Author: Rhys Gregory

Applications for nursery school places are now open and parents with children who turn three between September 1st 2025 and August 31st 2026, can now apply for a part-time nursery place to start in September 2026. English and Welsh medium places are available at one of the 92 nursery classes in 89 schools across the city, including three schools with a dual stream offer. Families are encouraged to apply before the deadline of Monday 23rd February 2026, to help their chance of being offered a nursery place of their choice. To apply for a place in a community school nursery…

Plans to expand ‘our city’s kerbside recycling service and phase out the use of around 10 million single‑use plastic bags each year have been approved by Swansea Council’s Cabinet. The decision means residents will get new reusable containers for household recycling, including a hard‑plastic caddy for glass and cans and a resealable sack for paper and card. Part of the plan also includes the intention to scrap the £2.50 charge to residents for the purchase of new garden waste sacks and will be provided free of charge in the future. The approved plans form part of an intermediate programme designed…

£3.6 million in funding has been secured over the next three years to make coal tips across Neath Port Talbot safe. The local authority secured the funding via the Welsh Government’s new coal tip safety multiyear grant scheme. The funding will be utilised to undertake inspection and maintenance works on more than 620 former coal tip sites in Neath Port Talbot. A total of £80m of funding is available across Wales.  In the application, Neath Port Talbot Council highlighted the unpredictable nature of coal tip conditions, which are exacerbated by extreme weather events. £1.2m of the funding is dedicated to…

Newport City Council has approved draft proposals for changes to some community boundaries following a public consultation and consideration of all the responses. A further consultation has begun to get feedback on the proposals as part of the comprehensive and legally required review. Newport has 21 city council wards but within these are boundaries for 36 community areas. While only some of these areas are represented by community councils everyone in the city lives within a community area. The review is aimed at making sure boundaries are in the right place for elections in the future. You can find full…

Nine innovative projects across Mid and North Wales have secured a combined £2.95 million in Collaborative Research & Development (CR&D) funding from Innovate UK, strengthening the regions’ agri-tech and food-tech innovation ecosystem. The projects form part of the Agri-tech and Food Technology Cluster for Mid and North Wales, a programme designed to drive innovation across these sectors. Coordinated by the Cluster Management Organisation led by Growing Mid Wales and delivered in partnership with Ambition North Wales, M-Sparc, AberInnovation, AMRC Cymru, Innovate UK, and Welsh Government – the cluster promotes a wide range of funding opportunities. It also provides dedicated support to…

Plans to extend the successful Talk With Me programme to support older children aged 5 to 11 with their speech, language and communication skills have been published this week. Since launching in 2020, Talk With Me has helped make sure babies and young children under five receive the support they need to develop vital communication skills. The Welsh Government is now consulting on an extended programme, running from 2026-2030, which will support primary school aged children too. Research shows that one in five children and young people struggle with their speech, language and communication, with more than 10% having long-term…

Wales is set for a spell of wet and very windy weather today as Storm Chandra moves across the country, prompting the Met Office to issue a Yellow Weather Warning for large parts of Wales. Storm Chandra is bringing widespread rain, heavy at times, across southern and mid Wales through Tuesday morning. Rainfall totals of 20 to 30mm are expected in many areas, with much higher totals of 50 to 80mm possible across higher ground, including the Bannau Brycheiniog. With ground already saturated following recent wet weather, the Met Office warns that further heavy rain could increase the risk of…

Phillips Wellbeing has donated £10,000 to Bowel Cancer UK, reinforcing its commitment to supporting people affected by cancer and highlighting the vital role emotional wellbeing plays alongside physical treatment and care. The donation has been inspired by the courage and resilience of young mum Katie Ruddock, whose experience has helped spark important conversations around awareness, early symptoms and support for younger people affected by bowel cancer. Katie’s journey also reflects the incredible dedication of the healthcare professionals and support teams who cared for her throughout diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Cancer is a cause particularly close to the heart of Phillips…

For many potential founders, the concept of a “lightbulb moment” is a romantic but misleading myth. We often assume that successful businesses are born from a sudden, divine flash of inspiration that strikes out of nowhere. In reality, sustainable business concepts are rarely the result of luck; they are the product of observation, empathy, and a systematic response to market needs. Whether it is a local artisan bakery or a global tech platform, the most robust ventures often start by providing essential infrastructure to solve a specific problem. For example, the demand for reliable B2B gaming services has surged in…

It’s a new year, a time which tends to be somewhat synonymous with the hopeful task of re-evaluating one’s life. New Year’s resolutions, fresh starts, honest intentions to better yourself and the world around you – all noble, all seemingly within reach, and yet all gargantuan in their own way. The pressure to completely refresh your life, top to bottom, is huge and inevitably leads to early failure. This is why it’s crucial to remind yourself just how beneficial an incremental approach to change can be. Let’s look at a common goal many people look towards achieving in the new…