Author: Rhys Gregory

Caerphilly’s Cabinet are fully supportive of a new collaborative arrangement with Natural Resources Wales to manage one of the county’s top visitor attractions the Forest Drive at Cwmcarn, following a major investment along the seven mile route. During the operation to remove diseased larch trees, a significant refurbishment of the site saw the resurfacing of the forest drive and the installation of eight new recreational areas along the route. This includes three new accessible play areas, woodland sculptures, all-ability trails, a sensory tunnel and a number of new picnic and BBQ sites. The new additions will complement the wider facilities…

Following the latest Welsh Government review of Coronavirus restrictions, residents will be able to access Leisure for Life gyms and swimming pools in Rhondda Cynon Taf from Monday, May 3rd. This will include the brand-new facility located at Llys Cadwyn in Pontypridd, which will offer an exceptional fitness environment for customers. However, Rhondda Sports Centre & Llantrisant Leisure Centre will continue to provide temporary support for community mass vaccination efforts and will only be able to offer a limited provision of facilities and classes.  Further information on the schedule and arrangements for these Centres will be publicised later this week…

Further changes to the coronavirus restrictions have been announced by the First Minister Mark Drakeford today. The Welsh Government has confirmed further relaxations will be brought forward from 17 May to 3 May – including the resumption of indoor supervised activities for children, indoor organised activities for up to 15 adults, such as exercise classes, and the re-opening of community centres. This means Wales will have completed the move to Alert Level 3 by Monday 3 May. From Saturday 24 April, the rule of 6 will allow for up to six people from six households to meet outdoors, not including…

There are always little problems that you’ll face as a homeowner. Whether it’s a bulb needing replacing in a light, a room looking in need of a lick of paint, or even running out of toilet roll, it always seems like there’s at least a job or two to complete to get your home operating fully. Most of these are simple and would only take a few minutes or just an afternoon to fix. One of the problems that every homeowner dreads facing is unfortunately, a lot more complicated. If your boiler breaks, you could be left without two of…

Tŷ Hafan, the children’s hospice for Wales, is challenging you to improve your fitness – whatever your starting level – by completing 26.2 miles or 55,374 steps during the month of May while raising much needed funds to support children with a life-limiting condition and their families in Wales. This is because as lockdown starts to lift it’s time to get fit for Tŷ Hafan by doing your very own personal Marathon in May. You can do your marathon any way you like from walking, to star jumps, to cycling, to jogging to bouncing on a trampoline – basically anything that involves doing…

Torfaen Learning Zone has been highly anticipated for quite some time, and after a difficult year in the midst of a global pandemic that’s affected us all, Coleg Gwent is excited to officially open their brand-new state-of-the-art campus in the heart of Cwmbran. After many months of teaching and learning remotely, the college is thrilled to welcome learners and staff through its doors and mark the occasion with a small opening ceremony. The new campus offers a wide range of courses for all types of learners in Torfaen, with industry-standard facilities at one of Wales’ top performing colleges. The Learning Zone…

Plans for the phased re-opening of the world’s first preserved railway, which celebrates its 70th birthday this year, have been announced following the Welsh Government’s careful relaxation of Covid-19 regulations. Talyllyn Railway, based at Tywyn on the Mid Wales coast, plans to re-start its daily public train service on Saturday, May 1. Talyllyn Shop at Wharf Station, which is already open from 10am until 1pm, will resume usual opening hours from 9am until 3pm from Monday, April 26. Hot drinks and cake are available to take away from the shop. The railway’s online shop offers free UK deliveries for orders…

Budweiser Brewing Group (BBG) UK&I’s largest brewery located in Magor is on the lookout for eight new team members to join its Logistics department. Following the announcement of significant investment in BBG’s breweries, Acorn recruitment, on behalf of the Magor brewery, is now in a position to offer seasonal employment for eight new counterbalance forklift drivers with fast moving consumer goods experience. The £72million investment at Budweiser’s Magor site includes a new bottling line, eight new fermenting units to increase brewing capacity and efficiency improvements such as better chillers and increased line speeds. Maria Larcombe, Director of Operations, at Acorn…

Party-goers at an illegal gathering at a house in the west of Swansea have been criticised for misleading contact tracers and putting the wider community at risk. At least six people who attended the party in the Derwen Fawr area earlier this month have tested positive for Covid-19 and a further 13 contacts are undergoing tests. Now public health officials are urging people to behave responsibly and not organise or attend large gatherings indoors or outdoors, and to co-operate fully if contact tracers get in touch. The call comes after the incident in which efforts to track down everyone connected…

A scoping request has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate Wales to determine the environmental studies required to develop proposals for a wind farm on land at Mynydd Carn-y-Cefn near Abertillery. South Wales renewables company Pennant Walters Ltd is developing proposals for up to eight wind turbines with a maximum blade height of 180m. It is estimated that the wind farm could generate up to 48 MW of electricity, which is equivalent to providing enough power to meet the annual electricity needs of approximately 24,000 homes. The site is located on an upland ridge between the Ebbw Fawr and Ebbw…