Early Christmas present for Minister's constituents

Counsel General and Leader of the House Carwyn Jones AM has new office in town [Bridgend].

According to the Glamorgan Gazette, Minister Jones (unsure if we're allowed to call him Minister - not officially) is aiming to become Bridgend’s most accessible politician by taking up a new office in the town centre.

He is dipping into his own pocket to rent the former Mortgage House premises, at the top of pedestrianised Caroline Street, from landlords Compute Bridgend.

Mr Jones’ office is currently to be found at the top of a steep flight of stairs above Townsend Florist in Queen Street, Bridgend.

He said:

I’ve had a very generous landlady until now but I need somewhere more accessible as people have been struggling up the stairs to see me.

It’s important to be in the centre of Bridgend and I’m very grateful to be given the opportunity, which was too good to turn down.

I’ll have to finance some of it myself given the present state of allowances but it will give the accessibility people need.

I’ll still come out and visit people in their homes and hold surgeries in the community.

Welsh Labour members take note when voting for your new leader next year (if the main man doesn't stay on a while longer). Bridgend constituents take note while out Christmas shopping and overcome with the urge to reciprocate the Christmas cheer when passing Carwyn's new office.

[Pippa Wagstaff is currently on a blogging break]

Reality Show leaves a bad taste in the mouth

Reality show The X Factor has been criticised over claims producers encouraged a teenage contestant from Bridgend to play up the town’s spate of suicides.

Alexandra Davies, 17, from Litchard, Bridgend, was seen on Saturday’s ITV show being voted through to the next round for her performance of Eva Cassidy’s Fields of Gold.

Shortly before she appeared on the programme, viewers heard host Dermot O’Leary introduce her with the words: “Alex’s hometown of Bridgend had bad press recently after a shocking spate of youth suicides. She’s hoping that success today might provide some welcome good news for a town that’s been living under a cloud.”

Immediately afterwards, while talking straight to camera, Alex said: “Because of all the bad press that Bridgend has had recently I just think that getting through would be a good bit of news that we need. Today is a big deal, this is where my confidence needs to deliver and I can prove to myself that I can do this.”

But Alex last night revealed that the references to the suicide were invented after pressurised questioning about the suicides from the show’s producers. “They thought that up when I said I was from Bridgend,” she said. “The producers wanted me to talk about it but I didn’t want to, just in case I offended someone’s family.”

In recent years, talent shows have become synonymous with stories of personal achievement and heartache.

But Saturday’s remarks, aired on prime-time television, angered many in the Bridgend area who think the tragic series of deaths has been mentioned for the benefit of entertainment.