Author: Rhys Gregory

Rhondda Cynon Taf is gearing up to welcome one of the world’s leading cycling races, as the Tour of Britain 2023 makes its way through the county borough. Some of the best cyclists in the world will take on the challenging Bwlch and Rhigos Mountains and race through Llanwonno Forestry in stage eight of the competition, which runs from Margam Country Park to Caerphilly. Many residents may remember when beautiful Aberdare Park was used as the launch location for a stage of the 2016 Tour of Britain, when riders such as Mark Cavendish and Steve Cummings competed and headed off…

Residents have been thanked for attending recent engagement sessions for the green events space at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park. The Council received lots of positive responses – and some common themes of discussion, and details about the next steps, are summarised below. As approved by Cabinet in May 2023, the Council will revitalise the unused area of the park that was formerly a pitch-and-putt golf course and later a footgolf course. The area’s current condition and undulating surface has little value for alternative use. The upcoming scheme will flatten the area’s upper plateau to create a dedicated green space that…

The new Castle Inn Footbridge in Treforest was successfully lifted into place this week – and final arrangements are being made to reopen Cardiff Road on schedule, ahead of the peak travel period on Monday morning. The old footbridge provided a key link over the Afon Taff between River Street in Treforest and Cardiff Road in Glyntaff, but was severely damaged by Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis. It has remained closed since 2020 as a replacement scheme was prepared, while the old bridge was demolished this summer. During the school summer holiday, a road closure at Cardiff Road has allowed…

Terry’s Patisserie is an award-winning specialist food manufacturing business, providing hand-crafted patisserie products to hotels, restaurants, stadiums, and venues throughout the UK as well as the local community. The company began when Terry Williams discovered her passion for high-end patisserie and started operating out of the family home in Blackwood, before moving to a bigger premises at Euro Business Park in Aberbargoed and establishing the company under the name Terry’s Patisserie Ltd in 2011. The company now employs 14 people, including highly skilled chefs from all around the world, as well as recruiting local talent. Terry’s Patisserie has conducted lessons…

Four schools in Blaenau Gwent have run another successful Food & Fun programme, providing their pupils with physical activities and healthy meals and snacks for 12 days during the summer break. Around 220 children took part in the programme this year. Schools taking part were All Saints RC Primary; Willowtown Primary; Glanhowy Primary and Abertillery Learning Community. Food & Fun is a school-based programme that provides healthy meals and snacks as well as nutritional education, physical activity, and enrichment sessions to children in areas of social deprivation during the summer holidays. The scheme is funded by the Welsh Local Government…

Work will begin today (Monday 4th September 2023) on the Menai Suspension Bridge to ensure it is permanently restored in time for its 200th anniversary. The second phase of works will see new permanent hangers installed, following a rigorous period of development and testing, as well as extensive painting work to the exterior of the bridge. Motorists are urged to plan ahead, however, the programme of works will not mean full closure of the bridge and traffic management will be implemented to reduce disruption to local residents. Traffic management measures for a single lane closure will be in place from…

A popular charity walk is returning for its fourth year this September, raising vital funds for patients with life limiting illnesses and their families. City Hospice’s Sparkle Walk, hosted by Smooth Radio presenter Jason Harrold, will take place on 29 September and features a 10km route from Insole Court, Llandaff, to City Hospice, Whitchurch, and back. The walk is suitable for families, friends, colleagues and anyone over the age of eight, though any persons under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. At the 5km mark, participants will be greeted with refreshments at City Hospice and will…

In a ground-breaking move toward inclusivity and equal opportunity, Coleg Gwent has joined forces with Agored Cymru and Professor Paul Edwards to offer students from less advantaged backgrounds an opportunity to study an Access to Medicine course.   The course, which prepares students for a Medical Pathway Degree is the first of its kind in Wales.  For far too long, the path to becoming a healthcare professional has been fraught with challenges and limitations for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Financial constraints, lack of academic guidance, and self-doubt have often deterred aspiring medical professionals. However, Coleg Gwent’s Access to Medicine course endeavours…

Four Welsh students are heading to Poland to be in with a chance of being crowned a winner at EuroSkills Gdańsk 2023, the biggest vocational education and skills excellence event in Europe. Up against 600 fellow young people from across Europe, they will travel to Gdańsk to showcase their technical knowledge and capabilities in a series of challenges, with the winner being crowned best in their field. EuroSkills is the bi-annual European competition hosted by WorldSkills, an initiative that inspires young people to develop a passion for skills and pursue excellence through national and international competitions. Rhydian Brown, from Llantwit…

Ascona Group (‘Ascona’), a top 10 UK independent forecourt operator and one of The Sunday Times’ 100 fastest growing businesses, is pleased to announce the successful reopening of Machynlleth Service Station in North Wales. On Thursday, 24th August 2023, the site, which had been closed for six months as it underwent a transformative £3m redevelopment programme, Ascona’s largest investment in Wales to date, officially reopened its doors to customers and the local community once again. In line with Ascona’s strategy to develop the next evolution of roadside retail destinations, the redevelopment has expanded the site’s existing Nisa Retail store, which…