Class lifeboat over into the care of the RNLI, which was accepted on behalf of the charity by Mark Wordsworth an RNLI trustee. The lifeboat was accepted on behalf of Porthcawl RNLI by Mark Broadway a crewmember at Porthcawl. D861 Hugo Missen has been funded by several donors from restricted funds. Mark Wordsworth, RNLI trustee spoke of the 11 lives saved by Porthcawl RNLI volunteers during 2021 – the most lives saved by any RNLI station in Wales and how the new lifeboat Hugo Missen would go on to save even more. Every one involved in Porthcawl RNLI lifeboat station are delighted to have been given the opportunity to have a new lifeboat named after Hugo Missen. Following the ceremony the new lifeboat was paraded along the seafront back to the lifeboat station led by the South Wales Police band. The new lifeboat was then launched from the slipway where it performed a short demonstration both in the harbour area and then off the seafront in front of the Seabank Hotel. Chris Page, Porthcawl Photo credit: Mike Jones
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