Author: Rhys Gregory

Past glories seem distant with Wales’ torrid run in this year’s Six Nations, but as the tournament gets back underway after another break, one now-retired Welsh star and Six Nations winner has used the pause to pick his all-time greatest Six Nations XV.  Former inside centre Jamie Roberts – who was capped 94 times and was instrumental in his nation’s success in previous Six Nations Championships, winning three tournaments – has chosen his greatest Six Nations XV while speaking with rugby news site, RugbyPass. Roberts’ career coincided with a golden generation of Welsh rugby. The team saw great success, sweeping all…

Thousands of households will soon be able to recycle even more of their waste, with the opening of the long-awaited brand-new community recycling centre in Pyle. Located on Village Farm Industrial Estate, the new £2.3M centre will open its doors to the public on Thursday 14 March and will replace the current recycling site at Tythegston. The recycling centre’s split-level design will make it easier for drivers to access, with a one-way system, ramps and bypass lanes in place to allow for better movement on site. The expanded facilities can accommodate up to 24 cars, with an additional on-site queuing…

This week, Cardiff’s Principal Youth Officer James Healan has appeared on BBC Crimewatch Live to talk about the positive impact that a trail-blazing Virtual Reality (VR) initiative is having on young people across the city. Virtual Decisions is a preventative tool created by Round Midnight which aims to reduce the risk of young people being victims of crime and violence. It provides young people with an immersive experience allowing them to navigate a series of challenging situations and make critical decisions in a safe and controlled virtual environment. The hands-on approach explores topics such as gangs, grooming, peer pressure, and…

Pentrebane Primary School has been taking part in an international pilot project which looksto engage children with local produce and help them to explore their unique food culture and heritage. Co-produced by Food Sense Wales andtheInstituto Maniva inBrazil, Leekit has been inspired by the Tapiokit, an education workshop developed by the Maniva Institute focusing on the food culture of cassava. With a focus on leeks, the children have learnt to cook with the vegetable, learnt more about its nutritional value and health benefits and explored its rich history and deep Welsh connections. The Leekit offers an opportunity to learn from…

A FULL MEETING of Neath Port Talbot Council on Thursday, March 7th, 2024, has approved proposals for the county borough’s 2024/25 budget. A council spokesperson said: “This has been the most difficult budget for this council since devolution but after an extensive review of all budgets across the council it has been delivered without the significant jobs and service cuts which are being seen in many other parts of Wales.” The 2024/25 budget invests: £139.6m into Education and Schools (an increase of 4.4%), to provide education services to around 22,000 children and young people, to increase planned places for children…

Pembrokeshire County Council has this week (Thursday 7th March) agreed its budget for the coming year, 2024-2025. Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Miller said Cabinet Members had listened to concerns regarding the level of a proposed 16.31% Council Tax rise. At yesterday’s meeting of Council, Cllr Miller put forward alternative proposals which would limit the Council Tax rise to 12.5%. This was agreed by a majority of Members. The changes will be funded primarily by the use of an extra £1.5m of reserves plus £1m of efficiency savings as part of an operational review led by the Chief Executive. Cllr Alec…

On International Women’s Day, Health Minister Eluned Morgan welcomes the appointment of a new clinical lead for women’s health, who will help drive improvements in women’s health services across Wales. Dr Helen Munro, a consultant in sexual and reproductive healthcare, will take up the role of Wales’ first ever clinical lead for women’s health. Together with Alex Hicks, the new strategic network manager, she will lead the National Clinical Strategic Network for Women’s Health in developing the Women’s Health Plan for Wales. The development of the plan will be underpinned by the results of a wide-ranging survey completed by almost…

Thirty-nine projects across Wales will benefit from £8.2m of Welsh Government nature funding, Climate Change Minister Julie James announced today (Friday, March 8). The projects have been named in the latest round of the Nature Network Fund and include everything from investigating bugs on coal spoils and reintroducing voles to Newport wetlands to learning more about dolphin diets off the coast of west Wales. This fund is a key component of the Nature Network Programme, launched in 2021, helping Welsh Government work towards the Global Biodiversity Framework 30 by 30 goal, which aims to protect and effectively manage 30% of…

The first exhibition as part of the National Contemporary Art Gallery for Wales project will open to the public this weekend [Saturday 9th March]. The Teulu/Family exhibition at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre is the first activity to be delivered as part of the dispersed model of the project where art will be displayed in galleries closer to where people live and work to improve access to contemporary art and the national collection. The other eight galleries which make up the dispersed model are: Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea Mostyn, Llandudno Newport city Oriel Davies, Newtown Oriel Myrddin, Carmarthen Plas Glyn-y-Weddw,…

Ascona Group (‘Ascona’), the 7th largest UK independent forecourt operator and one of the fastest growing companies in Wales for the last three years, is delighted to announce that it has made another £50,000 donation to its charity partner, the Wales Air Ambulance, as it hits its ambitious fundraising target of £100,000 in the 2023/24 financial year. After Ascona made initial donations of £10,000 in March 2023 and £40,000 in November 2023, the Group has made this additional donation following the success of its fundraising activities across its portfolio of first-class roadside retail destinations over the last few months. Following…