Author: Rhys Gregory

A FAMILY firm proved to be a glass above during the pandemic after increasing turnover and taking on new staff. Approaching 40 years in business, Anglesey-based Peninsula Home Improvements credited new partnerships and diversification as having a positive impact on growth. Sales director Dylan Hulse – a graduate of the popular Leading Business Growth programmes at Bangor University Business School – revealed a more reflective approach played a major role in expansion of the award-winning Gaerwen business, one of the region’s leading suppliers of specialist windows, doors, and conservatories. As Bangor and Cardiff Metropolitan universities this month launched their second…

Six innovative engineering projects have been unveiled as voting opens for the 2022 Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) People’s Choice Award. The People’s Choice Award showcases the best of civil engineering, recognising projects that have a positive impact on the local economy and communities, while highlighting the positive benefits civil engineering has on communities. The shortlisted projects range from a new container port in Nigeria to the restoration of a peat bog on the English-Welsh border. They also include an elegant bridge connecting communities in Glasgow, flood defences in Lincoln, the renovation of a Grade II-listed ferry terminal on the…

A Catholic primary school in Cardiff has been praised for its ‘outstanding’ work in a number of areas in its latest report by Estyn, the education and training inspectorate for Wales. The Holy Family RC Primary School in Fairwater had 163 pupils at the time of its inspection in June, with more than a third (36.9%) eligible for free school meals, more than a fifth with additional learning needs (ALN) and just over four per cent who have English as an additional language. In the report, the school was judged to be a “diverse community where contributions to its unique…

A new Families First Programme has been launched by Bridgend County Borough Council, as part of the Bridgend Young Carers Service. The programme is run in partnership with Whitehead-Ross Education, Welsh Government and Bridgend County Borough Council. Families First is one of a number of programmes which forms part of the Children and Communities Grant, which aims to address the support and needs of the most vulnerable children and adults in our communities. The scheme aims to assist households who are experiencing short or long-term challenges by making sure families receive support in a way that is appropriate to their…

Two Swansea-based initiatives are celebrating receiving funding from the Rural Development Programme. GPs and other health workers in Gower may soon be able to prescribe wilderness bushcraft courses to help boost local people’s health and wellbeing. Under an innovative new scheme, people needing a bit of extra support will be able to attend wilderness training courses run by local organisation, Dryad Bushcraft CIC, if prescribed by their local rural NHS health practitioners and SCVS rural co-ordinators. The initiative is just one of the two latest projects being funded by the Swansea Rural Development Partnership (RDP) which are designed to…

Pembrokeshire County Council planners can now consider a wider variety of planning applications for town centres in Pembrokeshire, thanks to the publication of a new report. The report by the Council’s planning authority supports a more permissive approach towards the development of multi-functional and vibrant town centres. Speaking after Cabinet’s endorsement of the report today (Monday), Cllr Paul Miller, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Place, the Region and Climate Change, said: “I strongly believe that the quality of our town centres is important for the wider economic wellbeing of Pembrokeshire. “However, there is no future in retail-only town centres. Instead, they…

Caerphilly County Borough Council is started its phased roll-out of free primary school meals to all Reception and Year 1 pupils on 2nd September, thanks to Welsh Government funding. The offer will be extended to all full-time Nursery and Year 2 pupils by November 7th, 2022, to ensure the school’s catering team are able to manage the additional demand placed upon it. Further information on when other year groups will receive free school meals will be announced by Welsh Government in the coming months. Carol Andrews, Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Education & Communities said “In response to the…

As part of the Caerphilly Cares programme to tackle food poverty and insecurity, community cooking champion project will be launching today in Penallta House. The launch has seen Cllr Sean Morgan (Leader of Caerphilly Council), Cllr Carol Andrews (Cabinet Member for Communities), Morrisons Community Champions  and CCBC catering staff promote the community cooking champion project, with classes beginning at White Rose Centre in New Tredegar, September 20th. The session will be delivered by volunteers from CCBC’s catering staff as part of our corporate volunteering scheme. The initiative is being supported by Morrisons stores in the area, as part of their…

A new all age school has opened its doors to learners for the first time today, ushering in a new era of education in a part of north Powys. Ysgol Bro Caereinion in Llanfair Caereinion is the latest school to be established by Powys County Council. It becomes the county’s third all age (4-18) school and has been established following the merger of Llanfair Caereinion C.P. School and Caereinion High School. The school will provide Welsh-medium and English-medium education on the current sites of the of the primary and high school. Ysgol Bro Caereinion has also named is senior leadership…

The Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, Dr Gavin Watkins, has confirmed the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 at a premises near Arthog in Gwynedd. A 3km Protection Zone and 10km Surveillance Zone have been declared around the infected premises, to limit the risk of disease spread. Within these zones, bird movements and gatherings are restricted and all holdings that keep birds must be declared. The measures are stricter in the 3km Protection Zone. The UK health agencies advise that the risk to public health from the virus is very low and the UK food standards agencies advise…