Author: Rhys Gregory

A Llanharry NHS worker of 34 years is one of six neighbours who are celebrating after winning £270,000 with People’s Postcode Lottery. The cash windfall comes after the Welsh postcode CF72 9NJ was announced as a winner with the lottery on Saturday 5th March. Three of the neighbours living on the winning street of Heol Yr Onnen won £30,000 each. Three more neighbours doubled their winnings to £60,000 by playing with two tickets. Vanessa Townsend (54) scooped £30,000 just before her planned retirement from her occupational therapy job with the NHS Swansea Bay health board later this year. When People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador…

WAYWARD sea fearers, a band direct from the streets of Bollywood and a wandering pilot were snapped by the paparazzi in this year’s first free major event in Rhyl. Residents and visitors got together for a day of fun and games on the high street to mark the Mayor’s March Day. Typically held in May, Rhyl Town Council’s annual event is an opportunity for the mayor to thank local people for their support. This year’s special day had been brought forward due to the local May elections. For current Rhyl mayor Cllr Diane King, the fun-filled day had been a long…

Brackla Primary School in Bridgend is set to substantially cut its energy bills after installing solar panels in January, this year. The new solar panels are designed to generate low carbon, renewable electricity which supplies energy to the school and offers an approximate cost saving of £2,800 per year. With an estimated life span of 20 to 25 years, it is hoped that the solar panels will continue to generate savings at the school for years to come. The school is also eligible to claim for any surplus energy exported to the national grid, which will also go towards the…

Work continues on the Hafod-Morfa Copperworks site that’s due to become a new visitor attraction for Penderyn Whisky this year. The Swansea Council scheme will bring new life to the historic site’s powerhouse and outbuildings. An on-site distillery will add to the Wales-based company’s existing facilities. Main contractor John Weaver Contractors, based in Swansea, has forged ahead with work in line with government restrictions throughout the pandemic. The powerhouse roof is well advanced, meaning a weatherproof space for Penderyn’s future on-site distillery. Fellow South Wales firm Hayes Engineering & Cladding Ltd has fabricated – and is putting up – the…

A New Zealand-based company behind proposals to build an outdoor adventure park including ziplines, a sky swing, luge runs and a cableway system on Swansea’s Kilvey Hill is in the final stages of completing its due diligence. Despite the global pandemic having delayed progress, Geoff McDonald, Chief Executive Officer of Skyline Enterprises, says design work and land assembly is on-going. Proposals also include F&B offerings and a panoramic viewing platform on Kilvey Hill with views across Swansea Bay as part of an attraction which is aiming to open in 2025. Positive discussions with Swansea Council continue to take place alongside…

A forgotten landscape in the terraced ‘burgage’ gardens below Haverfordwest Castle has been transformed into a tranquil and restful green space, thanks to a project led by Pembrokeshire County Council and supported by Welsh Government. Wildflower meadows, native plants, new paths and seating have replaced the previously overgrown areas. The historic terrace walls have been refurbished and medieval bee hives – skeps – have also been introduced. The project is one of the first in Wales to receive funding under Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity grant. It also received funding from Pembrokeshire County Council and Welsh Government’s…

Half term week saw Islwyn High School offer a full series of events designed to ensure that all students in Year 11 are given every opportunity to prepare themselves properly for a return to formal examinations this summer. Teaching and support Staff, SLT and external providers all went the ‘extra mile’ in putting on sessions focussed on exam preparation, revision techniques, resilience and skills development and subject specific focus groups were put on in English. Maths and Science to provide students with opportunities to catch up in areas that had been affected by the impact of the pandemic. The school…

Visitors to the popular Reuse Shops at Llanfoist and Five Lanes recycling centres should make a date in their diaries as both shops reopen the week commencing 14th March for the first time this year. This year there is a change to the days that the shops are open, with Llanfoist Reuse Shop now open on a Tuesday from 10am-3pm, and Five Lanes Reuse Shop now open on a Wednesday from 10am – 3pm. Monmouthshire County Council’s Reuse Shops sit alongside Five Lanes recycling centre in Caerwent and Llanfoist recycling centre near Abergavenny and they offer salvaged items at bargain…

Exciting plans to create a new primary school in south Powys have been given the go-ahead by Cabinet, the county council has said. Powys County Council is proposing to merge Mount Streets Infants School, Mount Street Junior School and Cradoc C.P. School to create a new primary school as part of exciting Transforming Education plans for the Brecon catchment area. The new school would initially operate on the three existing sites, before moving to a brand-new building in Brecon, which will provide brand new, 21st century facilities for pupils. The target date for establishing the new primary school is September…

A national robotic-assisted surgery programme allowing surgeons to perform complex procedures with more precision and control is being introduced in Wales, the Health Minister has announced. The All-Wales Robotic Assisted Surgery Network, developed by health boards, the Life Sciences Hub Wales and the Moondance Cancer Initiative, will provide less invasive surgery for thousands of cancer patients across the country. The surgery involves the use of highly advanced robotic surgical instruments under the control of a surgeon. It will initially be used in Wales for some Colorectal, Upper Gastrointestinal, Urological and Gynaecological cancers. The Welsh Government will support the network with…