Author: Rhys Gregory

Following the results of independent surveys and after a delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic which required the planned repairs to be rescheduled, Bridgend County Borough Council has commissioned essential building work at the pavilions, both of which are based at Newbridge Fields. The New Pavilion will benefit from all-new wall cladding, full external decoration and improved shower room facilities, including new tiled floors, while the Bandstand Pavilion is set to receive an enhanced new roof which will be carefully installed so that it does not disturb a colony of bats which has taken up residence in the upper parts…

A landmark Merthyr Tydfil building is to be converted and its site extended into an ‘exciting’ development providing 70 much-needed homes. The former St Tydfil’s Hospital site in Upper Thomas Street will have its Grade II listed entrance block converted and extended to provide seven apartments and a house. The remainder of the site will be developed to provide a mixture of apartments, bungalows, terraced properties, and semi-detached and detached houses. St Tydfil’s Developments has been given planning permission for the development, which will be constructed as a joint venture with Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association and provide 39 open market…

A local testing site (LTS) opened in Newport on Thursday 28 January as part of the government’s drive to improve access to Covid-19 tests. Duffryn residents will be able to book a test at the LTS in the car park of the Duffryn Arms on Duffryn Drive. From Saturday, it will operate from 8am to 8pm. The testing site serves the local community so those attending can walk to it and do not have to drive to get a test. If you have any symptoms of Coronavirus (Covid-19) – a new continuous cough, high temperature or loss of taste and/or…

Nobody loves dogs more than the team at Cardiff Dogs Home, so when they heard that people are being advised in some social media groups, to ignore their legal obligation to contact them if they find a stray, for reasons that simply aren’t true, they wanted to put the record straight. Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Michael Michael said: “It’s disappointing that a minority of people are choosing to spread false information about Cardiff Dogs Home at a time when, with the help of a fundraising drive led by Welsh rugby legend Sam Warburton and the recently formed Rescue Hotel…

A revised and updated coronavirus testing strategy has been published by Health Minister Vaughan Gething. The original testing strategy was published in July 2020 and has been revised in light of our greater understanding of the virus, the development of new testing technology and the roll-out of our vaccination programme. The new strategy also expands our testing approach to include more regular testing for NHS and care home staff and patients in hospitals. A community testing framework has also been published which builds on the pilot schemes in Merthyr Tydfil and Lower Cynon to test asymptomatic people to stop the…

People in Wales will soon be able to suggest places in their community they’d like to work, as part of the Welsh Government’s long-term ambition to see around 30% of the workforce working from home or working remotely. Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, has described the initiative as “an opportunity for people to shape the future of the Welsh workplace.” An interactive map – hosted by Commonplace – will ask people if they would like to work remotely, and will allow people to drop a pin in a spot on the map where they would like to…

Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths is calling on everyone to “play their part” in eliminating litter and fly-tipping from Wales’ cities, seas and countryside. The Minister yesterday (Thursday, January 28) launched her new plan: ‘A Litter and Fly-tipping Free Wales’, which outlines how the Welsh Government intends to crack down on the issue, while inviting anyone in Wales to submit their own ideas on how to tackle the problem. Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, said: “There are no excuses for littering and fly-tipping. I want to see an end to these…

The First Minister will today confirm alert level four lockdown restrictions will remain in place in Wales for the next three weeks. While the situation in Wales is improving, lockdown restrictions must continue for another three weeks to allow the NHS to recover. He will also indicate that the youngest learners in primary school could begin returning to school after the February half term, if rates of coronavirus continue to fall. The Welsh Government will work with schools and education partners on a phased and flexible return to school after 22 February, if the public health situation continues to improve.…

A recurring theme throughout the past year has been that many popular forms of entertainment that had been enjoyed in an offline environment had found renewed interest in the online space as the pandemic continued and lockdown effects remained in place – the return of sporting events brought around the increasing interest in online betting services once against as bookmakers were able to offer many betting promotions in UK. Online gaming has seen huge growth as many platforms recorded the highest numbers seen, and online streaming for video and music has managed to break previous subscription records and grow. Where…

People in Blaenau Gwent have been invited to share their views and solutions for tackling the climate crisis in what will be Wales’ first climate assembly to discuss climate change. The Blaenau Gwent Climate Assembly will be held online during two weekends in March bringing residents together from across the borough to address the question: “What should we do in Blaenau Gwent to tackle the climate crisis in a way that is fair and improves living standards for everyone?” 10,000 households in Blaenau Gwent have received written invitations to register their interest in participating. From those who apply to be…