Author: Rhys Gregory

Over 200,000 free cinema tickets are available to film fans this weekend (Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 June), as a thank you to National Lottery players for their vital contribution to film. The National Lottery Cinema Weekend, in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI), will take place at more than 500 cinema sites across the UK, including Cineworld, Odeon, Vue and other chains and independent cinemas from Thurso to Penzance, and from Coleraine to Cardiff. Players can use any National Lottery ticket, instant win game or scratchcard bought online or in retail (T&Cs apply) to claim a free pair…

With Euro 2020 finally taking place over the next month, people across Wales are being inspired to get back into the game like their footballing heroes. With restrictions now lifted to allow team sports, one fan from Church Village is looking forward to getting back into exercise following a life-threatening condition last year. Kevin Martin, 58, suffered a sudden heart attack and cardiac arrest during his weekly five-a-side football game and was resuscitated thanks to the centre’s defibrillator and quick thinking from his teammates. Following an eight-month recovery period, Kevin, who works as a postal delivery worker, is now returning…

A SITE manager for the Magor-based Edenstone Group is swapping his hard hat for a cycle helmet and riding 200 miles in memory of his son to raise funds for the RNLI. Passionate fisherman Mike Bindon was just 23 when he was swept out to sea off the coast of Cornwall in January 2014 after being hit by a freak wave. His friend managed to call the emergency services and the RNLI were on the scene within 15 minutes with air support. Despite extensive searches, Mike was never found. Dad Phil, from Weston-super-Mare, has since campaigned on behalf of the…

Swansea University is building on its successful collaboration with Trent University in Canada to launch an additional opportunity for transatlantic study. Swansea has already established a dual degree arrangement in law and chemical engineering with the Ontario university. That is now set to be extended to include a dual degree pathway into undergraduate programmes at Swansea University Medical School. Students recruited onto the programme by Trent will spend two years in Canada studying a Bachelor of Arts and Science general degree before progressing into Level 5 of one of the BSc undergraduate programmes in SUMS. On completing two years at…

An action plan has been introduced as to how Ceredigion will become a net zero carbon Local Authority. This comes following Ceredigion County Council’s pledge during a full Council meeting in 2019 to reduce emissions and achieve net zero carbon by 2030. Further to this, on 5 March 2020, Ceredigion County Council declared a global climate emergency, committing to meeting the most significant challenge facing our county and our planet. This action plan, which was introduced to Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet on 15 June 2021 will support the implementation of actions and measures to reduce carbon emissions that contribute to…

Sections of Swansea will be coming up rosy this summer as the council’s wildflower planting initiative starts to bear fruit. Residents and visitors will get the chance to enjoy a feast for the eyes as pollinating insects relish a feast on roadside verges, roundabouts, parks and rough ground. Valley Way in the Enterprise Zone, the Morriston Park trail and the long stretch between Civic Centre and West Cross will all feature colourful arrays following planting in the area in the past few months. As well as that the council has been reducing the amount of grass cutting it does in…

A fund to improve wellbeing facilities and a project to harvest fresh fruit have attracted financial support from Swansea Council. The schemes were selected for the cash boosts after they began raising funds through the council’s crowdfunding programme, Crowdfund Swansea. They are being driven by – and for – their local communities as residents plan how to bounce back once the pandemic is behind us. New community activity facilities are planned at Loughor RFC to repurpose some existing grounds and facilities. The aim is – working with local sports clubs and groups – to support community groups to be active,…

Pupils and staff at Fochriw Primary School are celebrating after being named the Regional Winners in the ‘Better Energy School Awards’. The project ‘From Tragedy to Triumph with Fochriw’s Green Hand Gang’ was named the best entry in the ‘Totally Active’ award category for schools across Wales and Western England. The Better Energy School Awards is a nationwide competition for 5-11 year olds, which is run by the Young People’s Trust for the Environment (YPTE) in partnership with Total. The competition, which aims to generate interest in the environment and raise awareness of the need for sustainable energy sources, has…

As a result of all the hard work the children and staff, Crumlin High Level Primary School have recently been awarded with a ‘Plastic Clever School’ award. The campaign run by Kids Against Plastic is committed to helping schools succeed in their efforts to fight single-use plastic and have created all of the resources a school (with pupils leading the way) needs. Becoming a ‘Plastic Clever School’ requires a school to take appropriate action needed to reduce their use of single-use plastic, including the BIG 4 plastic polluters (cups + lids, straws, bottles and bags), plus cutlery and crockery. The school chose…

A scheme to redevelop 1-4 Oxford Buildings in Mountain Ash has now been completed, after RCT Council worked with partners to bring the prominent vacant buildings back in to use. 1-4 Oxford buildings have been a key feature to the south-east entrance to Mountain Ash town Centre for over 100 years, although the buildings had been left vacant for a number of years. With the scheme complete, the Council and its partners have successfully brought the buildings back in to use, with the redevelopment forming a key aspect of the wider town centre regeneration strategy for Mountain Ash, which includes…