Rob's Weekly Round Up

02 May 2025

Helo bawb,

I hope you’ve all had a chance to take advantage of the glorious weather this week. Now that the cold winter months are firmly behind us, it is the perfect time to step outside, stretch your legs, and enjoy some fresh air. 

Whether it’s a morning walk, an evening bike ride, or a swim at the beach – being physically active is one of the most powerful ways to boost our wellbeing.

On that note, I wanted mention the excellent work by the Sports Development Team to help and encourage residents to stay active.

In a recent impact report, it was highlighted how through their targeted programmes, meaningful partnerships, and a real passion for inclusion, they’ve helped residents enjoy the benefits that sport and activity can bring – especially for those who face barriers to participation.

The Young Sports Ambassador project aims to provide a pathway for young people to become the voice for their peers and become leaders through sport and physical activity.

The scheme aims to increase the confidence of the participants by empowering the young people to harness the positive power of sport and physical activity to improve wellbeing and build friendships. The project develops, supports, and empowers the Young Ambassadors to facilitate activities, build belonging and tackle inequalities.

Meanwhile, Energise YOUth was a pilot project that was developed as part of the Vale Sport and Physical Activity Plan to promote positive wellbeing and increase physical activity levels among a targeted group of young people aged 11-18 who experience low well-being through a referral scheme-style project.

The project works with partners including the Vale Youth Service, Vale Early Help Team, Vale Social Services and Llamau, where registered young people could access a ‘free activity’ from a list of providers for a time specific period. Activities included leisure centre access as well as links to local sports club provision.

More than 268 partners - from community sports clubs and schools to council teams and national organisations - have contributed to the Vale Sport & Physical Activity Plan.

This kind of collaboration shows exactly how our strong partnerships helping us to realise our ambitions for healthier, happier and more active communities.

Diolch yn fawr to the Sport Development Team for your hard work on these important schemes.

Next, I would like to mention the significant step forward that has been made for housing services recently, with the launch of the new Homes4U online bidding system.

Previously, residents could only place housing bids by phoning the contact centre or by email, or by coming in-person to the housing desk at the Civic Offices. 

This was resource-intensive and didn’t offer the best experience for our service users – many of which are some of our most vulnerable residents.

As a response to resident feedback and a key part of our broader commitment to improving customer’s access to Council services, the new online system allows applicants to bid on properties directly through our website, providing a simpler, more accessible, and far more efficient route.

The launch of the new online bidding system is part of our Top 20 Customer Journeys project, which falls within the Brilliant Basics workstream and aims to better understand and improve customer experience, and streamline and increase efficiency of service provision.

This work also supports our new Vale 2030 Corporate Plan as we aim to ‘create great places to live, work, and visit’, and ensuring access to affordable, quality housing is central to this goal. Homes4U is a key part of our strategy to deliver that commitment.

The project, led by the Digital Team, has been a real cross-departmental effort to get the new system up and running – da iawn i chi gyd!

In other news, this week also marked the launch of the new ‘Taste of the Vale’ food directory ahead of the bank holiday weekend.

The directory was created to help connect residents and visitors with passionate food producers across the Vale and highlights the county’s rich food and farming heritage.

It can be found of the Visit the Vale website and provides a go-to-guide for discovering a wealth of local farm producers, vineyards, dairies, bakeries, fruit and vegetable horticulturalists and more. 

Senior Food and Farming Officer Cath Smith explained: “Eating seasonal and local food is about much more than just great taste, it’s about sustainable farming, fresh nutritious food and supporting local producers who work tirelessly to produce high quality locally made food and drink. 

“It’s good for the local economy, good for the environment and good for our local communities”. 

As a Council, we are keen to build communities that foster well-being and economic opportunity – and the new Taste the Vale Directory is a great way to not only promote healthy and sustainable food choices by encouraging residents to shop local, but also strengthens our relationships with local food producers and businesses to help foster economic growth across the Vale.

Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the departure of two valued colleagues this week - Jon Greatrex and Karen Bowen. As they both head into a well-earned retirement, I wanted to take a moment this week to celebrate their incredible contributions.

Jon began his working life with the Council in 1980, maintaining Dyffryn Gardens, a role he held for five years before moving on to manage various Penarth parks.

In 1989 he was promoted to the role of Horticultural Officer/Contracts Officer for the Leisure and Amenities department of the Council.

Six years later he was seconded to the Welsh Office, in his role as Manager of Dyffryn Gardens, where he took on responsibility for the gardens, plant nursery and gift shop.

Jon then spent 12 years running his own landscaping business, returning to the Council in 2008 as Manager for Victoria Park.

Away from work, he has represented Wales in windsurfing, holding the Barry Windsurfing Association Speed Record in 2005, and was Chairman of Maesteg Motorcross Club in 1988 and 1989.

Karen Bowen started her career at Mid Glamorgan Council in 1981 as a Clerical/Admin Officer in the Social Services department.

She moved over to Bridgend Council following Local Government Reorganisation 15 years later and went on to work as Mayoral Secretary between 1997 and 2003.

Karen was appointed to the role of Democratic Services Officer at the Vale of Glamorgan Council in 2003, taking on her final role within the same team in July 2018.

She also took up Operational Management duties for Democratic Services for eight months last year whilst recruitment for the position took place.

I know I can speak on behalf of everyone in the organisation in thanking both Jon and Karen for their dedication and passion when working at the Council, and I wish them both all the very best for the adventures ahead.

As always, thank you for your efforts this week – they are very much appreciated by me and the rest of the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT).

For those not in work over the bank holiday weekend, I hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable few of days off in the sun.

Diolch yn fawr,

Rob