Author: Rhys Gregory

This World Stroke Day, the Stroke Association is urging the public in Wales to act FAST when they see the signs of a stroke and to call 999. By acting FAST, you can help to make sure people get to hospital quickly and reduce the chances of a stroke survivor being left with a severe disability or even dying. FAST – which stands for Face, Arms, Speech and Time – details the most common symptoms of stroke; face drooping on one side, inability to lift your arms and/or slurred speech. If you spot any of these symptoms, the charity is…

With a fire-break lockdown underway in Wales, and the prospect of spending more time at home for a while, residents of Neath Port Talbot are being reminded of the fantastic range of online books and magazines free to download for NPT Libraries members. Cllr Peter Rees, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Culture said: “One of the five main restrictions of the coronavirus fire-break is that everyone must stay at home, except for very limited purposes including food shopping, medical reasons or exercise, alone or with people you live with. “So, now is a good time to remind everyone that…

An ancient fern-leaved beech tree enveloping the remains of one of the first Cistercian abbeys in Wales at Margam Country Park, Port Talbot, has been named Wales’s Tree of the Year 2020. The Margam Chapter House Tree beat off competition from five other finalists in an online vote run by Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust in Wales. The canopy of the winning beech tree at Margam Park has provided shelter to visitors for many years – from Victorian tea parties to summer picnics for present day visitors. David Elward, who nominated the tree, said: “I’ve been visiting Margam Park since…

One of the main routes through a Swansea community is being upgraded as part of Swansea Council multi million pound investment of the city’s roads. Gower Road (A4118), which cuts through the centre of Sketty’s commercial centre is being resurfaced to prolong the life of the busy main road. Almost 400 metres of new road surface is set to be laid over a five-day period starting on Saturday 24 October. The road improvements will stretch between the junction of Gower Road with De La Beche Road and Parc Wern Road. Stop & go signs will be used along Gower Road…

Efforts to repair a popular road through Gower are continuing so it can be reopened quickly. Swansea Council recently closed a section of the A4118 between Penmaen and the turn-off to Oxwich after discovering part of the road surface had subsided. Contractors and specialist geotechnical consultants have been on site since, investigating the possible causes of the road defect. Early fears that voids deep in the ground indicated by boreholes were the cause of the problem have all but disappeared after further investigations and excavation by the team have suggested the current problem has been caused by water draining into…

The iconic Scott Memorial lighthouse at Roath Park is to be re-painted in memory of two women who, before they sadly passed away, took great pleasure in walking around Roath Park Lake. Local resident Andy Temple lost his mother, Evelyn Temple and his wife, Rosemary in quick succession last year and, looking for a fitting tribute to them both, contacted the council to offer a donation to have the Memorial to be re-painted. Work to repaint the memorial is scheduled to begin later this year and will be completed by JJ Williams Decorating Services using paint supplied for free by Crown…

The Welsh Innovation Centre for Enterprise (ICE) has appointed Llinos Neale as its new Community Manager as the business continues to grow its team. Llinos, who worked as an Operations Manager at Cardiff charity, Pedal Power, before joining ICE in 2017 as a receptionist, will now manage the 700-strong community across its Campus and online platform. Patrick Valentino also joins the team as Digital Marketing Assistant, a vital role as the business increases its online offering during Lockdown. Speaking of her appointment, Llinos said that her previous management roles, coupled with working at the grassroots of the ICE community, gave…

Recent research has shown that camping and caravanning are on the rise, particularly among the young. For one young entrepreneur, this couldn’t have come at a better time. Connor Ennis recently rebranded and relaunched his business CaravanCloud – an online one-stop shop for all things camping and caravan related, from buying and selling caravans to booking campsites. Designed to appeal to a younger, eco-conscious audience, the site is helping to fuel the growing trend for camping and caravanning in the UK. “Up until the Covid-19 pandemic our target customers for caravan and motorhome sales tended to be young families to retirees,” he says. “However,…

Works to ensure the long-term safety of a reservoir in Snowdonia have been completed. Situated in Gwydir Forest near Betws y Coed, the works mean that Llyn Tynymynydd can better withstand extreme weather events. The work, carried out for Natural Resources Wales (NRW) by contractor Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK, involved strengthening embankments and constructing a new rock spillway to safely convey water from the reservoir to a local stream. Located in a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the work was carried out sensitively and now helps maintain water levels in this nationally important wetland habitat. Around the reservoir there…

UKHospitality Cymru has written to members of the Welsh Senedd outlining proposals for the support of Welsh hospitality businesses during the “firebreak” lockdown and beyond. The letter highlights the scale of the crisis facing the sector and proposes measures to safeguard and support the 140,000 directly employed in hospitality across Wales. UKH has highlighted the need for extended and sustained emergency support to ensure that businesses survive the winter. There is particular concern for businesses who are unable to access grant support due to their rateable values exceeding £51k. The trade body has also urged the Welsh Government to ensure…