Author: Rhys Gregory

Newport City Council’s contact centre staff will resume face-to-face services in a new temporary home from 6 September. Appointments will be available in The Riverfront for residents with queries relating to housing, housing benefits, council tax and appointees. Residents can also continue to find information about council services, make requests or report issues online at www.newport.gov.uk or by calling 01633 656656. In line with Welsh Government guidance, council staff will continue to work from home wherever possible. As part of a longer-term plan, contact services are going to move to Central Library and Museum next year. It follows a decision…

RCT Council has supported Mountain Ash business Abigail Lewis Photography to access Welsh Government funding and transform an unused building into a bespoke studio – allowing it to go from strength to strength this year. The town centre business, run by sisters Abigail Lewis-Savage and Kristie Lewis, specialises in maternity, new-born and early years photography. They previously rented premises locally, but the property didn’t meet the needs of their business. Abigail and Kristie initially contacted the local area Officer in the Council’s Town Centres team which, working with the wider Regeneration department, could help identify suitable funding opportunities for the…

RCT Council has confirmed that the summer season for the National Lido of Wales, Lido Ponty, will be extended due to the demand seen so far in spite of the COVID-19 restrictions. The Lido, which on the weekend remarkably welcomed its 64,000th visitor this year, has seen a significant demand for places which has outstripped the 1,000 places-per-day capacity that the Council has been able to offer due to the Public Health restrictions in place to limit the spread of COVID-19. In recognition of this, the Council is looking to extend the opening arrangements until Sunday, 3rd October. Commencing on…

The Welsh Government’s Minister for Economy has visited the new modern business unit at Parc Coed-Elái, to meet representatives from the Council and Mallows Family Distillery, and see first-hand the excellent facilities the business unit has provided. On Monday, August 23, Vaughan Gething MS met with representatives from Mallows, the RCT Council Leader and the Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise Development and Regeneration – for a visit of the recently-completed modern business unit, which was delivered through a Joint Venture project by Welsh Government and the Council. The project secured £2.58m from the European Regional Development Fund, via the Welsh Government, to deliver…

The Welsh Government have announced additional funding to provide a 100 Police Community Support Officers to tackle crime and support communities. The First Minister Mark Drakeford and the Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt have announced an extra £3.7m for additional PCSOs across Wales, bringing the total budget to over £22m. The additional 100 PCSOs brings the total funded by the Welsh Government to 600. The funding shows the importance the Welsh Government places on the values of community, equality and social justice. This will be another step forward to ensure strong and safe communities with resources in place to…

Two-year-old Nathalene had a stroke while she was still in the womb and was born with cerebral palsy. This has affected her movements down the left side of her body. Her family and their supporters previously raised £10,000 for constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) in Manchester, which helped her regain the use of her left hand. Fundraising for Nathalene’s therapies continue and they are also using funds to help cover accommodation and other costs while Nathalene has a second month-long session in June, as well as continued specialised physiotherapy. The next payment for the following 12 weeks is due on…

Musicians aiming to amp up the decibels to concert pitch have the ideal place to practice now at a converted garage in a Flintshire village. The old building at the historic Penyffordd and Penmynydd War Memorial Institute did duty as a storage shed but is now being refitted and repurposed as a sound studio thanks to a versatile former shipping container. Local rock bands practicing at the Institute had to tone it down in case they disturbed other users of the building so thanks to a grant from the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner’s Your Community, Your Choice fund…

EMPTY premises in hard-hit North Wales high streets could soon be filled thanks to an innovative grant scheme. Up to £10,000 funding packages are available through the Welsh Government Town Centre Entrepreneurship Fund for entrepreneurs who are keen to open a business in Wrexham, Bangor, Rhyl, or Colwyn Bay. The Town Centre Miwtini start-up programme – a collaboration between Enterprise Hub @M-SParc and Wrexham Enterprise Hub – wants to hear from interested parties with business ideas that could lead to them occupying a unit in one of the struggling retail districts. One-day courses will be held on each of the…

The Woodworks Garden Centre Café has been announced as a Tripadvisor 2021 Travellers’ Choice Award winner, based on reviews and ratings from customers. Situated in the town of Mold in the heart of the North Wales borderlands, The Woodworks Garden Centre Café is the perfect place to enjoy a bite to eat with family and friends. Be it breakfast, brunch, lunch or afternoon tea, the café offers a varied and delicious menu. Commenting on the Award win, Fiona Coke, Manager of the Woodworks Café said: “We’re thrilled to have won a Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award for the second time! At…

THE Welsh Ambulance Service is inviting the public to cast a vote in its annual awards ceremony. Voting is open in seven categories in the WAST Awards 2021, including Team of the Year, Inspiring Others and Great Listener. You can vote for which member of the public deserves the Trust’s Public Recognition Award designed to celebrate those who go above and beyond to help people in their community. To celebrate the launch of the Trust’s first Volunteer Strategy, you can also vote for a Community First Responder or Volunteer Car Service Driver in a Volunteer of the Year category. Chief Executive…