Author: Rhys Gregory

A team at Caerphilly County Borough Council is turning houses into homes, by working with owners to bring empty properties back into beneficial use. Caerphilly’s Empty Property Team offers a wide range of advice and support to owners of empty homes, including financial assistance.  However, when all options to engage owners are exhausted the team can use enforcement powers to tackle problematic long-term empty properties. The team recently completed the Council’s first enforced sale on a property in Caerphilly that had been empty since at least February 2015.  The property had been left to deteriorate with no liable person identified…

Low-income families can get up to £200 to help with essentials like school uniform, shoes, bags, stationery, sports kit and equipment. Families on lower incomes and who receive certain benefits can claim £125 per child per year to help with school costs. Because of the extra cost families might face when their children start secondary school, £200 is available for pupils going into year 7. The grant can be used to pay for: school uniform, including coats and shoes. school activities, like learning a musical instrument, sports kit and equipment for after school activities. classroom essentials, like pens, pencils and…

Creative Wales to lead its first major trade mission to 75th Frankfurt Book Fair/ Frankfurter Buchmesse from 18-22 October. The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world’s leading venue for printed and digital content and will be an opportunity for publishing experts to meet with partners from the technology and creative industries such as film and games – to exchange ideas, be inspired, try out new technologies and cultivate contacts. Latest figures from 2022 data show that the publishing sector in Wales turns over £429m annually, with 965 businesses making up the industry, many of which are micro-operations. Between 2021 and 2022…

Chief Nursing Officer for Wales (CNO), Sue Tranka, commences her third year in post and recognises the importance in supporting efforts to enhance the wellbeing of the professions through physical, emotional, work-life balance and fostering a supportive workplace culture. Speaking at the annual Chief Nursing Officer for Wales Conference, Sue said: “Growing the workforce, investing in, and developing nurse and midwifery leaders at every level through formal and informal leadership programmes, was one of the priorities last year, to enable strong and effective leadership, and to consistently deliver high levels of care. “We have to spot our talented workforce early…

From indoor market stalls and shopping arcades to a museum and state-of-the-art leisure centre, Climate Change Minister Julie James has seen first-hand how £17m of Transforming Towns funding has been put to use in Newport. Newport City Council has received the funding since 2018 through the Targeted Regeneration Investment (TRI) programme and the Transforming Towns (TT) programme. During the visit, the Minister saw several projects first hand including: The new indoor market supported by a £2m TRI loan The Central Library and Museum where refurbishment work was completed in February thanks to £1.3m of TT funding Newport Leisure and Wellbeing…

Ysgol Llangynwyd is to receive £155,000 of Welsh Government’s community focussed schools funding for a new sports pavilion, refurbishment of tennis courts and a revamped sports hall. This will enable further use of the school’s facilities by the local community. The school has a close relationship with a number of local sports clubs, including Yr Urdd, Llan Rangers and Maesteg Park AFC. From 2023 to 2025, £46m of capital funding will be invested in schools across Wales in practical infrastructure projects to create Community Focused Schools. Bridgend alone has received over £2.3m funding for 21 projects, benefitting up to 49…

Wales has built a strong reputation in recent decades as an emerging tech hub, with thriving digital clusters in Cardiff, Swansea, and Newport. However, for the nation’s computer science industry to continue growing and competing for investment and talent on a global scale, targeted action is required. From boosting graduate numbers to increasing R&D spending, both the government and the private sector have pivotal roles to play in taking Welsh computer science to the next level. Investing In Cutting-Edge Research And Development For any nation’s tech sector to flourish, substantial investment in R&D is crucial. This focuses on progressing scientific…

Newport’s Maindee area, Pwllheli in Gwynedd, and Neyland in Pembrokeshire are part of a new UK-wide initiative announced today, seeking to help local, mostly urban, communities stand up for nature in their neighbourhoods, tackling the global climate and nature crises at a local level. Three-quarters of people in the UK are worried about the state of nature, yet we are in the bottom 10% of countries globally for protecting it. In March 2023, the People’s Plan for Nature set out recommendations to reverse the UK’s shocking declines in nature, including calls for greater investment in ways to help communities take…

A 59-year-old grandad from Cardiff has revealed his rare, vintage Motorola 4800X mobile phone that leaves his granddaughters in hysterics whenever he brings it out as his party piece. Mark, a warehouse worker from Wales, has been named the owner of the UK’s oldest mobile phone by phone retailer Mobile Phones Direct, with his vintage “brick phone” hailing from 1989. Mark shares that the vintage gem was worth more than £1,000 in the 80s when he used it as part of his job working as a service engineer for a catering company, aged 25. “We used to share the phone…

City Hospice, Cardiff’s local hospice, showcased the vital work of its volunteers at a special event, supported by Jenny Rathbone MS, at the Senedd on 5 October. City Hospice is the only provider of home-based specialist palliative care in the capital and provides care to patients with terminal or life limiting illnesses, as well as counselling and support services for their patient’s families. The charity’s work is supported by over 250 volunteers who help with a range of roles at the hospice itself in Whitchurch and in the community, including gardening, transport for patients, event support and retail. Hosted by…