Author: Rhys Gregory

Planning permission has been granted to replace the damaged Feeder Pipe Footbridge located between Abercynon and Quakers Yard – with an upgraded structure designed to be wider and also more resilient to future storm events. On Thursday, April 25, members of the Council’s Planning and Development Committee agreed with officer recommendations to approve the application – which covers the bridge replacement and all associated temporary work. The bridge deck and parapets were previously removed after significant damage was sustained during the unprecedented weather of Storm Dennis in 2020. The footbridge spans the River Taff between Alexandra Place in Abercynon and…

Sker Ritual, a gothic horror game with a strong Welsh backstory, was one of the best-selling PC and console games in the world following its launch last week– reaching the top 3 on Steam, top 5 on Xbox and top 10 on PlayStation. Ranking above globally established games such as FIFA 24, Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, Sker Ritual is Penarth-based Wales Interactive’s follow up to the 2020 game Maid of Sker which is inspired by the Welsh folk song Y Ferch o’r Sger. The song tells the story of Elisabeth Williams, a young woman imprisoned by her…

A trio of now dilapidated former South Wales tin miners’ cottages are being sold at auction with a guide price of £nil. Sited in an overgrown location near the quaint South Wales village of Machen, between Newport and Caerphilly, Wesley Buildings, on Wesley Hill, are only accessible on foot. Gemma Vaughan, of Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions, said: “Wesley Buildings offers the opportunity to acquire a building which we’re told was originally three cottages. It has a very interesting history. The vendor advised me that he bought the cottages back in 1979 when he arrived back from Saudi Arabia as a carpenter. “He…

Business confidence in Wales rose 22 points during April to 51%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Companies in Wales reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up six points at 51%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 37 points to 50%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 51% (vs. 29% in March). Welsh businesses identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as entering new markets (43%), investing in their team, including hiring new people and investing in training (41%), and introducing new technology…

Significant works to redevelop and improve facilities at Moorland Primary School in Splott have been completed. The £7million investment has seen a new 20 place Specialist Resource Base established at the school for pupils with Complex Learning Needs and a replacement Early Years Unit which was in essential need of updating. A new Flying Start provision, Twinkle Star, has also been delivered increasing the number of places from 32 to 40 with the potential for 6 childcare offer spaces for 3 and 4 year olds available in due course. This will allow children to move over from the current Flying…

A young badger cub who had fallen onto rocks at Porthlysgi Beach, St Davids, has been released back into the wild after a period of RSPCA specialist care. The male cub – which weighed just 1.455 kilograms (3.2 pounds) – which is the same weight roughly as three loaves of bread – was found on Saturday 20 April at around 1pm. He was understandably in a frightened state and was making distressed noises. RSPCA Inspector and Wildlife Officer Keith Hogben attended the location – a rural cove off the Pembrokeshire Coast Path – to collect the badger and take him…

In its 30th year, Lidl GB has unveiled its wish list of locations for potential new stores in Wales, from Pembroke Dock to Newport and Cardiff to Brecon. It comes as the discounter announces plans to open hundreds of new stores across GB, creating thousands of new jobs. This includes plans to relocate its existing store at Deeside Retail Park, which is over 28 years old, to Connah’s Key as part of a multi-million-pound investment. The update follows a year of significant investment in its infrastructure to further strengthen operations, during which Lidl opened its largest global warehouse in Luton.…

If you’ve just completed the ABP Newport Marathon – congratulations, you’re part of the 0.01% of the world’s population to have ever completed the distance! But now that it’s over you may be left wondering how long you should leave it before you start running again, particularly if you’ve got another race to work towards. While everyone is different, one of the biggest mistakes runners can make is not taking enough time to rest – it can lead to overtraining, injuries and burnout. Run 4 Wales Race Director and double Olympic marathoner, Steve Brace, shares his advice: Allow your body…

Monmouthshire County Council is looking to create new sports provisions in the Magor with Undy area. Currently, there is a significant shortfall of outdoor sport and recreation provision to serve the size of the Magor with Undy population, which was identified in an Open Spaces Study undertaken to inform the current Local Development Plan (LDP) for Monmouthshire. Monmouthshire County Council proposes developing a piece of council-owned land in Knollbury to address this shortfall, creating an additional 4.42ha of outdoor sports provision. We are now looking for feedback on the plans from residents before a planning application is submitted. The consultation…

Young entrepreneurs Ryan and Shannon Morgan are on a mission to scale their Pembroke Dock-based business MM Electronics following a fast track micro loan of £40,000 from the Development Bank of Wales. Operating in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, MM Electronics supplies obsolete and long-lead time parts from all manufacturers including Allen Bradley, ABB, Siemens, Schneider and Omron. The business was set-up by Ryan Morgan in 2020 when he was just 21 years old. The couple, now aged 24 and 26 years old, join more than 60 young entrepreneurs under the age of 30 from over 50 different businesses getting…