Author: Rhys Gregory

A new business forum has been launched for Neath Port Talbot. The NPT Innovation Exchange will bring together construction, digital, technology, engineering and manufacturing firms for purposeful collaboration and economic benefit. Launched at an online event on the afternoon of March 23, the NPT Innovation Exchange is hosted by Neath Port Talbot Council in partnership with 4theRegion. Supported by the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund, the exchange aims to deliver tangible benefits for local businesses and for the wider region, by encouraging local firms to innovate, collaborate and grow. The launch event attracted around 40 local businesspeople and included talks…

Another significant step in the revival of the narrow gauge Corris Railway in Mid Wales was achieved on Saturday. A new traverser at Corris Railway Station was used for the first time to allow a steam engine to run round a set of passenger carriages. This will be a regular feature from the Easter weekend when the line begins its 2022 passenger services. The first locomotive to be moved on the traverser was the Ruston and Hornsby four wheel diesel hydraulic number 6, which already holds a place in the railway’s history as having worked the initial passenger trains after…

A six-month pilot is underway to deploy remote monitoring for mental health patients across two Swansea-based care homes, Hengoed Park and Hengoed Court. Delivered by Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB) and Life Sciences Hub Wales, the remote monitoring programme will be deployed through Spirit Health’s CliniTouch Vie digital health platform. The CliniTouch Vie remote monitoring platform enables clinical teams and clinicians to provide remote care for patients. Identifying deteriorating mental health amongst patients is already a vital service provided by care homes. But experts believe that supporting this care with additional remote observation offers valuable potential to increase monitoring…

A Newport-based family lawyer is expecting a surge in enquiries this week from couples who have been waiting to split until the new ‘no-fault’ divorce law comes into effect on Wednesday. Senior associate in Harding Evans’ Family Law department, Leah Thomas, said 6 April will be a historic day for couples wanting to separate. After years of campaigning for the divorce process in England and Wales to be changed, a major reform is coming into effect to remove the concept of fault and the need to blame one of the parties. Described by the Law Society as “bringing UK divorce…

THOUSANDS of visitors are set to take Swansea’s Oystermouth Castle by storm as it throws open its gates for the 2022 season. Swansea Council and the Friends of Oystermouth Castle run the historical attraction, which overlooks Mumbles and Swansea Bay. It will be open to the public from 11am-5pm Monday to Sunday from April 2 to September 30 and every weekend in October. Visitors will be able to head back in time to taste a little bit of medieval life on opening day, Saturday, April 2, with Swansea-based re-enactors Gwerin y Gŵyr at the immersive, interactive experience Medieval Living History…

Thousands of children and young people across Cardiff have taken advantage of eight weeks of leisure, sports and cultural events held in the city as part of the Winter of Wellbeing festival. The festival, following on from last year’s Summer of Smiles, featured scores of free activities designed to give young people up to the age of 25 and their families a range of experiences, including stand-up paddleboard lessons, a barista course, indoor rock climbing, a silent disco, gaming, arts and crafts and theatre shows. Jointly funded by the Welsh Government and Cardiff Council, the Winter of Wellbeing began in…

A number of freshly planted trees at playing fields in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen have been snapped in what has been described as “a mindless act of vandalism”. The trees had recently been planted at Parc y Werin in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen where Neath Port Talbot Council has recently secured All Wales Play Opportunity Grant Funding of around £40,000. The money was invested in a Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) facility. The trees were planted to complement the facility and were designed to enhance the area for many years to come. A Neath Port Talbot Council spokesman said: “This facility is designed to benefit people…

Illegally dumping three black bags of waste has cost a Newport resident more than £1,000. Carlie Hastie Davies, aged 37, of Broadmead Park, pleaded guilty to the offence at Newport Magistrates Court. In September last year, Newport City Council officers responded to a report of illegally deposited waste around a tree on Broadmead Park. Correspondence was found in three bags relating to Davies who had received a warning for doing the same thing six months earlier. In March, the magistrates fined her £400 and ordered her to pay costs of £606.28 plus a victims’ surcharge of £40.

On the last day of the official tree planting season, which runs from October to March, Her Majesty The Queen has sent a message to thank people all over the United Kingdom who have come together to plant over a million Jubilee trees in her name. With a focus on planting sustainably, Her Majesty’s message marks the halfway point for The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative which spans two official tree planting seasons. Tree planting will commence again in October 2022, through until the end of the Jubilee year.Her Majesty and The Prince of Wales, Patron of the QGC, marked the…

Those were the words of Deputy Climate Change Minister, Lee Waters as he unveiled plans to bring forward legislation to change the way bus services are delivered across Wales. The Deputy Minister said designing a system that is ‘easy to use, easy to access and well connected’ would be his top priority to offer people a ‘real sustainable transport alternative’ to the private car. The Bus White Paper, published today, is a key step towards a new model for running buses in Wales and a chance for us look at what Wales needs from its public transport services. The Welsh…