Author: Rhys Gregory

WOODLANDS and communities in the Elan Valley and Eryri National Park are the latest to benefit from a Welsh Government environmental grant programme. A grant of £247,194 will help protect the Elan Valley Celtic Rainforest – an incredibly rare habitat that is thought to be more threatened than the tropical rainforest. The project will establish an extensive Elan Valley Celtic Rainforest woodland on sites to the south of Llangurig and the north of Llandovery, protecting the landscape which is home to rare birds, butterflies and insects. And in North West Wales, the ’Developing Parc y Moch’ project run by Parc…

Popular BBC Radio 2 presenter and author, Sara Cox will be judging at the Royal Welsh Show next week alongside her father, Len. Sara, host of BBC Radio 2 drivetime show every weekday, will help to judge the Interbreed Beef Young Handler competition at the show on Wednesday. “I’m so excited to be returning to the show ring alongside my darling dad,” said Sara. “Some of my happiest childhood memories are of loading up his cattle and heading off to the summer shows. “To be asked to help judge at such a huge and prestigious show as the Royal Welsh…

Sixteen one-bedroomed homes are to be built in Ystradgynlais after exciting plans were given the go-ahead, the county council has said. Powys County Council’s Housing Service will now build the environmentally friendly flats at Ael Y Bryn and Pen Y Bryn in Ystradgynlais after the planning application was approved by the council’s Planning, Taxi Licensing & Rights of Way Committee this week (Wednesday, July 19). As part of the development, four existing blocks of flats which do not meet current housing need will be demolished to make way for 16 new one-bedroomed council flats, which are in high demand. The…

A statue celebrating three of Cardiff’s legendary ‘Rugby Codebreakers’ has been unveiled in Cardiff Bay today. It is the first statue in Wales ever to feature non-fictionalised, named black men. Designed by sculptor Steve Winterburn, whose work is renowned for its realistic, action-filled character, the statue in Landsea Square immortalises three of Wales’s greatest sporting heroes, chosen by a public vote: Billy Boston, Clive Sullivan, and Gus Risman. The ‘One Team. One Race: Honouring the Cardiff Bay Rugby Codebreakers’ project behind the statue was established in 2020, and was inspired by calls from the Butetown, and wider Cardiff Bay community,…

A high-tech Swansea business that specialises in immersive technology and virtual reality has been given a funding boost to help take it to the next level. Swansea Council has awarded Uplands-based Imersifi with a business growth grant, which has helped cover the costs of new equipment and software. ​Imersifi was set up by Swansea University graduates Jack Bengeyfield and Joe Charman, who both have masters degrees in virtual reality. ​The business uses virtual reality headsets and software for use in staff training, simulation, entertainment and education. ​Some of the work Imersifi has done includes the development of a virtual reality training…

Portmead and Penllergaer have become the first two primary schools in Swansea to earn gold awards for encouraging pupils, staff and the wider community to speak Welsh more often both inside and outside the classroom. Thanks to a lot of hard work and support from partners including Swansea Council both schools have been presented with the gold Siarter Iaith award. It is a Welsh Government initiative to inspire children and young people to use Welsh in all aspects of their lives. Alison Evans, headteacher at Portmead Primary School said: “In Portmead Welsh is a priority and children use Welsh throughout…

Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council is delighted to announce that Craig Gwladus Country Park in Cilfrew, Neath, will soon feature in an episode of the popular ITV Coast and Country series, hosted by weather presenter Ruth Dodsworth. This exciting episode will not only highlight the natural beauty of the park but also showcase the dedication of the volunteers, currently helping to preserve and promote the area’s unique heritage. The episode, set to air this Friday 21st July at 7pm, will showcase this lesser known local attraction which is a haven for nature lovers and history enthusiasts alike. With its…

RCT Council has provided an update on the major £1.4m works to upgrade the pumping station at Glenboi. The scheme will alleviate flooding at a known low point in the road – to increase the capacity of the system to cope with heavy rainfall in storm events, and to reduce flows to a downstream culvert. Work started in March 2023, and work is progressing well towards completion in August. Construction of the large new storm water storage chamber is now complete, along with connections to existing drainage systems and the installation of a new control kiosk. In the next few…

Pentrepoeth Primary School has been heaped with praise by official school inspectors as well as national quality mark assessors. In an outstanding Estyn report, inspectors found a school “where pupils thrive and enjoy a wide range of engaging and exciting learning experiences”. It follows an overwhelmingly positive appraisal by Healthy School assessors who visited the school before awarding it the National Quality Mark. The many highlights of the Estyn report included: Strong working relationships and deep mutual respect between pupils and staff create a particularly supportive ethos that nurtures exceptionally good behaviour, consideration for others and a culture of high…

Caerphilly’s Youth Service has achieved a Silver Quality Mark for Youth Work in Wales on behalf of the Welsh Government and Education Workforce Council. The achievement recognises that the work of the service is underpinned by a sound range of policies and enables young people to learn and develop personal and social skills. Caerphilly’s Youth Service had already obtained the Bronze Quality Mark but has now officially been awarded the Silver Quality Mark that demonstrates the continued commitment of the service to continue to improve the standards of the service. The Education Workforce Council paid tribute to the dedication of…