Author: Rhys Gregory

Military personnel and veterans can travel for free on Transport for Wales rail services to attend Remembrance Day events this Sunday (10 November). As part of an industry-wide initiative, the offer of free travel is open to serving military personnel and veterans. Free travel is allowed for current serving Armed Forces personnel in uniform or serving military personnel and veterans on production of the following: • a current MOD90 Ministry of Defence-issued identity card. • a Veterans Railcard, Veterans Oyster card, Ministry of Defence-issued Veterans ID or other form of identification showing the customer is a veteran (e.g. proof of…

Rhyl Library has won the All Stories national competition, which grants a fully funded writing workshop, aiming to encourage and support aspiring writers from underrepresented backgrounds. The workshop, taking place on Thursday 14 November 2024 at 2pm, will introduce participants to the basics of writing for children and inspire them to develop their creativity. Intended as a true introduction, the workshop requires no awareness of publishing, writing as a career or previous written work. The workshop will welcome people from underrepresented backgrounds of any kind. To continue supporting local writers, a writing group will also be established at Rhyl Library,…

The National Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Wales, jointly hosted by Cardiff Council and the Welsh Government in collaboration with The Royal British Legion, is scheduled to take place in Cardiff on Sunday, 10th November 2024. Detachments from the Royal Navy, the Army, the Royal Air Force, Merchant Navy, Cadet Forces will march past City Hall and along King Edward VII Avenue to the Welsh National War Memorial in Alexandra Gardens, Cathays Park, Cardiff where they will arrive by 10:40am and form up around the memorial. Those detachments will be joined by columns of ex-Servicemen and women, organised by the Royal…

Plans to sell the Cwm Ifor Solar Farm project have been agreed by cabinet to generate a capital receipt that will support the Council’s wider Place Shaping Programme. The solar farm which will be built as part of the farm at Cwm Ifor, Penyrheol has an exciting new future as we seek to find a new buyer for the site. Savills have been appointed to manage the sale on behalf of Caerphilly County Borough Council. The 20-megawatt farm was approved by cabinet in October 2022 with Welsh Government granting planning permission for the project on Wednesday 29th May 2024. There…

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has successfully secured Welsh Government funding of nearly £4 million from the ‘Early Years and Childcare Capital Programme’ to develop 4 new childcare provisions. The facilities will be developed in areas where gaps in childcare provision was identified, with a strong focus on increasing the availability of Welsh medium childcare. The development of new Welsh medium early years provision aims to increase the number of children able to speak Welsh and support the Welsh Governments ambition of 1 million Welsh speakers across Wales by 2050. It is proposed that over time, all 4 childcare facilities…

Care & Repair is a Wales-wide charity working to ensure that older people have homes that suit their needs.   The charity helps older people in Wales to repair, adapt and maintain their homes, allowing them to live more independently while reducing hospital admissions. The Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, recently visited the home of Gillian Arnold, a Care & Repair client in Pontypool. Gillian was admitted to hospital at the beginning of this year and as a result, her home needed to be adapted. Care & Repair fitted rails throughout Gillian’s home, ensuring that she could…

The traditional watering hole is the newest acquisition for Swansea investment company Swansea.com and is now part of The Morgans Collection Beloved Swansea pub The Queen’s Hotel, one of the city’s last surviving traditional pubs, has new owners. Swansea.com, a local investment company committed to regeneration in Swansea, are the proud new owners of the thriving, traditional pub based at Gloucester Place in the city’s maritime quarter, but the long-serving staff and management team who regulars know and love will be staying the same. The Queen’s Hotel first opened back in 1892 and has a long and colourful history. A…

John Stringer from Fairwater, Cardiff, has been jailed for sexual offences against a girl under the age of 13. Stringer denied the five offences but was found guilty following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court in September 2024. The court heard that the 43-year-old was a serving Gwent Police officer at the time of the sexual assaults, but the offences were committed in Cardiff where he lived. His offending came to light in July 2021, when the victim made a disclosure at school and an investigation was carried out by the South Wales Police Child Protection Investigation Unit. Stringer was…

FOOD and drink companies united to showcase their products and cook-up new ways to tackle poverty and benefit the Welsh economy. Gwynedd and Ynys Môn Food Partnership hosted the event at the popular Catch 22 Brasserie in Valley, near Holyhead. More than 35 people were in attendance, celebrating the value of the Partnership – which is delivered by Menter Môn on behalf of the two local authorities – and its mission to supply nutritious, locally sourced and sustainable food to communities in the region. Lowering the sector’s carbon footprint in north west Wales, healthy living and targeting the cost-of-living crisis…

Two Welsh artists are set to perform at one of the largest music and cultural festivals in India. Folk singer-songwriters Gareth Bonello and Mari Mathias have been chosen to play to crowds at this year’s Hornbill Festival in Nagaland. The 10-day festival in December, nicknamed the “Festival of Festivals”, is celebrating its 25th year and attracts visitors from all over the world. It is India’s largest celebration of tribal heritage with visitors immersed in the rich traditions, music, and folklore of the region. This year, Wales has been made a designated partner of Nagaland’s Hornbill festival marking the end of…