Author: Rhys Gregory

A new video shows how your 3,500-capacity Swansea Arena looks as the eye-catching venue builds up to key test events this week. The video shows features such as the elegant foyer, magnificent auditorium and smart VIP areas. Swansea Arena is one feature of the £135m Copr Bay phase one district being developed by Swansea Council and development managed by RivingtonHark. Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd is leading on its construction. Test events featuring local bands are due to take place at the arena this Friday and Saturday to enable the testing of all aspects of the venue ahead of its opening…

Swansea’s festival celebrating all things Welsh, Croeso, will be packing lots of excitement into the city centre when it returns on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 February. The free event is organised by Swansea Council. Councillor Robert Francis-Davies, cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “We’re excited to be bringing this event to Swansea. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase some of our fantastic food and drink and also attract new people into the city centre to see some of the chefs in action and experience something new in Swansea.” Visitors heading to Croeso, held each day between 11am…

More than 3000 members of the public have had their say on Cardiff’s 10-year strategy to boost the number of children and young people learning through the medium of Welsh. Those that responded were largely in support of the principles and vision of Cardiff’s Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) 2022-2032 which has been designed to help Welsh Government realise its target of having one million Welsh speakers in Wales by 2050. The Council’s Cabinet will consider a report informing them of the responses when it next meets on Thursday 18, February 2022. Recommendations will be made tosubmitthe strategy for…

Next year’s council tax will not be increased and there will be no cuts to frontline services as part of Bridgend County Borough Council’s budget for 2022-23. A meeting of full Council held earlier this week (Wednesday 23 February) confirmed how the local authority will spend its gross budget of £459m for the year ahead and which services will be prioritised following a record 9.2 per cent increase in funding from Welsh Government. Members agreed to spend an extra £2.5m on ensuring that all care workers receive a pay rise which reflects the real living wage, and to provide local…

A rogue builder from Bridgend has been prosecuted after leaving several people out of pocket across Wales. Morgan Lewis, 23, defrauded a total of 20 people across south Wales including single mothers, NHS workers and a widow, causing a loss of approximately £50,000. Cardiff Crown Court heard Lewis demanded customers pay an upfront deposit to ‘secure a slot’ for the work to be done before not returning at all. The prosecution told how in the earlier complaints Mr Lewis would attend site and complete a nominal amount of work, often leaving to get more materials or due to a ‘family…

As part of Wales’ bid to become a zero waste nation by 2050, the Welsh Government has trialled using recycled nappies to resurface a stretch of road on the A487 between Cardigan and Aberystwyth. Fibres from 4.3 tonnes of used nappies have replaced materials used to make asphalt that are normally shipped in from Europe and beyond. The other ingredient- aggregate- was sourced within a 45 mile radius, sustaining local jobs and cutting carbon by shortening the supply chain. Nappies and other absorbent hygiene products are currently or have plans to be collected in 15 out of 22 local authorities…

The first people in Wales have started to collect trees as part of an ambitious Welsh Government project to fight climate change. It follows a promise made by Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters in December that every household in Wales would be offered a free tree. Welsh Government has teamed up with Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust in Wales, to deliver the project. The collections started today (Friday, February 25) in Cwmbran and will run throughout March at five regional hubs as part of a pilot that will see the release of 5,000 trees to local households. In autumn,…

Health Minister Eluned Morgan has announced a further £500k to improve community access to defibrillators. Increasing the availability of defibrillators in community settings will help to improve the survival rates of people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital. The funding will enable community groups, sports grounds and public organisations to access a defibrillator and is a further boost to the £500k announced in September last year. The previous funding saw more than 400 applications for defibrillators approved, including from local and town councils, residents’ associations, gyms, schools, sporting venues, childcare venues and places of worship. Each year…

As the cold nights are still upon us, the lack of sunlight can get to us, affecting our circadian rhythm; it’s not uncommon to be feeling tired more often. There’s no doubt we’re around our beds more in winter, with the idea of snuggling into a duvet being more appealing than ever. Gone are the days of a sore back or an achy body from uncomfortable sleep. With numerous bedtime accessories out there to vamp up your bedtime comfort, getting and maintaining a comfortable sleep is more of a possibility than ever. Items ranging from non-allergenic mattresses, pillow protectors, mattress…

You may be asked to provide proof of your military service in a variety of situations. Legal issues arise in one of them. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is an essential piece of legislation for active-duty service members (SCRA). Military personnel and their families enjoy numerous legal privileges that the general public does not. The SCRA protects active-duty service members, National Guard members, and reservists who are 30 to 90 days from being discharged from the military. This law gives military personnel immunity from civil liability or a reprieve from financial obligations while they are on active duty. The SCRA…