Author: Rhys Gregory

900,000 more households across England, Scotland and Wales will benefit from the Government’s £400 help with energy bills, as an online application portal opens today. Households without a direct relationship to an electricity supplier, such as those living in park homes and care homes, can now apply via a secure online portal to receive the support as a one-off, non-repayable lump sum under the ‘alternative funding’ route of the government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS AF). For those without online access, a dedicated customer helpline is available to assist eligible customers. The launch of applications follows months of close work…

As daffodils emerge in the grounds, toads return to the Top Terrace of the Walled Garden and the castle reopens its doors following its annual winter clean, there could be no clearer sign that spring has arrived at Penrhyn Castle. Penrhyn Castle reopens its doors on 1 March and visitors are invited to celebrate St.David’s Day by taking a spring walk among the hundreds of daffodils starting to emerge that surround the Keep and spill into the Lime Grove. Inside, they can explore the luxurious Victorian family rooms, wander through the Victorian Kitchens and discover the locomotives cared for in…

Transforming young lives through music – Anthem Music Fund Wales & the Atsain Fund supports 27 organisations across Wales to engage with young people in 12 months. Anthem. Cronfa Gerdd Cymru Music Fund Wales has announced the Atsian Fund will continue to support a further 12 organisations in addition to the previous 15 recipients in 2022. In one year, 27 organisations will now benefit from over £220,000 funds to help them deliver young music projects to help address barriers to music for young people in Wales. Anthem Music Fund Wales believes that every young person deserves the opportunity to engage and…

A national campaign to stop criminals offering children illegal tobacco has been launched after a new survey revealed over a third of children that smoke in Wales had been approached by sellers. The Wales-wide survey of over 1,000 11 to 16-year-olds showed that 32% of current smokers had been offered cheap illegal tobacco and 25% had gone on to buy it. According to latest research from ASH Wales, illegal tobacco makes up 10% of the entire tobacco market, funds criminality in the community and makes it easy for children start smoking. The NEMS survey, which is the largest of its…

Nando’s will donate £108,000 to 36 charities across Scotland and Wales to support relieving food poverty in the communities in which its restaurants operate. Each charity, as members of the Nando’s ‘No Chuckin’ Our Chicken’ initiative, will receive a total of £3,000. The initiative was established in 2013 to help local charities feed communities in need while reducing food waste – with each Nando’s restaurant selecting their own charity partner. The donations, announced today, have been funded by the mandatory 10p and 5p charges for single-use paper carrier bags in Scotland and Wales respectively. Nando’s has collected these charges in…

Bridgend based new start-up Hawkstone Commercials records a staggering £2.5 million in turnover in its first 10 months of trading. Founded in January 2022 from a kitchen table by co-directors Oliver Lewis and Paul Rickets, Hawkstone Commercials is an award winning van and commercial leasing vehicle broker. Hawkstone launched with an initial turnover target of £150,000 for year one. It quickly became apparent that all expectations were hugely underestimated, with each month surging further past target. Hawkstone also modestly hoped to open its first office and employ one extra member of staff. By December this also proved to be way…

A major new project that will improve parts of Hafod-Morfa Copperworks, The Strand and Swansea Museum will be worth an estimated £9.4m a year to the city’s economy. Led by Swansea Council, the Lower Swansea Valley improvement project is also expected to create 69 new jobs while helping support more than 100 existing jobs. Aimed at celebrating Swansea’s industrial heritage, the project is being made possible thanks to the council successfully bidding for £20m of levelling-up funding from the UK Government. The project includes: Restoration of the former laboratory building at the copperworks to create restaurant and food and beverage…

A decision on whether a proposed land exchange at Maindy Park is in the best interests of the Maindy Park Trust is to be taken on March 2ndby Cardiff Council Cabinet, acting in its role as Trustee of the charity. If the exchange is approved, an application will be made to the Charity Commission for its consent to land at Cae Delyn Park replacing part of the land at Maindy Park, currently held in trust by the charity. An independent Maindy Park Trust Advisory Committee,comprised of three independent members of the Standards and Ethics Committee, established to manage the conflicts…

Owners of long-term empty properties in Cardiff could be facing a further increase in their council tax charges under new plans to help alleviate pressures on housing availability in the city. From April, a council tax premium of 50% could rise to 100% for homes left unoccupied and unfurnished for more than a year in a bid to encourage owners to bring these properties back into use. Second homes in the city and furnished dwellings that are not anyone’s main home could also be charged a premium of 100% from April 2024 if recommendations being considered by Cabinet at its…

Proposals to make major sustainable travel improvements in Newport city centre have been unveiled. The plans, which were released by Welsh Government, Transport for Wales and Newport City Council on Friday 24 February, set out a series of improvements to Newport railway station, Queensway and Old Green roundabout. Members of the public are being invited to give their views as part of a six-week public consultation on the proposals which runs from today until 6 April. The proposals include: A new public transport interchange at Newport rail station, linking rail and bus services, making the station a hub for sustainable…