NEWS
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PORTHCAWL COVID 19 STRATEGY GROUP
NEWS FROM THE MAYOR OF PORTHCAWL
The Group continues to help the community. Over the winter months our volunteers assisted Porthcawl Medical Centre with marshals for the flu vaccination and with the current roll out of the covid vaccination. Volunteers continue to shop for the vulnerable in the COOP on a daily basis. The COOP have employed some of our volunteers within store and increased their home delivery system to meet the demand. Our Ward Managers continue to assist with the more vulnerable in Porthcawl, arranging collection of prescriptions and delivery of medication. We have implemented a project to assist school children with home learning and some of the older residents with tech equipment for communicating with family and friends. We are extremely grateful to the community for donating old computers and laptops, which our Techguy Steve Flett has been upgrading with the necessary hardware and software compatible for use in Schools. We are grateful to our MP Jamie Wallis for the supply of laptops for the community. We have been raising funds to upgrade all of this equipment and this will be ongoing on our Justgiving page. We have received substantial donations to our Justgiving campaign. If you can help or need help please contact us on www.Porthcawlc19s.weebly.com or on 771457. Kerry Marlow
Porthcawl...Love it, don’t trash it continues to evolve adding innovative new ideas targeting plastics/ litter with volunteers working from the new Rest Bay hub supported by BCBC cleaner streets newly created Community Engagement Team. New initiatives include: trialing several large recycling bins in specific areas to see how various recyclable litter can be collected. This will then lead into the Big Fish Project working with Naturequest which involves collecting all hard plastics from the beach and seafront areas and placing for collection in a giant dolphin like structure made from metal and other forms of recycled material which will be based along the seafront. It is planned to employ an artist to make the structure and it is hoped that the comprehensive school will be involved. The team has 8 months to put the project together for a funding application. New Hi Viz tops with the “Love it, don’t trash it “ logo enhances the project identity and also recognises the work the volunteers are undertaking. Thank you to our volunteers, residents, visitors and cleaner streets team for your support for this project which has made a huge difference in Porthcawl and which is now being rolled out throughout the borough.
HUGE THANKS TO OUR VACCINATION TEAMS Last month, the Welsh Government hit the first milestone in its vaccination programme of offering a first vaccination to the top four priority groups in Wales. I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all involved in the vaccine roll out, for their incredible efforts. The Health Minister has said that take-up amongst these groups has been incredibly high. It was a pleasure to be invited by the local health board, Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB, to visit Bridgend’s community vaccination centre to see just a small part of the set-up. During my brief visit, the centre was busy with lots of people coming and going. Speaking to some of the vaccination team, it was good to hear that there were no, no-shows, and that everyone who was given an appointment had their vaccination. It was very well organised, very efficient and I would like to thank all the team there for their truly heroic efforts. The Welsh Government is already looking ahead to meeting its next milestone as it now moves its focus to priority groups five to nine. They will start by offering appointments to people in groups five and six. Carwyn Jones, MS for Bridgend CARWYN JONES MS for Bridgend
22 | seaside news
COUNCILLOR BRIAN JONES Mayor of Porthcawl
VACCINATION SUCCESS As I write this, Wales has just been declared the first of the UK nations to have vaccinated everyone within the top four priority groups. That’s over 100,000 people across the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board region, more than 30,000 of whom are residents of Bridgend County Borough. This fantastic result is a sure sign of confidence in our national approach to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Following a temporary closure to allow vaccination centres to be repurposed and for suitable stocks of the vaccine to be prepared, work is underway on phase two of the programme, which is focusing on the next set of priority groups. As part of this, a second vaccination centre has been established at Maesteg Sports Centre to join the existing facility based at the Ravens Court building in Bridgend. Mobile testing also continues to be available, and I strongly urge people to keep using this wherever appropriate. Even with the vaccine rolling out, it is going to take some time before the pandemic is confirmed as being finally over, and we are going to need to continue to follow official guidance for some time yet. To find out more, visit the coronavirus page at the council’s website. COUNCILLOR HUW DAVID Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council Tel 01656 643643 www.bridgend.gov.uk
