Author: Rhys Gregory

Half of Wales’ local authorities have now taken action to mitigate the risks fireworks pose to animals – with Pembrokeshire County Council joining the growing list. On February 15, the Council’s cabinet unanimously backed an RSPCA-backed Notice of Motion, which had previously been referred to the Cabinet by Milford East Councillor Guy Woodham at a full council meeting in December. The proposals mean Pembrokeshire Council will require all public firework displays in the county to be advertised in advance, allowing residents to take precautions for their animals and vulnerable people. A public awareness campaign about the impact fireworks have on…

A red kite who sought to trick RSPCA officers by repeatedly “playing dead” has been returned to the wild after a period of rehabilitation with the animal welfare charity. RSPCA Cymru was contacted by vets after a member of the public brought the red kite to them, saying he had been found caught up in fencing and in a collapsed state, and was found near Aberaeron. He was transferred to wildlife specialists in the West Wales area for a period of rehabilitation, before a heart-warming return to the wild in an area near to where he was found. The bird…

The Welsh Government has today announced a further £30 million for hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses affected by ongoing coronavirus restrictions. It has also confirmed that pending the outcome of the next review on 12 March, a further £150 million in grants could be made available to firms, including micro businesses, through the Welsh Government’s Non Domestic Rates (NDR) scheme if coronavirus restrictions are extended. The latest round of the Welsh Government’s Economic Resilience Fund will see £30m of targeted support being made available to support small, medium and large businesses in the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors as well…

Library staff across Wales will have access to a custom-built digital training package thanks to a Swansea Council officer and a grant from the Welsh Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund. Kerry Pillai, of Swansea Libraries, has coordinated a range of training packages for library staff members across Wales. The Estyn Allan training and development programme will develop staff skills, knowledge and confidence in delivering bilingual digital activities and promoting services so libraries across Wales can fully engage with readers online. It was funded by a Welsh Government grant almost £170,000 secured by The Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) in Wales. The…

The locations of new community testing centres which will help reduce the spread of coronavirus in Bridgend County Borough have been confirmed. With community testing set to take place across the county borough over the next four weeks on different dates, the initiative aims to identify people living within specific local communities who may have the virus without knowing it. Statistics from Public Health Wales confirm that one in three people may not display any symptoms when infected with Covid-19, and may unknowingly be passing the virus on to others. The areas targeted for testing, which have been identified using…

The permanent 50mph limit with average speed enforcement between junctions 24 and 28 on the M4 will be live by Monday, March 15th. The measure forms part of the Welsh Government’s approach to tackling congestion in the area as recommended by Lord Burns’ report published following the work carried out by the South East Wales Traffic Commission. Over the next couple of weeks work will be undertaken to finalise the installation of the cameras and road signs. . There will be night-time full closures of the east bound carriageway week commencing March 1st, followed by west bound full closures week…

Plans to reduce congestion and improve active travel facilities at Junction 48 of the M4 have been outlined by the Welsh Government. Junction 48 at Hendy is the main interchange for traffic accessing Llanelli and Pontarddulais from the M4. It currently sees significant congestion during peak periods, with limited to non-existent provision for cyclists passing through. The Welsh Government has committed funding of £2.9m to address issues at the junction. The proposed works will involve: Carriageway widening of the A4138, reducing congestion as people join and leave the motorway. Provision of a shared use pedestrian and cyclist facility, linking with…

The Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, has today announced plans for more pupils in Wales to have the opportunity to return to the classroom ahead of the Easter break. Speaking in a video released on her Twitter channel, the Minister confirmed that schools would be given the opportunity to welcome back learners in years 7, 8 and 9. The aim will be to give learners the opportunity to check in with teachers, with a focus on support for wellbeing, and readiness for a full return to school after the Easter holidays. The planned return of younger secondary school pupils would be…

Organisers have confirmed that plans for a prestigious four-day culinary event, which will attract the world’s best chefs to compete in Wales in October, are progressing at full speed. The Worldchefs Global Chefs Challenge, which comprises three competitions, will be held at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport from October 23-26. The only major Worldchefs event organised this year, the Global Chefs Challenge is being hosted by the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) and its partners, the International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales), the Celtic Manor Resort and the Welsh Government. The CAW has appointed professional conference organiser Worldspan to organise…

New Swansea University research is examining the impact Covid-19 is having on the physical activity, mental health and wellbeing of children in Wales. Though schools are preparing to welcome back pupils, ongoing social distancing measures mean sports and play activities continue to be disrupted. Sport and exercise scientists Dr Kelly Mackintosh, Dr Melitta McNarry, Prof Gareth Stratton and Dr Denise Hill say changes like these can have considerable consequences for the physical and mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Though children may be less susceptible to contracting Covid, they are likely to be less resilient to the…