Author: Rhys Gregory

A care organisation has crowned its own King and Queen in the run up to a bumper weekend of Coronation celebrations. While the nation parties as King Charles III officially accedes to the throne, there will be loud cheers at Pendine Park in Wrexham and Caernarfon. Joyous residents, their families and staff will have an extra reason to celebrate as two members of staff will mark their birthdays on Coronation Day, May 6, and have been proclaimed as Pendine’s own right royal duo! Ben Beleno will reach his milestone 50th birthday while fellow staff member Sara Williams will be 37…

The one-off grant is being targeted at those who have not already received help through the scheme set up last year where discounts were paid by the UK government direct to householders’ energy suppliers. People eligible to get the grants have to apply direct to a UK Government website which will be administered locally by Swansea Council. Since the start of 2022, 145,500 grants worth in excess of £21m have been paid through the council to city households facing the cost of living crisis and rising energy bills. The latest grant is worth a potential £1.2m. Rob Stewart, Leader of…

Neath Port Talbot (NPT) Youth Service have become the latest recipients of the Quality Mark for Youth Work (QMYW) in Wales, receiving their Silver award at a special presentation event last week. Administered by the Education Workforce Council (EWC), the QMYW is a national award which supports and recognises improving standards in the provision, practice, and performance of organisations that deliver youth services. In order to receive the accreditation, youth work organisations must self-assess against a set of quality standards and pass an external assessment. In their assessment, NPT Youth Services demonstrated to assessors how their service recognised and promoted…

The important scheme to repair and refurbish Imperial Bridge in Porth will resume on site from Tuesday, May 9. Announced last year, this is the second scheduled phase of work that is required to protect the structure for the future. The first phase of work was carried out throughout 2022, pausing during November to comply with Natural Resources Wales’ seasonal restrictions for working within the river. The overall scheme will carry out steelwork repairs to structural elements of the bridge, repaint all steelwork and parapets, install expansion joints and complete carriageway resurfacing at Pontypridd Road. Contractor Centregreat Ltd made good…

Wales National Armed Forces Day Newport, on Saturday 24 June, promises to be a spectacular event as we can reveal some more exciting participants. It is due to include a fly past by the Red Arrows, Army and RAF parachutists “dropping in” and a performance by the Cardiff Military Wives Choir. The very special day will begin with a military parade, with both serving members of the forces and veterans taking part, through the city centre. Services vehicles and stalls will be along the riverfront while charities and voluntary organisations that support the armed forces will be inside the Riverfront…

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet recently approved plans to amend grass cutting regimes, with the aim of promoting biodiversity. Cabinet members approved adopting the approach used during 2021/22 as the future standard for grass cutting in the county borough. They also gave a commitment to support the UK wide ‘No Mow May’ Campaign. This means formal grass cutting does not commence until June, with the exceptions: To maintain visibility for road users; Keep traffic signage and sight lines clear; Maintain margins and access on footways and cycle routes; Maintain parks, sports grounds, cemeteries, housing estates, play and recreational green open spaces.…

Caerphilly County Borough Council has welcomed additional funding from Welsh Government to help deliver a number of flood alleviation schemes. The Council has successfully submitted applications to Welsh Government for 24 schemes, which has seen them awarded over £800,000 this financial year.  Additional funding is being provided from the Council’s capital budget, bringing the total investment to around £1 million.  This will be used to mitigate flooding and to develop a local network of monitoring and warning services. Minister for Climate Change, Julie James MS, recently announced a record £75 million of funding from Welsh Government for flood defences.  A…

Blaenau Gwent Council is building a new Welsh Medium Primary School, inclusive of a Welsh-medium childcare provision, at Chartist Way, Sirhowy Tredegar. The school build is set for completion for the start of the 2024 academic term, however temporary accommodation has been secured for pupils of Nursery and Reception age signed up for the new school at Bedwellty House, so that they can start this September. The 210-place ‘seedling’ school is part of the Council’s ongoing commitment to increasing Welsh education opportunities in the County Borough. The school will be developed in line with standards outlined in the Welsh Government’s…

Garden compost is great for growing your own fruit and vegetables which taste better and can save money, that’s the message for International Composting Awareness Week (May 7th-13th). To get you started, Monmouthshire County Council’s Reuse shops are now selling compost, compost bins, water butts, garden tools and pots – all at affordable prices. Visit the Reuse Shops at Llanfoist recycling centre on a Tuesday (NP7 9AQ) or at Five Lanes recycling centre on a Wednesday and Thursday (NP26 5PD between 10am – 3pm. Monmouthshire residents that have their garden waste collected by the Council may not know, but it’s…

A new era has begun for a Welsh-medium primary school in north Powys after pupils and staff moved into their new building this week. The new 150-place school building for Welshpool’s Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng is the latest project that has been completed by Powys County Council under its Transforming Education Programme. As part of the programme, the council has already built one new high school and nine primary schools and also carried out remodelling works at a primary and a high school. This week (Tuesday 2 May) saw pupils and staff from Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng move to their…