Author: Rhys Gregory

Denbighshire County Council has now awarded the contract for phase one of the Queen’s buildings project in Rhyl. Two new CGI images show plans for the Queen’s buildings, a key catalyst project in the councils wider Rhyl Regeneration programme. The first phase will see the construction of a new indoor market hall, event space and external landscaped area, along with the refurbishment of the Queens Chambers – the red brick building on Sussex Street. Although phase one was already due to have begun, due to birds nesting on the site this will now begin in the summer. Professional teams are…

A 26-year-old fitness instructor based in Cardiff says saving his client’s life after he suffered a cardiac arrest is one of the most empowering things he has done. Kyle Baggett, who is originally from Builth Wells, is urging people across Wales to learn or refresh vital CPR and defibrillation skills. Kyle, who was working at David Lloyd gyms in Cardiff at the time, didn’t expect that he would be saving a life when he went to work in December 2020. He said: “It was just a normal Thursday at work. I was leading a fitness class like any other day…

School children across Swansea will receive recycled IT equipment thanks to an innovative digital partnership between DVLA and Swansea Council. The IT equipment has been donated as part of DVLA’s new Digital Inclusion Scheme which aims to donate digital equipment that DVLA no longer needs, to local authorities for redistribution to schools across Wales.  Swansea Council are the first recipients of the scheme. The scheme supports the growth of vital digital skills for all and helps to ensure that young learners aren’t faced with digital exclusion. DVLA Chief Executive Julie Lennard said: “I’m extremely proud of this new scheme and…

Swansea Building Society’s Chief Executive, Alun Williams, has officially been named the longest currently serving CEO of a building society, following 21 years at the helm of the South Wales-based mutual. Williams began his tenure as Chief Executive Officer with Swansea Building Society in May 2001, following roles as Director of Banking Business at Bank of Wales, and Head of Securities at Williams & Glyn Bank. When Williams first joined the mutual, its assets were only £34 million. It was widely predicted, back then, that smaller building societies would struggle to succeed independently against a backdrop of increased regulation and…

SA1 Solutions, a leading IT and communications company based in South Wales, has embarked on a new chapter of growth and expansion with more new hires, as it reaps the rewards of changes to its offering made during the pandemic and other investments in the business. The business has appointed Owen Price as Sales Manager. His role will be to further push SA1’s unique offering as a one-stop shop to organisations across the UK, helping further integrate the different aspects of the business, which comprise: SA1 Solutions, its IT arm; SA1 Telecoms, its communications offering; and SA1 Creative, which offers…

Bridgend County Borough Council’s capital investment programme is set to receive a £9.9m boost to support the delivery of local services. The programme, which was previously approved by Council in February 2022 and already included an additional £2m for highways infrastructure, is to be expanded to feature a wide range of new investments after proposals were agreed for investing additional grants from Welsh Government, external Section 106 funding and previous budget underspends. More than £1.5m will be directed towards the resurfacing and refurbishment of local roads and pavements over the coming year, and an extra £500,000 will be used to…

Young entrepreneurs from 44 primary schools will be launching a takeover of Castle Square Gardens on Thursday when they set up shop in the city centre Between 9.30am and 2.30pm the children will be selling all manner of goods from home grown vegetables and homemade lemonade to upcycled items and craft products. The record-breaking number of schools have joined the Swansea Primary School Enterprise Challenge 2022 which is launching the takeover bid in Castle Square for the first time since the pandemic. The special market is part of an ongoing drive to inspire pupils to think imaginatively and ambitiously as…

Maerdy Mountain Road will close this summer to undertake the third phase of significant work, rectifying scour damage at a section of the slope below the highway – to ensure the road is safe and available for motorists into the future. The A4233, between Graig Place in Aberdare and Station Road in Maerdy, will close from Monday, July 4 to Monday, September 5, with preparations taking place on site a week earlier from June 27. As an alternative route, motorists should proceed via the A4233, route A4058 to Pontypridd, the A470, and route A4059 to Aberdare – or follow this…

Monmouthshire County Council has announced that it is giving all refugees living in the county six months’ free membership of its leisure centres in a move to benefit their wellbeing.  The news comes on World Refugee Day (20th June) but the offer can be claimed at any time within a year of arrival in the UK. The scheme is available to those who have fled the war in Ukraine along with all other international refugees who have been granted refugee or asylum status by the UK Government.  The MonLife Active membership includes access to the leisure facilities in Abergavenny, Chepstow,…

One-month extension for community venues to apply and spend grant funding to help offer digital and face-to-face events. Funding of up to £4,000 is available to the county’s community run-venues to be spent on equipment that could be used to run hybrid meetings, or otherwise extend their use. And this support just needs to be matched by the operators meeting 20 per cent of the full cost of the equipment or service purchased. The grants are being offered through Arwain, the county’s LEADER programme, which aims to get residents, businesses and communities involved in delivering innovative solutions to address economic,…