Community Information

The Williams Memorial Hall

The Williams Memorial Hall was built in 1922 and donated to the people of Coychurch in 1923 by Mrs Williams in memory of her husband. 

In 1936 the Trustees asked the Parish Council to take over the Trusteeship of the Hall and this was agreed. When Parish Councils became Community Councils the Coychurch Lower Community Council took over the Trusteeship and registered the change of Trusteeship with the Charity Commission.

The Hall has been run on a not-for-profit basis which has enabled the facility to be hired out to local groups and others at a reasonable price. Activities / Groups taking place in the building on a regular basis include 1st Llangrallo Brownies, adult and toddler groups (welsh language, sensory group) classes in martial arts (Karate, Tai Chi), fitness (aerobics, Zumba), dance (Latin American line dance, Welsh dance, ballet classes), and interest groups such as Coychurch Gardening Society, Hardy Plants Society, and the Alpine Gardening Society, Women's Institute, Mothers' Union, Community coffee mornings and a Bridge club.

The Hall is also hired by individuals and companies for ad-hoc events and for longer term health and education sessions.

The land for the play park between Main Road and Glenwood Close was donated to Coychurch, for a play area for children under the age of 16, when Glenwood Close was built. It was accepted by the then Pen y Bont Borough Council on behalf of the residents of the area and has been managed by them and the now Bridgend County Borough Council since. 

As the village children grew it became clear that ball games play a large part in their lives and for the safety of other users of the play park it was decided to install a ball court with fencing to keep the balls away from other users, particularly young children.

In recent years the old play equipment has reached the end of its usefulness so modern equipment has been installed, with the following assistance:

• Grants from Welsh Government's Play Sufficiency Fund - 2021 and 2022
• Bridgend County Borough Councils Town and Community Council Fund - 2021 and 2022
• Contributions from the community's council tax 
• Grant from the National Lottery "Awards for All" Scheme 2021

In preparation for a community asset transfer of the play park to the Coychurch Lower community council the community council has entered into a Licence with Bridgend CBC from 18th March 2022 so that the installation of the final equipment, play equipment and seating can be installed.

The Coychurch playing field was purchased by the then Pen Y Bont Borough Council to be held for use by local residents and others from neighbouring communities. The land was later earmarked as a possible site of a Welsh School but surveys indicated that it was not suitable for building on. 

The playing field has a history involving various sports including cricket and football. In recent years the Pavilion has been closed as major renovation work is required. 

Following a public consultation with residents in 2021 and discussions as to the use of the space and its value to the community, it was decided that the Community Council would apply for a community asset transfer (CAT) of the field and the pavilion. This is on-going. The first step was to complete a business plan, obtain expressions of  interest in using the field and the pavilion and to develop a cohesive plan for the development of a green space accessible to and usable by all ages and abilities. This Business Plan was submitted to Bridgend County Borough Council's CAT Steering Group and gained in principle support.

A more detailed addition to the proposal is now being prepared with costs for demolishing the old pavilion and replacing it with a new building. Bridgend County Borough Council's Local Places for Nature team has engaged a landscape architect to put together a proposed layout / ground plan for the field which includes a variety of natural habitats, native trees, fruit trees and wildflower planting, walkways, artwork and display boards. Bridgend County Borough Council's Accessibility team are looking at how to revamp the entrances. 

The next step is a public consultation regarding the overall plan and the pavilion so that the community council and Bridgend County Borough Council can be confident that this is what the residents of Coychurch Lower want for the field. This will happen in January 2024.