Author: Rhys Gregory

There are a number of places available at sixth forms across the city for September, and pupils completing Year 11 this summer are encouraged to discover the varied range of options available to them. From Cyber Security and Performing Arts to Environmental Science and Travel & Tourism,  Cardiff’s Post 16 provision for the 2020/21 Academic year has a diverse and interesting choice of courses on offer. In addition, some sixth forms can still accommodate pupils on many of the more traditional subjects such as Mathematics, Law, History and Business Studies. Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills, Cllr Sarah Merry…

The construction of new £10.2m facilities at Hirwaun Primary School has made excellent recent progress, with staff and pupils on course to move into the state-of-the-art building during the early part of the 2020 autumn term. The project has reached an important milestown, that will allow the next phase of work to begin on the remaining external upgrades.  In September 2019, contractor Morgan Sindall started work on site to deliver a brand new 21stCentury school to replace existing buildings at Glanant Street. Despite the challenges of the severe weather last winter and the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the project is…

Over £550,000 is set to be invested in play areas across Rhondda Cynon Taf during 2020/21. This investment is part of the Council’s wider multi-million-pound Capital programme of investment, which benefits key areas across the County Borough, from education to highways and beyond. Following Welsh Governments guidance, all Council owned play areas have now re-opened across Rhondda Cynon Taf, with the exceptions of Dare Valley County Park (Main play area and toddler play area by cafe) and Coed Dowlais play area, Church Village and Pasteur Grove, Church Village which are just four of the 15 facilities that will benefit from…

Llancaiach Fawr Manor in Nelson is renowned for being a unique wedding venue with its stunning Manor House, visitor centre, period gardens and rolling countryside views. Thursday saw the first wedding ceremony to take place since lockdown and Caerphilly County borough Council Registrar Christine Hughes conducted the ceremony, the first one outside of the Registry office since lockdown. Daniel and Karen Devine married in the Great Hall of the Manor House in front of their five children, Karen’s mum, dad and step mother. It was an intimate ceremony with celebratory drinks in the Manor gardens following the ceremony. Danny and…

Over the years, energy bills have been rising constantly, gas and electricity is more expensive than ever, making it more important to cut your energy bills where possible. One of the best ways to save money on gas and electricity is by comparing tariffs through an energy comparison site. The best deals could be saving your household hundreds of pounds each year, and it’s now easier than ever to do this. Comparing deals through an energy comparison site should only take you around 10 to 15 minutes, and it’s a lot more straightforward than you may think. Here is how…

Tom Hannaby has completed the management buy-out of Caerphilly based CB Refrigeration. Having joined the business just four years ago, Tom Hannaby will work alongside Directors Jason Beament, Andrew Hall and Simon Beament as Managing Director and majority shareholder. Funding for the seven-figure management buy-out has been provided by the Development Bank of Wales with specialist succession planning support provided by Mervyn Ham of Iridium Corporate Services. Founded in 1968 as a small family business, CB Refrigeration initially supplied and serviced commercial refrigeration equipment. Directors Jason Beament, Andrew Hall and Simon Beament acquired CB Refrigeration in 2016 and have since developed the…

Business confidence in Wales rose nine points during July to -32%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank. Companies in Wales reported higher confidence in their business prospects month-on-month, although the reading remained firmly in the red at -28%hen taken alongside their views of the economy overall, this gives a headline confidence reading of -32%. The Business Barometer questions 1,200 businesses monthly and provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide. The majority of firms continued to see demand negatively affected by coronavirus during July, but with the picture improving month-on-month. Almost two-thirds (64%) experienced…

A small, family-owned sandstone quarry in South Wales is consulting local residents and neighbouring businesses on plans to extend the size of the quarry, while maintaining only the same intensity of operations. Bryn Aggregates, which is part of the Bryn Group of companies, owns the 6.8 hectare quarry at Gelliagwellt Uchaf Farm in Gelligaer, South Wales. Sandstone has been quarried at the site since the 1600s but operations restarted in 1993 to extract the scarce high specification aggregates found at the site, which are used in the essential anti-skid surfacing on motorways and other major roads across the UK. The…

An inspirational woman from North Wales has spoken movingly about how she put her shattered life back together after she was sexually abused by her older brother when she was eight years of age. Megan, not her real name, was brought back from the brink of suicide by the Stepping Stones North Wales charity, which supports survivors of childhood sexual abuse, and she has now gone to university to study history. The 58-year-old is convinced she would not be alive today without the help of the charity which is funded by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones. Her…

Many of South Wales’s cycling groups, including the renowned Maindy Flyers, are celebrating this week as they return to using Cardiff’s only outdoor cycle track and the home of 2018 Tour De France winner, Geraint Thomas. The re-opening of the outdoor facility follows the Welsh Government’s latest relaxation of lockdown rules enabling outdoor leisure spaces to welcome back users. Anthony Hayes, Maindy Centre Manager for Better Cardiff, said: “The cycling track is available for group bookings by cycling clubs and this can only be done by contacting us via better.org. We have created a one way system to access and…