Bridgend: Encyclopedia II - Bridgend - Culture

Bridgend - Culture

Bridgend has its own commercial radio station: 106.3 Bridge FM.

Bridgend is twinned with Langenau, Germany and Villenave D'Ornon, France.

Bridgend hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1948 and 1998.

Bridgend Rugby Football club play at the Brewery Field (so called because there was a Brewery near the site.) As part of the provincialisation of Welsh rugby which took place in 2003, they joined with Pontypridd RFC to form the Celtic Warriors. However, due to several factors, the club folded after just one season, leaving the area with no top-class rugby for the first time since Bridgend RFC formed in 1878. This has left many rugby fans in Pontypridd and Bridgend feeling betrayed by the Welsh Rugby Union. Bridgend has a successful amateur Rugby League team (Bridgend Blue Bulls), as well as football and cricket teams that play in local and national leagues.

It is hoped that a Super League franchise can come to the Brewery Field in the near future.

The local Member of Parliament is Madeline Moon MP (Labour), the Welsh Assembly Member for Bridgend is Carwyn Jones AM (Labour) along with regional AM's (South West Wales) Alun Cairns AM (Conservative), Dai Lloyd AM (Plaid Cymru), Janet Davies AM (Plaid Cymru) and Peter Black (Liberal Democrat).

The local council was formerly led by Jeff Jones. At the last local elections, in 2003, the longstanding Labour Party administration was replaced by an unstable coalition (the so-called "Rainbow Coalition") of Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Plaid Cymru and Independents

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Culture", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki