Author: Rhys Gregory

A pioneering partnership that aims to transform rugby from the grassroots to the professional game has reached another major milestone with the first meeting of the Swansea Rugby Community Board. The board has been established to oversee the community programme at the heart of Swansea Council’s landmark partnership with the Ospreys, ensuring the redevelopment of St Helen’s delivers lasting benefits for clubs, schools and communities across the region. It brings together representatives from Swansea Council, the Ospreys and community partners to help shape the future of rugby in Swansea. Members include former Ospreys, Wales and British Lions captain Alun Wyn…

Homebuy Pembrokeshire, a Pembrokeshire County Council affordable home ownership scheme, has received a significant boost following unanimous approval by Cabinet Members to continue and expand the programme after a successful 12-month pilot. Pembrokeshire faces significant housing affordability challenges, particularly for first-time buyers seeking to purchase a home in the county. Homebuy Pembrokeshire helps overcome these barriers by providing an equity loan that bridges the gap between available mortgage lending and the cost of a suitable property. The scheme enables eligible buyers to access home ownership while retaining the opportunity to benefit from any future financial investment in the property. Drawing…

Residents are being invited to help shape a new strategy aimed at bringing more empty properties back into use across Rhondda Cynon Taf. The Council has launched a six week public consultation on its proposed Empty Homes Strategy 2026 to 2031, which builds on progress already made in reducing the number of long term empty homes across the county borough. Since 2017, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has helped reduce the number of private sector homes that have been empty for six months or more from 3,556 to 2,687, bringing 869 properties back into use. The Council says empty homes are…

Communities in the north of the Caerphilly county borough look set to benefit from a £1million boost to help generate further jobs and growth in the area. The council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve the funding at its meeting this week (Wednesday 22 July). The money will help support a Northern Valleys Initiative, focusing on economic regeneration and growth in the communities that need it most. The money will also help leverage further funding from the Cardiff Capital Region – a key partnership between Caerphilly and nine other local authorities across the region. Last month saw the announcement of…

Welsh farmers will receive over £1 billion in funding across this Senedd term to support sustainable agriculture, giving the sector the long-term certainty needed to plan and invest with confidence. Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, Llyr Gruffydd, made the announcement at the Royal Welsh Show — his first as the Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability. The commitment delivers £340 million per year for three years to March 2030 for the Sustainable Farming Scheme, including a guaranteed £238 million per year for the Universal layer and £102 million for delivering the Optional and Collaborative Layers. The move ends…

Thirty-one local museums, libraries and archive projects across Wales are set to receive part of a £5.28million funding boost, helping to improve access to culture, protect collections and modernise facilities for communities. The funded projects span all three sectors and include organisations of different sizes, from large local authority services to small independent and community-run museums. They range from Holyhead Maritime Museum on Anglesey and Penmaenmawr Museum on the north Wales coast, to Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre in the south-west and the Egypt Centre and Swansea Museum in the south. Projects stretch from the Richard Burton Archives in Swansea and…

Residents, families and young people gathered to celebrate the official opening of the new Bearfield Skatepark in Cowbridge. The Vale of Glamorgan Council, in partnership with Cowbridge Town Council and Wheelscape, marked the launch with a community event featuring music, prizes and open skate sessions, as local skaters and scooter riders made full use of the new facility. The skatepark is one of the first projects to be delivered as part of the Cowbridge Placemaking Plan. Community engagement identified Bearfield as a key location where improved facilities could benefit the town, particularly its younger residents. The project was heavily shaped…

A Barry man has been charged following a serious assault which left another man in hospital with a significant head injury. South Wales Police officers are continuing to appeal for witnesses after the incident, which happened on Skomer Road, Barry, in the Vale of Glamorgan, at around 11.20pm on Friday, July 17. Liam Chichester, 30, from Barry, has been charged with Section 18 grievous bodily harm with intent. A 43 year old man from Barry remains in hospital receiving treatment for a significant head injury. Police are urging anyone who witnessed the assault, or who may have captured the incident…

A man who abused and sexually assaulted a woman has been jailed for almost 17 years. Sion Evans, of Caernarfon, abused and controlled the woman and subjected her to physical and sexual assault. The 33-year-old appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court on Tuesday, 14 July for sentencing, after previously admitting engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour. He denied sexual assault but was found guilty following a trial at Mold Crown Court in May. Evans’ tirade of physical attacks and threats left the woman living in fear for her life. He had strangled her until she was unable to breathe and, in…

Councillors have given the green light for a new phase within the Glan Llyn consortium which represents the first development for a UK housebuilder in Wales. Miller Homes will build 222 new homes at its phase of the Glan Llyn project, off Queen’s Way, to mark the first time the Edinburgh-based developer will bring new homes to South Wales in more than 90 years since the company was formed from its Scottish roots. The development – to be known as Caerleon Grange – will comprise 222 homes, including a mix of two to five-bedroom private homes to be sold by Miller Homes, and a selection of affordable properties which will be a mix of one and two-bedroom…