Author: Rhys Gregory

Only 60 years ago part of the Lower Swansea Valley was a post-industrial wasteland. Generations of heavy industry had scarred the area around the River Tawe with industrial dereliction. Few people had any reason to go there – so change was needed. That’s why Swansea councillors at the time drew up momentous plans to give the area a bright future – and, in partnership with others, began to deliver them. Now, people live there in desirable locations such as the Copper Quarter, watch the Swans, Ospreys and world-class concerts at a state-of-the-art stadium, ride and walk through beautiful woodlands, shop…

Merthyr Tydfil community groups can apply for up to £5,000 from a local funding pot that has awarded more than £8m to a wide range of groups and causes over the past 15 years. The Ffos-y-fran Community Benefit Fund donates £1 for every ton of coal sold from the Ffos-y-fran land reclamation scheme. Its Intermediate Grants Scheme, which opened for applications today (2 August 2022), offers grants for projects that support people in developing new skills and contribute to making Merthyr Tydfil a ‘vibrant, attractive, safe and sustainable place’. The projects must be based in the county borough and benefit…

A Caerphilly County Borough resident has won £500 for recycling their food waste as part of the Borough’s Mash for Cash campaign. Mr and Mrs Morrisey from Newbridge have been announced as the fourth winners of Caerphilly County Borough’s Mash for Cash campaign. The Mash for Cash campaign was launched in March 2022 in line with Food Waste Action Week with an aim to increase the number of residents currently recycling their food waste. The campaign sees houses monitored with one food recycling participant chosen at random each month, with each winner receiving £500. The Local Authority hopes that the…

Foster Wales is encouraging foster carers to move to local authority teams and work ‘as one’ to support our young people. Foster Wales, which celebrated its first birthday this month, is the national network of not-for-profit fostering services, comprising of the 22 local authority teams in Wales. Over the last 12 months local authority foster carers have come together to provide vital support for vulnerable young people and parents, with 163 new fostering families formed. However, there is still a need to recruit an estimated 700 new foster carers and families across Wales, all while the country faces a continuing…

An exhibition telling the story of Wales’s contribution in the largest air battle ever recorded is coming to Port Talbot this autumn. The Wales and the Battle of Britain Touring Exhibition was created by the RAF’s Air Historical Branch (Dr Lynsey Shaw) together with Air Commodore Adrian Williams, Air Officer Wales, and his team, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Unfortunately due to COVID the planned tour could not take place at the time. When restrictions eased it was felt that the story of the Battle of Britain told from a Welsh perspective was so important…

The Cabinet of Bridgend County Borough Council has confirmed that resurfacing works for the local highways network will continue as planned despite recent inflationary increases in material, labour and machinery costs. The commitment follows concerns raised by one of the council’s contractors, Centre Great Ltd, over a number of recent cost increases triggered by national and global events such as steep rises in oil and fuel prices. With Bridgend County Borough Council intending to invest more than £5m into highway resurfacing works over the course of this specific contract, the increase amounts to 8.93 per cent or an additional £446,500.…

Bridgend Indoor Market is set to host events and activities this summer ranging from free activities for children to pop-up stalls from new businesses. Every Tuesday throughout August, a Kids Club will take place between 11am – 2pm to keep children entertained with free arts, crafts creative play sessions. The Kids Club sessions will begin on 2 August when Tanio Cymru holds a ‘Create Art With Nature’ event. Alison Moger will visit the market on both 9 August and 16 August to host ‘Flower Power Crafts’, and the last Kids Club of the month will culminate with Circus Eruption’s ‘The…

Motorcyclists are invited to sign up to a free enhanced riders training course to help improve their riding skills and the safety of Powys roads. Powys County Council’s Road Safety team are providing these courses free of charge to any motorcyclists who live in Powys or use Powys’ roads, with funding from the Welsh Government. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) Enhanced Rider Scheme is suitable for full motorbike licence holders who want to improve their riding skills, for those returning to riding after a break, riders who have just passed their test, people upgrading to a more powerful…

Sessions to provide children and young people with healthy meals and educational activities are back on the menu this summer with the return of Food and Fun. The Welsh Government has provided up to £4.85m for the provision of Food and Fun which is run by the WLGA in schools over the summer holidays. The sessions offer children and young people a healthy breakfast and lunch, physical activity and enrichment sessions, and information on food and nutrition. The scheme is aimed at providing support to those from disadvantaged areas, and this year the funding is expected to provide around 8,000…

Andreas Christou is a 27-year-old award-winning restaurateur with two Italian restaurants in Wales — and later this summer, he will open his latest branch in Merthyr Tydfil. Casa Bianca, which boasts sister restaurants in Abergavenny and Monmouth, is expected to open on the corner of Glebeland Street and High Street Merthyr Tydfil by late summer 2022 — providing a new lease of life for one of the town’s empty historical buildings. The new venture has been made possible by an investment from the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Placemaking scheme, delivered in conjunction with Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. Proud winners…