Author: Rhys Gregory

Margam Country Park is offering people the chance to “get up close and personal” to one of Britain’s most exciting autumn wildlife spectacles by offering exclusive, Land Rover based “ Autumn Deer Rut Safaris”. [aoa id=”1″] The safaris will offer the chance of a fascinating, close-up encounter with deer at their most active time, the parkland providing an ideal location for seeing stags and bucks compete with each other for the attention of the females. The safaris will give guests the chance to follow the action as it unfolds – with the opportunity to take some unforgettable photos and video…

Neath Port Talbot Council has begun its careful preparations to ensure staff are ready and fully equipped to deal with extreme weather when the winter of 2018-19 comes howling in. Each summer, preparation begins for the upcoming winter period. This includes: Recruiting and training winter operatives. Re-stocking salt stocks. Re-stocking grit bins. Reviewing and addressing issues from the previous winter period. Producing an on-call rota. [aoa id=”1″] The preparation process in Neath Port Talbot has now started for the coming season with a pre-order of 4,000 tonnes of salt having been placed with the Council’s suppliers to ensure the authority…

Tourist attractions in Newport will be taking part in the annual Open Doors event organised by Cadw which allows the public free admission on certain days. [aoa id=”1″] Newport Transporter Bridge, which earlier this year was awarded £1 million Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant towards repairing and maintaining the iconic structure, will be open to the public for free on Sunday, 23 September. Visitors can ride on the gondola and go over the top of the bridge from 10am, with the last admission to the higher levels at 4pm, as the bridge will close at 5pm. [/aoa] Members of the…

The first homes built under Cardiff’s flagship house-building scheme have completed, marking a significant step forward for the project. The 13 completions are the first in Wales for national developer Wates Residential, which joined forces with Cardiff Council to increase the number of affordable homes for local people in the city in 2016. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] The homes, located on the Braunton Crescent (Captain’s View) site in Llanrumney, were released off-plan in March. All of the homes were reserved within 24 hours, with particular interest from first-time buyers. All 30 plots on the site will reach completion stage over the coming…

A LEADING agriculture college has joined forces with the UK’s largest forestry and timber harvesting company to meet a growing demand for woodland workers. [aoa id=”1″] Coleg Cambria Llysfasi and Tilhill Forestry unveiled their new partnership – the first of its type – at the APF 2018 show held at Ragley Estate in Warwickshire today (Thursday). The aim of the Tilhill Diploma in Forestry and Woodland Management is to bring the forest industry an increase to its next generation of managers and operators by way of offering a unique blend of education, industrial experience and bespoke training underpinned by the…

City Hospice, Cardiff’s local hospice, was officially re-opened by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething AM, after a £150,000 refurbishment to update and modernise the hospice centre. The charity decided on the refurbishment in order to improve the visitor experience for patients and their families. The improvements, made possible by a generous grant from The Hodge Foundation, include the updating of counselling, therapy and day rooms as well as the reception area at the hospice. The aim was to create a brighter, more welcoming space for those visiting and in turn, make it a nicer place to…

Seven housing associations across south Wales have joined forces to support the Welsh Government in reducing the country’s housing shortage by seeking effective solutions to deliver more affordable homes. [aoa id=”1″] The Associations: Coastal Housing Group, Hafod, Family Housing Association (FHA), Linc Cymru, Pobl Group, United Welsh and Valleys to Coast (V2C) have teamed up to explore the best ways to meet the Welsh Government’s target of building 20,000 affordable homes by 2021, and to continue the delivery of new homes beyond that. The collaborative project will see the seven housing associations conduct research into the economic and practical feasibility…

Jessica Evans, a 35-year-old history teacher from Llangollen, Wales, is campaigning to improve miscarriage services in Wales. Having suffered four miscarriages herself, Jessica has authored a report in partnership with Debbie Shaffer, CEO of FTWW (Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales) and with the support of baby charity Tommy’s. [aoa id=”1″]Members of FTWW also provided a valuable source of service user perspectives in Wales. Making the case for better miscarriage care in Wales’ details the significant difference in the quality of care women receive in Wales and the issues faced by those experiencing miscarriage care. The report sets out…

A group of NatWest staff from West Wales have swapped their calculators for shovels to help the National Botanic Garden of Wales rebuild a forgotten culvert as part of a multi-million pound restoration project. [aoa id=”1″] The team of seven bankers, who work in NatWest’ commercial banking team used special volunteering days to support the local project in Carmarthenshire, which involved rebuilding the stone face of the culvert at the Llyn Mawr Reservoir. As part of its work supporting good causes, NatWest provides its staff with time off from their jobs to volunteer supporting projects in their local community and…

Fairwater’s leisure centre, managed by Better Cardiff, will see major improvements in the coming months. Better Cardiff (the customer brand of leading charitable leisure social enterprise provider GLL) is providing details of a modern new look for one of the eight leisure centres it manages in Cardiff to support its health and fitness offering to customers. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] Work will commence next week on creating a new air conditioned dance studio with a sprung floor and a new fitness room and gym which will be double the size of the current facility. Customers will have 48 work stations to train…