Author: Rhys Gregory

248 parks and green spaces in Wales have received the prestigious Green Flag Award and Green Flag Community Award. They include a diverse range of sites, from country parks and formal gardens, to allotments, woodlands and churchyards. Now in its third decade, the international Green Flag Award is a sign to the public that a park or green space boasts the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities. First-time winners include Parc Slip in Bridgend, Bwlch Nant yr Arian which is managed by Natural Resources Wales in Aberystwyth and Gronant Sand Dunes in Denbighshire. Cllr Tony…

ONE of the driving forces behind a leading industrial supplier says goodbye this week after more than 30 years with the business. GE Tools director Neil Coleclough joined the Rhyl and Deeside-based company in 1988 and has helped oversee a period of sustained growth The 59 year-old plans to spend more time with wife Christine and family, pursuing hobbies including photography, walking and yoga. Neil follows GE Tools founder Gordon Evans into retirement and is confident new managing director Chris Owen – who has more than 20 years’ experience with the organisation – will lead them to an even brighter…

Iceland have today released the ‘Cheese Board Bath Rack’, a world-first product offering the British public a much-needed decadent bathing experience. This first of its kind bath snacking-assistant was developed by Iceland to give cheese lovers the perfect, indulgent bath experience. It features a rich dark wood finish, matching cheese knives and a large surface area to display a fine spread of cheese, wine and crackers. Iceland’s research team found that the bathtub is the perfect place to experience new cheeses. Steam quickly brings cheese to room temperature, which is essential to loosen fats, giving cheese a better texture and flavour.…

An innovative grant scheme to help first-time buyers modernise empty homes in Gwynedd and Anglesey has won a prestigious housing award. The First Time Buyers Empty Homes Grant scheme won the Chartered Institute of Housing’s 2021 award for Supporting Future Generations in Wales. The CIH Cymru award was recently presented to the Empty Homes Teams of the neighbouring local authorities. Gwynedd and Anglesey have been working together to deliver the £2.5 million scheme since 2018. They have helped 155 first-time buyers by utilising funding from the Second Homes Council Tax Premium and Welsh Government regeneration funds. Several of Wales’ coastal…

To mark Shwmae Day this year, Pembrokeshire County Council and Menter Iaith Sir Benfro have come together to create a Shwmae rock trail for learners and their families to help explore their ‘cynefin’. Cynefin, pronounced “ku-nev-in” is a Welsh word that doesn’t have a direct English translation but is used to describe a place or habitat where people feel they belong. Families have had the opportunity to visit fifteen historic locations in Pembrokeshire to search for special Shwmae stones which mark Shwmae Day. Shwmae Day is a celebration of the Welsh language and is celebrated annually on the 15th of…

The Gwent Green Grid Partnership, a new ground-breaking project, aims to improve and develop green infrastructure – a term used to describe the network of natural and semi-natural features, green spaces, rivers and lakes that intersperse and connect villages, towns and cities – as well as provide green job opportunities within the area.  Green infrastructure has a crucial role to play in addressing nature, climate change and health emergencies. Monmouthshire County Council, working with Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Newport and Torfaen councils as well as Natural Resources Wales, Forest Research and the Severn Wye Energy Agency, leads the partnership.  The organisations…

MonLife has announced a programme to carry out much-needed improvements to Chepstow Leisure Centre’s swimming pool hall.  These will include redecoration of the pool hall, an upgrade to glazing in the viewing area, a replacement ceiling, an LED lighting upgrade and installation of new air handling units. Scheduled to start on Monday 25th October, the work will necessitate the closure of the pool.  The expected re-opening date is 4th January.  Meanwhile, the rest of the leisure centre will remain open and MonLife will automatically freeze the membership of its Aqua holders while work continues. Monmouthshire’s cabinet member with responsibility for…

Merthyr Tydfil town centre has been given a security overhaul by the Council and South Wales Police with the aim of making our residents feel safe at any time of the day or night. State-of-the-art CCTV cameras now cover the town centre, the car parks have been made safer with improved street lighting, and gates have been installed at alleys where there have been issues with drug taking, drinking and fly tipping. ‘Project Penderyn’ received more than £500,000 from the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund, which is running across England and Wales to support initiatives aimed at preventing crime and…

Caerphilly’s Cabinet has given the green light to progress to consultation on three exciting new 21st Century Schools proposals under the Band B programme. The approval will see the authority progress to stakeholder consultation on three key projects set to transform the learning environment for pupils and staff, as a result of Welsh Government Funding and a contribution from Caerphilly Council’s Place Shaping Reserve. £5.5m Centre for Vulnerable Learners – A proposal to adapt and refurbish an old grammar school building (former Pontllanfraith High School), to accommodate a new fit-for-purpose pupil referral unit. £4m Llancaeach Junior School and Llanfabon Infants…

One million illegal cigarettes, with a street value of more than £200,000, have been seized in Wales as part of a major crackdown on the country’s illegal tobacco trade. The milestone was hit by Welsh Trading Standards Teams taking part in Operation CeCe, an ongoing National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with Her Majesties Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to tackle illegal tobacco. They say the haul seized during raids carried out across Wales, including Rhondda Cynon Taf, includes 1,039,046 cigarettes and 3,377.6 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco, with a total street value of £286,782.30 – money that would otherwise have been in the pockets of criminal gangs. Louise Davies, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Director…