Author: Rhys Gregory

A UNIQUE project to build a hot air balloon to celebrate Nightingale House’s 25th anniversary will get off the ground next year in a bid to lift the spirits of the community it serves. This exciting campaign will see the hospice creating its’ very own hot air balloon to mark 25 years of care on its’ Chester Road site. From this week (Tuesday, 15 December 2020) members of the public can become a pivotal part in building the balloon by sponsoring a panel with their own image, illustration or special heartfelt message, against a backdrop of the hospice’s familiar teal…

As we start to look forward to the Christmas holidays, Katie Palmer, Programme Manager at Food Sense Wales addresses the difficulties that many families will face and discusses how reviewing Wales’ Free School Meals system could provide a possible solution. With Christmas around the corner, many of us are busy placing our online food orders; scuttling to the supermarkets to stock up on our festive favourites and contacting our local butcher to make sure that our turkey’s been ordered, ready for the big day. But that’s not the Christmas tale of every household in Wales.  Far from it.  Although the…

A talented, young chef who works at The Quay Hotel and Spa, Deganwy, Conwy has been judged the best in Wales. Harry Osborne, 22-year-old junior sous chef, received a surprise visit today (Tuesday) from Arwyn Watkins, Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) president, who announced live on the CAW’s Facebook page that he was the new Junior Chef of Wales and presented him with the trophy The contest final, which was due to have been held at Cardiff and Vale College City Campus, Cardiff on March 30, had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the CAW resurrected the…

SOME of the first new homes to be built by Swansea Council for a generation have been officially-opened by the city’s Lord Mayor. Cllr Mark Child paid a visit to sixteen new properties at the site Parc yr Helyg in Birchgrove to have a look around and see the quality for himself. The homes are among the most energy-efficient ever built by Swansea Council and are powered using green energy sources including solar power generated from panels on the roofs of the properties. The power will be stored in batteries installed in each of the homes. All the homes will…

Visitors to two Swansea parks are enjoying the spectacular sight of 100 new cherry blossom trees. They are gifts to the city from a project linked with the 2019-20 Japan-UK Seasons of Culture which is being celebrated here and in the Land of the Rising Sun. Half have been planted by Swansea Council tree specialists in Cwmdonkin Park, Uplands; the other 50 have been planted in Jersey Park, St Thomas. The trees will be particularly attractive when they blossom each spring. Ceremonies were held at each park to celebrate the initiative. Both took place safely and in line with government…

A 15 to 20 year vision to create a sustainable agricultural sector in Wales for future generations has today [Wednesday 16 December] been unveiled by Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths. The White Paper on Agriculture in Wales sets out a series of proposals paving the way for an Agriculture (Wales) Bill, which will be introduced in the next Senedd term. The plans aim to maintain high food safety, animal welfare and environmental standards in Wales and will be underpinned by a simpler regulatory framework and improved enforcement. The White Paper outlines how farmers will be supported to…

Cardiff is opening up new COVID-19 test centres in the city and increasing capacity at existing centres in order to create an extra two thousand test slots per week following the sudden rise in COVID-19 infections across the city. The Welsh capital has seen infection rates grow by 90% over the past week to reach the highest levels yet in the city, and with the positivity rate at 18% it’s clear the virus is spreading through the community making it extremely difficult to contain. The leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, is urging residents to take advantage of the…

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is planning to direct resources over the coming days to support the delivery of frontline and key services. This move is a response to the impact currently being experienced upon service delivery as a result of the significant number of staff self-isolating or being affected by COVID-19. This move may see the suspension of some non-essential and discretionary services to support essential operational areas of the Council. The Council is also preparing to redirect resources to again increase the capacity of the Test, Trace, Protect service to respond to the significant rise in the number of…

Tennis clubs from up and down Wales are the very heart and soul of our sport which has been so evident during the Covid-19 pandemic. Raising morale and keeping us active, clubs are performing a huge service to communities like never before. This week, we are placing Caerphilly Tennis Club and its Head Coach Jonathan Morgan centre court as part of the National Lottery Dedicated To… campaign which celebrates the work of our grassroots sporting heroes during these very difficult months. The club has been supported by the National Lottery and while life has not been normal since March, that…

Newport City Council is collaborating with Ffilm Cymru to offer 15 young people the chance to take part in a fantastic training programme. The project will be open to residents aged 18 to 30 who are not in employment, training or full-time education. Delivered over two days, the Screen Sector training and development programme is hosted by Ffilm Cymru and Foot in the Door. It will give insight, advice and practical tips about roles within a production and film environment. We would welcome applications from people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds as they are particularly under-represented in the…