Author: Rhys Gregory

Neath Port Talbot Council has issued improvement notices to two local pubs after checks by council staff found non-compliance with Covid-19 safety guidelines. The Crown Inn at Neath Road, Briton Ferry and the Smiths Arms in Main Road, Neath Abbey, will now be monitored to ensure they put the appropriate measures in place and failure to do so will result in Neath Port Talbot Council issuing a Premises Closure Notice to those licensed premises. Regarding the Crown Inn, licensing officers found there was a failure to take reasonable measures to ensure: • There was a person controlling entry to the premises…

People living in Neath Port Talbot are being asked for their advice on plans to improve cycling and walking (Active Travel) routes in towns and villages throughout the county borough. By upgrading and creating new walking and cycling routes, the council plans to make Active Travel the “normal” way to make local journeys, improving air quality, promoting healthier lifestyles and increasing the attractiveness of local communities as places to live and work. Neath Port Talbot Council is currently working with Sustrans Cymru as part of Neath Port Talbot’s Active Travel Network Map consultation (ATNM). The Active Travel Network Map is…

Thousands of pupils at Merthyr Tydfil’s comprehensive schools spent yesterday (Monday, November 30) getting tested for Covid-19. Rapid turnaround tests were offered at Afon Taf High, Bishop Hedley High, Cyfarthfa High, Pen-Y-Dre High and the Ty Dysgu Pupil Referral Unit as part of the county borough’s mass coronavirus testing programme. All five reported an uptake of around 80%, with more pupils due to be tested tomorrow. Around 90% of pupils at Afon Taf High School were being tested today. Of the remaining 10%, many are in classes that are currently self-isolating due to four positive cases last week. Headteacher Stuart…

RCT Council are planning to consult on plans to build a new Welsh medium community school for Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg (YGG) Llyn y Forwyn. The proposals will create additional Welsh medium capacity within the Rhondda Fach and consultation will commence early in the New Year, following the completion of a site options appraisal which is currently underway. The consultation will provide an opportunity for the community to have their say on their new school and the outcome will then inform Cabinet’s decision making. County Borough Councillor Joy Rosser, Cabinet Member for Education & Inclusion Service said: “The Council is committed…

With sixty racecourses in Britain stretching from Perth in Central Scotland down to the market town of Newton Abbot in the southwest of England, no lover of horse racing is ever far away from being able to get their adrenalin rush from the sport they love. Courses have been popping up over the length and breadth of Britain for over four hundred years. Seventy-one miles from Wales and the oldest racecourse in Britain, Chester first opened its doors in 1539 and is not only the oldest course in Britain, but it also boasts of being the oldest in the world.…

A new national resource has been launched in Wales on the WeCare.Wales website. The resource helps jobseekers improve their employability as well as helping employers identify people most suited to working in social care roles. The new resource is available on the website of WeCare Wales,  a campaign that aims to attract more than 20,000 extra people to work in social care and childcare over the next decade. The resource features an assessment section where the candidate can watch videos of different roles in social care and answer questions about how they would deal with the situations that arise. This…

14 trees installed on Castle Street as part of the Castle Quarter Café have been permanently replanted in a Cardiff park. The ornamental Callery Pear trees have been used to create a tree lined avenue in Hamadryad Park in Butetown, an area that currently has some of the lowest tree canopy coverage in Cardiff An additional four trees will be added to the avenue during National Tree Planting week, which runs from 28th November. National Tree Planting week marks the start of the Council’s annual tree planting programme, which this year, with the help of funding from Cardiff Civic Society…

Work has begun in building the first Council owned homes in the Caerphilly county borough in 18 years. The homes are being developed by Llanmoor Homes at Bedwellty Field, Aberbargoed. The 55 property development will include 6 social rent homes which will be owned and managed by Caerphilly County Borough Council. In addition, the site will also include 2 low cost home ownership properties; offering opportunities for first time buyers to purchase their own home. Affordable homes on the site are being delivered through a Section 106 agreement between the Council and Llanmoor, which aims to bring benefits to the local…

A set of new targeted restrictions in the hospitality and leisure sectors, together with a £340m support package, has been announced by First Minister Mark Drakeford. The new measures are being introduced as cases of coronavirus accelerate in Wales once again, eroding the gains achieved during the recent firebreak period. From 6pm on Friday, the current national measures in place in Wales will be amended to introduce the targeted new restrictions in the hospitality sector and for indoor attractions. Pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes will have to close by 6pm and will not be allowed to serve alcohol. After 6pm…

A research study involving 480 frontline NHS workers in Swansea, Wales is underway by Swansea University to investigate the efficacy of Boots Dual Defence in preventing COVID-19 illness and reducing the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Boots Dual Defence, which contains Carragelose, a patented version of iota-carrageenan, is already clinically proven to help shorten the duration and severity of cold and flu-like symptoms, and new in-vitro (test tube) laboratory study results suggest that Carragelose could also reduce the risk of an infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. These promising results will be further validated in a new clinical trial,…