Author: Rhys Gregory

Passenger train drivers are once again based in Barry for the first time since the 1990s after work was completed on the depot there. The move sees the number of people working at the depot rise to 58, signifying a huge boost to the local economy. Transport for Wales took over the rail depot there in 2022 and have been proceeding to develop it alongside our partners in Network Rail. And from the May timetable change on 18 May, 39 drivers will now be based there alongside depot colleagues, cleaners and train crew managers. Most of the Class 756 and…

The Vale of Glamorgan Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Kier as the preferred contractor for the highly anticipated new Ysgol Gymraeg Iolo Morganwg development. This milestone marks the next phase in delivering a transformative new building for Ysgol Iolo Morganwg in Cowbridge – which will double the current pupil capacity from 210 to 420 places and offer nursery provision for up to 96 full-time equivalent (FTE) children. The development will significantly expand Welsh-medium educational provision in the area, responding to increasing demand for Welsh-medium education in the Vale. Cllr Rhiannon Birch, Cabinet Member for Education, Arts and…

Cardiff’s skate community is celebrating the opening of a new 1,000m2 skate park. The ‘East Side’ skate park, next door to Eastern Leisure Centre in Llanrumney, was designed by award winning consultants VDZ+A and Newline Skateparks in consultation with the local skateboard community and features a series of ramps, hips, curbs, ledges and rails as well as a quarter pipe. Dirty Sanchez star and keen skateboarder Matt Pritchard said: “It’s what we need in Cardiff. I’m 52 now, and when I first started skateboarding, we had nothing in Cardiff, so to have facilities like this is amazing. It’s really good…

Two new amazing urban parks are being created for city residents in the coming months. Work has started transforming two patches of waste ground in SA1 into what will become thriving urban community parks, between them boasting play areas, nature trails, meeting spots, events space and a pump track. The innovative new areas will mean that communities in the city centre and SA1 will have three brand new urban parks on their doorsteps to enjoy, including Amy Dillwyn Park next door to Swansea Arena. The project is being financed by income from developers known as section 106 funds and will…

Risca residents have voted to keep the Ty Darran name for its new later living scheme. Caerphilly County Borough Council is working with construction expert Willmott Dixon to deliver the innovative 45 apartment development on the site of the former Ty Darran care home, which is scheduled for completion in autumn this year. The new ‘Ty Darran’ will become home to residents from existing sheltered housing schemes in the locality that are programmed for closure.  Future residents and the wider community took part in a survey to choose a name for the new development, with 67% of people voting to…

Work has started on the creation of a wetland habitat at Wern Pond in Powys that will extend the habitat for protected species of aquatic plants and other wildlife as part of the restoration of the Montgomery Canal. Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal & River Trust in Wales, is creating a new conservation area just off the A483 near Coppice Lane as part of the UK government-supported restoration of the canal. The canal is recognised as a Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its rare plant-life. The area will include a 1.5-metre-deep pond, that…

Thousands of lives across Wales have been improved by volunteers whose vital work has been celebrated by the Welsh Government during national Volunteers Week. Around 27% of people in Wales participate in formal volunteering with charities and organisations, with countless more contributing informally in their communities. Since April 2022, the Welsh Government has invested over £4.6m in volunteering initiatives, enabling more than 419,000 recorded hours of volunteering and training for 6,710 people across Wales. During Volunteers Week, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice visited St Giles Trust in Newport, which received nearly £100,000 through the Welsh Government’s Strategic Volunteering Grant.…

Research on how property, street, and business names are changing across Wales shows a clear shift towards using Welsh language place names. The report commissioned by the Welsh Government collected a wide range of valuable evidence, including: Local authorities received three times more applications for Welsh language street names than English language names between 2018-2023. Most changes to property names do not involve a change in the language of the property name. When they do change language, properties are at least three more likely to be renamed from English to Welsh than from Welsh to English. In all regions of…

GPs across Wales are being trained to recognise the symptoms of endometriosis earlier, to help improve women’s care and diagnosis. One in 10 women suffer from endometriosis in Wales – a painful condition which can take years to diagnose – and it is a priority area in the Women’s Health Plan, which was launched six months ago. The new expert-led training programme is one of the women’s health initiatives Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) provides for GPs, which is helping to improve women’s experience of healthcare in Wales, in line with the plan’s aims. The endometriosis training has led…

Support from the Welsh Government is set to help create and safeguard more than 60 jobs at a Torfaen car parts manufacturer, helping it secure valuable new business with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). ZF Automotive UK Ltd, which supplies parts to car brands worldwide, will receive £432,000 in funding from the Welsh Government’s Economy Futures Fund. This will allow Pontypool-based business, which mainly manufactures brake callipers, to upgrade a production line for the JLR contract. An increased focus on productivity enhancements will see staff develop new skills in manufacturing processes, with opportunities for apprenticeships and graduates also created. The funding…