Author: Rhys Gregory

RCT Council’s FREE festive parking initiative in Aberdare and Pontypridd, from 10am each day in December, continues again in 2022 – as we encourage residents to Shop Local and support our high street traders this Christmas. Now in its ninth consecutive year, parking charges in Council-owned car parks within the two towns will not be applied across the whole of December – from Thursday, December 1, to Saturday, December 31 inclusive. The busy Christmas period provides a boost for our town centres, and we encourage visitors to join in the festivities and explore what our wonderful traders have to offer. In Aberdare,…

Transport for Wales (TfW) launched brand-new South Wales Metro trains at Caerphilly Train Station on Friday 18 November. In attendance was Cllr Sean Morgan, Leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council, Cllr Julian Simmons, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation and Christina Harrhy, Chief Executive of CCBC. The Class 231 trains are part of a multimillion pound investment into local transport. They will enable the trains to run faster, allowing more frequent services over key routes and they will provide much needed increased capacity. James Price, Transport for Wales CEO said, “The arrival of these brand-new trains is another major milestone…

The Milbourne Chambers building — regularly referred to by locals as ‘Samuel’s Corner’ due to jeweller H Samuel’s long-standing residence in the building — is one of Merthyr Tydfil town centre’s most iconic structures. And in November 2022, the Victorian building has become home to one of its most exciting business ventures yet, with the arrival of Italian restaurant Casa Bianca. The much-loved Welsh chain will soon occupy the historic building on the corner of Glebeland Street and High Street — bringing a taste of southern Italy to the heart of Merthyr Tydfil. To mark this new culinary chapter, here…

A team of senior education officers will work with a Powys secondary school following a disappointing Estyn inspection, the county council has confirmed. Officers from Powys County Council, including school improvement officers, will support Gwernyfed High School after it was placed in ‘special measures’ by Estyn following a recent inspection. Cllr Pete Roberts, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “This is extremely disappointing but not unexpected news. “A new management team joined the school this term who know the steps that need to be taken to ensure rapid improvement and they have already started work to…

A review of all flood defences in Ystradgynlais is underway after nearly 50 properties suffered internal damage following torrential rain earlier this month. The review, which will include feedback from residents, elected members and businesses, will assess what areas worked and where additional strengthening is needed after a month’s rainfall in less than 24-hours. Rainfall records for Ystradgynlais showed rainfall accumulation for November 2 day at 44.2mm, with 16.3mm falling in just 30 minutes. Water levels at Teddy Bear Bridge reached their highest recorded levels. Forty-six properties in the Ystradgynlais area suffered internal flooding with a number of others affected…

The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth has launched a series of events to support Wales in the World Cup tournament in Qatar. By joining the Red Wall of supporters, the library is aiming to create exciting, fun events and share the history and archives relating to football in Wales, both in Aberystwyth and online. The library has planned a number of activities for the coming weeks to mark this exciting occasion, including an exhibition of items from the collections in the Peniarth exhibition area and the Reading Room. From art to film, the displays will celebrate Wales’ footballing history. Visitors to the library…

The winner of a coveted national apprenticeship award has urged fellow entrepreneurs not to let age be a barrier to realising their business ownership ambition. Rebecca Davies was 50 when she realised her dream of launching Willow Daycare nursery inCarmarthen at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. She now employs 22 staff and has seen the number of children attending the nursery rocket from seven at inception to 130 within a year. Recognising Rebecca’s commitment to apprenticeships and staff development, Willow Daycare was named Small Employer of the Year at the prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2022. The awards showcased the…

A Wales-wide project which promotes Welsh wool will unveil brand new product prototypes at this year’s Winter Fair in Llanelwedd. Led by Anglesey social enterprise, Menter Môn, ‘Made with Wool’ is a partnership with British Wool, The Wool Testing Authority (WTA) and Bangor University BioComposites Centre. Its aim is to make a difference to farmers and producers by developing innovative ways of using wool as a renewable material. The prototypes to be revealed at the show, include a composite product, sound insulation solutions and a hydroponics system. By attending the Winter Fair, the team hopes to attract the attention of…

Clean energy solutions company Enviromena has secured unanimous approval from planners for a 30-acre solar farm near Aberdare, South Wales. Councillors on the Cynon Valley Council planning committee voted 8-0 in favour of the application at Bryngolwg Farm on Rhigos Road in Hirwan, Rhonnda Cynon Taf. The 9 MW project was presented by Enviromena in partnership with RE Projects Development and will be built over four fields to the south of the farmhouse, accommodating between 16 and 23 rows of south-facing photovoltaic (PV) panels. The Bryngolwg site will be capable of providing power to over 2,500 homes and will offset…

With the Wales team competing in their first FIFA World Cup football match for over 60 years, Welsh food and drink producers are celebrating sporting excellence and highlighting awareness of top-quality produce. More than 150 Welsh food and drink producers of all sizes are participating in the #CaruCymruCaruBlas #LoveWalesLoveTaste autumn campaign. They are taking a ‘Team Wales’ approach capturing the sporting spirit of the country as the national football and rugby teams seek international success this month. Bigger, better, and bolder than ever, the bilingual campaign has been organised by the Welsh Government Food & Drink Wales Trade Development Programme and runs until…