Author: Rhys Gregory

Listening and engagement sessions are taking place with parents, staff, governors and pupils about plans for a multi-million- pound new school to replace Goetre Primary in Gurnos, Merthyr Tydfil, which is currently in a poor state of repair. The project will create a modern, state-of-the-art new build school, jointly funded by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning programme. The new school will be located less than half a mile away from the current site on land below Pen Y Dre High School. It will have a Multi-use Games Area (MUGA), community facilities, and a…

Latest data published by Stats Wales confirms that Powys has once again exceeded the Welsh Government statutory recycling target of 64%, with an impressive recycling rate of 66.8% for 2021/22. Wales outperforms other UK home nations when it comes to recycling and is currently one of the best recycling countries in the world with an average recycling rate of 65.2%. As a country our recycling efforts already make a significant difference to help reduce the effects of climate change, saving around 400,000 tonnes of CO2 per year from being released into the atmosphere. “Already recycling above the national average, Powys…

Households across Wales can collect their tree, free of charge, from tomorrow as part of an ambitious Welsh Government giveaway to tackle the climate and nature emergencies – an initiative called My Tree Our Forest. Over 50 collection hubs facilitated by Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust in Wales, are set to open their doors to the public from the 19th November. Behind them is an army of dedicated volunteers ready to share expert growing advice in choosing the right tree for the right space. A whopping 295,000 trees are up for grabs and their planting will contribute to the National…

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to affect families, schools across Wales are playing a vital role in supporting their local communities. A Community Focused School is one, which builds a strong partnership with families, responds to the needs of their community and collaborates effectively with other services to ensure all children thrive. In March this year, the Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles announced almost £25m investment in delivering Community Focused Schools, to fund practical ways of improving school facilities in order to enable greater community use. This includes providing equipment storage for community groups running extra-curricular activities and improving…

NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are digital assets that are not divisible and have fixed amounts. They’re seen as taking the art world by storm as an alternative for physical art pieces. NFT art has recently exploded in popularity. CoinDesk is reporting that hundreds of NFT-based games and collectibles are currently being developed. If you need to keep up with this space, it’s time to start. Creating a reliable digital art marketplace in crypto can take time and effort. That is, unless you build off an established protocol, like Enjin Coin. It provides the infrastructure for game developers to integrate NFTs…

The importance of responsible gambling is known even to those who have never played in a casino, and this topic is very relevant for many users. Since online gaming establishments have become legal in many countries, including Canada, controlling such activities has become stricter. Numerous authorities control online casinos, which must adapt to the new reality and correspond to all existing rules and laws to remain attractive for players. As one of the leading gambling brands, Mr Bet cannot be left aside and regularly advances its policy for safer gambling and better conditions for players. The main reason for implementing…

Nearly 150 food and drink industry professionals have come together in Cardiff to discuss the UK’s changing food safety landscape and its impact on food and drink manufacturing in Wales. The 19th annual UK Association for Food Protection Cardiff was held at the All Nations Centre in Cardiff on Wednesday 16th November 2022 and was organised by Cardiff Metropolitan University’s ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre. Attendees heard from a range of high-profile food safety experts including Nathan Barnhouse and Professor Robin May from the Food Standards Agency, who spoke about their organisation’s role in a changing food system. Other speakers included…

Wines from vineyards across Wales have been recognised by the Welsh Vineyard Association at its 2022 award ceremony. The Welsh Wine Awards saw six wines from four Welsh vineyards take home accolades across the event, which was held at Llanerch Vineyard in the Vale of Glamorgan. A total of 12 vineyards entered this year’s awards, representing a proportion of the growing Welsh wine industry, with around 30 vineyards currently operating across the country. The competing wines were split into seven classes: white, rosé, red, sparkling white, sparkling rosé, best Welsh PDO/PGI and the Best Overall Wine and were judged by…

The Autumn Statement’s inclusion of a new “Tesla tax” is in contradiction to the Government’s stated plans to continue its campaign for UK drivers to switch to electric vehicles (EVS). According to the UK’s premier used car buying service, ChooseMyCar.com, the Autumn Statement includes a decision to no longer exempt EVs from the £335 “premium supplement” on new cars. That means that any person buying an EV worth £40,000 or more could have to pay a whopping £520 for road tax, despite being the greenest option. Recent research, commissioned by ChooseMyCar.com, suggested that many UK drivers were keen to swap…

Rebecca Evans, the Welsh Government’s Finance Minister, has said today’s Autumn Statement will mean people are paying more for less. The Chancellor’s statement confirmed tax rises for people across the United Kingdom along with deep spending cuts in future spending review periods. Forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility have indicated the biggest fall in disposable income since records began, with household incomes not expected to get back to pre-pandemic levels until 2028. Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government, said: “We should be under no illusions; this statement confirms we are in a deep recession. Real incomes are…