Author: Rhys Gregory

Visitors to one of the world’s top 50 beach locations will find queues for toilets are reduced this summer. Gower’s Rhosili beach, which includes the iconic Worm’s Head and welcomes more than 750,000 visitors each year, has undergone a major upgrade to its public toilet block, making it easier for visitors to spend a penny this summer. Swansea Council has invested £35,000 into the upgrade and has also secured a grant (£132,000) though the Welsh Government ‘Brilliant Basics’ fund – a scheme designed to help improve infrastructure at tourism destinations in Wales. The new toilet block, which is now managed…

The second phase of new residential properties have been completed in Johnston. Pembrokeshire County Council is celebrating the full completion of the Old School Lane development, built by WG Griffiths, an important milestone for the Local Authority. The first phase of the housing development was completed late last year – the first Council houses to be built in 25 years – and there will soon be more residents moving in. Built on the former Johnston School site the development includes Community Benefits such as a donation of books to the current Johnston Community Primary School. Acting Headteacher Mr Ross Williams…

Work will soon begin to create 52 car parking spaces at Treorchy Railway Station, with the Council supporting Transport for Wales to create a new Park and Ride facility. Minimal overall disruption is expected during the work. The scheme will begin from Monday, July 22, to build the new facility on unused land off Clos Ystradfechan. It will be located south of the Cae Mawr football pitch and south-east of the railway station – beyond the small existing car park. The site is owned by Transport for Wales and was most-recently used as a site compound for its railway electrification…

The former Rates building in Aberdare is undergoing significant redevelopment to provide new residential and commercial space in the property. It will provide much needed homes and local employment opportunities, contributing to the overall economic regeneration of the town. The former Rates building is of historical importance being a Grade II listed building, built in the early to mid-19th Century. It was acquired by the Aberdare Urban District Council in the mid-1960s and converted for use as Council offices and rates collection. The building was vacated around 1990 and has remained empty since then, also passing into private ownership. More…

The launch took place at Penpych Community Primary School ahead of the ladies 24/25 season. Pupils at Penpych Community Primary School in Tynewydd were treated to a football training session ast week (19thJuly) with former pupil and Gwalia United captain, Cori Williams-Mills, as part of Gwalia’s official launch. Gwalia United, formerly known as Cardiff City Ladies, entertained year 5/6 pupils with drills and coaching followed by a talk and Q&A session where the children were given the opportunity to ask the captain and other players questions and learn more about getting into the sport. Gwalia United Captain, Cori Williams-Mills, is…

A group of local businesses and community groups have been announced as the first to be awarded grant funding from the Net Zero Newport Decarbonisation Programme. The programme, run by Newport City Council, offers free advice and match-funded grants up to £30,000 to organisations in the Newport area looking to reduce their carbon emissions. Over £201,000 has been awarded in this first phase. The programme aims to help stimulate growth in Newport’s low carbon economy and support the city’s journey to net zero by 2050 by investing in local businesses and community groups, people and skills. Eight of the first…

A man from Newport has been successfully prosecuted by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) for depositing large quantities of waste on his land, without an environmental permit, following a two-day trial at Cardiff Magistrates Court. Mohammed Zishan Ali Hassan and his company CF39 Ltd were ordered to pay a combined total of £19,886 after being found guilty of allowing general mixed waste and waste consistent with house clearance and renovation works, to be dumped on his land at the Courtybella Works Club in Newport, and operating a regulated facility without an environmental permit. This is an offence under the Environmental Protection…

Saturday the 6th of July saw Bargoed Town Centre transform for the first ever Bargoed Summer Music Festival, with thousands of people flocking to the town to see and listen to the huge selection of musicians. The lively festival had multiple performance areas, from a main stage to busking areas, all of which were enjoyed by everyone. The weather wasn’t the best, but this didn’t deter the crowds from having a great time. Many of the town centres venues participated in the event. There was the main stage on Lowry Plaza, as well as four busking areas at Bargoed Library,…

28 High Street, Bargoed has recently been taken over by PopUp Wales as a space to support local businesses. PopUp Wales helps businesses by providing a space to work and hold meetings, enabling them to avoid the burden of high hire fees, legal complexities, and safety barriers. There is currently an introductory offer on until the end of September 2024 for businesses to hire a pop-up stall for just £5 a day (£15 on Saturdays) as an opportunity to test the retail market without the added financial burden of running your own premises. Trading hours are 10am-4pm Tuesday to Saturday.…

On July 11, a small group of the Criw Cymraeg’s from across the primary schools in Merthyr Tydfil came together to compose a song to promote the Welsh language with the support of the ‘Welsh Whisper’. A total of 8 primary schools participated in the project. The Criw Cymraeg’s are established in all schools across Merthyr Tydfil to encourage the use of the Welsh language and to arrange activities to promote the language. All the children from the various schools, provided innovative ideas on creating lyrics for the song, with the aim of promoting the language, culture and heritage. The…