Author: Rhys Gregory

Caerphilly County Borough Council has announced that young people aged 14 and over can now access weights and resistance equipment in fitness suites across its leisure centres, as part of a continued commitment to supporting active lifestyles from an earlier age. The change forms part of the Council’s wider Sport and Active Recreation Strategy, which focuses on removing barriers to participation, developing lifelong healthy habits and creating more opportunities for young people to be active in ways that suit them. The updated age limit is supported through the Junior Active Plus membership, designed for young people aged 11 to 16.…

Most households in Powys will have a new waste and recycling collection day starting from Monday 2 March 2026. Powys County Council is introducing new and improved collection routes to make the recycling and waste service more efficient. These changes mean that many households will see their collection day change What you need to know: New collection days start from: Monday 2 March 2026 Recycling and food waste: Collected weekly Non-recyclable waste: Collected every three weeks Put bins out by: 7:30am on your collection day Residents will receive a letter in the coming weeks confirming their new collection day and information about how to make the most…

A landmark policy to help reduce deaths and harm from excess alcohol use will be extended in Wales, following a vote in the Senedd. Members of the Senedd today passed regulations to continue the minimum pricing for alcohol policy and to increase the minimum unit price from 50p to 65p – bringing it into line with the rate in Scotland. Minimum pricing for alcohol is designed to tackle alcohol-related harm – including hospital admissions and deaths – by reducing alcohol consumption among hazardous and harmful drinkers. Independent research commissioned by the Welsh Government has found that increasing the minimum unit…

The Welsh Government is setting out its ambition for Wales to be a ‘Carer Aware’ nation – where unpaid carers are recognised earlier and treated as partners in the planning for the person they care for. A public consultation has been launched on a new draft National Strategy for Unpaid Carers, asking people across Wales to help shape how this vision becomes a reality. The draft strategy has been developed working with hundreds of carers and their representatives across Wales. It identifies eight priorities, including better recognition for carers, ensuring young carers do not have too much responsibility, improving access…

The Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, has announced £60 million in funding to boost housing delivery across Wales.  The investment includes an indicative £50 million for the Transitional Accommodation Capital Programme (TACP) enabling the scheme to re-open for 2026-27. This is being announced early to give the sector time to prepare, so homes can be delivered quickly. This comes alongside an additional £11 million in repayable finance that has been made available for the Land for Housing loan scheme this financial year. The funding forms part of a statement to the Senedd in which the Cabinet Secretary will set out the substantial progress made on housing delivery during this government term.…

Pubs, restaurants, cafes, bars and live music venues across Wales will benefit from additional business rates support, the Finance Secretary has announced. Around 4,400 hospitality businesses will be eligible for 15% relief on their rates bills in 2026-27, helping them through a period of rising costs and changing consumer habits. The Welsh Government is providing up to £8 million for the package, using funding from the UK Government but also deploys the Welsh Government’s own funds to extend the range of businesses helped in Wales. This support for food and drink hospitality comes on top of substantial existing support. Almost…

A teenage cancer survivor from Cardiff is sharing her story in the hope of inspiring more people to become lifesavers with the Welsh Blood Service this World Cancer Day (Wednesday 4 February). Seventeen-year-old Mia Harris‑Jones was diagnosed with T‑Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) in 2023. ALL is an aggressive form of blood cancer that develops rapidly in the bone marrow. Mia first became unwell with severe stomach pains, sickness and fatigue, later noticing unexplained bruising and rashes. As her health worsened, her mother Jade took her to hospital with suspected meningitis. After several days of tests and scans, Mia received…

As part of the Football Association of Wales’ 150th anniversary celebrations, a new mural has been unveiled in Wrexham, marking Welsh football history and the launch of the adidas Cymru 150th Anniversary Jersey. Located opposite the site of Amgueddfa Bêl-droed Cymru | Football Museum Wales, in the heart of the birthplace of Welsh football, the mural has been created as a cultural landmark to reflect the FAW’s 150-year journey and the iconic Cymru shirt. The mural was designed by artist Visually Speaking, and painted by graffiti artists from the cultural organisation Avant Cymru, and represents the Cymru shirt being central…

THE WELSH public is being asked to get its bathers on to take part in sponsored swims or join a cold-water dip event in Cardiff to help unite Wales against cancer. The call comes from Swim Wales and Cancer Research Wales who are joining forces to promote the ‘Dip or Distance: The Cancer Research Wales swimming challenge’ event. Swim Wales is the national governing body for aquatics in Wales which includes swimming, water polo, para-swimming, diving, artistic swimming, open water and masters swimming. Cancer Research Wales is the independent Welsh cancer research charity which is this year celebrating its 60th anniversary.…

Pontypool-based Pro Steel Engineering has strengthened its team by appointing a trio of new hires spanning across Finance, Health and Safety, and Human Resources. Joining the steel specialist firm within new roles are: Lucy England (Finance Manager), Roger Trueman (SHEQ Manager), and Liam Plummer (HR Advisor). Richard Selby, Director and Co-Founder, Pro Steel Engineering said: “Recruiting Lucy, Roger, and Liam is the strong start to 2026 we were hoping for. We’ve got some big projects in the pipeline, and their differing skillsets will absolutely complement our goals and enhance our company’s positive culture. They’ve hit the ground running with fresh new…