Author: Rhys Gregory

The Council has secured significant Welsh Government funding towards a £136,600 project to renovate Tonypandy Library, representing the latest investment in the Town Centre. The Local Authority has secured a Transformation Capital Grant of £120,000 from the Welsh Government’s Museums, Archives and Libraries division – with the remaining £16,600 funding provided through #RCTinvest. This scheme follows a £65,000 refurbishment to the Library’s exterior in 2017/18. The additional scheme, to be delivered in 2018/19, will see the complete renovation of the building’s interior, to improve the current facilities and deliver more services from a range of partner organisations. It will include:…

A PROJECT in Rhyl which has helped deter children as young as six from falling into the trap of anti-social behaviour and low level crime has been recognised by North Wales’s policing czar. West Rhyl Marshals, which is now in its 10th year and has worked with up to 70 young people at high risk of offending, have won the Young People’s prize in the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner’s Community Awards. PC Steve Edwards, a community beat manager who has organised and run the scheme since 2008, and some of his young marshalls were presented with the award…

A troupe of burlesque dancers surprised people enjoying the sunshine in Cardiff Bay this weekend – performing a flashmob in aid of a charity which has supported some of their dearest members. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] Cardiff Cabaret Club’s Burly Girls were among Marie Curie collectors, diners and walkers who suddenly surprised everyone around them by bursting into a routine to The Greatest Showman’s This is Me – all in aid of the terminal illness charity, and in memory of their friend, Lorrainne Castellano. Marie Curie provides care and support to people living with a terminal illness, and their families at their…

Entrepreneurs from across Wales and the UK descended upon Wrexham for the Pitch@Palace 10.0 On Tour Event, hosted by Town Square Spaces at the Business Wales Wrexham Enterprise Hub. After a round of pitching, three winners were announced by the Duke of York after being selected by the judges including Pitch@Palace Alumni, and after considering the audience votes. Pitch@Palace was founded by the Duke of York in 2014 as a platform to amplify and accelerate the work of entrepreneurs across the UK. The programme connects entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses with potential supporters, including CEOs, influencers, investors, mentors and business partners.…

A further warning has gone out to shops and supermarkets in Swansea about selling knives to people under 18. Swansea Council Trading Standards and Police have caught a further three businesses selling knives illegally to people who are too young to purchase them. The latest sting is part of a three-month initiative called ‘Operation Sceptre’ in which volunteers under the age of 18 have been enlisted by Trading Standards to visit shops and attempt to purchase knives. Two knife test purchasing operations have already taken place in May which resulted in six instances where children under 18 were able to…

Thomas Cook Airlines is adding Easter 2019 flights from Cardiff airport for the first time, meaning that thousands people can head to Europe for some spring sunshine. With 11 flights a week from April 3, 2019 until the end of the month, Thomas Cook Airlines has added over 15,000 seats to destinations including Turkey, Majorca, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Cyprus and a new route to Enfidha in Tunisia. Tickets are now on sale via www.thomascookairlines.com Thomas Cook Airlines now flies to 12 sun and beach destinations from Cardiff and has over 120,000 seats on sale throughout 2019 (Easter and Summer). Henry Sunley, Commercial Director…

The development of a community orchard in the grounds of University Hospital Llandough (UHL) has been boosted by a partnership with Wales Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW). The CRC’s Community Payback team has joined Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to carry out labouring works to help develop the site. NRW has donated money to purchase gardening equipment to help the works within Our Orchard including cutting edging shears, rakes, secateurs, strimmer’s and power tools to help with construction of gates and benches. NRW have also donated a number of bird and bat boxes and are…

A major new EU backed initiative to help companies in Wales exploit the fast-growing spatial intelligence market is being led by Aberystwyth University. The Geographical Data and Earth Observation for Monitoring (GEOM) programme sees scientists at the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University collaborate with QineitQ to help Welsh companies exploit state-of-the-art satellite and drone technology. Data provided by the technology can provide vital information for a range of sectors, including agriculture, energy, security, environment, transport and infrastructure. The £3m initiative backed with £1.9m of EU funding through Welsh Government was announced by Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford…

Creative works by young Swansea schoolchildren are on public show alongside pieces by a globally celebrated artist. Pupils of city schools painted white shirts with colourful interpretations of their future dreams – and thousands of art lovers are now set to enjoy them. The shirts hang in the city centre Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in a major show by NS Harsha, a past winner of the prestigious Artes Mundi arts prize. Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “It’s great that Swansea children have been inspired by a top class artist – and it’s wonderful…

A series of bilingual books that aim to stop scammers in the tracks have been launched in Wales as figures show just five percent of fraud victims report a crime. The free guides are the latest in NatWest’s Little Book of Big Scams series, produced in partnership with the Metropolitan Police, and include facts and information about the different types of fraud that exist and how to avoid being a victim of one. Launched at the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay by NatWest CEO Ross McEwan, this is the first time the books have been published in both English and…