Author: Rhys Gregory

Have you made the switch to an EV but not sure how your battery will perform in cold weather? Here are CarFinance 247 co-founder and COO Louis Rix’s top tips for caring for an electric car in winter. Most of us don’t perform at our best in cold weather and electric cars are no exception. While EVs are improving and the latest models aren’t severely affected by a drop in temperature, the cold can still slow the movement of lithium ions in the battery. This means it won’t work as efficiently as normal and could limit the range of your…

Homeowners in Wales can take advantage of a range of measures to help energy-proof their homes this winter. This includes cost-effective and simple home improvements through more extensive upgrades requiring sometimes significant investment. There is also advice and support from the Welsh government to help homeowners with rising energy costs this winter. The Welsh Government has a Warm Homes programme offering funding for eligible households to help with energy efficiency improvements plus there is free and unbiased advice available to all households. This support is offered by a scheme called Nest which was previously called Arbed. Nest is aimed at…

Neath Port Talbot councillors are being asked to approve a £4.2m programme of ‘clean up and green up’ improvements to towns, valleys and villages over the next 18 months. The spending reflects one of the earliest priorities of Neath Port Talbot Council’s Rainbow Coalition – to improve the “public realm” throughout the county borough. The proposed programme will see £200,000 spent on improvements at public toilets, £445,000 on cleanliness (involving new electric street vacuums and sweepers), £142,000 on improved grass mowing, £800,000 on improved playgrounds and green spaces and £300,000 on improved bus shelters. A further £344,000 will go on…

Neath Port Talbot councillors have opted to retain Cefn Coed Colliery Museum with a view to growing it into a major heritage attraction. Museum and culture expert Chris Delaney was brought in to look at options for the future of the site with one being to hand back the lease to the Welsh Government/Cadw and another being to use the site for non-heritage purposes. But his recommended third option, for the council to retain the museum and make it a visitor attraction and gateway to the local area as part of its developing Heritage Strategy, has now been adopted by…

ncouraging safeguarding professionals and practitioners to engage with and listen to children and young people was at the heart of an event hosted by the Mid and West Wales Regional Safeguarding Board for children, as part of its National Safeguarding Week activities and program for 2022. The event which took place on November 18th at Parc-y–Scarlets stadium in Llanelli, was attended by professionals who play a key role in safeguarding children, including police officers, nurses, social care staff and education professionals, and by children and young people from across the region, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys. A safeguarding training resource…

Visitors to Newport city centre on Saturday 3 December can look forward to some festive fun while supporting local businesses. Newport City Council has hired some street entertainers in support of Small Business Saturday campaign. The nationwide annual campaign highlights small business success and encourages consumers to “shop local”. Although it puts the spotlight on one day, the campaign aims to have a lasting impact on small businesses. Councillor Jane Mudd, Leader of Newport City Council, said: “It is vital that we support our small businesses and the “shop local” message has never been more important. “This year’s major events,…

The Beaufort Community Hall Group Limited was established in 2015 and stepped in to save the Beaufort Hill Miners Welfare Hall which at the time was facing closure. The group has since successfully kept the building open, introducing a range of activities and events that ensure the hall remains at the heart of the community. More recently they have successfully obtained funding from the National Lottery Community Fund Wales. This allowed refurbishments to the lower hall which was previously a snooker room and football changing rooms. These now provide new disabled toilet facilities, kitchen area and two meeting rooms which…

A rogue trader who defrauded a retired Powys resident into paying £60,000 for construction work that was substandard and incomplete has been given a two-year prison sentence. Leslie James Smith of Pershore, Worcestershire was prosecuted by Powys County Council’s Trading Standards Service after carrying out work at a property in Felindre. Smith, who pleaded guilty to two offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and Fraud Act 2006 at an earlier hearing at Llandrindod Wells Magistrates Court, was sentenced to two years in jail and ordered to pay a £156 victim surcharge by Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.…

Wales’ national vegetable and emblem, the Welsh Leek, is now officially protected as it gains PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) UK GI status. It becomes the third new Welsh product to achieve the highly sought-after UK GI status, following on from Gower Salt Marsh Lamb and Cambrian Mountains Lamb. Welsh Leeks also becomes the 19th member of the Welsh GI family of products, joining the likes of other great produce such as Anglesey Sea Salt, Welsh Lamb, Welsh Beef and Pembrokeshire Earlies. Each family member is Welsh to the core and uniquely linked to the landscapes and seascapes which nurture them.…

Wales’ national vegetable and emblem, the Welsh Leek, is now officially protected as it gains PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) UK GI status. It becomes the third new Welsh product to achieve the highly sought-after UK GI status, following on from Gower Salt Marsh Lamb and Cambrian Mountains Lamb. Welsh Leeks also becomes the 19th member of the Welsh GI family of products, joining the likes of other great produce such as Anglesey Sea Salt, Welsh Lamb, Welsh Beef and Pembrokeshire Earlies. Each family member is Welsh to the core and uniquely linked to the landscapes and seascapes which nurture them.…