Author: Rhys Gregory

owys County Council has secured Welsh Government funding to install electric vehicle charging points at a further five council car parks throughout the county. The £120K grant from the Welsh Government’s ultra-low emissions transformation fund is enabling the installation of the new charging points in Beaufort St. Car Park in Crickhowell, Oxford Road Car Park in Hay-on-Wye, Bowling Green Lane Car Park in Knighton, Dark Lane Car Park in Rhayader and Heol Eglwys Car Park in Ystradgynlais. It is expected that works will be completed by the end of March 2022. The addition of these five new locations will increase the…

Monmouthshire County Council is planning an Active Travel route – a cycle and pedestrian-friendly link – connecting Monmouth’s Monnow Street with the Overmonnow area. This will offer cyclists and walkers improved access to the town’s main shopping street as well as providing a thoroughfare towards local schools and the leisure centre. The proposed route will run along Monnow Street from Agincourt Square and make use of the ancient fortified river bridge.  It will link with an existing active travel route starting at Williams Field Lane off Overmonnow’s Wonastow Road. Funding provided by the Welsh Government will allow the council to…

Pen Y Dre High School have this week celebrated their recent successes at the Eisteddfod y Rhondda and the Urdd National Eisteddfod. In June of this year, 13 pupils led the success at both Eisteddfods with talents such as singing, acting, speech, hot topic discussions and prose. The winners and pupils involved were Millie Rae Hughes, Katie O’Keefe, Millie Gunter, Eve Martin, Lewys James, Cameron James, Lohan Tucker, Alisha Church, Tom Meredith, Hollie Fielding, Millie Kate Barrett, Regan Patterson, Luciann Evans At the event, the pupils were given Mayoral certificates to celebrate their successes and visited by Cllr Lisa Mytton, Cllr…

A minute’s silence was held last night at a meeting of Full Council as a mark of respect for Councillor Howard Barrett, who sadly passed away on Sunday 31st October 2021. The Leader of Merthyr Tydfil CBC, Councillor Lisa Mytton, paid tribute to her fellow Councillor and Ward Member: “Howard was first elected as Councillor in the Vaynor Ward in 2008 and was Mayor of Merthyr Tydfil from 2019 to 2021, where he represented the County Borough with dignity and pride. “During his time of office, he worked tirelessly for the ward. He was previously a Cabinet Member and more recently Chair…

A five-year plan which outlines steps towards achieving the ambition of ensuring a good quality of life for all animals in Wales will be published today by the Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths. Our Animal Welfare Plan for Wales builds on what has already been achieved since the devolution of animal welfare powers in 2006. It outlines how the Welsh Government will take forward its animal welfare commitments in its Programme for Government, and other measures to further improve animal welfare. The plan also includes a broad range of ongoing animal welfare policy work, including statutory guidance for existing regulations,…

More than £170m extra a year is set to be invested in planned care across NHS Wales, Health Minister Eluned Morgan has announced at the inaugural Planned Care Summit. The Minister hopes the rallying cry and additional funds will ‘build a planned care system that is bigger, better and more effective than we have seen before’. Planned care is any treatment that doesn’t happen as an emergency and usually involves a prearranged appointment. Most patients are referred for planned care from their GP. The funding will predominantly be focused on endoscopy, cataract, orthopaedic and diagnostic & imaging services, but will…

Following a number of detections of avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds across Great Britain, the Chief Veterinary Officers from Wales, England and Scotland have declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across the whole of Great Britain to mitigate the risk of the disease spreading amongst poultry and captive birds. This means that from 5pm on Wednesday 3 November 2021, it will be a legal requirement for all bird keepers in Great Britain to follow strict biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks. Keepers with more than 500 birds will need to restrict access for non-essential people on…

It would seem that a duplex is the perfect compromise. But it is important to know some of the nuances. Let’s understand them. What Is a Duplex A duplex is a house for two families, divided in half. Each part has a separate entrance and there may be several floors. Only one wall and roof is in common with the neighbors. Both sides of the cottage are considered individual dwellings, each with 8-30 acres. The common wall does not have to be between the living rooms. Sometimes it joins the garages, in which case neighbors do not interfere with each…

Dial M For Murder is best known for the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock film, despite its origins being that of English playwright Frederick Knott. The new production of Frederick Knott’s stage and screenplay is directed by Anthony Banks. Although this particular version has been doing the circuit since early 2020, it has been a regular in theatres since the mid 50s. However, this particular theatre production stands out. Those familiar with Frederick’s work will know that the playwright is renowned for his complex crime thrillers, which this one is not. Instead, it takes on Hitchcock’s style of a simple plot, which…

Almost twice as many new businesses have opened up than have shut in Swansea City Centre the past 20 months, according to new data from Swansea BID (Business Improvement District), with many of the new ventures helping to make the area a mecca for foodies. New retail and hospitality ventures that have opened their doors in the heart of Swansea from February 2020 include: T&S nails Toyland Inspire Training Positinao Express Pappudoc Millie Foglia Flamingo Vintage Driftwood Lotus Nails Albania kitchen Bambino’s Taco Bell Chester Swan Ace of Fades The Entertainer Lux nails FSD training Phone Store Belman Paris One…