Author: Rhys Gregory

Students at Pen Y Dre comprehensive school in Merthyr Tydfil have taken part in a film called ‘Look at Us’ a short film highlighting the issue of bullying, based on sexual orientation. Ffilm Cymru in collaboration with Cymoedd Creadigol decided that Pen Y Dre should be the school to bring the script to life which was written by pupils from Porth County Community School RCT, who have faced this type of bullying themselves Pupils from the school, with the support of their drama department went on to produce and direct a short film taking on a variety of roles such as…

Work on a strategy that will guide the scale and location of new development in the county has begun, Powys County Council has announced. Cllr Jake Berriman, Cabinet Member for a Connected Powys, made the announcement at a reception held at Tŵr Brycheiniog on the last day of the Royal Welsh Show (Thursday, 21 July). The council has started a three-and-a-half-year process to prepare a new development plan which will cover all of Powys, excluding the Brecon Beacons National Park. The current Local Development Plan (2011-2026) is used by the council to guide and manage development, providing a basis by…

A task force that will tackle child poverty in Powys has been launched, the county council has announced. The Child Poverty Task Force was launched at the Royal Welsh Show this week (19 July) by Powys County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for a Fairer Powys, Cllr Matthew Dorrance. The task force will map the support that is currently provided by partners across Powys to support families and address any gaps that are found. “One of commitments in our progressive partnership agreement was to form a child poverty task force to work across all the public services to alleviate…

A consortium including industry and academia, led by Caerphilly-based advanced research and development firm Deregallera, is set to begin work on an alternative motor for electric vehicles that’s less harmful to the global environment, thanks to support from the £1.8m Ford Low Carbon Vehicle Transformation Fund, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has confirmed. Administered by the Welsh Government as part of Ford’s legacy in Wales, the Low Carbon Vehicle Transformation Fund was established to help address strategic technical challenges associated with low-carbon vehicles. Electric motors have been in use for decades. Of the many different motor types, permanent magnet motors offer the…

Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden has visited Chepstow Racecourse to see how Horse Racing in Wales is recovering following the Covid pandemic, and to hear about aspirations for future growth. Wales’ three racecourses received more than £1.6 million in emergency funding from the Welsh Government’s Spectator Sports Fund, which was introduced to support venues when sport had to be played behind closed doors to stop the spread of Coronavirus. Overall, the Welsh Government invested over £20m in racecourses, sports clubs and national organisations across 7 sports to help them through periods of the pandemic, when the necessary…

Construction work on a new active travel route for the strategic employment site at Brocastle in Bridgend has started, thanks to a £2m investment by the Welsh Government. The route, which is about 3km south-east of Bridgend town centre and runs parallel with the A48, will link the 116-acre site at Brocastle with the Waterton roundabout, 2km to the north-west. A 2km cycleway, kerbing and surfacing works, new signalised road crossings, replacement traffic signals and street lighting will be built. The £2m funding for the route, which is being provided by the Welsh Government, is the final package of the…

A further £3m is to be invested by the Welsh Government to recruit more emergency ambulance staff to improve response times for the most seriously ill or injured. This additional funding will enable the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST) to recruit around 100 additional frontline staff and introduce a new ‘Cymru High Acuity Response Unit’ (CHARU) service. The CHARU service will seek to improve outcomes for people who have suffered cardiac arrest. The additional staff will help to manage increased demand for emergency care and partially mitigate some of the complex wider system challenges which continue to place intense…

An innovative new mobile telephone mast powered through a pioneering wind turbine, which has the potential to support Wales’ ambitious net zero target and bring telecoms connectivity to ‘not-spots’ in rural areas has been developed by a south Wales-based company, thanks to support from the Welsh Government. Baglan-based Crossflow Energy’s revolutionary mast incorporates a wind turbine, solar panels, and on-site battery storage. The project is just the latest innovation resulting from support from the Welsh Government’s European Union (EU)-funded SMART programme. The Crossflow project is a textbook illustration of the holistic way this support works: A Welsh Government innovation specialist…

If you live with an elderly relative, you may have taken on the role of primary caregiver. It can often feel like an overwhelming task – and one that you struggle to manage alongside your work commitments. However, there is plenty of support on offer, and this article is here to give you some valuable caregiving tips to help make the process easier. By following these top tips below, you can gain peace of mind that your elderly relative is getting the care they need. Create A Routine If you are juggling care commitments alongside your busy lifestyle, the best…

What is the best season for picnics and other types of gatherings? The answer is pretty straightforward. Such popular occasions don’t come without experiments in styling and designing — you are welcome to transform a simple family dinner into a beautiful and memorizable event. Considering how complimentary the surrounding nature in the garden is, including all those blooming and greening, your task is simpler. Whether you intend to enjoy light summer blues or a boho-style party with friends, there is one more thing that can make everyone’s mood perfect — it’s food. The Poptop party planners will go above and…