Author: Rhys Gregory

It is going to be a Summer of Fun for children and young people in Swansea with hundreds of free activities catering for a huge variety of interests are taking place during the school summer holidays. They include sports, play, community event, arts and crafts, skills such as computer coding and days the whole family can enjoy. Dozens of community groups and organisations across Swansea successfully applied for grant funding from Swansea Council and the Welsh Government to put on activities. The Summer of Fun programme along with information and contact details can now be found at www.swansea.gov.uk/summeroffun. Elliott King,…

Bus passengers using a new free travel scheme in Swansea can make their journey run smoothly by planning ahead. From Friday July 30, all bus travel in the city will be free to use thanks to financial support from Swansea Council, which has organised the free bus deal with local bus operators. The Council is funding the initiative to support families and boost retail, leisure and tourism as communities emerge from lockdown. It will also help reduce emissions and congestion by encouraging people onto buses rather than using their car every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday between now and August…

Adventure Cinema is bringing three exceptional films to the wonderful surroundings of Margam Country Park this summer. Bring a blanket or a camping chair to the large events area in front of gothic Margam Castle where the music themed movies can be viewed on a giant screen over three nights, August 28th, 29th and 30th. The films start just after sunset and there will be an on-site bar, hot food and snacks will be available and picnics are welcome. For those using public transport, the Margam Park bus stop is serviced by route X1. The three movies are: Saturday, August…

A resident has heaped praise on Bridgend County Borough Council’s Cleaner Streets Team after they helped clean up a split rubbish bag full of nappies. Barbara Phillips called on the council when her street in Brackla was left strewn with dirty nappies after a refuse bag containing the used products split. Keen to keep her street tidy, 83-year-old Barbara, swept up a number of the bags herself before a local authority team turned up to finish the job and remove the scattered nappies. Now, Barbara has heaped praise on Cleaner Streets team who responded so swiftly and has also thanked…

Work is officially underway to deliver new £12.1m school and community facilities at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun – and the Council’s Cabinet Member for the Welsh Language has visited the site to mark the occasion. The Welsh Medium secondary school in Penywaun will receive their brand new facilities in time for the 2022/23 academic year – which will also increase the school’s capacity by 187 places. The Council secured a 65% contribution from Welsh Government’s 21stCentury Schools and Colleges Programme to deliver the work, which received planning permission during February 2021. Councillor Geraint Hopkins visited the school on Tuesday, July 27,…

An irresponsible dog owner has been fined over £370 for failing to adhere to the Public Spaces and Protection Order, (PSPO), in Rhondda Cynon Taf. A woman from Abercynon had taken her dog for morning walkies and the dog was witnessed on a restricted area at Abercynon Recreation Ground. In October 2017 Rhondda Cynon Taf Council was one of the first Local Authorities to introduce strict rules in terms of dog controls, when it put in place a PSPO. Due to the success of this order, it was extended in November 2020 to continue to tackle this disgusting and unsightly…

Partneriaeth Ogwen, a social enterprise in Bethesda, Gwynedd, will benefit from more than £200,000 from the Welsh Government’s Community Facilities programme to help transform a former school into a centre for the community. First Minister Mark Drakeford met the organisation yesterday [Wednesday July 28] to learn more about its projects in the town and the plans for the former Ysgol Cefnfaes, which the organisation wants to turn into a centre for innovation and sustainability. The centre will become an asset for the community and bring together some of the exciting projects in the area, including the Carneddau Landscape project, ensuring…

All adults who have been fully-vaccinated will no longer have to self-isolate if they are identified as close contacts of someone with coronavirus from 7 August, the First Minister confirmed today. The changes to the NHS Wales Test Trace Protect (TTP) service for fully-vaccinated adults will come into effect from 7 August – the same day as Wales is expected to move to alert level zero, if the public health situation allows. Children and young people under 18 will also be exempt from the need to self-isolate if they are also identified as close contacts of a positive case. But…

Young people who are about to turn 18 are being invited to have their Covid-19 vaccine in Wales. Following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) young adults aged from 17 years and 9 months will either be invited to a booked appointment or they can attend a walk-in vaccination clinic where available in their local health board. It is hoped take-up among this group, who are on the verge of entering the workplace or are about to start university in the autumn, will be high. Almost 80% of adults in Wales have been fully vaccinated –…

Finance and Local Government Minister Rebecca Evans visited a historic garden in Carmarthenshire to see how the project has used funding from the Landfill Disposals Tax to develop the site and increase biodiversity. The Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme (LDTCS) is funded by the Welsh Government and managed by the WCVA.  It supports environmental and community projects which aim to offset the negative impact of the disposal of waste in areas up to five miles around a landfill site or waste transfer station. The Tywi Gateway Trust has used the Welsh Government grant to develop Parc yr Esgob/Bishop’s Park and…