📍 Address:
Caerau Development Trust, Woodlands Terrace, Caerau, Maesteg
🕒 Opening Hours:
2–3 mornings per week, plus one afternoon session (specific times to be confirmed)
💬 About:
Caerau Development Trust provides a welcoming Warm Space offering practical support, social connection, and access to resources for the local community. The space encourages learning, wellbeing, and community engagement in a friendly environment.
🌿 What’s On:
📍 Address:
The Workshop, Bangor Terrace, Nantyffyllon, Caerau, CF34 0HU
🕒 Opening Hours:
Weekly — Tuesday evenings, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
From 3rd November 2025 to 6th April 2026 (22 weeks)
💬 About:
Caerau Men’s Shed provides a welcoming Warm Space for men to socialise, learn new skills, and engage in creative activities. The hub promotes wellbeing, community connection, and skill development in a supportive environment.
🌿 What’s On:
📍 Address:
Noddfa Community Project, Caerau Road, Maesteg, CF34 0PB
🕒 Opening Hours:
Weekly — Monday, 11:30 am – 3:00 pm
💬 About:
Happy Crafters provides a welcoming Warm Space for community members to socialise, learn new skills, and participate in creative projects. The hub promotes creativity, wellbeing, and social connection for participants of all ages.
🌿 What’s On:
📍 Address:
St Cynfelyn’s Church Hall, Cymer Road, Caerau
🕒 Opening Hours:
💬 About:
A welcoming weekly warm hub offering a friendly environment for local community members to meet, socialise, and take part in light activities.
🌿 What’s On:
✨ Key Feature:
A warm, inclusive space that fosters connection, enjoyment, and creativity in a relaxed setting.
📍 Address:
🕒 Opening Hours:
Winter Period (1st November 2025 – March 2026, 22 weeks):
💬 About:
STEER – The Enterprise Academy provides a vibrant and inclusive Warm Space for the community. The hub offers safe, welcoming, and warm environments across multiple indoor and outdoor spaces, including a café, training rooms, allotments, woodland areas, and Bell Tents. The programme is designed to enhance social connection, emotional wellbeing, creativity, and physical health for participants of all ages.
🌿 What’s On:
Contact: 01656 720009
🌡️ Maesteg Harlequins Warm Hub
📍 Address:
Maesteg Harlequins Club, Maesteg
🕒 Opening Hours:
💬 About:
Providing a welcoming space for the local community to enjoy warmth, companionship, and nourishment during the winter months.
🌿 What’s On:
✨ Key Feature:
Combines nourishment, social interaction, and a warm, safe environment for individuals and families.
Contact: 01656 737176
📍 Address:
Llynfi Valley Amateur Boxing Club, Maesteg
🕒 Opening Hours:
💬 About:
Llynfi Valley Amateur Boxing Club provides a warm and safe space for the community, offering a variety of boxing classes alongside a supportive environment for young people.
🌿 What’s On:
📍 Address:
The Courthouse, 4 Station St, Maesteg CF34 9AL, UK
🕒 Opening Hours:
Weekly — Thursday, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Until 31st March 2026
💬 About:
The Llynfi Valley 11-25 Youth Project provides a safe, welcoming Warm Space for young people aged 11–25. The hub fosters social connection, skill development, and wellbeing in a supportive community setting.
🌿 What’s On:
📍 Address:
🕒 Opening Hours:
💬 About:
The Warm Space at Maesteg Salvation Army provides a welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment where members of the community can socialise, access activities, and enjoy a warm, friendly space.
🌿 What’s On:
✨ Key Feature:
The space is flexible and shaped by the interests of participants, combining social interaction, practical support, and engaging activities in a warm and friendly setting.
📍 Address:
The Fairfield Centre Saint David’s Pl, Maesteg CF34 9LR
🕒 Opening Hours:
Weekly — Tuesday, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm (22-week program)
💬 About:
Special Families provides a welcoming Warm Space for families of all abilities and ages. The sessions focus on creativity, skill-building, social connection, and celebrating achievements in a safe and inclusive environment.
🌿 What’s On:
Contact: 01656 856950
📍 Address:
St David’s Church, Castle St, Maesteg CF34 9BL
🕒 Opening Hours:
Every Friday, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm, starting 31st October 2025
💬 About:
The Warm Space at St David’s Church offers a safe, heated, and welcoming environment for people of all ages to socialise, relax, and access support. The space is designed to reduce isolation, promote wellbeing, and provide practical help alongside warmth and refreshments.
🌿 What’s On:
Locations & Sessions:
About:
SEN-sational Bonds provides welcoming and inclusive Warm Spaces designed for families with children who have special educational needs. Each venue offers a safe, friendly environment to relax, play, and connect.
What’s On:
📍 Address:
Peniel Church,Station St, Maesteg CF34 9AL
🕒 Opening Hours:
💬 About:
Peniel Church provides multiple warm and welcoming spaces for families and community members, offering a safe environment to socialise, connect, and enjoy activities together.
🌿 What’s On:
✨ Key Feature:
All sessions provide a warm, safe space for conversation, friendships, and community connection for people of all ages.
BAVO are offering grants of £7,000–£10,000 for innovative, small-scale projects that respond to identified, unmet mental health support needs among residents of Bridgend County Borough. This opportunity aims to support creative, community-based, or partnership approaches that test new ways of supporting mental wellbeing.
What we’re looking for
We’re particularly interested in ideas that:
Do you have an idea? Make sure you submit your application below!
Make sure you read the guidance notes before submitting an application here.
Please note: The deadline is 28/11/25
Couldn’t make the launch event? Watch the keynote presentation above!
You can sign up for the Bridgend Community Lotto now! All you need to do is click the button below, fill in the registration form and we’ll look over/approve your registration form (we’ll be in touch if we need anything else)
Date: Friday, 5 December 2025
Time: 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Venue: Heronston Hotel, Bridgend
Join us for BAVO’s Annual General Meeting, where we’ll reflect on the past year, celebrate our achievements and catch up with members.
We’re delighted to invite our member organisations to an afternoon of connection, conversation, and community — including afternoon tea and presentations from guest speakers.
You’ll also have the opportunity to:
Meet and network with fellow members
Share ideas and have your voice heard
Take part in the election of Board Members
At the AGM, BAVO’s Trustees will present the 2024/25 Annual Impact Report, including performance highlights and financial statements. The independent auditor will also deliver their report.
Our AGM is open to all third sector organisations. However, member organisations will be given priority.
Reserve your place online or email bavo@bavo.org.uk.
(Please note: A £20 per person charge will apply if you book but do not attend without giving at least 48 hours’ notice.)
Members with voting rights may be asked to vote on current issues, including:
Appointments to the Board of Trustees (where nominations exceed available places)
The re-appointment of auditors
We look forward to welcoming you to this important and enjoyable event.
Would you like to nominate someone to the BAVO ‘Board of Trustees’? Click the links below for more information and nominate the individual. Please note: they MUST be from a BAVO organisation.
Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations (BAVO) is thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of the ‘Bridgend Community Lotto’, a brand-new, exciting fundraising initiative designed to give local people the chance to win prizes of up to £25,000 while also supporting good causes in their local community.
Developed in partnership with a leading external lottery provider, the ‘Bridgend Community Lotto’ has been created as an engaging way for local people to support the amazing work of community and voluntary organisations across Bridgend County Borough.
Every ticket purchased will directly benefit the ticket-holders’ chosen local charity, voluntary group, or community organisation. With 60% of the ticket price being distributed to local causes, the scheme will help vital community-led activities to continue to thrive at a time when they are needed most.
Community groups will soon be invited to register as beneficiaries, with the official launch taking place at the start of Trustees’ Week on November 3rd at Halo Leisure, Bridgend. Lottery ticket sales will go live shortly after via a dedicated purpose-built website.
The community lotto model has already proved a huge success in other areas of the UK, raising thousands of pounds to support grassroots projects, and now Bridgend County is set to join the growing movement.
The purpose of this funding is to support local communities in developing, expanding, or enhancing existing Warm Hubs. These hubs will provide welcoming, accessible, safe, and warm environments for individuals across Bridgend.
Funding can be used to:
Establish or re-establish community spaces.
Add value to existing facilities.
Support initiatives that promote the economic, social, and well-being of Bridgend residents.
These spaces are intended to be more than just warm places to visit. They should be inviting, inclusive, and open to all members of the community. The focus is on identifying local needs and delivering meaningful responses that meet those needs.
Fund details: The total Budget for the Warm Hubs is £69,036. Groups can apply for grants of up to £4000. Please feel free to chat to our funding advisors before submitting an application if you are unsure, they can give you helpful advice.
Providers of safe and warm places might include: ·
Acceptable Expenditure:
CLOSING DATE 8/10/25 AT 5PM
PANEL DECISION FOLLOWING WEEK – PLEASE DO NOT CHASE US FOR A DECISION
If you would like more information, or to chat to one of our team members, email Grantsadmin@bavo.org.uk.
Please find the Terms and Conditions to our training here.
Click on the buttons below to find information on our development team, funding, networks and forums:
BAVO are pleased to announce the launch of our ‘Volunteer Passport’ training following the successful completion of our pilot scheme last year.
Taking place on the 23rd & 30th September at The Bridge Community Hub, Bridgend Town Centre, the FREE accredited Level 1 NOCN-endorsed qualification prepared individuals with an overview of volunteering, covering four key modules:
This training prepares volunteers for a wide range of tasks & situations they may encounter whilst volunteering whilst giving them the opportunity to build their skills, boost their confidence, meet new people & make a difference to their communities.
Huw Thomas, who completed the pilot scheme last year said “The Volunteer Passport gives an extra level of credibility to us as volunteers. It shows organisations you take volunteering seriously and helps raise awareness of volunteering in Bridgend County”.
Click here for more information and please share it with any volunteers who may be interested.
Alternatively, please get in contact with Sharonheadon@bavo.org.uk for more information.
Our development team can help you with finding funding, writing funding applications and support with setting up appropriate bank accounts.
Throughout the year we host training and funding events. Our meet the funder events provide the opportunity meet with with funders such as the Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and Coalfields Regeneration Trust. Our 2025 event will be held on October 29th, 12-4:30pm at the West Ward Centre, Cefn Glas.
Members of BAVO receive regular funding e-briefing and notices of the latest funding opportunities into the inbox. The bulletins also provide hints and tips to help your group get a head start with all aspects of funding including bid writing, fundraising techniques, trading opportunities and tendering.
If you have a project idea or are ready to make an application, as a member of BAVO we can help you:
On our Facebook Group – a private group for BAVO members – we post about funding opportunities regularly.
You can follow the BAVO page on Facebook @BAVOhub and join BAVO to be part of the Facebook Group.
The Steering Group behind the Charity Governance Code has released a refreshed version of the Code, which sets out seven key principles of good governance for charities in England and Wales.
The updated Code includes:
A renamed and strengthened Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Principle, with clearer recommended practices
Updates to the Integrity Principle to place greater emphasis on ethics and ensuring everyone who interacts with a charity feels safe
These changes are based on extensive consultation with the sector, including user focus groups and over 800 responses — with a strong focus on improving diversity and integrity. The Steering Group also worked with specialist EDI consultants to ensure the revisions are meaningful and practical.
Charities are encouraged to explore the updated Code and make use of the additional resources available.
📥 Visit the Charity Governance Code website to:
Download the latest edition of the Code
Watch explainer videos
Read supporting blogs and guidance
Click here to visit the website.
The online register provides the public with information about individual charities and all registered charities will be listed there.
Each charity’s register entry will now display more clearly whether the charity has been subject to regulatory action or is of ongoing concern. Entries will now show how many staff members receive pay packages of £60,000 and above. It also notes where trustees are remunerated for their work and lists the policies a charity has in place, from safeguarding to conflicts of interest and investments.
Remember, the trustees are responsible for making sure the Commission has accurate information about your charity.
