Author: Rhys Gregory

Neath Port Talbot Council’s Youth Service enjoyed a royal visit (Wednesday, March 9th, 2022) when HRH the Countess of Wessex visited young parents, their children and staff involved in the Young Parents Provision project. The Provision is funded by the Welsh Government Youth Support Grant run in partnership with the Youth Service, Flying Start and Thrive.  The Young Parents can access Youth Workers, along with support from Neath Port Talbot Council’s Flying Start programme (an early years support programme for families of children under four) and support from Thrive Group Wales. The Young Parents group provides valuable support and advice…

A number of visitor accommodation businesses in Swansea are benefitting from funding to improve their facilities as the important spring and summer seasons edge ever closer. The funding, which is part of Swansea Council’s £25m economic recovery fund, is one of a package of measures aimed at supporting the city’s tourism sector throughout 2022 and beyond. Among the businesses to have benefited from the tourism support fund is Clyne Valley Cottages, where the Keeper’s Cottage and adjoining Barn Owl Cottage have been refurbished. The funding has also helped Tir Cethin Farm in Three Crosses with the purchase and installation of…

A seafront park is set to be created in Porthcawl following the approval of a new Placemaking Strategy that will provide a framework for how the next phases of regeneration will take place. Expected to be almost as large as two football pitches laid back-to-back, the new seafront park will run for 200 metres along the eastern esplanade and will be approximately 70 metres wide. It is being provided by reducing the amount of land marked for housing at Salt Lake by a third, and is in direct response to feedback received through recent public consultation which indicated that people…

Work is progressing on the multi-million-pound redevelopment of Maesteg Town Hall, with the full restoration of the clock tower being completed recently. Knox and Wells, the main contractors working on the regeneration project, are making steady progress, and working to ensure the Grade II listed building retains its original features as well as adding some modern enhancements to aid accessibility. Construction of the all-new eight-person accessible lift has begun, which will improve visitor experience for wheelchair users and those with limited mobility. The lift will be housed next to the original porch and western entrance, with the porch being rebuilt…

Work has restarted on the building of the first new Council houses in Pembrokeshire for more than 25 years. Work on the Cranham Park development in Johnston had been on hold since the original contractor went into administration. Pembrokeshire County Council has since appointed WB Griffiths to take over the work to complete the 33 homes on the site of the former primary school. WB Griffiths staff have been on site for around three weeks, setting up, tidying the site and recommencing building works. Neil Griffiths, Director of WB Griffiths said: “We are delighted to continue our relationship working with…

Pembrokeshire has been successful in obtaining nine awards from the new UK Community Renewal Fund, totalling £2.92 million. The scheme is administered nationally by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who appraised the funding bids. It is administered at a local level by Pembrokeshire County Council. “The nine projects will bring a raft of benefits to the economy and environment of Pembrokeshire,” said Gwyn Evans, Pembrokeshire County Council’s External Funding Manager. “We are extremely pleased to have received a clean sweep in our applications to UK Government’s new funding stream,” he said. “As a result hundreds of people…

A statue to honour the pioneering writer, evolutionary theorist and trailblazing feminist Elaine Morgan is being unveiled in Mountain Ash following a campaign by the Monumental Welsh Women group. This will be the second statue of a named, non-fictionalised woman to be erected in an outdoor public space in Wales, following Monumental Welsh Women’s successful unveiling of the Betty Campbell Monument in Cardiff in September 2021. Monumental Welsh Women’s mission is to erect five statues honouring five Welsh women in five different locations around Wales in five years. The statue of Elaine Morgan, a permanent immortalisation in bronze of the…

As well as growing a reputation for quality dining, Merthyr Tydfil is also making its name in the luxury accommodation sector, with work progressing on a new boutique hotel due to open in the autumn. The famed former local bakers & confectioners building owned by Howfield & Son is to be brought back to life in spectacular fashion as a hotel and bistro, also offering self-contained residential apartments. The High Street premises is undergoing a £1.5m refurbishment and will feature a bistro/bar on the ground floor, and boutique hotel and 23 flats, finished ‘to a high specification’ throughout. Merthyr Tydfil…

When you plan on making your partner your legal spouse, you may want to take steps to try and make a marriage last. By considering these different elements before you even get engaged, you might be able to put in more work to improve your relationship now, meaning things could be a lot easier in the future. Whether married or not, being in a healthy relationship can be good for both your wellbeing and happiness, as well as that of your partner. The first thing you can do is to think of the way that you plan to get engaged…

Anyone who is unfocused, grumpy or worried on a constant basis, is probably going through anxiety. But anxiety is more than a mental occurrence, it often tends to show itself through physical manifestations like stomach issues, sleeplessness, sweating, palpitation, and trembling. That is the reason why anxiety inclines towards adversely affecting normal lives of individuals. And though it is common to seek medical assistance to manage this condition, there are ways which do not involve medication for calming down your nerves. These solutions can be implemented either as supplement or as substitute to medicines. The lines below reveal efficient solutions…