Author: Rhys Gregory

Two new shops in Mold and Wrexham will generate new jobs and help raise vital funds for Hope House Children’s Hospices. The charity will be returning to Mold and opening a new shop on High Street while also relocating its long-standing Wrexham shop from Charles Street to Island Green. The shops are expected to open in the Autumn and recruitment has started to find a manager for each site as well as weekend sales assistants. Head of Retail Angela Whelan said: “We are really excited to be opening these two new shops. Both Wrexham and Mold are important towns for…

A kind truck driver will get on his bike for a marathon effort in aid of a good cause that’s close to his heart. George Grice hopes to raise more than £1,000 for the British Heart Foundation which has helped halve the number of people dying from heart and circulatory disease in the UK since its foundation more than 60 years ago. But the 25-year-old, who works for McCarthy Distribution in Wrexham, said sadly every day hundreds of people lose their lives. George’s grandparents on both sides of the family have suffered from heart problems in the past and he is…

Walkers have been flocking back to a brand new stretch of coast path which has been completed along the Gower coastline. 270 metres of accessible coast path has been installed along the coast between Gower beauty spots – Limeslade and Rotherslade. The essential work was completed earlier in the year after coastal erosion was discovered near to the original path in 2019. Following the inspection of the path, Swansea Council’s Countryside Team brought in contractors to create a new path further inland and away from affected area. The Council was awarded funding by the Welsh Government to build the new…

Hundreds of primary school children in Swansea have been gifted cycling equipment as part of a drive to get more people cycling in the city. Six schools in the city, including Morriston Primary School, Llangyfelach Primary, St Illtyd’s RC Primary, Ysgol Gymraeg Y Cym, Cwm Glas Primary and St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, have all been provided a range of cycling kit including balance bikes, scooters and storage facilities, so young children can learn to cycle and have fun while in school. All the equipment has been gifted to the schools by local contractors who have recently constructed new walking…

A proposal to expand the Welsh Government’s flagship Flying Start in Neath Port Talbot has been given the go ahead. Members of Neath Port Talbot Council’s new coalition Cabinet approved plans to extend Flying Start to certain parts of Margam, Gwaun Cae Gurwen and Port Talbot at their meeting on July 28th. If given final approval, it will mean an estimated 127 extra children in Neath Port Talbot will get specialist help from the programme and an additional 32 children will be supported by an expansion in capacity of the Flying Start Outreach Programme. Flying Start is the Welsh Government’s targeted…

A number of trees have been destroyed after being injected with poison in the Baglan area of Port Talbot. Neath Port Talbot Council responded to concerns raised by a member of the public about dead trees on land between Crofton Drive and Willow Grove, Baglan. A council officer visited the site and after inspection found holes drilled into the bases of these semi mature trees – eight in total. Soil and bark samples were taken at a later date and sent for analysis to Bartlett Tree Experts. Testing confirmed the presence of an undiluted herbicide which in large doses, can…

Management of Neath Port Talbot’s leisure services will be transferred from Celtic Leisure to Neath Port Talbot Council (in-house) by April 2023. That is what members of Neath Port Talbot Council’s new Rainbow Coalition Cabinet heard at their meeting on Thursday (July 28th ) in an update from officers on the transfer plan – approved by councillors in February. Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Wellbeing, Cllr Jeremy Hurley, welcomed the report, saying: “There will be a number of benefits to existing staff – the majority of them being local residents – who will have the…

The next stages of work to replace Brook Street footbridge at Ystrad Rhondda Railway Station take place in August – requiring the temporary removal of a ramped access and the temporary closure of the station car park. The bridge has reached the end of its design life, and requires replacement to maintain the well-used pedestrian access from Ystrad to Nant-y-Gwyddon Road. The significant replacement scheme is being jointly funded by the Council and Welsh Government. Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd started the first work on site this year with initial vegetation clearance from January 2022. The project is challenging as it must…

Newport Ship Centre will be celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the discovery of the Newport Ship on Saturday 30 July with a Medieval Open Day (10am-4pm). The day will feature fun medieval-themed activities for all the family, including: Family crafts Re-enactments Storytelling Rope making Willow weaving Music Coin striking Surgeon barber Tours of the Ship Centre will also be running all day, with some of the ship’s conserved timbers being placed on display. Admission is free, with free parking available on site, and refreshments on sale. All proceeds from the sale of refreshments will go to the Friends of Newport…

A project developed by Caerphilly County Borough Council to deliver 18 new one bedroom apartments has been shortlisted in two categories at this year’s prestigious Inside Housing Development Awards. The Inside Housing Development Awards celebrate the very best in housing developments across the UK.  The awards also recognise the teams, schemes and solutions that have made a positive impact on communities. Caerphilly Council has worked in partnership with construction expert Willmott Dixon, Ystrad Mynach based manufacturer Caledan and architects Holder Mathias to develop innovative new homes on sites in Trecenydd and Trethomas. Homes on these developments are the first in…