Author: Rhys Gregory

Small businesses in Wales are being invited to have their say on the future of the high street, by taking part in a UK-wide survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) on issues such as business rate relief, public transport and parking, access to cash and street cleaning. Ben Francis, FSB Wales Policy Chair said: “I encourage all small businesses in Wales to spare a few minutes to take part in the FSB Future of the High Street survey. We know that high streets are essential for small businesses, they provide a platform for commerce and a sense of…

Green-fingered pupils have helped raise more than £65,000 for cancer care in Swansea Bay by growing sunflowers – inspired by a teacher who lost her husband to the disease. Every year the youngsters at St Joseph’s in Clydach compete to grow the tallest sunflower, raising money through sponsorship which is donated to the South West Wales Cancer Centre at Singleton Hospital. The event was first organised by teacher Juliet Stack 27 years ago, in memory of husband Peter James who was diagnosed with cancer just before the couple’s first wedding anniversary. He died when the couple’s daughter Robyn was just…

Llanishen High School opened its doors last week to members of the community for a unique evening of food, drink, and entertainment courtesy of its students. With attendees including the Lord Mayor of Cardiff Councillor Bablin Molik, the director and assistant director of education for Cardiff Council and more in attendance, members of the community were welcomed to the high school for a pre-theatre dinner prepared by the students, and entertainment provided by the drama department as part of its 9 to 5 musical showcase. As part of the evening, guests were treated to fresh produce thanks to the school’s…

The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) has unveiled plans to launch a brand-new Welsh Food and Drink Village at the 2023 Royal Welsh Show! Branded as Gwledd | Feast, the new food village will showcase the very best of Welsh produce in a relaxed, family-friendly environment with seating for more than 500 people and a full programme of entertainment on a live music stage. Gwledd | Feast will be situated near Entrance B and will be open for the duration of the four days. Food is a key element to all Royal Welsh events and, building on the success of…

An intergenerational sewing project to upcycle old clothes, was designed and carried out by Year 5 and 6 pupils from Ogmore Vale Primary School, following a series of lessons about how the future will be impacted by present day actions. Nandika, a pupil involved in the initiative, said: “[The lessons] taught us the importance of reusing old clothing, and how much clothing is wasted every year. We decided to do something about it, to spread the message of reusing clothes.” Enlisting the help of the craft group at Halo’s Ogmore Valley Life Centre to repurpose old clothes, pupils learned an…

1.6 tonnes of coffee pods have been recycled from over 2,600 properties in Cardiff since April this year. The new scheme allows households to sign up to the scheme with Podback, so the council can collect coffee pods from residents’ homes at no cost to the taxpayer to continue to increase the city’s recycling rate. Cllr Caro Wild, Cabinet Member for Climate Change at Cardiff Council, said: “As a council we don’t have any power or influence over the types of packaging and waste produced by companies selling products and materials. Our role is to recycle as much of it…

Two community ‘drop in’ sessions will be held next week, offering local residents the opportunity to view and comment on plans to upgrade Pentwyn Leisure Centre. The drop-in sessions will take place at Pentwyn Leisure Centre on Wednesday 19thJuly (10am-7pm) and the Powerhouse Community Centre on Thursday 20thJuly (10am-7pm). For those unable to attend a drop-in session, an option to provide comments online will be advertised via Cardiff Council’s social media feeds from July 19th. The online feedback will remain open until the end of the month. The recently revealed plans for the centre include: A new 20m x 8m…

Building work is expected to start on Cardiff’s new 15,000-capacity indoor arena site by the end of this year. Cardiff Council’s Cabinet has discussed the progress of the project and approved the recommendations to sign a range of legal agreements at its meeting on 13 July, so that both the indoor arena and the regeneration of the Atlantic Wharf site can take a further step forward. The Cabinet report recommended that the Atlantic Wharf regeneration site is split into two specific areas, with one area being put out to tender to deliver a specific development and the other to undergo further…

A new fflecsi bus zone that includes Tenby will be launched in time for the summer holidays by Transport for Wales and Pembrokeshire County Council. As well as covering the popular tourist destinations of Tenby and Saundersfoot, the new demand responsive transport zone will service inland communities as far as Pembroke and Pembroke Dock. The zone will replace the current 360 and 361 fixed-line services between Tenby and Pembroke Dock, providing a more sustainable and usable service for communities without a regular bus service as well as linking with railway stations. The Council has received £180,000 of grant funding from…

Pembrokeshire County Council has awarded the pre-construction services agreement for a housing development in Milford Haven to WB Griffiths & Son Ltd. The site is a former retail building in Charles Street that was demolished in 2018 with plans to build a mixture of 1 & 2 bed flats for local social housing residents. The development will provide modern sustainable homes for future generations, designed to be highly energy efficient and built to have a positive impact on the environment. Cllr Jon Harvey, Cabinet Member for Planning & Housing Delivery, welcomed the award of the contract to WB Griffiths &…