Author: Rhys Gregory

An unadopted street in Porthcawl will become maintainable by Bridgend County Borough Council after securing Welsh Government funding. Ynyslas was previously one of thousands of streets across England and Wales not adopted by any authority and, as such, responsibility for its upkeep rested entirely with residents and property owners. But, in a new Welsh Government pilot, the street is to be adopted by the council and funding has been awarded to bring the carriageway and footways up to standard and allow future maintenance. The £230,000 scheme will also help to better understand the cost implications of tackling the historical backlog…

A new £23,000 play park has opened at Waun Cimla in Kenfig Hill offering children a safe place to play. The park is one of three across Bridgend County Borough which have been funded by the Welsh Government’s Play Sufficiency project which enabled play equipment to be replaced. Funding was also secured for Coychurch Play Area and Pandy Crescent Play Area. The Play Sufficiency Duty comes as part of the Welsh Government’s anti-poverty agenda which recognises that children can have a poverty of experience, opportunity and aspiration, and that this kind of poverty can affect children from all social, cultural…

Derwendeg Primary School recently celebrated its 100th birthday, with a number of activities held to commemorate the milestone. One of the celebrations involved pupils working with an artist to produce a commemorative piece of artwork to be installed outside of the school. A small socially distanced ceremony was held at the school on Friday 2nd of July, where Chair Councillor, Donna Cushing cut the ribbon and three Year 6 pupils were pictured with the artist, Megan Jones. Lynsey Wangiel, Head Teacher of Derwendeg Primary School said, “Derwendeg Primary School is, and always has been, a very special school at the…

RCT Council’s enforcement team has taken action to bring Cwmbach Park and Ride back in to use following a number of complaints from residents and Transport for Wales. The Council-owned parking facility boast 13 spaces that are available for customers to park and ride. Following a number of complaints that the car park was always full of the ‘same’ vehicles, the Council took action to investigate. The facility was previously well used by its local commuters and helps to reduce traffic congestion in the local town centre, as people can park and quickly catch the train into town for shopping…

The UK Government has yet to present an offer to the Welsh Government for a Freeport to be established in Wales, Welsh Ministers will tell a Westminster committee later. Giving evidence to the House of Commons’ Welsh Affairs Committee, Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething and Finance and Local Government Minister, Rebecca Evans will say they remain open to the idea of having a Freeport in Wales, and are prepared to explore the use of devolved planning, business support and tax powers to ensure any Freeports in Wales deliver on the Welsh Government’s priorities, including its commitments to fair work and safeguarding…

With rapidly changing times in the UK, Wales is crying out the inspiration of entrepreneurs who want to make a difference in the economy and climate of the country. Right now, there’s a need for forward-thinking people to take the reins and create jobs and wealth for those around them. It is possible to get funding for a new business in Wales; you have to know where to look and put together a convincing application; being lucky is always advantageous. Here are some down-to-earth tips to get you started. Let’s look at the basics first and move on to the…

Aberavon Beach has become a safer place thanks to the selfless dedication of two friends who have both been touched by heart disease. Thomas Richards, a rehabilitation assistant in Neath Port Talbot Hospital, and Ryan Phillips, a welder in Tata Steel, have set themselves the target of raising £10,000 to help make a visit to the seaside safer through installing four defibrillators along Aberavon’s promenade. The first defibrillator has now been installed, next to the sunken garden at the docks end of the beach, thanks to the generous donation of £1,500 by Hale Construction. The pair now aim to quite…

Mid Wales-based Talyllyn Railway has taken an important step on its journey to becoming carbon neutral by investing in planting trees. The narrow-gauge heritage railway, which runs between Tywyn and Nant Gwernol, Abergynolwyn, is partnering with Forest Carbon, a company that develops nature-based climate projects in the UK. The intent of this pioneering partnership is to offset emissions created from coal burnt by the railway’s steam locomotives. Talyllyn Railway is investing in a carbon-financed woodland scheme based in Breckenhill, Northern Ireland, which has planted 1,688 trees on 1.1 hectares, and is also keen to invest in woodland or peatland restoration…

The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth will be staging an exciting array of exhibitions once again this summer for the first time in more than a year. Visitors will need to book tickets in advance for the exhibitions which reopen from Monday, July 19 with The Literary World of Paul Peter Piech, a celebration of the American printmaker’s unique relationship with Wales and with literature. Although best known for his striking political posters, a portion of his work is concerned with the literary world. He spent the last decade of his life in Porthcawl, where he continued to work and was deeply influenced…

A MULTI-award-winning organisation founded in Cardiff 22 years ago has moved to bespoke new premises. MPCT, founded by Huw Lewis MBE, runs 35 Military Preparation Colleges (MPCs) across England and Wales, giving young learners, aged 14-19, the skills and qualifications they need to boost their life and career prospects. On 28 June the centre moved from its original base at Canal Industrial Park, Dumballs Road, Cardiff, to its new home at One Canal Parade. The new venue now houses both the Military Preparation College Post 16 learners and also the Pre16 MPCT Schools learners. Although only around 300m from its…