Author: Rhys Gregory

Swansea Council has revealed some of its services that could soon be accessed by the public at the city centre’s planned community hub. The hub, set to be developed in Oxford Street’s former BHS and What! store, could be visited by thousands of people every week. The aim is for the building – which could open in 2023 at the heart of the city centre – to be a welcoming base for services delivered by the council and other organisations. Council services being considered to relocate there include Swansea Library, the West Glamorgan Archive Service and the Contact Centre. All…

BlasCymru/TasteWales 2021 has already helped identify an estimated £14m in new and potential business deals for Welsh food and drink businesses, according to initial feedback. The event which took place in October at the ICCW in Newport provided an opportunity to showcase food and drink from Wales. More than 100 food and drink businesses from Wales took part with 21 of these being established during the Covid pandemic. In total, 1,695 Covid-secure meetings took place as part of the “Meet the Buyer” brokerage between trade buyers and Welsh food and drink businesses, including virtual discussions. 200 trade buyers were in…

One of Swansea’s most historic shopping streets is set to go green. Woodfield Street, in Morriston, is undergoing greening works by Swansea Council to the value of around £160,000. It will see the introduction of new trees and granite kerbside planters with planting providing year-round greenery and improving the street’s appearance. There will be new planters, bench seating and cycle racks. Bollards that are no longer needed will be removed – and new interpretation boards will celebrate the area’s heritage. The new planting will improve bio-diversity, attract pollinating insects and will absorb pollutants and surface water. It will create a…

A foster carer from Neath Port Talbot has shared her 30 years of experience to help inspire others to make a difference in a young person’s life. Back in 1991, Annie Lewis was married, had children of her own, two boys aged seven and eight and was working as a chef, when she contacted her local authority to become a foster carer. But Annie’s story begins much earlier as a troubled teenager in care herself. Annie said: “When I was 14, I was an extremely challenging teenager. I had difficulties in my own family and was always running away. I…

Cardiff Council’s Money Advice team, in partnership with Food Cardiff, is once again on the look out for another 50 households to take part in a fun, healthy cooking challenge. The challenge will begin in early February and follows two successful healthy cooking projects run last year. Challengers will be tasked with creating a week’s supply of delicious family meals by following the easy-to-follow, budget-friendly recipes developed by the Cardiff and Vale UHB Nutrition and Dietetics team. The fifty households taking part in the challenge, supported by Welsh Government’s Tackling Food Poverty and Addressing Food Insecurity Fund, will once again…

Following its £1.7m refurbishment, Abergavenny leisure centre has opened its doors to the public, revealing a host of new equipment and modern leisure facilities. The refurbishment of Abergavenny Leisure Centre, which opened on the 4th January 2022, has created a wellness hub over the first floor to create modern leisure facilities for the local community, helping to increase participation in regular physical activity. The new facilities include: Extended Fitness Suite Dedicated Group Exercise Studio Spin Studio New Fitness Changing Facilities Ground Floor Coffee Vending Offer Members are advised that due to unforeseen circumstances, the swimming pool at Abergavenny Leisure Centre…

Following successful grassland management pilots to improve biodiversity across the Gwent local authorities, this year the Nature Isn’t Neat approach to management is being coordinated to cover wider areas across Gwent, with the mission of making it ‘pollinator friendly’ by allowing more wildflowers to grow in our green spaces. The project which is to be delivered as part of the Gwent Green Grid Partnership, will engage with local communities across South-East Wales, raising awareness of pollinator decline and encouraging community ownership and empowerment to deliver actions that will help them recover. Nature Isn’t Neat will establish a joined-up approach to…

RCT Council will shortly undertake significant works to Bodringallt Bridge, which supports the A4058 in Ystrad – with minimal disruption expected on the main road throughout the scheme. The scheme will infill the void beneath the bridge so that the bridge deck no longer functions as a structural element. To complement this, additional work will reprofile the adjacent embankment slope, install a highway drainage system, repaint the metal parapet and remove vegetation from all walls. The masonry approach wall and wing walls will also be repointed as part of the scheme, while the western approach wall will be demolished and…

The public is being invited to comment on plans to introduce a Learning Resource Centre (LRC) at Greenhill School, Tenby. The proposed LRC would accommodate pupils with complex additional learning needs and Autistic Spectrum Condition. The consultation follows a Pembrokeshire County Council decision in December when Members heard that there was a need for more LRC places in secondary education. As a regulated alteration within the context of the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013, the Council has a duty to consult on the proposal. Further details and the consultation document have been placed on the Authority’s Have Your…

Neath Port Talbot Libraries’ Home Library Service has celebrated the New Year with a brand new addition. The delivery of a new electric vehicle will mean the invaluable service is now even better than it was, delivering to more people than ever before. The Home Library Service is an essential part of Neath Port Talbot Libraries, delivering books and information to residents who have difficulty, or who are unable to visit their local library. This can be due to a variety of reasons such as long term illness or disability, for people who have recently returned home from hospital and…