Sarn is a village (and

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 t ...

) in

Bridgend County Borough Bridgend County Borough () 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. Its members of the Senedd are Sarah Murphy ...

, Wales, about north of

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

and which lies just east of the confluence of the Ogmore and Llynfi rivers. It is located to the east of

Aberkenfig Aberkenfig (, meaning "mouth of the Kenfig" (stream)) is a village located in the County Borough of Bridgend, Wales to the north of Bridgend town. It is in the community of Newcastle Higher. Location Aberkenfig is located in South Wales, just ...

, south of Brynmenyn, and south-east of Tondu. It is around 15 minutes' walk from the M4 and the McArthurGlen Group Bridgend Designer Outlet.

Description

Sarn is part of the

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

St Bride's Minor St Bride's Minor () is a community in Bridgend County Borough, south Wales. Located north of Bridgend town it is made up of Sarn, a large housing estate, and the villages of Bryncethin and Abergarw. The southern border of the community is defi ...

, being the main shopping centre for the area, including a post office, supermarket and number of independent shops. Although the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...

classes Sarn as the urban area north of

which encompasses

, Bryncethin, Brynmenyn, Sarn, Tondu and

Ynysawdre Ynysawdre is a small community in Bridgend County Borough, south Wales. It is located to the east of Aberkenfig in Wales, and comprises the two villages of Tondu and Brynmenyn. The name Ynysawdre is also usually used for a small section of Tond ...

and has a total population of approximately 10,000, Sarn itself only has a population of 2500.

Bridgend County Borough Council Bridgend County Borough Council () is the governing body for Bridgend County Borough, one of the principal areas of Wales. History Bridgend County Borough and its council came into effect from 1 April 1996, following the '' Local Government (W ...

refers to the area North of Bridgend as the Valleys Gateway.

Education

The nearest

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

s are Bryncethin primary school, Brynmenyn Primary school, Tondu Primary school and the nearest

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 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 restricted on the basis ...

is Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen, located in neighbouring village of Ynysawdre. The closest Welsh-medium school is Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd in

Maesteg Maesteg (; ) is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translatio ...

Transport

Sarn is served by Sarn railway station which was opened by

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...

on 28 September 1992. Passenger services were operated by Arriva Trains Wales and subsequently are operated by

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; ; ) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consisting of itself and its subsidiaries: Trans ...

as part of the Valley Lines network for local services on the

Maesteg Line The Maesteg Line is a commuter rail line in South Wales from Bridgend to Maesteg. Services usually operate hourly from Maesteg to via , using the South Wales Main Line, followed by the Ebbw Valley Railway. Electrification by 2019 was annou ...

. Bus Routes are served by

First Cymru First Cymru is an operator of bus services in South West Wales. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. With its headquarters previously in Swansea, it is now part of the First Wales and West region which also covers Bristol, Bath, Somerset, Bath and ...

which has lines stopping by Sarn to travel too and from Nantymoel, Blaengarw and

. The Bridgend Designer Outlet has more routes which can take you up

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

and

Porthcawl Porthcawl () is a town and community in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales. It is located on the south coast, west of Cardiff and south-east of Swansea. Historically part of Glamorgan and situated on a low limestone headland on the South ...

Governance

At the local level Sarn is a community ward to St Bride's Minor Community Council, electing up to six of the thirteen community councillors. Sarn is also a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

electing a county councillor to

. Since 1999 the ward was represented by the Labour Party's Mel Nott. Councillor Nott, who became leader of the county council, retired before the May 2017 county elections. In January 2019 a consultation period began, to review the wards and representation in the county. The proposals included merging the Sarn and neighbouring

ward. The new ward, effective from the 2022 local elections, was named "St Bride's and Ynysawdre", electing three county borough councillors.

Notable residents

* Gareth Thomas, rugby player

References

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Sarn and surrounding area
{{authority control Villages in Bridgend County Borough Wards of Bridgend County Borough