Four young adults – Cameron, Evie, Iwan and Oscar – from across Bridgend County Borough proudly premiered their Grand Pavilion iBroadcast to family, friends and invited guests at Blaengarw Workmen’s Hall last week.

The 20-minutes film is the culmination of a week of workshops and mentorship from renowned sports broadcaster and Rugby Union coach Sean Holley, supported by Ryan Evans from the award-winning learning technology company Aspire 2Be.

iBroadcasts are hands-on training programmes, providing participants with experience of all aspects of the broadcasting process – research, scriptwriting, interviewing, lighting, sound, presenting and editing – to develop their self-confidence, communication, digital competency and leadership skills.

The Grand Pavilion iBroadcast helped Cameron, Evie, Iwan and Oscar to connect with their local heritage by focusing on the past, present and future of the Porthcawl venue and featured intriguing insights into the building’s history and interviews about the current redevelopment.

Richard Hughes, Chief Executive of Awen Cultural Trust, said:

“We were delighted to collaborate with Sean and Aspire 2Be to bring this project to life with an inspiring group of participants. It was fantastic to see the individuals feel empowered to work together as a team to plan, research and present a finished product of such high quality – well done to all!

“Not only have those involved developed a range of core and digital competency skills needed in the workplace, but they have also given us a fascinating peek into the past, present and future of the Grand Pavilion in Porthcawl.

“The miners from the Garw valley would have travelled to Porthcawl for their Miners’ Fortnight holidays, and enjoyed performances and dances at the Grand Pavilion. With the venue temporarily closed, it’s also a great opportunity to bring a taste of Porthcawl’s heritage back to Blaengarw.

“We look forward sharing this special iBroadcast with our local communities via our website and social media channels very soon.”

Ryan Evans, Education Lead at Aspire 2Be, said:

“It was truly inspiring to witness the rapid growth and remarkable social development of the young participants over just four days as they immersed themselves in learning new digital and media skills. Through presenting and interviewing, they delved into the rich history of the Porthcawl Grand Pavilion, transforming into confident storytellers. Their enthusiasm and newfound abilities were a testament to the power of hands-on, historical projects in nurturing both technical expertise and personal growth.”

Sean Holley added:

“When the opportunity arose to get involved with collaborating with the Awen Cultural Trust on this project we always felt that it could be something that little bit special. We have run many iBroadcast projects in the past but this one centered around the redevelopment of the Porthcawl Grand Pavilion has been one of the most rewarding. Not only because of the subject matter, but simply because of the enthusiasm, energy and quality of work brought to the project by Evie, Oscar, Iwan and Cameron.

“The assistance we received from the Awen Cultural Trust staff such as Stephanie and Richard was superb and the people we had access to for interviews and information were first class. All in all we couldn’t have asked for the project to have run more smoothly and the end product brought a real sense of feeling and emotion to those who have been so involved with the Pavilion in the past and have a vested interest in its future.”

Watch the iBroadcast here: https://youtu.be/LkuIUt82L_I?si=ISPFg1nVZsZiUrQh