Author: Rhys Gregory

The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society has again made a donation to Builth Wells Town Council towards the Christmas lights in the town, continuing the close relationship between the two organisations and the local community. Each year, the Christmas light display is put up in readiness for the Royal Welsh Winter Fair which is typically held at the end of November/early December. The colourful display gives a warm festive welcome to the thousands of Winter Fair visitors and the many people who live, work and pass through the town during the run-up to Christmas. The Winter Fair took place last week…

Proposals for two new visitor attractions aimed at further enhancing Cardiff Bay as a leading UK destination for leisure, culture and tourism have been revealed. The first, from Finnish company Nordic Urban, could see an outdoor, floating swimming pool and sauna facility, similar to their facilities in both Helsinki and New York, brought to the graving docks near Techniquest. The second, a proposal from Skyview, is to build a 90-metre-high balloon ride with a rotating viewing platform on unused land close to The Red Dragon Centre. The platform would give panoramic views of the city and the waterfront of up…

Swansea’s hugely successful Pop-Up Employment Hub has moved to a new location in the Quadrant Shopping Centre but is still providing people with all the support they need. Since it launched at the start of the summer the hub, run by the council’s employability service Swansea Working, has made a real difference to many people’s lives. It has staged 23 recruitment events for various businesses and organisations and has supported more than 800 people, including 50 Ukrainian nationals who have fled the war at home. More than 200 people have had job offers thanks to the work of the team.…

​​​​​​​Swansea Council is set to introduce a plan that will help it go net zero carbon by 2030. A draft plan to reach this milestone in the fight against climate change is due to be discussed by the council’s cabinet on December 15. The plan would cost around £187m over the next eight years. It would see the council achieve a balance between the greenhouse gases it puts into the atmosphere and those it takes out – net zero carbon. Around £4m of the figure is already budgeted for. The council would look for most of the other funding to come…

Many thousands of residents and businesses throughout South West Wales will benefit from a funding boost worth £132m over the next three years. The UK Government has approved a regional investment plan for Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea, helping unlock Shared Prosperity Fund money that had already been earmarked for the region. The region’s local authorities are now working at pace to develop projects linked to the key themes of the funding, which include improving urban and rural communities, boosting people’s skills and supporting small businesses. Grant schemes are also being developed to enable businesses and other organisations…

A Met Office Yellow weather warning of ice affecting parts of Rhondda Cynon Taf has been issued from midnight until 6pm on Thursday, December 8. Motorists are advised to take extra care at this time and drive according to the winter conditions. The weather conditions will be closely monitored and the Council’s Highways and Streetcare crews will be treating the main County Borough network, high routes and car parks in preparation for the icy conditions and during the weather warning. Crews have also checked Grit Bin supplies in advance at locations across the County Borough and additional staff resources are…

Caerphilly County Borough Council is asking residents to give their views on how it deals with empty homes. Its draft ‘Private Sector Empty Homes Strategy 2023 – 2028’ sets out the Council’s plans to tackle the issue of high numbers of empty homes in the county borough. It also sets out the range of initiatives available to the Council to help owners bring their empty homes back into use. This strategy only refers to private sector empty homes and does not extend to empty homes within the Council’s own housing stock or those owned by other Community Landlords. Residents can…

Owen Davies and Robert Arthur who work at Heolddu Leisure Centre stepped into action when a member of Bargoed Gold Club had become unwell. The Golf Club contacted Heolddu Leisure Centre requesting assistance until an ambulance arrived for a gentleman who had collapsed on the course whilst playing golf. Owen and Robert, both of whom are first aid qualified, were able to assess the gentleman upon arrival and move him onto a spinal board. The gentleman was then carefully transported inside the building to wait for an ambulance. The gentleman remained conscious and talking whilst waiting for the ambulance and…

Plans to introduce a Welsh-medium stream at a south Powys primary school will be considered by Cabinet next week, the county council has said. Ysgol y Cribarth in Abercraf is currently an English-medium school providing education for pupils aged 4 to 11. Powys County Council is proposing to move the school along the language continuum by establishing a Welsh-medium stream at the school. If it goes ahead, the proposed change would see a Welsh-medium stream introduced at Ysgol y Cribarth from September 2023, operating alongside the school’s English-medium stream. On Tuesday, December 13, Cabinet will be asked to start formal…

Exciting plans to create a new primary school in south Powys could be delayed by 12 months if a recommendation is accepted by Cabinet, the county council has said. Earlier this year, a proposal to merge Mount Streets Infants School, Mount Street Junior School and Cradoc C.P. School to create a new primary school was approved as part of Transforming Education plans for the Brecon catchment area. The target date for establishing the new primary school, which would operate on the three existing school sites, was September 2023. However, since the proposal was approved, a request was submitted to the…