Author: Rhys Gregory

South Wales contractor Griffiths is to undertake Swansea Council’s work to make the city centre Wind Street a more family-friendly environment. The well respected firm was selected by the council in a competitive tender process and is due to start redevelopment work shortly in line with government pandemic guidelines. Griffiths stepped in to work on the council’s widely praised Kingsway infrastructure scheme in 2019 after the original main contractor went into administration. That project is nearing completion. Robert Francis-Davies, the council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “I’m pleased that a Welsh firm will carry out our Wind…

Work is underway on a feasibility trial in Caerau as part of plans for a low-carbon heat scheme. Eligible households can earn up to £150 for participating in the study, which sees consultants Energy Systems Catapult monitor heat usage in homes over the winter by installing a tado° smart thermostat. This replaces conventional room thermostats and lets residents control their heating system remotely using an app, while allowing the information to be shared for the study. Paul Smith at Energy Systems Catapult said: “We’ve had a great response, so far, with more than 50 people get in touch to take…

More than 400 extra tonnes of waste were recycled by Bridgend county borough residents over Christmas compared to the year before. Compared to the festive period in 2019, residents put an extra 424.77 tonnes of material out for recycling, with a lot more cardboard, glass and food waste in particular. This means that for the main collection crews, which are managed by Bridgend County Borough Council’s waste partners Kier, each operative collected, on average, 2.5 tonnes of recycling each day. Kier’s operations manager Leeann Neagle said: “Each crew went above and beyond to ensure the residents of Bridgend received their…

RCT Council has begun an important flood alleviation scheme at Granville Terrace in Mountain Ash to carry out repairs and help improve the control of debris in the watercourse – requiring a local road closure at Allen Street. The £150,000 scheme, which is being wholly funded by Welsh Government, got underway in the week commencing Monday, January 25. It will deliver scour protection to the channel by installing a new concrete slab base and completing repairs to the channel wall. A downstream weir will also be installed in order to help control debris and minimise erosion at this location. The…

RCT Cabinet could agree to progress proposals for a new £8.5m school for Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Llyn-y-Forwyn – which would deliver 21st Century facilities and improve the quality of Welsh Medium primary education in Ferndale. At their meeting on Thursday, January 28,Cabinet will consider a report which outlines proposals to deliver the new school building by 2024, utilising a new location within Ferndale that would not alter the current catchment area of YGG Llyn-y-Forwyn. Members could agree to give formal approval for the Council to consult on the proposals, taking place from March 2021. The project would be delivered through the…

RCT Council will begin to install touchless technology at six busy pedestrian crossings, in a trial funded by Welsh Government as part of its support for sustainable transport measures in response to COVID-19. The new setup will allow pedestrians to activate each of the signal controlled crossings by moving their hand under a sensor, instead of pushing a button. This detection technology is more reliable and efficient than the current button activation, and will help reduce the spread of coronavirus during the pandemic. The technology will be trialled over four weeks, with installations beginning in the week commencing Monday, January…

Many trends keep coming up to redefine the gaming industry. Most of them are due to the continuous advancement in technology and the need to meet new demands of an ever-evolving market. Various sectors are always cautious not to accept those changes fast because they don’t know their future impact.  Others also wait to see how they will impact the industries that are quick to adopt them. In short, they fear taking risks because they know that risk is mostly associated with losses. However, that’s a different case in the casino industry.  We were lucky to have a session with…

Unlock potential of colleges to secure a progressive, sustainable and prosperous Wales for future generations With 100 days to go until the next Senedd election, a new report from leading experts across education and business is calling for colleges and lifelong learning to be made central to Wales’s recovery plans and securing a progressive, sustainable and prosperous nation for future generations. The Independent Commission on the College of the Future today sets out its vision and roadmap for the future of colleges in Wales. Colleges should be at the heart of responding to the climate emergency, sustaining and promoting the…

TALENTED artists searching for a route into the creative industries were given a design for life by Conwy Employment Hub. With the support of a dedicated mentor, Jamie Griffiths and Emily Gibbs were inspired to produce stunning artwork for the best-selling Secret Dishes from Around the World 2. Published by Bounceback Food – a community interest company (CIC) serving people in food poverty across North Wales, Cheshire, and Greater Manchester – the book featured low cost, healthy recipes from all over the globe. Having signed up for the Hub’s Communities for Work programme, Emily’s creativity came to the fore and…

More than 350 people are bracing the cold, wet January to raise funds for 2 Wish Upon A Star in memory of former teacher Liz Kirwan. The fund-raising initiative Lace Up For Liz will mark what would have been Liz’ 40th birthday this month and each participant will run or walk 40k during January to raise funds for 2 Wish Upon A Star in Liz’s memory. Liz, a keen runner, was just 34 when she collapsed and died suddenly just a year after losing her son Thomas at two months old. Her parents Julian and Sian Ashton organised a series…