Author: Rhys Gregory

Britain’s organisations and businesses leading the way in promoting their employees’ wellbeing have been honoured in a brand new awards series, including one from Wales. Careers Wales was named the first ever winner of the Best Support for Remote Workers award in recognition of the steps they took to protect staff from the potential challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. They became early adopters of a variety of programmes intended to mitigate the harsh impact of and transition to working from home, including the training of 30 mental health first aiders and relaxing rules around working hours. The Great…

The Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company is spearheading the launch of a new national day dedicated to the joys of laverbread – a traditional Welsh seaweed delicacy that can be used in everything from quiches to cooked breakfasts. Laverbread is the cooked version of ‘laver’ – porphyra seaweed – a diaphanous red algae found abundantly along Wales’ rocky coastline. Cooked for many hours, it produces a green, gluey sludge that is a delicacy for many, but a challenge to others. Needless to say, it tastes much better than it looks. Jonathan Williams founded his award-winning business on a passion for laverbread. Quitting a…

Land ahoy! Pirates are taking over Adventure Play at Nova over the next few weeks, to transform Nova Play and Café into a treasure island adventure. Nova Play is one of the biggest adventure play centres in North Wales and it’s just about to get even better. Roof damage by Storm Eunice caused Nova Adventure Play to close last week, so whilst the facility is closed for repair, Denbighshire Leisure Ltd has taken the opportunity to enhance the play area and café, and reopen with an exciting new look. Following the success of Adventure Play at SC2 and the popularity…

Swansea Building Society has expanded and updated its mortgage product range to include a new green mortgage, aimed at incentivising energy efficient homes. It has also increased loan to value amounts for buy to let and holiday let mortgages, launched new products for Limited Company buy to let and holiday let mortgages, and is allowing portfolio landlord applications for the first time in its history. The Society’s new Green Mortgage product is applicable only on properties which have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of A or B. This mortgage aims to reward the purchasing of lower-carbon and energy efficient…

Fly-tip in Rhondda Cynon Taf and you will be caught red handed as this man from Penrhiwcieber has recently found out! That’s the warning from RCT Council. Earlier this month the individual was held accountable in court for his reckless, fly-tipping actions. This led to a total of over £740 being issued in a fine. This acts as a clear reminder that residents have a duty of care to dispose of their waste appropriately and to ensure that items are disposed of correctly. Failure to do this, could end up costing you a lot more than travelling a few miles…

An investment of £50,000 has been allocated to tree planting across Rhondda Cynon Taf as part of its commitment to tackle Climate Change and to create a more resilient Wales as part of the well-being and future generation act. Trees are vital and release oxygen which we need for our life. As the biggest plants on the planet, they store carbon, stabilise the soil and give life to the world’s wildlife. Thanks to the investment over 600, small, sapling, hedge row trees will be planted in the coming weeks across the County Borough – 200 in Rhondda, 200 in Cynon…

RCT has agreed an updated funding package for the proposed new Welsh Medium Primary School in Rhydyfelin – to deliver a £14.183m investment for the community. A report to Cabinet on Monday, February 28,outlined the updated financial position of the project following a previous update in June 2021. Since then, a Strategic Outline Programme has been submitted to Welsh Government which incorporates, among other updates, a commitment to achieve a net zero carbon school. Welsh Government approved this in September 2021. The proposed development will be on the current Heol y Celyn Primary school site, and would welcome the school’s…

Lane closures will be in effect on Newport Bridge and the Old Green Roundabout from Monday 7 March for three weeks. The closures are required to facilitate emergency repairs to Western Power apparatus. The lane closures in place are as follows: Newport Bridge – the two middle lanes of the road on the Old Green Roundabout side of the bridge. This will be the right-hand lanes of both directions of travel. The closure will run from the roundabout to just after the point where the westbound bus lane ends, to allow traffic heading towards the roundabout to filter into the…

An award-winning business school is coming to Bridgend County Borough next week which offers free support to entrepreneurs of the future. Rebel Business School, in partnership with Bridgend County Borough Council, will be delivering their popular course at Halo Life Centre from the 21-25 March 2022. The free course, which is part of the local authority’s Elevate and Prosper project, will help local start-ups throughout the county borough to get their ideas off the ground and existing businesses to grow. A spokesperson for Rebel Business School said: “Since 2011, our courses have been showing a new way of thinking and…

A pioneering council-led new green energy sharing initiative looks set to create Wales’ first low-carbon village in South Cornelly. The Low Carbon Communities Initiative aims to see how locally generated renewable electricity, produced as a result of solar power can potentially be shared with other homes nearby. Bridgend County Borough Council, in association with Challoch Energy, NuVision Energy Wales ltd, Passiv UK and the Welsh Government, launched the scheme in order to explore the potential of creating Local Energy Markets where renewable electricity can be traded with participating homes. A small number of households in the South Cornelly area that…