Author: Rhys Gregory

THE Welsh Ambulance Service has appointed its first dedicated palliative care paramedics. The new recruits will deliver specialist care to patients who are nearing the end of their life, in what is also a UK ambulance service first. The four-strong team will work as part of Swansea Bay University Health Board’s Specialist Palliative Care Team and divide their time between patients in the community and patients in a hospital and hospice setting. The new paramedics will take up post in November. Ed O’Brian, End of Life Care Lead at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “People associate the role of a…

This autumn, between the 27 October and the 7 of November, Cadw’s gothic castle, Castell Coch will play host to an immersive theatre show ― with tickets for the live event available via the Cadw website from today. The immersive event will see Professor Anil Seth (author of Being You) appearing as a disembodied head in an immersive theatre production designed to prompt a deep questioning about the nature of reality. Set in the extraordinary gothic Castell Coch, Mysterious Maud’s Chambers of Fantastical Truth has been created by National Theatre Wales regular Caroline Sabin to be a gloriously entertaining romp…

Anwyl Homes’ Cheshire and North Wales region has reported a record number of new homes completions for 2021 and is on course for further growth over the next year. The Flintshire-based housebuilder completed 487 homes during its last financial year, which ended on September 30 – an increase of 22% on the previous year. Despite the challenges faced by the wider industry, the company now has its sights set on another record-breaking year and is forecasting a further increase in the number of homes it builds of just over 10% for the current financial year. The figures mark steady growth…

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has raised concerns about the procurement policies for school meals at primary schools on Anglesey with the local council. Union officials were concerned that the menu offered to children did not incorporate enough local and Welsh produce. FUW Anglesey County Executive Alaw Jones said: “We were encouraged by the meeting we had with the County Council and welcome the fact that they hope to work with local farmers to explore opportunities to supply meat and dairy produce for school meals on the island.” The council, which has recently signed a multi million pound contract to…

roposals to spend £38.5m on improvements to the teaching and learning environments at Portfield School in Haverfordwest and Pembrokeshire Learning Centre will be considered by a full meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council on Thursday (14 October). A report to members by the Director of Education and the Director of Resources will recommend investment of £20.3m at Portfield School, which provides education for pupils with statements of special educational needs aged between 3-19 years. It will also recommend investment of £18.2m at the Neyland site of the Pembrokeshire Learning Centre, which provides education for pupils aged between 11 and 16 with…

A series of drop-in sessions have been arranged so the public can talk to transport officials about the blueprint for Swansea’s future walking and cycling map. Consultation with residents in Swansea has already began and Swansea Council is asking everyone for their views on existing and new walking & cycling routes planned across the city. Residents have been able to give their views online and can look at the existing ‘Active Travel Network Map’ which was produced in 2018. The consultation will continue until November 15. Five drop-in sessions have now been organised in various locations across the city from…

Neath Port Talbot councillors have approved plans for an electric vehicle charging infrastructure for council fleet vehicles, pool and staff cars paving the way for zero-emission transport in the county borough. Members of Neath Port Talbot Council’s Streetscene and Engineering Cabinet Board have backed plans to develop an EV ‘Charging Park’ at the council’s premises in The Quays, at the Baglan Energy Park, to support the council’s transition from carbon based fuels to zero emission vehicles. The Charging Park, which will be in the existing staff car park at The Quays, will come with Photovoltaic (PV) solar canopies which will…

A further phase in Bridgend County Borough Council’s £2.7m highway improvement programme is set to get underway in Bridgend town centre this weekend with the resurfacing of Nolton Street. During the works, which are due to take place between 8am and 5pm over two consecutive Sundays – 10 and 17 October – Nolton Street will be closed from its junction with Court Road to the junction with Brackla Street. Alternative routes will be in place along Brackla Street, Tremains Road, Derwen Road and Boulevard De Villenave D’Ornon. The one-way section of Nolton Street between Cowbridge Road and Brackla Street will…

Fifty new HGV drivers have gained their licences thanks to support from the Employability Bridgend team at Bridgend County Borough Council. In recent months, national news headlines have been dominated by the impact of a UK-wide shortage of HGV drivers and the problems this is causing for public transport services, school buses and deliveries of goods and fuel to stores and filling stations. The council is helping to tackle the shortage by supporting 50 new drivers to complete their HGV training and find new jobs within the industry. Set up to support both employed and unemployed residents across the county…

Caerphilly County Borough Council carried a motion to implement a voucher system to encourage families to switch from disposable nappies to reusable nappies. The motion was proposed by Cllr Andrew Farina-Childs at a full council meeting earlier last week on Tuesday, October 5. Single use nappies are made using plastics, elastics, adhesive, paper pulp and chemicals; therefore nappies do not readily degrade and can leach toxins into the ground. Other local authorities in Wales have already adopted cashback incentive schemes to make the switch to reusable nappies, through a simple application process. Cllr Nigel George, Cabinet Member for Waste, Public…