Author: Rhys Gregory

A new children’s playground is set to open in Pontllanfraith in January providing safe, modern play facilities for the community to enjoy in 2022. The investment forms part of plans to develop a major new housing development adjacent to the new playground site. The new facility will replace an existing playground, which is located within the site of the former council offices in Pontllanfraith. The old playground will be decommissioned this week and some of the equipment will be used for spares and repairs at other sites across the area. The new £100k playground is located a short distance from…

Shoppers in town centres across the Caerphilly county borough are continuing to enjoy free parking at council-owned pay and display sites in the countdown to Christmas. CCBC is keen to encourage residents to support their local town centres during these challenging times. A decision was made back in May 2020 to temporarily suspend parking charges and the policy was recently extended for a further 12 month period up to the end of Sept 2022. The move has been widely welcomed by shoppers and businesses alike, but some car parks such as Crescent Road in Caerphilly, were being under-utilised. The council…

The Planning and Development Committee has granted Linc Cymru (Linc) full planning permission to build a brand new Extra Care facility in Porth – which will be located on the former Dan y Mynydd Care Home site. In a report to the Committee meeting on Thursday, December 16, Officers had recommended Linc’s application for approval. The application covers the four-storey facility which includes 60 apartments, as well as associated works relating to landscaping, sustainable drainage, access and parking provision. The building will contain a lower ground floor with a dining area, lounge, hair salon, activity room, kitchen, laundry room, Day…

Visitors to Ynysangharad War Memorial Park will notice works activity from early January – towards the refurbishment of the bandstand and sunken garden areas, and delivery of a new activity centre, throughout 2022. The significant £1.9m works will begin at the much-loved park in Pontypridd from Tuesday, January 4 (2022) – using funding secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and contributions from the Council and Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns funding. The project will rejuvenate the heritage features of the Grade II Listed park, to help develop audiences and provide much-needed opportunities for learning, engagement and participation in the community. GKR…

The Welsh Government has today published its provisional local government settlement for 2022-23. Core revenue funding for local government will increase by 9.4% on a like-for-like basis, compared to the current year. No local authority will receive less than an 8.4% increase. Social care, education, recycling and a number of other key services provided by local authorities will be backed with £5.1bn in Welsh Government Revenue Support Grant and non-domestic rates. The settlement provides funding to deliver commitments including the real Living Wage for care workers, the teachers’ pay deal, support on business rates, and the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.…

Poultry keepers need to take action now to make sure they have biosecurity measures in place to protect their birds, or risk losing their flocks to bird flu, the Chief Vet for Wales, Christianne Glossop, has said today. The warning has come as the UK as a whole faces its most significant bird flu season ever.  Over 50 cases have been recorded to date in kept birds, with three in Wales. New housing measures were introduced last month to stop the disease from spreading, which means keepers are legally required to keep birds indoors and follow biosecurity measures.* Wild birds…

The Welsh Government is making £5.25m available to assist Wales’ arts organisations, museums, libraries and independent cinemas through the winter months, the Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden has announced today. The purpose of this fund is to support organisations that are in genuine difficulty – at risk of closure or that jobs will be lost – unless further support is provided. This risk must be as a direct result of the ongoing impact of Covid-19. The new fund will provide essential support to organisations in these cultural sectors across Wales, many of which are run on a voluntary…

Work has begun to build two new operating theatres at Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli in a bid to tackle surgical waiting lists and ease pressures across the region. The new operating theatres, which will be built thanks to nearly £20m of Welsh Government funding, will include preparation rooms, anaesthetic rooms, changing facilities and a recovery area. The theatres will have capacity to run 24 sessions a week, covering procedures including orthopaedics, general surgery, urology, vascular and laser therapy for varicose veins. The new facilities are expected to deliver approximately 4,600 additional day cases per year. It is hoped this will…

UK residents are being urged to ‘check it not regret it’ when considering buying a second-hand car as part of a campaign for improved road safety and awareness. The aim of the campaignis to warn people of the potential issues that could arise when buying a used car and how they can take steps to protect themselves and ensure what they are buying is legal, safe and what it’s reported to be. Serious safety issues may arise when buying a used car with hidden history. Clocked cars have mileage doctored to increase value. Potential buyers can be conned into believing a vehicle…

As of 2021, TikTok is one of the most downloaded social media apps. With 1 billion monthly active users, it is not that hard for brands who wonder how to grow TikTok followers to promote themselves as compared to other social media platforms. TikTok is a highly-engaging and active app, therefore, no matter which business brand you own, you can easily create your brand presence with the right social media strategies and techniques. If you want to leverage the amazing statistics of TikTok, we have listed below different ways which can help you promote your brand. Read on! 1. Get Familiar…