Author: Rhys Gregory

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) is pleased to announce funding of £1.4 million from Welsh children’s cancer charity, LATCH, for the refurbishment of Rainbow Ward at the Children’s Hospital for Wales. Rainbow Ward is the lead centre for paediatric oncology in South and West Wales, caring for children and young people with cancer and leukaemia, aged from birth up to 13. It is an extremely important place, with specialist doctors, nurses and LATCH support workers building close relationships with children and their families spending long lengths of time on the unit, months at a time in many cases.…

The iconic Neath September Fair, which has been running for more than 700 years, has been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision to cancel Neath Fair has, like many other major events around the UK, been taken early because of the significant preparation in advance that is necessary to stage these large events. Held in the town centre, the street fair usually starts on the second Tuesday of September each year. In more recent years it has incorporated a funfair in Milland Road Car Park operated by the Showman’s Guild. Traders from around the UK and…

Schools in Neath Port Talbot have been given fruit trees to help offset carbon emissions and to be used as a learning resource for pupils. The project was thought up by Neath Port Talbot’s Youth Council who teamed up with The Old School Nursery in Cwmtwrch to supply the trees. Just short of 100 fruit trees were donated to 31 primary and secondary schools across the county borough. Pupils from each school helped to plant the trees and will be responsible for the aftercare. Erin Sandison, Neath Port Talbot’s Youth Mayor and Youth Council member, said:  “As a Youth Council,…

Another historic Merthyr Tydfil pub is reopening after a spectacular transformation, thanks to support from the County Borough Council’s Regeneration Team and two national grants schemes. The Morlais Castle Inn, which has been closed for more than 20 years, will be offering residential accommodation, indoor and outdoor restaurants, live music and themed evenings for care home residents when it reopens at the weekend. The building has been bought and redeveloped by local company GTH Developments at a total cost of more than £500,000.  The company received an Urban Centre Living Grant of £250,000 from Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns initiative, and…

Caerphilly County Borough is fast becoming one of the top tourist destinations in Wales. With a vast array of activities, attractions and accommodation venues, the borough offers an appealing and all-round extensive visitor experience. Whilst Cwmcarn Forest is one of the focal attractions for the area, there are plentiful new businesses emerging all over the borough. Morbitorium is a small oddities museum that has sprung up at the foot of Cwmcarn Forest, whilst Ty Coppi Adventures and Alpacas is a relatively new family run outdoor adventure business based in Blackwood. It offers activities from rock climbing and E-biking to gorge…

Cllr Carol Andrews, Mayor of Caerphilly County Borough Council and her daughter and Mayoral consort Megan are gearing up to ride one of the world’s fastest zip lines to raise money for her chosen charities. Carol’s fundraising plans have been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus restrictions, so she is urging as many people as possible to support the event and donate to her charitable causes. So, on June 12th, Carol and her daughter and consort Megan will be riding the Phoenix ride, the fastest seated zipline in the world at Zipworld, near Aberdare. Nestled in the Rhigos mountain range, and…

Imagine Bute Park being your office. Or spending your days in Parc Cefn Onn, Roath Park, or any one of the hundreds of parks and green spaces around Cardiff. It sounds like a dream, but for six people it could soon become reality, because Cardiff Council is currently looking for six apprentices to join its parks service, and in the words of one former apprentice, it could be “life-changing.” Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Cllr Peter Bradbury said: “Since 2004, sixteen people have graduated from our parks apprenticeships and gone onto find permanent jobs working for Cardiff in some…

A Race Equality Taskforce set up to deal with racial inequality across Cardiff has released its first set of recommendations. The Taskforce, which was proposed by Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, in response to the tragic death of George Floyd in the USA and the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK, has been working on a series of proposals designed to help improve the lives and opportunities of Black and ethnic minority communities in Cardiff. The first set of recommendations include: Raising awareness of the council’s employment agency ‘Cardiff Works’ to ethnic minority communities; Running a series…

The Welsh Government will provide £33m to support learners in colleges and sixth forms across Wales, as part of the £150m it has committed to the education response to Covid-19. The funding will be split between post-16 education providers, with £24.25m for further education colleges and £8.75m for school sixth forms. The funding will support additional teaching time, both in the classroom environment and one-to-one support, that can be tailored to the needs of individual full-time 16-19 learners who are beginning their AS, A-levels or vocational courses at either a sixth form or FE college. Jeremy Miles, the Minister for…

More than 54,000 people across Wales have been supported to improve their career prospects and get into work in the first two years of Working Wales – the Welsh Government’s employability service, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething announced today. Launched by the Welsh Government in 2019, Working Wales is available to anyone over the age of 16 and not in full-time education. The service, delivered by Careers Wales and backed by EU funds, offers a tailored approach to individuals, based on personal circumstances. Support available includes referrals to job-specific training, job searches and finding work placements. To date, 67% of people…