Author: Rhys Gregory

New conceptual images show how parts of Hafod-Morfa Copperworks, The Strand and Swansea Museum could look once a multi-million pound project to celebrate Swansea’s industrial heritage is complete. Further preservation work at the copperworks and better links between the site and the city centre are among the features of a Lower Swansea Valley improvement project being led by Swansea Council. An upgrade and enhancement of Swansea Museum to protect the venue and improve the visitor experience and access there also forms part of the overall project, which is being made possible thanks to the council successfully bidding for £20m from…

Swansea Council is this week launching its annual apprenticeships recruitment campaign with 17 opportunities in the Building Services team available. The council’s award winning programme is highly regarded for developing the next generation of carpenters, plumbers, electricians, plasterers and bricklayers. Application forms have now gone live on the council’s website at  www.swansea.gov.uk/jobs with a deadline of Sunday February 26 to apply for the building services apprenticeships. Other apprenticeships in a range of other departments are advertised on the website throughout the year. This year the council is seeking two apprentice plumbers, three apprentice electricians, five apprentice carpenters, four apprentice plasters and…

Neath Port Talbot Council has become the latest organisation to sign up to the Swansea Bay Healthy Travel Charter. The document was officially signed by Neath Port Talbot Council Leader, Cllr Steve Hunt, alongside the council’s Chief Executive Karen Jones at Port Talbot Civic Centre on February 1st, 2023. The Swansea Bay Healthy Travel Charter was launched in May 2022. It currently has 12 partner organisations signed up namely, Coastal Housing, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Gower College,  Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, National Waterfront Museum, Natural Resources Wales, Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service…

Tyre Glider is the bike tyre-changing invention that has taken off and turned into a successful business with support from the Council’s Caerphilly Enterprise Fund (CEF). Kevin Baker, founder of Tyre Glider, came up with the idea after being frustrated by not being able to easily change the tyre on a newly purchased bike due to its complexity. The invention was thought of by Kevin after using a can opener to achieve a similar result to what he needed for his bike. Kevin had heard of CEF funding via the CCBC website and was informed of the application process after…

A property in mid Powys that was damaged by fire over four years ago has been taken back by the county council. Powys County Council has confirmed that is has secured Dolgerddon Hall in Rhayader after executing forfeiture by peaceable re-entry.  The building was damaged by a fire in 2018. Although the council owns the building, there has been a lease in place which has meant that the responsibility for Dolgerddon Hall has been with the leaseholder. The council has tried to work with the leaseholder and their advisors to ensure the best outcome for the property but this has…

“We want to improve equality and inclusion for all LGBTQ+ people, so as a community we feel safe to be ourselves free from fear, discrimination and hate.” Those were the words of the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership, Hannah Blythyn, who – alongside the Leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price – today (Tuesday, February 7) set out exactly how the Welsh Government will make a real difference to the lives, prospects, and outcomes for all LGBTQ+ people. Launching the LGBTQ+ Action Plan, which underlines Wales’ intention to advance LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion, the Deputy Minister said it was the first-time…

North Wales Minister Lesley Griffiths has praised a Deeside company which is a trusted leader in marine, offshore and infrastructure solutions, offering cutting-edge safety systems for the transfer of oil and gas from cargo ships to the shore. The Minister visited Trelleborg’s marine operations, based in the Hawarden Business Park, which has grown over the past few years after receiving £175,000 business finance support from the Welsh Government to move from two smaller buildings to a larger, single facility with a combined value of £2.5m. The move, creating nine new jobs and safeguarding 45, has allowed the company to install…

The health and wellbeing benefits of the great outdoors in Mid Wales are to be shared with groups of people who have health conditions and disabilities, thanks to investment in a new project. The Outdoor Partnership has received £60,000 funding from the Resilient Communities Grant Programme run by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to deliver the ‘Opening Doors to the Outdoors’ project across Powys and Ceredigion. The  project, which will enable even more people to access the green and blue spaces on their doorsteps, is particularly looking to reach people who may not have experienced the health and wellbeing benefits of…

A University of South Wales-led project is one of 20 from across the UK which is benefiting from £6 million awarded to accelerate decarbonisation of industry. The Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC), part of the UKRI Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDC), has awarded the funding to support the reduction of carbon emissions in the UK’s largest industrial clusters. Decarbonising these clusters is a key step towards reaching the UK’s net zero emissions target, a priority that has recently been reinforced by the government-commissioned Net Zero Review. The VFA to PHA: Decarbonisation – A Route to Sustainable Plastics project, run by…

BookTrust Cymru, the children’s reading charity, is encouraging families, schools, and early years spaces across Wales to join in with Big Welsh Rhyme Time, a week-long national celebration of sharing bilingual rhymes, poems and songs with children in their early years.  In 2022, more than 25,000 children across Wales took part in Big Welsh Rhyme Time. This year, so far, 530 early years settings including nurseries, schools and libraries across Wales have signed up to use the rhymes, resources and films, meaning thousands of children across the country will be taking part in a collective national moment of bilingual rhyming-related…