Author: Rhys Gregory

A group of young people have been given a glimpse of the future of education in Cardiff – and a chance to put their own stamp on how it could look. The Cardiff Young Influencers are an 18-strong group of 13- and 14-year-olds who volunteered to take part in a five-day School Organisation Planning summer school at County Hall. The programme is designed to give young people a platform and the ability to give their opinions on key decisions on school organisation and investment strategy and how the authority will invest millions of pounds in Cardiff schools over the next…

More than 130 people have gained employment thanks to a Pop-Up Employment Hub that opened in the city centre earlier this year. They are among more than 400 who have been supported since Swansea Working took on the previously empty unit opposite HMV in the Quadrant Shopping Centre 12 weeks ago. Many new and established businesses and organisations have also befitted from employment days held there. These include the new Ninja Warrior Adventure Park in Parc Tawe which recruited more than 50 young local people as it opened at the start of the summer. Swansea Working is an employability service…

More children than ever have taken part in this summer’s Food and Fun school holiday scheme in Neath Port Talbot. Food and Fun, which is run each year by Neath Port Talbot Council’s Youth Service, gives children the chance to take part in various fun and physical activities, learn about food and nutrition, as well receiving a healthy breakfast and lunch. St Joseph’s Catholic School and Cefn Saeson Comprehensive joined the scheme this year to bring the total to seven schools, delivering the scheme to more than 350 children. To help deliver the activities that run throughout the programme, the…

Neath Port Talbot Council is strongly backing the Welsh Local Government Association’s call for the UK Government to take action on the rapidly worsening cost of living crisis. Neath Port Talbot Council Deputy Leader, Cllr Alun Llewelyn, said: “Councils like ours are doing everything they can to support their communities as they face spiralling energy bills and other living costs. “Action by the UK Government is required now to mitigate the impact of unprecedented price increases for energy, local services, local businesses, and our local communities.” Cllr Simon Knoyle, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Social…

The stunning Aberfan memorial created by renowned local artist Nathan Wyburn will become a permanent feature at A Welsh Coal Mining Experience at Rhondda Heritage Park, it has been confirmed. The sculpture was created by Nathan as part of the Sky TV’s Landmark programme, in which artists were tasked with creating a piece that reflected their nation. Nathan created “21.10.1966 144 9.13am”, named in reference to the date and time of the Aberfan disaster, and the number of people who were killed when a colliery tip collapsed on the village on that awful day. The piece was created using concrete…

Work to increase the capacity and improve biodiversity at Clydach Vale Lake will start in late August/early September. Improvements will involve dredging areas of the lake to reduce silt levels and work to stabilise the embankments. Cwm Clydach Country Park Partnership and Rhondda Cynon Taf Council will be undertaking the improvements as part of our commitment to provide a diverse and enhanced environment for the community. Although this is a busy time for visitors to the lake, restrictions from nesting waterfowl and migratory fish downstream dictate when work can start. There will be some disruption during this time, including the…

A proposal to create a modern campus for further education students in the city centre has been formally submitted for planning approval. Newport City Council and Coleg Gwent are jointly applying for outline consent for a campus that will provide first-class further education facilities on the site of the present Newport Centre. Planning permission has already been given for a new, state-of-the-art leisure centre, which will include swimming and other wellbeing facilities, on a key city centre brownfield site on the riverfront. It is proposed that the college is built on the site of the current Newport Centre and the…

Merthyr Council is working as quickly as possible to repair Pont-y-Cafnau Bridge, but complications caused by the bridge’s important historical status – along with ecological issues – have delayed progress. The 230-year-old structure is the world’s oldest cast-iron railway bridge and both a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade II* listed structure.  As such, any work carried out on it needs to be approved by Welsh Government’s historic environment service CADW. While it is no longer a railway bridge, Pont-y-Cafnau is used as a footbridge, but has been closed since suffering serious structural damage from winter storms in 2020. CADW advised…

Businesses and organisations across Powys are invited to share their thoughts to inform the council’s Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy. Working on behalf of Powys County Council, Atkins are conducting the survey to investigate local business plans regarding the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure (also known as charge points), and if relevant, plans for electrifying business fleets. Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys, said: “This survey will help us to understand how many Powys businesses already use electric vehicles, what might be blocking the adoption of electric vehicles, and what can be done to overcome these barriers.…

You won’t have failed to notice that fuel prices have spiralled upwards in recent months. You’ll notice it in the newspapers and at the pump, where a full tank of petrol has begun to exceed £100 for even smaller hatchbacks. Whether you’re a business looking to save on your fuel costs or you’re an individual consumer hoping to reduce this part of your expenditure, any savings you can make can help you through uncertain times. Here are three key ways in which you can save on fuel costs in the remainder of this year. Driving Style Most drivers consider their…