Author: Rhys Gregory

As the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society’s flagship accolade, the Sir Bryner Jones Memorial Award is highly coveted every year. The winner of the 2023 award was kept under wraps until the opening day of the Royal Welsh Show (Monday 24 July), creating a sense of excitement and anticipation that befits such a prestigious award. Sir Bryner Jones helped shape the direction of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society for fifty years. He was head of the Department of Agriculture and Aberystwyth College in 1907 and went on to be one of the leading agricultural education figures in Wales. He was a…

Drivers could be hit with fines of up to £1,000 for failing to keep their car clean, a car expert has warned. According to the law, number plates must be fully on show and easy to read at all times. This is because they are used to identify the vehicle by officers of the law and by technology such as automatic number plate recognition. This means that motorists are not allowed to rearrange letters, alter them or change their spacing. Anyone who fails to adhere to these rules could face a fine of up to £1,000 and risk their vehicle…

On Wednesday 9 August from 12.30pm – 1.30pm, Lymphoma Action will be hosting a free webinar about CAR T-cell therapy as a treatment for lymphoma. Readers affected by this type of blood cancer may be interested and can register to join if they go to www.lymphoma-action.org.uk/CARTWebinar. Joining the webinar panel are two healthcare professionals who will explain what this treatment offers, how it works and the process for having it. The panel will also include an individual who has received CAR T-cell therapy and will talk about their lived experience of the treatment. CAR T-cell therapy is a relatively new…

In June 2022, Bridgend County Borough Council’s Cabinet approved the expansion and modernisation of Mynydd Cynffig Primary School. Under the £12.8m project, funded by the council and Welsh Government, the existing split-site arrangement would end, and the current infant and junior sites would be merged and relocated to a new-build primary school on the existing Mynydd Cynffig Primary School junior site at Pwllygath Street, Kenfig Hill, with effect from September 2025. The new school will be able to accommodate 420 pupils as well as offering 75 nursery places, delivering a more positive impact on education provision and standards as well…

Mulberry Real Estate Ltd, and its director, Mr. David Bryant, who are landlords of properties in Cardiff, have been fined for failing to carry out necessary repairs to fire doors, escape windows and kitchens and failing to re-licence two properties. Mulberry Real Estate Ltd. was fined £31,995 and Mr. Bryant was fined £36,300. In July and October 2021, two HMO licences held by Mr Bryant’s company expired for properties on Alfred Street, and Arabella Street, in Plasnewydd. Both properties were licensed by the council in October 2016. The licences included conditions requiring the landlord to carry out work to the…

A chapel which has been hidden from view for decades has been revealed as part of ongoing works at the former Howells Department Store. The new image reveals thefront façade of thehistoric chapel in all its glory as work continues to take place to prepare the building for regeneration and reuse, which will be subject to obtaining further consents. The chapel which has been obscured from view for around 50 years was built in 1865 and replaced an earlier chapel from 1807. Previously when Howells was trading, the ground floor of the front façade was visible within the men’s tailoring…

A much loved Swansea park has a new attraction that will help visitors discover more about nature and celebrate the natural world The addition of its new nature trail makes Morriston Park even more appealing to local people. The trail – officially opened on July 25 during Wales Nature Week – was created by Swansea Council, local councillors and the Friends of Morriston Park volunteer group. It has been funded by a grant through the Welsh Government Enabling Natural Resources and Well-being (ENRaW) scheme and delivered as part of a partnership known as Connecting Green Infrastructure Southwest Wales which improves…

Newport City Council will shortly begin work on a series of improvements to the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. The improvements will see the council clear silt and vegetation in the canal from the Fourteen Locks site up to the city boundary with Caerphilly county. This stretch will also be relined. The desilting and relining will improve water flow and retention, as well as improving the water environment for biodiversity purposes. The Fourteen Locks site will also benefit from a new bridge over the pond, and new lock gates above the pond to replace the existing ones. The bridge, which will…

Exciting plans to create new community facilities on a former secondary school site in Pontllanfraith will start to take shape next month. Demolition of the old Pontllanfraith Comprehensive School buildings will commence in August to make way for a new education hub along with a 4 court sports hall and multi-use games area (MUGA) with 3G surface. The preparatory works involve demolition and the movement of plant and machinery within a constrained site. Unfortunately, this means that the adjacent leisure centre and existing 3G sports pitch will be closed to the public throughout August to allow the first phase of…

A Merthyr Tydfil Indoor Market trader has progressed to the national final of a prestigious competition for young entrepreneurs after impressing the judges at the Wales regional final in Swansea. David White, owner of Scentury Scents based in St Tydfil Shopping Centre market, was highly commended and awarded a place in the final of the National Market Traders Federation contest in Stratford-upon-Avon this August. Stallholders at the Young Traders Market campaign 2023 were judged on criteria including customer engagement, cleanliness of stall and area, stall decoration, product knowledge, unique selling point and quality of product. More than 300 traders UK-wide…