Author: Rhys Gregory

Pupils are due to move into Neath’s newly built Cefn Saeson Comprehensive School today (June 7th). When teaching begins at the latest of Neath Port Talbot Council’s growing portfolio of modern schools, it will mark the completion of phase one of the Cefn Saeson Comprehensive school replacement project. The next phase involves the installation of new playing fields around the school building at Afan Valley Road, Cimla, and the demolition of the old school. Around 900 pupils at the new Cefn Saeson Comprehensive will benefit from more than 50 contemporary classrooms, spread across a two-storey building with art facilities, science…

Unavailability of construction materials numerous unforeseen complications on site and backlogs due to the pandemic means that the £900,000 redevelopment of the Canolfan at Cyfarthfa Park will not be completed until the autumn. Similar problems are affecting the play area and Splash Pad, and their reopening will also be delayed until late September and next year respectively. The refurbishment is being funded as part of Welsh Government’s Valleys Regional Park ‘Discovery Gateways’ programme. It will see the creation of a community meeting space at the Canolfan, along with new toilets and changing rooms at the Splash Pad, a resurfaced play…

The first buses will depart Merthyr Tydfil’s new £12m state-of-the-art bus interchange next week, on Sunday, June 13. The station is the first in Wales that allows for the charging of electric vehicles on site.  It has no gas or other fossil fuel supplies, with its heating and hot water provided through green renewable sources.  The buses using it will initially be diesel-powered, but the aim is to eventually make them all electrified, with charging stations for electric taxis ready for use now. In the running for a 2021 Constructing Excellence in Wales Sustainability Award, the interchange also has a…

A couple under the Foster Caerphilly system have retired after giving 22 years of their life to helping children through fostering. Mair and Martyn Jones, from Merthyr Tydfil have been fostering since 2001, although Mair first fostered alone in 1999. In 2017, Mair and Martyn transferred to Foster Caerphilly in 2017 from a different authority, and together they have fostered 14 children since 2001. The couple are both fulltime foster carers and have dedicated the last 22 years supporting the teenagers in our community. Mair Jones commented: “I started fostering 22 years ago. During this time, we have cared for…

Two learners from Rhondda Cynon Taf have been accepted into Mensa due to them having IQ higher than the projected scores of the late Albert Einstein and Sir Stephen Hawking. Jessica Casey, 13, of Aberdare, is delighted to have become a member of the elite society, of which her 15-year-old brother Harrison is already a member. Both are students at Aberdare Community School. Jessica began reading at the age of one and was dividing numbers by the time she reached the age of three. She achieved 162 marks on her Mensa paper, the maximum possible, ranking her in the top…

RCT Council is giving advanced notice of road closures required on a section of the A4059 Aberdare Bypass to enable ongoing drainage works – including an all-day Sunday closure followed by four overnight closures. In March, work started on a significant £500,000 scheme funded by Welsh Government’s Resilient Roads Grant, targeted at a 400-metre section of the A4059 between Asda and Tinney’s Roundabouts. The road is adjacent to the River Cynon at this location and has been historically susceptible to flooding. The scheme includes raising the level and profile of the carriageway, the removal of kerbs and the introduction of…

Initial repairs to Berw Road Bridge in Pontypridd will start on Monday following the appointment of a contractor – which could enable the bridge to temporarily reopen this summer ahead of a full repair programme next year. The Council has appointed Kaymac Marine and Civil Engineering Ltd to carry out scour repairs, along with repairs to the pier and embankment, which will take place within the river. Work will start from Monday, June 7, scheduled for completion by the end of July. The first week of work will include mobilising the plant and delivery of materials, using an access track…

A new £3m fund is being set up to provide respite and short breaks for Wales’ small army of unpaid carers, Deputy Minister for Social Services Julie Morgan has announced. Speaking during Carers Week, Julie Morgan said the new fund will extend and improve the availability and quality of respite services, helping to support the valuable work unpaid carers do every day. With no one-size-fits-all form of respite, the fund will be available for flexible support to meet the needs of individual carers through a range of person-centred and innovative options, including face-to-face support and short breaks, helping unpaid carers…

South Wales Police is appealing for witnesses following a single-vehicle collision which occurred at approximately 6.35pm on Saturday, June 5 at Rogers Lane in Laleston, Bridgend. A silver Volkswagen Golf, which had been travelling along Rogers Lane in the general direction of Cefn Cribwr, is believed to have left the road before rolling down banking. A woman, who was a passenger within the vehicle, died at the scene. Two men, aged 32 and 37, were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. Both currently remain in police custody. Investigating officers would like to speak to anyone who witnessed…

South Wales Police is investigating a serious collision which occurred on the M4 on Sunday evening (June 6). Officers were called to the single-vehicle collision on the westbound carriageway near junction 32 for Coryton, Cardiff, shortly after 6.45pm. A 28-year-old man was taken to the University Hospital of Wales with serious injuries after a red Vauxhall Astra collided with the central reservation. A 27-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving. He is currently in police custody. Officers would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the collision, or saw the car being driven prior to…