Author: Rhys Gregory

A deeply moving poem written by a National Eisteddfod winning bard is the inspiration behind a concert at a top music festival. The poem, Y Gorwel (The Horizon), links in with the theme for the North Wales International Music Festival at St Asaph Cathedral from Friday, September 15 to Saturday, September 30. It was written by John Evans, the grandfather of Aled Lewis Evans, from Wrexham, who is also an acclaimed, award-winning poet. The poem describes an old man gazing out across Cardigan Bay from his home in the Barmouth area of Gwynedd and looking back to his childhood and…

A housing association has given a sneak preview of a planned eco village of nearly 130 low carbon homes. Cartrefi Conwy has for the first time revealed artist’s impressions of the proposed development on the 12-acre plot alongside Towyn Road in Pensarn, near Abergele. The former Inter Leisure site already has planning permission for housing after it was secured by the previous owners. Cartrefi will be embarking on a round of public consultation over the summer and anticipates applying for permission to amend the existing permission in the autumn. If it’s given the go-ahead by Conwy County Borough Council planners,…

Bisley, the Newport-based office furniture designer and manufacturer, is building on recent key client signings with the announcement of two new deals spanning the telecommunications and banking sectors. News of partnerships with BT Group and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) follow on from the recent news that Bisley is designing bespoke spaces within the Googleplex headquarters in California. Bisley’s work with the BT Group is part of a multi-million pound 4-year framework to deliver on BT’s Better Workplace programme, a major new property infrastructure project to provide new and refurbished offices and workspaces at key hubs across…

St John Ambulance Cymru are working with the Welsh Ambulance Commissioner to provide quicker transportation for mental health patients in Welsh communities. St John Ambulance Cymru’s Taith Dda scheme has been commissioned as a pilot by the Ambulance Commissioner since April 2023. The scheme aims to provide a transport service for those in Mental Health Crisis with the aim of reducing waiting times for conveyance and improving both staff and patient experiences. The Scheme has meant that a reduced number of non-critical patients are having to be transported by the police, the Welsh Ambulance NHS Services Trust and by local…

Police are appealing for witnesses to a disturbance, involving two groups of men, in Greyfriars Road, at around 10.45pm on Saturday, August 12. A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of affray and has been bailed pending further enquiries. Detective Constable Hannah Campbell-Todd, from South Wales Police, said: “Three men were taken to hospital but thankfully their injuries are now described as neither life-changing nor life-threatening. “We would like to thank the members of public and off-duty paramedics who stopped to help those who were injured. “We work hard with partners to keep the Cardiff night-time economy safe and welcoming…

Expressions of interest are being invited for funding aimed at bringing listed historic structures in Swansea back into use. Grants of between £5,000 and £450,000 are being made available for either feasibility studies or projects under the transforming county anchor project being run by Swansea Council and funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Community groups and organisations are eligible for 100% of the costs, with private sector applicants eligible for up to 70%. To be eligible to apply to the fund, the end use of the building must include commercial floorspace. Proposals which are purely…

Neath Port Talbot Council is seeking residents’ views on whether or not it should impose higher Council Tax charges on owners of second homes and long-term empty properties. Due to a change in legislation, councils are now able to charge a premium of up to 300% on second homes and long-term empty properties. Each Council can choose how it acts when considering the level of charge to apply to empty properties. Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Social Justice, Cllr Simon Knoyle, said: “We want to hear your views on how we should respond to the…

Work will soon get underway to repair a section of the retaining wall at Berw Road in Pontypridd – with the vast majority of the scheme causing minimal disruption. RCT Council has appointed Hammonds Ltd as the contractor for the work, which will take place over six weeks from Thursday, August 17. The scheme will include clearing vegetation growing behind the wall and from the wall face, reconstructing sections of the structure, and repointing work. The work activity will not require any traffic management, while pedestrian access will be maintained via the adjacent pavement. However, Stop/Go traffic boards will be…

Parents can now register their children to start nursery from September 2024. Parents must complete the application process by 15th September. Applications are open for children born between 1st September 2020 and 31st August 2021. The new Welsh-medium school that is opening in Monmouth in 2024 on Rockfield Road – Ysgol Gymraeg Trefynwy – will have a nursery on site and parents in the area now have that nursery as an option to choose from. Cllr. Martyn Groucutt, Cabinet Member for Education, said: “We look forward to welcoming the newest students to our schools across Monmouthshire. It’s with great excitement…

More than £1m worth of new business has been secured by the Welsh delegation to the Paris Air Show in June with over £3.6m in further opportunities also identified, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has revealed today. The Paris Air Show is the largest aerospace event in the world, attracting over 2,400 exhibitors from 49 countries and 139,000 trade visitors from 185 countries. Wales is a centre of excellence for aerospace manufacturing and MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) related activities, with more than 160 companies employing more than 23,000 people across the country, accounting for 10% of the UK’s aerospace industry.…