Author: Rhys Gregory

Swansea is the first Welsh centre selected for a UK trial looking at the potential benefits of proton beam therapy for certain patients with breast cancer. The South West Wales Cancer Centre is the first site outside of England to open the PARABLE trial. This will test the benefits of proton beam therapy compared with standard radiotherapy for patients with breast cancer who are at greater risk of long-term heart problems after radiotherapy treatment. These are patients with existing cardiac or specific clinical conditions, and where the radiotherapy would be targeting an area close to their heart. Proton beam therapy…

A man and woman have been sentenced after they failed to care for 11 cats – with four cats being concealed by the woman in a shopping bag. The four cats were found to be concealed in a small cat carrier – expected to carry a single cat – and were discovered by RSPCA deputy chief Gemma Cooper who was driving to the defendant’s property that day. The cat carrier smelt extremely foul of cat urine and faeces and it was stained yellow. Inside the cats were urine stained and had fleas. The discovery then led to 11 cats in…

Half a million years ago, earlier than was previously thought possible, humans were building structures made of wood, according to new research by a team from the University of Liverpool and Aberystwyth University. The research, published in the journal Nature, reports on the excavation of well-preserved wood at the archaeological site of Kalambo Falls, Zambia, dating back at least 476,000 years and predating the evolution of our own species, Homo sapiens. Expert analysis of stone tool cut-marks on the wood show that these early humans shaped and joined two large logs to make a structure, probably the foundation of a…

This Organ Donation Week, (18th to 24th September), Vicky Jones, a paramedic and sister of a woman whose selfless organ donation saved three lives, is appealing with the NHS to urge people to confirm their support for organ donation on the NHS Organ Donor Register. Currently, 7,187 people are waiting for a life-saving transplant, the highest number in almost a decade. Clinicians have also warned that opportunities for life-saving transplants are still been missed, with 1,130 families declining to donate their loved ones organs last year. NHS Blood and Transplant data shows that organ donation is still most likely to…

Bridgend County Borough Council has confirmed which local roads will be temporarily closed to traffic in order help keep music fans safe during this year’s Porthcawl Elvis Festival. An all-day road closure will be in place along the esplanade between Porthcawl Marina and the Seabank Hotel on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September. While timings may vary slightly in order to ensure the smooth running of the event, the road closure is planned to last between 6am on Saturday through to midnight on Sunday. Temporary diversions will be in place and drivers are asked to pay close attention to signage…

Bridgend County Borough Council has confirmed which local roads will be temporarily closed to traffic in order help keep music fans safe during this year’s Porthcawl Elvis Festival. An all-day road closure will be in place along the esplanade between Porthcawl Marina and the Seabank Hotel on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September. While timings may vary slightly in order to ensure the smooth running of the event, the road closure is planned to last between 6am on Saturday through to midnight on Sunday. Temporary diversions will be in place and drivers are asked to pay close attention to signage…

An additional 2,600 pupils attending primary schools in Swansea are now able to enjoy free school meals after the offer was extended to all Year Three pupils at the start of this term. It means around 10,000 in the city are now eligible as free meals were already on offer to all Reception, Year One and Year Two pupils. The Welsh Government has made a commitment for every primary school pupil to receive a free school meal by 2024 and Swansea Council is working to achieve this target. In Swansea more than £4m is being invested in improving school kitchens…

Neath Port Talbot Council has taken delivery of a new pothole fixing machine which will make repairing the damaging road defects much quicker and easier. Council Leader Cllr Steve Hunt and Cabinet Member for Streetscene Cllr Scott Jones have been to see the JCB Pothole Pro in action on the roads of Neath Port Talbot. Cllr Hunt said: “This impressive machine will make a big difference to our ongoing fight against potholes by speeding up the operation and it will also be safer for our workforce. “They will be safely in cabs when the work is being done, not exposed…

An upgraded culvert system will be installed at a bridge in the rural area of Gelliwion Road Maesycoed from Monday, September 25. The Nant Gelliwion Bridge is located at the sharp bends towards the southern end of Gelliwion Road, to the west of Penycoedcae and south west of Graig. Walters UK Ltd is the appointed contractor to undertake the work, which will alleviate the risk of carriageway flooding using Welsh Government funding earmarked for Storm Dennis repairs. The bridge will be replaced with a larger culvert system – while the road will be widened to help vehicle movements. Other work…

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet has this week (20th September) unanimously approved ambitious plans to deliver 1,000 new low carbon affordable homes over the next ten years to meet increasing local need. The plans were approved as part of the ‘Development and Governance Strategy: ‘Building Together’.  The strategy also proposes the establishment of a Development and Governance Project Board, which was agreed by Cabinet; whose role will be to oversee the development of the Council’s needs based, customer focused, ambitious development programme. Cabinet members also approved plans for the Council to sign up and agree to the key principles outlined…