Author: Rhys Gregory

The second phase of major culvert repairs at Troed y Rhiw Road in Mountain Ash will get underway next week – but please be assured that through traffic on the A4059 will remain unaffected. Urgent repairs were initially undertaken following Storm Bert, and a main repair scheme to rectify damage and ensure greater resilience to future storm events is taking place over two phases of work. Phase one was completed in mid-April 2025, and the second phase will now follow on as planned from Monday, May 12 – lasting around four weeks. The upcoming work will upsize a section of…

The new Mayor of Caerphilly County Borough Council has been announced as Dawn Ingram-Jones. Dawn, who represents the Aberbargoed and Bargoed ward, accepted the position of civic head at the Annual General Meeting of Council last week (Thursday 8th May). The Mayor’s chosen charity for this year will be Home-Start Cymru, a family support service for parents. Dawn Ingram-Jones has been married to Geraint for 32 years and is a proud mother to Rebecca and Megan. She has lived and worked in the local community for the majority of her life. Over the past 15 years, she has served residents…

On Wednesday, April 30, the Monmouth Comprehensive School senior boys’ football team etched their names into the history books with a thrilling Welsh Schools Under-18 FA Cup final victory. MCS ran out 3-2 winners against Bryntirion Comprehensive School of Bridgend in the final, which took place at Pen-y-Darren Park, home of Merthyr Town FC. Before the match, the players were presented with their new kits by Mayor of Monmouth, Councillor David Evans, on behalf of Monmouth Town Council. Under a scorching sun, Bryntirion dominated the opening stages – a forward latching onto a long ball forward to slot in past…

A free and confidential online HIV testing service will be expanded with new funding to support measures to eliminate new transmissions. More than £9m is being invested in Wales’ HIV Action Plan over the next two years, which includes almost £4m a year to expand access to testing services. The online testing service already provides 40,000 at-home HIV tests every year and almost 16,000 community testing kits across Wales. The new funding will support the further expansion of the service. Other measures to be supported include improving access and uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which reduces the risk of contracting…

People across Wales are being encouraged to download the NHS Wales App to access a wide range of services digitally. The Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Sarah Murphy today said the re-launch of the bilingual app marks a significant step forward in the digital transformation of healthcare services. Speaking at Wales’ first NHS Digital Summit, she set out a 12-month roadmap for the app, including the ability for people to track their progress on an NHS waiting list; view hospital appointments, and a range of tools to help people to manage their health while waiting for surgery. Sarah Murphy…

The Welsh Government is providing an additional £31.5m to local authorities to deliver regeneration projects that will transform town centres across Wales.   The funding will be used by nine local authorities to help deliver projects such as Y Storfa in Swansea, the Queen’s Market in Rhyl and the demolition of Newport Leisure Centre. This extra funding was confirmed by the Welsh Government at the end of the last financial year, bringing the total investment for 2024/25 to an impressive £70m. Our towns and city centres bring people together, sustain local economies, and underpin communities’ sense of pride, heritage and belonging.…

A programme of works to repair thousands of potholes on some of Wales’ major roads has been given the green light. The £25m refurbishment programme, announced earlier this year by the Welsh Government, is funding 22 projects across Wales’ strategic road network. The work will improve over 100km of road and help its future resilience by fixing and preventing around 30,000 potholes. This is in addition to the tens of thousands of potholes that are set to be fixed through a local government borrowing initiative, announced in March, enabling councils to unlock £120m of funding to accelerate repairs on local…

Children’s playgrounds and play spaces across Wales are to be improved so youngsters have better opportunities to play within their local communities. The Welsh Government is providing an extra £5m to local authorities to purchase items to improve the quality of play spaces, refurbish playgrounds and support the creation of inclusive and accessible play spaces. Playing positively impacts children and families and is vital in a child’s development, helping them to build their confidence, resilience and self-esteem. When considering their proposals, local authorities are being asked to gather the views of people including children and their families on play provision…

A £1.1million deal funded by Bathgate Business Finance has supported the thoughtful refurbishment of a historic village pub in North Wales to a contemporary gastropub. The Crown in Bodedern, Anglesey, has been transformed by Bali Kaur and Sabhi Singh of SBJJ Group, which has successfully operated various businesses in the area for more than 20 years. Bathgate Business Finance was introduced to SBJJ Group by Richard Fraser-Williams from Business Wales. It arranged asset finance and secured property finance for the client, as well as providing a loan from its own book, The Bathgate Capital Fund.  The £1.1 million has supported…

Cyfle Building Skills is now accepting applications for its highly respected Shared Apprenticeship Scheme in the Pembrokeshire region – with just 10 places available for motivated individuals looking to kick-start a career in the construction industry. The award-winning scheme enables young people and career changers to gain valuable hands-on experience while studying towards a recognised vocational qualification. Through a unique shared apprenticeship model, participants rotate between a number of reputable local construction employers, gaining a wide range of real-world skills and on-site experience alongside one-day-a-week college learning. To help interested candidates find out more, Cyfle’s Pembrokeshire Coordinator, Paul Falzon, will…