My working life in Pyle Life Centre started 28 years ago. In that time both myself and Pyle Centre have seen many changes – originally run by Ogwr Borough Council up until 1996, when it was then run by Bridgend County Council up until Awen Cultural Trust in 2015. I started as a Receptionist in the Leisure Building (the Old Welfare).

The Leisure Building was formally joined together through a Welsh Government – Welsh Capital Challenge Grant and officially opened 15^th June 2000.

From 2000 I became a Life Centre/Library Assistant and a few years later became the Library Supervisor.

Since 2015 I have worked with Awen Cultural Trust. I really enjoy my role within Awen and the community with the different challenges from being a general information point to working with many different agencies and people of all ages. Awen’s supportive and inclusive culture, helps me to continue in my role, learning new skills and knowledge to help benefit my team and the services we provide to the community.

It is a rewarding role working within my local community and my team that I work alongside.

I joined Awen Cultural trust in January 2023, returning to Wales following a 15 year stint in a London theatre as Producer and Theatre Manager. This year will mark 25 years I’ve worked in Theatre and I’m thrilled to have joined a company that has an impressive portfolio of iconic cultural venues and whose main aim is to Make People’s Lives Better by supporting the community around each venue.

Shortly after I joined Awen (1 week!) it was announced that Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl would be closing for a 2 year redevelopment, so my plan to work by the sea had to be put on hold.

Thankfully my role allows me to work across many of our Theatre venues and we’re working towards the re-opening of the Town Hall, in Maesteg and Y Muni, in Pontypridd . It’s an exciting  time for Awen and the whole Theatre and Creative well-being team. I don’t think anyone who works in live entertainment or the arts can claim to have a ‘typical day’ and that’s the joy/headache of it. You could be negotiating with a promotor to bring a famous artist/band to a venue, making space in the diary for a community production, booking BSL interpreters to allow us to be as inclusive as possible, or bringing the on-site staff in for Dementia Friendly training – it can be anything and everything. It’s different every day! It’s a joy to be able to work across the organisation and collaborate with the Heritage Team, Libraries, Creative Outdoor Events and be given the opportunity to input into the way we engage with our communities and support our volunteers. I consider myself a dedicated and passionate person who has only ever wanted to work in the arts, I’m grateful that I’m able to use my experience in producing, event management and performance to develop my role at Awen and work across multiple projects in multiple venues.

I’m looking forward to being part of the team who will be planning the re-opening project for Grand Pavilion, and having my spot by the sea again. Watch this space…

I joined Awen Libraries in 2015 and began by working in Bridgend Library for 3 years. I really enjoy working with our customers from tiny babies up to the older generations.

I have recently been appointed as the Libraries Engagement Officer, which involves taking library services out into our communities as well as identifying and organising new opportunities, to encourage participation and ensure people benefit from our facilities and programme of events.

I really enjoy the job as I get to work with lots of different people on a daily basis and I’m passionate about promoting what the libraries do.

It is very rewarding working with all the lovely Awen staff and community alike.

I first learnt about Awen when I was looking to re-locate back to my home town of Bridgend following a long stint as a booking agent in London. It felt like a dream come true as I had always wanted to use my event management skills and passion for community arts back in my hometown and try and make a real change in Bridgend.

My role as programme manager has given me the privilege to learn about all of Awen’s truly fantastic venues and the diverse communities that surround them in Bridgend. It is my role to find quality artists to perform as part of artistic programs for Grand Pavilion, Maesteg Town Hall, Bryngarw Country Park, Blaengarw Workmen’s Hall and all of our lovely libraries. Being a dedicated programme manager has allowed me to focus in on the needs of each venue, develop the type of work that is available across Bridgend and start attracting new artists that have not performed in Bridgend before. This opportunity has only helped my passion for music, theatre, dance and participatory arts to grow.

I’ve been with Awen since it’s inception in 2015 when it took over the management of the Grand Pavilion and various other venues from Bridgend County Borough Council. My initial training and career was in ICT systems and software/database development for the industrial and legal sectors. A chance opportunity led to a “hobby” working in the Grand Pavilion technical team. The old saying goes that you should never scratch an itch… well I did, and the hobby soon became serious. A few years later the ICT career was put on ice as I progressed in to the roles of Assistant Manager and then General Manager.

With the advent of Awen, its ever increasing requirements for ICT systems, and the need to focus on capital projects, things have turned full circle and I’m now Head of Infrastructure and Innovation. For the last 18 months I have been heavily involved in the technical design of Maesteg Town Hall and am looking forward to the refurbishment and development programme commencing in 2020.

It’s a bit of a cliché, but no two days are the same for me at Awen. One day, I might be designing a new network segment in order to support an E-POS system or VoIP telephone system, and the next day I might be head down reviewing technical drawings and specifications produced by our architects. I enjoy the variety and challenge of being able to apply my technical knowledge and skills in order to help further Awen’s aims and purpose.