Ogmore Vale Priide can continue its great work in cleaning up the valley after receiving a £7,000 donation from Pennant Walters. The monies are from a fund linked to the construction of the new, but standalone, Pant y Wal Extension Wind Farm, adjacent to Ogwr Valley.

The funding has been put to good use in purchasing a large storage unit and further equipment, to aid the group of local volunteers as they work tirelessly to carry out clean-up operations including litter picking, river cleaning, grass cutting and planting flowers and bulbs in green areas.

Phillip Lewis, Treasurer at Ogmore Vale Priide, explains:

“We are all too aware of the constraints on local budgets which has sadly affected the upkeep of local communities up and down the country. We established Ogmore Valley Priide with the sole intention of protecting our heritage and enhancing the local environment of the Ogmore Valley for all that live, work or visit the area. We are reliant on our volunteers.

“We are blessed that we have a growing number of volunteers but with that comes the need for more equipment and somewhere safe to store things. We applied to the wind farm fund as we know how much it’s benefitting the local community.”

With Ogmore Valley Priide estimating they’ve collected 300 bags of litter in the localities of Ogmore Vale, Lewistown and Pantyrawel since January 2022 the group is keen to do more and this money will help do just that.

Phillip continued:

“This money has been fantastic, and we’re thrilled with the difference it has made to us. Before this we’d have to use our own, sometimes old, equipment and keep this all at home. However now we’ve got a central storage site, and more equipment like mowers, rakes and weeding brushes, we can up our activity and make even more of a difference to the local community we all love so much.”

Pennant Walters Managing Director, Dale Hart, commented 

“It’s fantastic to see the commitment of the volunteers at Ogmore Valley Priide. The work they do is certainly positively impacting the local community and this is why we’re proud to lend our support.

“Our wind energy project community fund exists to make a difference to the local communities in which we work and we’re happy this money will continue to benefit so many people directly, whilst also creating a welcoming environment for all those that visit.”

Picture: Local Ogmore Valley volunteers clean up the area