Author: Rhys Gregory

The challenges being faced by residents, businesses and individuals will be at the forefront of the council’s considerations as it plans its 2023/24 budget. Work is currently underway to plan how the most important services will be delivered with Newport City Council facing a budget gap of £33 million. Councillor Jane Mudd, Leader of the council, said: “There is absolutely no doubt that the coming year is going to be challenging. “Our main aim in setting next year’s budget will be to ensure that the core of our most fundamental services are maintained for residents, but it is unlikely that…

New nature inspired artworks are appearing in green spaces across Gwent, encouraging more people to value the nature we can find in our communities. The pieces have been developed as part of the Nature Isn’t Neat project, which aims to raise awareness of the decline in pollinators and encourage local action, including embedding a regional meadow management approach across the Gwent area. Over the summer, communities have been busy designing and building mosaic artworks with artist Stephanie Roberts, that reflect the beauty of nature in their local green spaces. The artworks are situated across Gwent, in Gilfach, Bargoed, Bryn Bach…

Three prominent churches on Merthyr Tydfil High Street will be able to support even more disadvantaged and vulnerable residents as a result of over £280,000 refurbishment funding from a local grants scheme. High Street Baptist Church, St David’s Church and Hope Church have been awarded the money by the Ffos-y-fran Large Grant Scheme, which was set up by the County Borough Council in collaboration with Merthyr (South Wales) Limited and donates £1 for every ton of coal sold from the Ffos-y-fran land reclamation scheme. The Friends of High Street Baptist Church received £145,500 to replace the church hall roof and…

Construction work is underway on new £12m sustainable employment premises at the Cross Hands East Strategic Employment Site in Carmarthenshire, which will provide innovative and modern commercial space for businesses to grow in the local area, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has announced. The Welsh Government, in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council, is building 32,500 square feet of low carbon offices, light industrial units and hybrid spaces for letting across three buildings. With support from the Active Building Centre, the project will help transform the way commercial buildings are powered and heated. Using innovative technology and Active Building design principles, the…

The Minister for Education and Welsh Language has announced over £7m will be invested in 11 Welsh medium education and childcare projects across Wales. This funding will increase opportunities for Welsh medium education, which is key to the Welsh Government’s goal of reaching one million Welsh speakers by 2050. The projects announced today will help bring opportunities to more pupils, from early years through to secondary schools to develop their Welsh language skills. Ysgol Llanfawr in Anglesey will receive funding for a new childcare unit, with 50 Welsh Medium childcare places to nurture a new generation of Welsh speakers. Some…

New stats published today show that recycling rates in Wales have increased considerably over the last two decades with the country once again exceeding the statutory targets. Wales has long been a stand-out performer in the UK when it comes to recycling rates and the new stats published today show that the national recycling rate has exceeded the statutory target of 64%, with a rate of 65.2%. The Welsh Government’s £1billion investment since devolution in municipal recycling has helped see rates catapult from just 4.8% in 1998-1999, to more than 65% today. In 2024-25, the statutory target will be raised…

Wales have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 64 years, the longest gap between participation in the competitions’ history. The last time being in 1958 where they managed to get to the quarter finals. After managing to not only qualify for the last two European Championships but reaching the quarter-finals in 2016 and the round of 16 in 2020, Wales set about making it back to a World Cup. They took the long way round, having to qualify through the playoff round against a tough opposition in Ukraine. A game that was made even tougher considering…

The cutting technique known as waterjet cutting is one of several types of machining used in many industries. In the manufacturing process, a waterjet cutter is used to cut and shape various materials. It’s a very flexible and useful instrument that offers several obvious benefits. In this article, you will know the core money-saving benefits of CNC waterjet cutting technology. What exactly is Waterjet Cutting? With a carbide nozzle, fine garnet abrasive, and high-pressure water jet stream, waterjet cutting is a metal-cutting process used in metal manufacturing. The process is only an extreme and sped-up version of natural erosion. The…

Scotland is known for its magnificent highlands, constant rainy weather, the sound of the bagpipes and kilts, and of course, its large, two-handed claymore swords. In this article, we will go a little more in-depth about the swords that originated and were mostly used in Scotland. Our list shall start with the bronze ancient swords, then the famous claymore swords, and will be wrapped up nicely by featuring the basket hilt and late renaissance dirk swords. Bronze Dagger / Sword An artist’s depiction of a Scottish bronze sword dated around 2000 BC – [Image Credit – Scottish Weaponry] According to…

Wales is a country that is starting to dominate the international stage. Recent sporting success and ventures, including Ryan Reynolds purchasing Wrexham have helped put Wales more on the map. This means it is a great time for Welsh businesses to try and expand and grow. Before rushing into that, Welsh business owners should read this guide. It will cover some things you should consider beforehand. Look For Welsh-Specific Support First things first, it may be a good idea to look into Welsh-specific support. There are several schemes across Walesthat could help a business grow and develop. Your business may…