Author: Rhys Gregory

Local community plasterer and multi-tradesman Stephen Alun Hughes, 53, from Prestatyn, North Wales has won TradePoint’s August £150k Vantastic Monthly Giveaway Competition which sees shoppers in with a chance to win a brand-new van if they shop at TradePoint twice in one month. TradePoint launched the competition to reward its customers, with the chance to win one of 6 brand new trading vans. Each month the competition is sponsored by a different brand including DeWalt, Dulux, Valspar, and Gyproc, with this month’s giveaway sponsored by Valspar paint. This month’s winner, Stephen Alun Hughes is a plasterer and multi-trader in the…

Savills, on behalf of Cardiff Gate Business Park Ltd, has brought to market two multi let office buildings – Unit’s 2A Oaktree Court and F, G, H and J Copse Walk – at Cardiff Gate International Business Park for £5.2 million, which represents an attractive net initial yield of 8.63% and a low capital value of only £134 per sq ft. Unit 2A Oaktree Court comprises of a three storey purpose built self-contained office building spanning 6,522 sq ft. The property has 29 car parking spaces. Units F, G, H and J were designed as four units providing a total…

Two North Pembrokeshire on-demand bus services are amalgamating. Bwcabws and Fflecsi Pembrokeshire are joining together to provide an integrated service, with standard fares and booking procedures. The move will enable customers to switch seamlessly between buses, said Cllr Phil Baker, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure. “This is great news for passengers,” he said. “Instead of having two different systems and pricing structures, the whole process will be streamlined, make booking transport much more straightforward.” He added: “The TfW Fflecsi service has demonstrated how demand responsive transport can play a vital part in transforming public transport in other parts of Pembrokeshire already. We are…

People in Swansea who have phoned a free advice line to check whether they are missing out on benefits they are entitled to have received an additional £50,000 in backdated payments between them so far. Earlier this year Swansea and Neath Port Talbot Councils together with partner organisations launched the 0800 112 4763 free phone number to support people over the age of 66 who may be missing out Pension Credit. So far this helpline has assisted people successfully claim 113 different benefits with many people receiving more than one benefit.  This has generated a weekly increase in income of £5,050.10 which…

Building work on the new restaurant in Swansea’s emerging coastal park is nearing completion. Scaffolding has now been removed from the 1,400 square foot restaurant, which will have capacity for about 60 people along with outdoor seating. The keys for the restaurant will soon be handed over to its operators – The Secret Hospitality Group – who will then start work on its fit-out and application for licencing. The Secret Hospitality Group, run by Ryan and Lucy Hole, also own The Secret Beach Bar & Kitchen on Mumbles Road, as well as The Optimist Bar & Kitchen in the Uplands…

Butterfly Conservation, PONT Cymru, Natural Resources Wales and Neath Port Talbot Council’s Countryside and Wildlife Team have been working together with local farmers to enable cattle to graze on the common once again. This will benefit local wildlife and reduce hazards such as grass fires and flooding. Grazing will help to better maintain the purple moor grass and rush pasture habitat of the common. This will benefit the rare Marsh Fritillary butterfly. This is a threatened European species declining rapidly in the UK. However, the butterfly has a stronghold in the Ystradgynlais and surrounding area and conservationists are working hard…

Caerphilly County Borough Council has launched a new website which aims to help prevent homelessness. The Caerphilly Keys website provides information for private landlords on a scheme which matches people to suitable properties and then offers support to both the tenant and landlord to sustain the tenancy.  The service is led by the council’s Housing Solutions team and is provided free of charge, including viewings and quarterly monitoring visits. Having recently celebrated its third anniversary and with over 100 properties registered with the scheme, the project has helped many families and individuals who would otherwise have found themselves homeless.  This…

On Friday 8 October, the Civic Centre clock tower will be lit up in pink in support of a campaign to support Aneurin Bevan University Health Board’s new breast unit. Fundraisers Friends of the new breast care unit asked organisations across Gwent to “turn pink” as the proposed new facilities will benefit residents across the region. To give the best possible state-of-the-art care to patients with breast conditions, the board is building a “centre of excellence” at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr. Councillor Jane Mudd, Leader of Newport City Council, said: “I’m pleased we are able to show our support for such…

The Deputy Minister for Social Services has announced a further £36.6 million to support children and families as part of their recovery from the pandemic and it’s restrictions to ensure no child is left behind. The Welsh Government has outlined its commitment to putting children at the heart of everything it does this Senedd term. To ensure no family or child is left behind as a result of the pandemic, a significant package of support is being provided to fund initiatives designed to help children, young people, families and the services they use recover and move forwards from the pandemic.…

Finance and Local Government Minister Rebecca Evans is calling on the UK Government to revise the process for agreeing devolved tax powers, following delays in getting powers for a vacant land tax. The devolution of tax powers will allow the Welsh Government to develop a strengthened approach to central and local taxation in Wales, ensuring it is better able to tackle the needs and priorities of citizens and businesses. A vacant land tax would help to incentivise developers to progress stalled developments to help provide high quality, safe and affordable housing. Speaking in a debate in the Senedd the Minister…