Brynna ( cy, Brynnau) is a small village situated between

Pencoed Pencoed ( cy, Pen-coed) is a urbanised community and town in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales. It straddles the M4 motorway north east of Bridgend and is situated on the Ewenny River. At the 2011 census it had a population of around 9,166. ...

and

Llanharan Llanharan is a village and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. As a community Llanharan takes in the neighbouring settlements of Bryncae, Brynna, Llanilid, Peterston-super-Montem and Ynysmaerdy. Llanharan thrived during ...

. It is located at the point where the borders of two Welsh

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent ter ...

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vil ...

and

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge ...

, meet. Due to Brynna's proximity to the

M4 motorway The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...

as well as both Pencoed and Llanharan railway stations, it offers residents easy access to most of

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. Brynna was originally called Brynna Gwynion but church records show that it was later shortened to Brynna from 1897 onwards.Rhondda Cynon Taf

Education

Brynna is home to one

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

, Brynnau Primary School and is a

feeder school A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education ...

for nearby

Comprehensive School A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

. Welsh language provision is catered by Ysgol Gynradd Dolau in nearby Llanharan. Opening in 1904 Brynnau Primary School celebrated its centenary year in 2004 with a number of events taking part in the village.

Governance

Brynna was also the name of an

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council ( cy, Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Rhondda Cynon Taf) is the governing body for Rhondda Cynon Taf, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The council headquarters are located in the community of Cwm Clydach o ...

. It formed the western half of the

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

(bordered to the west by

Bridgend County Borough Bridgend County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. The county borough has a total population of 139,200 people, and contains the town of Bridgend, after which it is named. It ...

) and included Brynna village, Bryncae and

Llanilid Llanilid is a small settlement of in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is in the historic county of Glamorgan. Llanilid is part of the community of Llanharan along with the villages of Bryncae, Brynna, Ynysmaerdy, Peterston ...

. The ward elected a county councillor. Following a ward boundary review, Brynna merged with the Llanharan ward to form a new ward named 'Brynna and Llanharan' effective from the May 2022 local elections. The new ward elects three county borough councillors. Brynna is also a community ward for Llanharan Community Council, electing six of the fourteen community councillors.

Social life

Social life in Brynna focuses around The Mountain Hare and Whitehills pubs. A previous pub the Eagle Inn is now closed. Brynna FC is the local

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team and it currently plays in the South Wales Bridgend premier division.BRYNNA FC , South Wales Amateur League - Division 2

Amenities

Brynna Woods and Llanharan Marsh have recently (2010) been taken over by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and work is in progress to improve access for local people to enjoy this outstanding area for wildlife. 2013 will see major work by the Wildlife Trust to improve the habitat of Llanharan Marsh which is one of the few types of 'Valley Mire' habitats in Rhondda Cynon Taff. Fencing and subsequent grazing by local Welsh black cattle will help to bring back some of the natural flora and fauna that were previously there.

References

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Brynna and surrounding areawww.mountainhare.co.uk : Website of the Mountain Hare Inn, Brynnau Gwynionwww.2426.org.uk : Website of the Local Air Cadet Unit
{{authority control Villages in Rhondda Cynon Taf Wards of Rhondda Cynon Taf