Author: Rhys Gregory

Neath Port Talbot Council is warning residents to beware of traders “cold calling” at their homes. The warning comes after the Council’s Trading Standards team received reports of cold callers operating across the county, approaching residents to carry out work on their property. Consumers have more rights when purchasing over the doorstep. For work carried out at a resident’s home that is more than £42 in value, traders are required by law to provide cancellation rights. This gives 14 days for contracts to be cancelled. Councillor Cen Phillips, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for Trading Standards and…

Spaces for the award-winning New Year’s Eve event will be released in September. As with previous years, they will be released in stages, to ensure  as many people as possible has a chance to secure a much sought-after space. This is your chance to join one of the most unique and celebrated sporting events in Wales, taking to the streets of historic Mountain Ash to celebrate the legend of Guto Nyth Bran Spaces will be released as below: Monday, September 11 – 10am Monday, September 18 – 1pm Monday, September 25 – 6pm Join elite mens’ and womens’ races, fun…

From Monday, 4 September, tree felling and scrub clearance works along the old ex-MOD railway line between the Cornfield (Portskewett) and Caldicot Castle Country Park are planned to commence. The work is part of the Caldicot Links Active Travel Project that aims to develop a traffic-free Active Travel route for pedestrians and cyclists along the old railway line. Working with an appointed ecologist, the impact of the works has been thoroughly assessed, and the work incorporates ecological protection measures and procedures to minimise/remove the ecological impact on the resident wildlife. A compensatory replanting scheme will be implemented once all the…

Following new information over the weekend, all 22 local authorities in Wales are assessing RAAC in education buildings. Two schools on Anglesey have been identified as having RAAC, Ysgol David Hughes and Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi. There are no immediate risks or concerns. Both schools will now temporarily close so that further safety inspections can be carried out and that alternative planning can take place. We are undertaking further work to verify the position across Wales and a review of the latest information held by local authorities is underway. We expect to have the results of that within the next two…

The search is on for 25 intrepid Welsh rugby-loving cyclists to undertake the Ride To The Rugby Challenge 2024 for Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice.  As Wales prepare for their Rugby World Cup opener against Fiji, you could be watching them take on Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin next February after having cycled a life-changing 217 miles in four days with friends old and new.  Riders will leave the Swansea.com Stadium on February 20th and will arrive in Dublin four days later in time to watch the Six Nations finale on Saturday 24th February.  Their collective aim will be to raise more than £45,000 to support Tŷ Hafan’s life-changing care and support with children with life-shortening conditions and their…

Burglar Aaron Goode has been jailed following a burglary on New Year’s Eve where he was restrained and placed under a citizen’s arrest after he broke into a man’s house and fought him. Goode, 24, from Cardiff pleaded with the victim to release him before the officers arrived to arrest him. Goode and another thief targeted a number of homes on December 31, 2022, the first burglary occurred after he and the other man gained access to a Ford Focus outside a house in Lisvane. They stole a credit card, and keys to an old address. At the second address…

Prolific Cardiff burglar Ben Sullivan has been jailed for eight years for a string of burglaries. Sullivan, 30, was arrested and charged last year with a series of dwelling and commercial burglaries in North Cardiff between December 2021 and April 2022, for which he received a six-year prison sentence. Detectives continued to investigate him for his involvement in other burglaries and identified CCTV and forensic evidence linking him to further incidents, including the burglary of a 96-year-old’s property in Cyncoed. He was subsequently charged in June 2023 with aggravated burglary, 12 burglaries and theft of a car. For these offences…

This shoulder season (September), the Wales Coast Path is encouraging residents and visitors alike to reap the wellbeing benefits of spending time on the 870-mile Path — just like men’s mental health walking group, MenTalkWalk. Last weekend, members of the group took on a 5-mile walk along Cardiff Bay Barrage to put the nature-based theory of ‘green social prescribing’ to the test — and find out whether spending time on the Welsh coast really could help boost their mental health and wellbeing. It comes as more and more people are being prescribed outdoor, nature-based activity to improve mental health and wellbeing —…

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is delighted to have been shortlisted for the AV Magazine Educational Project of the Year Award for our innovative, state-of-the-art immersive rooms. These newly built spaces provide students and partners with world-leading virtual and augmented reality learning areas, and are the first of their kind in Wales. Firmly established as the unrivalled badge of excellence for the AV industry – the AV Awards is the benchmark for the highest possible professional standards and best practice, recognising the outstanding achievements of individuals, companies, projects and technology across the AV, events, and production sectors. James Cale, UWTSD’s…

Residents and interested parties in Ceredigion are being asked for their views on the Aberaeron, Aberystwyth, Cardigan and Llanbadarn Fawr conservation areas. Conservation areas are distinct areas of special architectural or historic merit, of which Ceredigion is blessed with 13 in total. Ceredigion County Council is required, from time to time, to review these areas and formulate proposals for their preservation and enhancement. To do this the Council is undertaking or updating its Conservation Area Appraisals to identify what makes an area special and any opportunities or problems which may exist. This forms the basis for more detailed management plans…