Author: Rhys Gregory

A pre-planning consultation for the new St Andrew’s Primary School key stage two (junior) block is launched today. The proposed three-storey building will provide an excellent teaching environment where pupils can thrive and enjoy learning. Members of the public and specialist consultees can give their views on the plans which will be included as part of the planning application due to be submitted later this year. Following a further period of consultation, the application will be considered by Newport City Council’s full planning committee. The key stage two building on the St Andrew’s site in Lliswerry was closed because of…

Powys County Council is sharing support with the Brecon Beacons National Park and joining them in celebrating their 10-year anniversary of being an International Dark Sky Reserve. Due to low levels of light pollution, the Brecon Beacons National Park was awarded International Dark Sky Reserve status in 2013, making it one of the best places in the world to stargaze. To celebrate ten years of dark skies, the National Park is hoping to make the stars shine even brighter by asking everyone to join them in switch off all non-essential lights from 19:30 to 20:30 on Friday 17 February, The…

The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, has announced an extra £8m investment to support digital learning in Further Education (FE) colleges over the next three years – with a total investment of over £30m in digital since 2019. The fund calls on FE colleges to be innovative and have digital learning central to their plans. The money will help colleges to continue to invest in digital equipment and infrastructure improvements. The new funding will help to ensure that the FE sector in Wales is at the leading edge of innovation, creativity and collaboration and give learners the…

A community-run broadband scheme in a rural village between Cardiff and Newport has successfully extended faster and more reliable broadband connections to even more members of the local community thanks to £525,000 funding from the Welsh Government. In 2017, the community of Michaelston y Fedw struggled with a barely useable broadband service. The community came together and decided to build their own broadband network. To achieve this, they formed a community interest company (CIC); Michaelston y Fedw Internet CIC (MyFi). Teams of local volunteers helped build the network as well as employing contractors to complete some work. The Welsh Government’s…

Lewis Capaldi is set to delight 30,000 fans with a massive headline show at Chepstow Racecourse this summer. The BRIT Award-winning singer-songwriter brings his 2023 World Tour to the Monmouthshire racecourse on Saturday July 1 for what will be his biggest ever gig in Wales. And joining Lewis will be Norwegian singer songwriter and pop powerhouse Sigrid. The Chepstow date is part of Lewis’ Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent World Tour which visits no fewer than 18 countries. Fans went into a frenzy to secure tickets when the tour was initially announced and earlier this month Lewis played…

Welsh food and drink producers will travel to Dubai later this month to attend Gulfood, one of the world’s largest food and drink trade exhibitions that reaches out to key countries within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Gulfood will take place between 20-24 February at the Dubai World Trade Centre, and will feature international brands displaying their latest food and drink products and services. The exhibition attracts more than 5000 companies from more than 120 countries unveiling new business opportunities, providing solutions to new, and evolving global challenges. It also gives exhibitors a chance to meet with…

The Minister for Economy has visited a purpose-built construction academy to see how Persimmon Homes, in partnership with Bridgend College, is developing the next generation of workers in South Wales. Vaughan Gething MS was given a tour of the ‘Persimmon Academy’, which sees apprentices develop their skills at a bespoke construction and learning facility at the housebuilder’s development in Llanilid, near Ponytclun. The visit coincided with National Apprenticeship Week, and the Minister had the opportunity to meet with the Welsh housebuilder’s latest intake of apprentice bricklayers and carpenters. He was given a tour of the site and observed students being…

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the freehold sale of Rocking Horse Day Nurseryin Broughton, Flintshire. Funding for the purchase was sourced through commercial finance specialist, Christie Finance. Owned and operated by Mark and Evelyn Aindow since 1998, Rocking Horse Day Nursery is a real ‘home from home’ setting, offering a high-quality provision for up to 70 children aged from babies to four years. This family-run nursery boasts consistently strong occupancy generated by reputation, repeat custom, and word of mouth referrals. The nursery is located within a prime position extremely close to the Wales/England border and to…

A ground-breaking Ebbw Vale company has launched its prototype Inkjet Bioprinter, and reaction from the biotech sector is overwhelmingly positive. Copner Biotech, based at UKSE’s Ebbw Vale Innovation Centre, aims to push the boundaries of biomedical research and engineering with its new, patented 3D printer and other innovations. They believe their innovations represent a potential step-change in biomedicine, and that a global market beckons for their products. The printer, the firm says, revolutionises the production of the scaffolds used for growing cell cultures for research. “Our printer takes a new approach to this important area, offering more accuracy and realism…

Celebrity chef, author and ultra-athlete Matt Pritchard (The Dirty Vegan) is backing a call by the Be Mighty campaign for people in Wales to recycle more of their food waste in an effort to combat climate change and reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels for energy. Food waste in Wales can be converted into energy through specialist facilities across the country, and in 2021-22 more than 10,000 Welsh homes were powered by food waste recycling. But data shows that last year approximately a quarter of all general rubbish contained food waste, meaning 100,000 tonnes of food waste wasn’t put…