Author: Rhys Gregory

The Welsh Government has announced it will fund fire safety surveys for multi-occupied buildings over 11 metres to ensure the highest standard of safety for residents. Minister for Climate Change Julie James confirmed the surveys will be funded by the Welsh Building Safety Fund and called on the UK Government to confirm when further consequential funding will come to Wales. All buildings over 11m will be eligible to apply with high rise buildings (18m+) prioritised initially. The surveys will go beyond cladding issues including assessing internal issues such as ineffective compartmentation. Minister for Climate Change, with responsibility for housing, Julie…

A unique ‘Dear Mum’ garden, designed to help young children cope with the loss of a loved one, and provide a place of remembrance for parents who have lost a baby, has opened at Western Cemetery, in Cardiff. The ‘Dear Mum’ garden is based around the story of a young mouse called Dora, who wishes she could tell her mother how much she misses her. Dora’s friends in the village of ‘Little Wiggle’ encourage her to write a letter to her mother and post it in a special post-box. The garden, which is the first at this scale in the…

RCT Council has finalised arrangements for the upcoming scheme to deliver drainage improvements at Standard View in Ynyshir – including details about a necessary road closure and a free shuttle bus service for residents. Last month, the Council announced it has appointed DT Contracting to carry out the £100,000 scheme, for which an 85% contribution has been secured from Welsh Government. Three weeks of work, starting from Monday, July 19, consists of lining works to an existing drainage network, to improve its condition and ensure it performs efficiently in periods of heavy rainfall. In order to carry out the improvements,…

Dream Alliance, a former champion racehorse, has been celebrated in a film. The champion, 19, rose to victory in the 2009 Welsh Grand National and is currently enjoying his retirement. He is reported to be enjoying life in Somerset with former stable girl Clare Sandercock. Meanwhile, the 2022 Gold Cup is fast approaching and you can learn more about the great entertaining opportunities offered for the Cheltenham event. Dreamy would have fancied his chances in the race, but he seems to be enjoying his new celebrity status. His story is inspirational as he started from humble beginnings and triumphing over adversity that…

Wales will take its next step towards a future with fewer covid legal restrictions as First Minister Mark Drakeford today set out a longer-term plan for the summer. Wales will move fully into alert level one from 17 July. The changes were paused four weeks ago because of the emergence and spread of the delta variant across the UK and to enable more people to be vaccinated in Wales. And there will be further changes to the rules outdoors as Wales takes the first careful step towards a new alert level zero. Alert level zero is set out in an…

When Fashion Design graduate Samantha Griffiths was suffering from headaches in her first year at university, she thought she may need glasses – but her trip to the optician revealed a potentially fatal brain tumour. Samantha, then aged just 19, was told that the tumour was causing so much pressure behind her eyes that it could have left her blind, or even killed her, if she hadn’t gone to get checked when she did. Just three days later, she underwent a lifesaving operation to relieve the pressure by a new passage being drilled through her brain. Now completely recovered, she…

Golfers from across South Wales came together at Clyne Golf Club to compete and raise funds for Swansea-based kidney charity, The Paul Popham Fund, Renal Support Wales. The competition, organised annually by Kim Loosmore, raised an impressive £7,676 to help the kidney charity get closer to its aim of raising £130,000 for the refurbishment of the Children’s Kidney Centre Outpatient Department in Cardiff. Since 2016, The Paul Popham Fund have been the sole beneficiaries of the annual golf competition – which has, to date, raised over £50,000 for the charity. The money raised at the event will go towards the…

A Newport-based accountancy firm has appointed ten additional members of staff as it continues to invest in supporting its clients in digital recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. HSJ Accountants has appointed Alex Finch, Zoe Hobbs, Malek Ammar, Kojo Baisie, Sarah Fox, Bethan Rice, Hannah Pockett, Alexandra Edinborough, Ashleigh Faulkner and Sarah Harris to the practice. The ten new members of staff will work across payroll, administration, client care, audit and accounts to help service the practice which specialises in helping businesses utilising automation software to further improve their efficiency. Leanne Owen, Partner at HSJ, spoke of the new appointments: “It…

The Welsh Innovation Centre for Enterprise, Welsh ICE, has launched its remodelled, flagship round of funded support, and is inviting applications from vibrant startups and entrepreneurs. ICE Start is designed to give pre-revenue businesses a fully rounded support structure, helping them start, survive and grow, whilst also creating jobs and boosting the Welsh economy. Formerly known as the ICE-50 Programme, the funding has been redesigned to be appropriate for the changing way we work, where people are less likely to travel to the office every day, providing more access to virtual support, and embracing a more flexible style of working.…

Ringley Group, one of the UK’s leading residential property consultancies, has signed up two more clients in Cardiff, who together represent over 1,000 apartments The first scheme, known as Prospect Place, is managed by a Resident controlled Management Company and is located on Ferry Court in Cardiff Bay. Residents have full access to the on-site gym and swimming pool, as well as a concierge and secure car parking. The building offers panoramic views across Cardiff Bay and has a private balcony on the fifth floor. Ringley has also signed up another scheme in Cardiff. The building, known as Viceroy Court,…