Author: Rhys Gregory

More than half of people who had to self-isolate felt it negatively affected their mental health with more than a quarter saying it negatively affected their income, Swansea University research has revealed. A study also found that 75 per cent those self-isolating said no one from the contact tracing service checked on their wellbeing while they isolated and 60 per cent either hadn’t heard about the £500 self-isolation support scheme or didn’t know how to apply for it. But the researchers discovered that despite these challenges, compliance with self-isolation was very high, with 80 per cent fully complying with guidelines…

Ty Isaf Infants School have successfully completed their Healthy School National Quality Award reaccreditation. The National Quality Award is the highest accreditation a school can achieve through the Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes, which is run by Public Health Wales on behalf of the Welsh Government. The Healthy Schools Team work with pupils, teachers, parents and a range of partners to improve the health of whole school communities. Their primary aim is to support schools to develop a whole school approach to health through its work in 7 key areas: Food and Fitness Mental and Emotional Health and Well-being…

Caerphilly County Borough Council has unveiled plans to provide new and improved car parking for tenants living in flats at Risca Road, Crosskeys. The Council is investing over £100,000 into the plans as part of its Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) programme; which will see a total investment of £260 million made into tenants’ homes and communities throughout the Caerphilly county borough. Parking has been an issue for tenants at Risca Road for several years, due to insufficient spaces and problems caused by visitors to the nearby college campus.  The Council’s proposals could see parking spaces for tenants increase from…

Two Council owned sheltered housing schemes in the Caerphilly county borough are set to benefit from almost £220,000 of improvements. Caerphilly County Borough Council has approved the investment to enhance outdoor spaces at Ynsywen, Pontllanfraith and Tredegar Court, Crosskeys. The improvements are being delivered as part of the Council’s £260 million Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) programme; which includes an investment of over £10 million in sheltered housing schemes across the county borough. Ynyswen has already received extensive improvements, as part of the WHQS programme, both internally and externally.  The additional investment will be used to carry out improvements to…

Essential work by Openreach requires a road closure at Penycoedcae Road from February 13-21. A free shuttle bus service will be in place as the NAT Group Service 404 between Pontypridd and Bridgend will be unable to take its normal route. Openreach requires the closure of Penycoedcae Road – north of its junction with Heol-y-Beddau, for around one mile (in a northerly direction). The closure will be manned at all times and access will be provided to residents living within the closure area, as well as for emergency services and pedestrians. The closure will be in place from 8am-5pm, from…

Residents and road users are advised that Castell Ifor Bridge in Hopkinstown will be closed this week as the contractor for a recent repair scheme carries out minor corrective work, at no further cost to the Council. The bridge, which supports Ford Road off the A4058, reopened in 2020 after the completion of a significant scheme to replace the weak bridge deck with a new reinforced concrete deck, along with further future-proofing measures. RCT Council’s contractor Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd will now return to the site in order to correct minor defects. This work will require the one-way bridge to…

The Welsh Ambulance Service (WAST) will receive 84 new operational vehicles thanks to a £10.9M investment from the Welsh Government. The Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething has also announced a further £1.6m in funding to the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) to expand the service into a 24/7 operation and establish the Critical Care Transfer Service. This is additional money following the £1.7m already given to the service. This service will support the national transfer of critically ill adults across Wales. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) provides consultant and critical care practitioner-delivered…

Detectives investigating a number of indecent assaults in the Singleton Park area, Swansea, on Friday (12 Feb) have arrested a 27-year-old local man. Detective Inspector Peter Collins said: “We are thankful for the support we have received from the local community so far and I would appeal if anyone has any information that they have not yet shared with us please do so now.” The man remains in police custody at this time. Anyone with information should contact 101 or email [email protected] and quote occurrence 2100050725

Transport for Wales is delighted to announce the opening of the new Bow Street station. The first train stopped at the station in Ceredigion, mid Wales, at 9.12am on Sunday 14 February, providing a link to the national rail network for the community of Bow Street for the first time since the former station was closed in 1965. It is the first station to open in Wales since Pye Corner in December 2014 and Transport for Wales’ first since taking over the Wales and Borders network franchise in 2018. The development has been funded by the Welsh Government and the…

Lidl GB has announced plans to deliver a new store on Gorseinon Road in Penllergaer, Swansea, to replace its existing store currently on the same road. The multi-million-pound investment will see Lidl commit to building a new supermarket on the site of the former Poundstretcher. The store will have a 1,414m² sales area, with plans to create around 10 new full and part time jobs, as well as retaining all the existing employees from the current store. The supermarket will include an instore bakery, customer toilets and ample parking for both cars and bicycles. Lidl GB’s Regional Head of Property,…