Author: Rhys Gregory

Transport for Wales has begun work on the new £8-million railway station at Bow Street in Ceredigion. Opening to passengers in 2020, the station, which is funded by the Welsh Government and the Department for Transport, will include park and ride facilities, cycle storage and a multi-modal transport interchange. The scheme is being delivered by TfW, Network Rail and Ceredigion County Council. Part funded by the Department for Transport via the New Stations Fund , the new station will provide a link to the national rail network for the community of Bow Street for the first time since the former station…

A tawny owl has been rescued by the RSPCA after becoming trapped in a wood burner in Pontrobert, Meifod. The RSPCA received a call on 9 January with deputy chief inspector Phil Lewis attending the property to assess the situation. Phil said: “I was just about able to see the owl on a ledge inside the flue, but I was unable to reach him so a plan was made to return with a builder to try and dismantle the burner to get to him. “That evening he had dropped down into the enclosed grate area, so I was able to…

The report reveals how the Welsh Government has made progress in reducing infant class sizes in the targeted schools since the grant was launched in April 2017. Reducing infant class sizes was a key part of the Progressive Agreement reached between Kirsty Williams and the First Minister. In line with international evidence, the policy targets schools that would most benefit from smaller classes, such as those with high levels of deprivation, additional learning needs, and/or where teaching and learning needs to improve. Some key findings of the report: The grant is funding 110 additional teachers, 42 additional learning assistants and…

Swansea Council is to consider a wide variety of public ideas on how several plots of council-owned land should be best used in future. An extensive range of opinions was expressed by hundreds of people and organisations that responded to a council consultation exercise in summer 2019. Last week, the council’s ruling cabinet considered the varied views and discussed a process to further consider the future use of the locations. The sites are: Land on the Mumbles side of the West Cross Inn; Land around the skate ramp, West Cross; Blackpill Lido; Sketty Lane car park. Also included is the…

According to the latest NatWest Wales PMI® data, private sector firms indicated a renewed fall in output during December. The decrease in activity was linked to a further drop in client demand, with firms reducing their workforce numbers for the sixth month running. Nonetheless, the outlook for output over the coming year improved, as optimism improved to the strongest since July. On the price front, the rate of output charge inflation softened to a marginal pace, despite a marked rise in cost burdens. The headline Wales Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the combined output of…

A North Wales developer is celebrating after clinching a share of a £500 million 10-year construction contract with a top social housing provider. Brenig Construction are the approved contractor for all Flintshire-based Wales & West Housing schemes in North Wales worth up to £2.5 million as part of WWH’s commitment to building 6,000 new affordable homes across Wales in the next decade. The expanding developer, based in Mochdre, near Colwyn Bay, employs 70 staff, 15 per cent of them apprentices and trainees, and has already handed over a £445,000 scheme for three new three-bedroom homes in Ruabon, near Wrexham. They…

RSPCA Cymru is calling upon businesses across Wales to show that they support animal welfare this 2020  – and have their say about what they can do to go the extra mile for animals of all shapes and sizes.  As the new year and a new decade fast approaches, businesses and other organisations are being urged to get involved in a pioneering and “first of its kind” new scheme that protects animals –  the Animal Welfare Charter. RSPCA Cymru is calling on third, public and private sectors across Wales to make a New Year’s resolution to join a new collective…

Successful formers students have returned to Swansea University to help encourage the next generation of young entrepreneurs. Three alumni took part in Start-up to CEO, a new initiative launched to give current students the chance to impress and win one-to-one mentoring. After sharing their backgrounds and the skills they offer, Huw Hampson-Jones, from Oxis Energy, Andrew Overton, from Connexas, and Simon Saxby, of Leaf Expression Systems, heard pitches from seven students before quizzing them on their ideas and ambitions. Five of the start-ups were successful in securing one of the trio as a mentor and they will now benefit from…

Cardiff and Vale College has been shortlisted for three prestigious Tes Further Education (FE) Awards, placing it among the top colleges in the country. The College has been shortlisted in categories which range across CAVC’s work: Best Teaching and Learning Initiative, Contribution to the Local Community and Outstanding Use of Technology for Improving Teaching, Learning and Assessment. CAVC’s focus on real and not just realistic learning experiences for its learners saw it make the shortlist for the Best Teaching and Learning Category. Working with local employers to ensure provision meets local skills needs and provide meaningful work placements for students…

British Heart Foundation (BHF) has today warned that heart and circulatory disease deaths attributed to particulate matter air pollution could exceed 9,000 over the next decade in Wales, unless the new Westminster Government takes bold action.   The BHF says air pollution presents a ‘major public health emergency’ which must be urgently addressed by the new UK Government.  It is calling for World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on particulate matter (PM) to be adopted in to UK law, and met by 2030. In Wales, the Welsh Government has published its plans for a Clean Air Plan, but BHF Cymru is calling for a Clean Air Act…