Author: Rhys Gregory

Following an investigation by Neath Port Talbot Council’s Trading Standards department, the director of a Resolven landscaping company, “Total Landscaping Solutions Ltd”, Nicholas REES, who preyed on vulnerable consumers and made false claims has been sentenced to 8 months imprisonment suspended for 2 years and ordered to pay £9000 compensation at Swansea Crown Court for offences of fraud and theft. In December 2020 the department received a complaint about Total Landscaping Solutions Ltd which had entered into a contract locally with an elderly couple to renovate their garden so they could access and enjoy it during their retirement. The initial…

Experienced operator for Haverfordwest’s Palace Cinema is set to give the venue a new lease of life. Independent cinema operator Sinema Palace Ltd has signed a lease with Pembrokeshire County Council to run the venue and aims to be open before the end of the Easter holidays. Sinema Palace Ltd owner Alejandro Whyatt, based in Essex, is working with his father Ashley and their team, to improve the sound and picture quality at the cinema ready to screen the new Super Mario Bros. Movie. Further work to refurbish and improve the Grade II listed building, that opened in 1913, originally…

One of the oldest Armed Forces veterans in Wales, the oldest in Rhondda Cynon Taf, is celebrating his 100th birthday this week surrounded by family, friends and former Servicemen and women at a special event held in Pontypridd. Gordon White, known all his life as Pop, was born on April 2, 1923, one of eight children born to Alfred and Alice White. He attended Pwllgwaun Infants School and Maesycoed Boys School before starting work underground at Pwllgwaun Colliery, Pontypridd, at just 14 years of age. Councillor Maureen Webber, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Deputy Leader and Armed Forces Champion, said: “On…

People across the country and the Commonwealth will be celebrating the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort over a weekend of special events. Newport is planning a Coronation Big Lunch, street parties and a day dedicated to good causes will bring communities together. The Coronation will take place on Saturday 6 May at Westminster Abbey and on Sunday 7 May a Coronation Concert will take place at Windsor Castle. The weekend of celebrations will end with the Big Help Out on Monday 8 May  – a special Bank Holiday proclaimed by the Prime Minister…

Almost £1million funding will be made available to progress long-awaited highway improvements on the A469 between Pontlottyn and New Tredegar. The road, at Troedrhiwfuwch, has been impacted by significant ground movement following an initial landslip back in 2014. Single lane traffic restrictions have been in place since 2020, causing disruption and inconvenience to the local community. The council has undertaken a lot of preliminary works over recent years and further investigation and design work is now required. This will culminate in a final design and selection of a contractor to undertake the works necessary to fully re-open the road. This…

Caerphilly County Borough Council is proposing to develop the largest publicly owned solar farm in Wales. The 20MW solar farm at Cwm Ifor Farm in Penyrheol, Caerphilly marks the first time the Council may invest into the energy sector and the Council has submitted a Development of National Significant (DNS) application to the Welsh Government. The development of a publicly owned solar farm will provide an opportunity for the Council to directly tackle carbon emissions by decarbonising electricity, as well as also providing the opportunity to generate an additional income to support local public services. Cllr Jamie Pritchard, the Council’s…

The Cyfarthfa Foundation, the charity set up to transform Cyfarthfa Castle and Park into an international cultural and heritage destination, is asking local residents and community groups to help it decide how to prioritise future plans. Participants in a survey are being offered the opportunity to win a £50 gift voucher, and to also take part in drop-in consultation sessions in four Merthyr Tydfil venues on April 18 and 19. The Foundation has been approached by Welsh Government to enter a competition for the Castle to become the possible ‘anchor site’ of a new National Contemporary Art Gallery for Wales.…

An important court of the medieval Princes of Gwynedd – Llys Rhosyr, Anglesey – has been acquired for the nation by Cadw, so that the story of this significant site in Wales’ history is preserved and protected for present and future generations, Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden has announced. Situated near Newborough, Llys Rhosyr is the only Court of the Welsh Princes in Wales  with visible remains that can be visited by the public. The cultural significance of the site is reflected in its designation by Cadw as a scheduled monument. It now becomes the 131st monument…

A primary school in Undy was able to give Easter eggs to all its pupils at the end of the spring term thanks to a donation by Bellway. The company, which is building new homes at Greystone Meadows in Undy, donated £200 to Friends of Undy Primary School (FOUPS) to help buy 380 Easter eggs. The eggs were handed out to the children on Friday 31 March, the day after they had taken part in the school’s first-ever Rainbow Rabbit Colour Fun Run, which was organised by FOUPS to raise funds for new interactive white boards at the school. Emma…

A special achievement is being celebrated this week as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Wales become the first organisation in the nation to be awarded as a Gold+ standard FairPlay Employer. Achieving the new Gold+ Award, given by FairPlay Employer, the commercial arm of gender equality charity Chwarae Teg, [LW1] is an exceptional accomplishment. The FairPlay Employer programme has been running for over five years and supported hundreds of businesses, but the FSA in Wales is the first to reach the Gold+ standard to date. The success signifies that the FSA in Wales is committed to ensuring gender equality and diversity…