Let me make your perfect day Participant Workbook Let me make your perfect day Dare to Discover Bridgend County Bridgend County has lots going on and much to keep visitors coming back time and time again. Whilst being positioned between Cardiff and Swansea and just south of the Brecon Beacons National Park is great in terms of accessibility, it can however be very easy for visitors to be attracted by the headlines elsewhere and not explore what Bridgend has to offer. It is important for those working in tourism locally to be fully aware of what Bridgend has for visitors to do and see and to share this with their guests. There are so many places competing for visitors’ attention and money nowadays. With so much information available it can be difficult to know what to choose to do and see. Good advice based on strong local knowledge with great customer service is a powerful combination that will keep visitors coming back to the area, writing great reviews on-line and telling their friends about it. This training course produced by Bridgend Tourism Association is for anybody who welcomes visitors to the area. It aims to give a good grounding in what is available for visitors in the county and also a chance to polish customer service skills. We want visitors to leave the county having received knowledgeable professional service from whomever they meet during their stay here. Coney Beach Porthcawl Whilst customers may be satisfied with acceptable service, it is only when service that stands out as memorably good that customer loyalty is created. We want you to leave this course inspired and motivated to create loyal customers. This is not just an immensely satisfying part of a customer facing role. It also helps to build a strong local visitor economy that benefits our communities and helps to build job security in difficult economic times. Together let’s build a reputation for Bridgend County as the place to visit in South Wales where staff always go the extra mile to make sure their visitors don’t have to. 1 Enjoy Bridgend County Great Location, beautiful coast, interesting towns, lots to do and festivals to enjoy Bridgend has lots to attract many types of visitors and to keep them coming back. Returning visitors are critical to a buoyant visitor economy and the key to this is to make sure that everybody working in tourism takes the time to understand what type of things their visitors might enjoy and then has the knowledge to make good recommendations. Bridgend’s strength lies in the diversity of things to do and see within a relatively small area. The coast may well be the draw for many visitors in the summer months, but with so much going on all year round, there really is potential to draw in the visitors in the quieter seasons too. Equally a good experience in Bridgend will encourage visitors to base themselves here, even if they want to spend time visiting Cardiff or Swansea during their stay. There is a good range of visitor accommodation to appeal to all budgets and also great facilities for business visitors too. Bridgend County The county covers 110 square miles and is equidistant between Cardiff and Swansea. It has a resident population of almost 135,000. It is geographically diverse with uplands and former coal mining valleys in the north and more gentle countryside and an attractive coastline in the south. The county can be divided into three distinctive areas: The 3 Valleys The attractive valleys of Llynfi, Garw and Ogmore meet at Sarn and stretch northwards for around seven miles. These narrow river valleys are former mining communities with a distinct heritage and character. Maesteg with a population of 20,000 is the main town. Bridgend and the M4 corridor Bridgend with a population of 45,000 is the main commercial centre for the area. With the M4 passing through, this area is very accessible and many of the county’s jobs are found here. This area has both budget and high quality hotel accommodation catering for both leisure and business visitors. Porthcawl and the coast Porthcawl is a traditional seaside town with a population of 16,000. It grew rapidly in Victorian times as a port for the iron and coal industries of the Valleys, but little is left to see of its industrial past. Today its main draw is the seven bays and sandy beaches along the coast from Merthyr Mawr in the east to Kenfig in the west. When we visit an area, there is nothing more appealing than a person speaking with real enthusiasm for the place they live and work. It’s not just what you know, but how you communicate that and there is nothing better than real passion and love of an area to sell it to a visitor. Discovering towns and villages Porthcawl Although the Seven Bays offer seven quite different beaches to enjoy, Porthcawl is probably known best for traditional seaside fun on lovely family beaches and the Coney Beach Pleasure Park. Porthcawl is moving with the times and has a growing reputation as a great location for all water-sports and surfing in particular, which is celebrated with many events going on throughout the year. It Rest Bay, Porthcawl - Image by Andycam Photography is also home to the Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, one of the best twelve courses in the world and often host to major international golfing events. In July 2014 it will play host to the British Seniors Open. Bridgend The main county town with traditional traffic free shopping, an indoor market and fine Italian cafes and restaurants. The town is on the banks of the river Ogmore and visitors can get around town via the bridges and new river walkway. The town is famous for its quirky style events that happen throughout the year such as the Mash Up in the Spring , a street party which brings together sports and arts with free events across the town and Feastival in the autumn, a great food festival where fun features as highly as the food . When the sun isn’t shining, Bridgend Recreation Centre has a leisure pool and a gym. North of the town is the Bridgend Designer Outlet with over 100 top branded stores and an Odeon entertainment complex. Maesteg Located at the head of the Llynfi Valley and surrounded by mountain scenery, Maesteg grew up as an iron and later coal town in the Industrial Revolution, exporting its wares initially via a horse drawn railway that went to Porthcawl Docks. The town is the main centre for surrounding villages and visitors today can enjoy shopping in the town and at the daily indoor and outdoor market. The historic Town Hall has been re-furbished and now offers arts and entertainment and one of the former ironworks has been transformed into a sports centre. Maesteg also has a bowling green, tennis courts and a children’s play area in Welfare Park. The new international BMX track at Caerau near by, will appeal to younger visitors and a more gentle cycle or walk can be enjoyed along the new community route of the old horse drawn Dyffryn Llynfi Porthcawl railway. Villages Brynmenyn At the entrance to the Garw Valley with traditional stone built cottages. At the rear of the village is Bryngarw House now used as a training and conference centre. Llangeinor A pretty village with an historic church on the mountainside with great views along the Ogmore and Garw Vallleys. Birth place of Richard Price whose writings were incorporated into the Constitution of the USA. Ogmore Vale, Blackmill, Glynogwr and Nant-y-Moel A collection of pretty villages framed by mountain scenery to the north of the M4. The villages have a popular community walking and cycling route popular with visitors. The road through the villages winds higher and higher until it reaches the Bwlch mountain pass with spectacular views over towards the Rhondda Valley. Coity A small village with a traditional Inn and Post Office, dominated by the ruins of Coity Castle which stood strong against an assault by Owain Glyndwr in 1404. Llangynwyd A pretty hilltop town with an imposing tall towered church and an ancient thatched Inn named ‘Yr Hen Dy ‘or the Old House. Home to the Welsh bard Will Hopcyn whose ill-fated love of local girl Ann Thomas is said to have given rise to the old Welsh legend – The Maid of Cefn Ydfa. Kenfig A Medieval town lost to the encroaching sands in the sixteenth century. Only the remains of the castle can still be seen. The Prince of Wales pub which dates from 1605 was built as a replacement Town Hall and is still used in this capacity as well as being a great place to get a pint and good food. Kenfig Pool and National Nature Reserve has an excellent visitor centre and local walks through the sand www.bridgendbites.com dunes to Sker beach. Kenfig Castle Nottage A quaint village with stone cottages and Inns near to Kenfig. The village has links to St David and there is a well bearing his name in Moor Lane. Newton Newton was the main port along this stretch of the coast until Porthcawl was developed in the 19th century. The Jolly Sailor Inn, established in 1825, is reputedly linked to the smuggling activities that went on in the area. The village has an imposing limestone church whose origins have been attributed to the Order of St John over 800 years ago.