Author: Rhys Gregory

Air Vice-Marshal Fin Monahan OBE DFC PhD takes up position as new Chief Fire Officer of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) is pleased to welcome Air Vice-Marshal Fin Monahan OBE DFC PhD as the new Chief Fire Officer (CFO) of the Service, as he takes up his post today. Fin joins SWFRS after a distinguished and decorated career as a fast jet fighter pilot and senior leader in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Ministry of Defence (MOD). Fin’s exceptional qualifications include Masters’ degrees from the University of Nottingham and University of…

Popham Kidney Support, the kidney charity based in Swansea, has been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024. This is the highest award a local voluntary group or charity can receive in the UK and is an equivalent to an MBE. Founded in 2013, Popham Kidney Support provides vital assistance to children, young people, adults, and their families facing kidney disease across Wales. Originally established as “The Paul Popham Fund” in memory of the late Paul Popham, father of current CEO Joanne Popham, the charity offers a range of services, including peer support, counselling, education, awareness programmes, health…

On Thursday 14 November, the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, will visit Palmerston Centre for Lifelong Learning in Barry to see the Vale of Glamorgan’s digitally inclusive tablet loan scheme at work, and to meet the Vale’s digital champions and the residents they are supporting. With 170,000 people in Wales (7% of the population) not using the internet, there are still too many people missing out on digital opportunities – but the Vale of Glamorgan’s tablet loan scheme is taking the initiative to get Wales online. The Vale of Glamorgan is known for its rolling countryside,…

Today enfinium, a leading UK energy-from-waste operator, has awarded over £4,000 to five Repair Cafés near its Parc Adfer facility in Deeside, North Wales, as part of the company’s efforts to reduce waste and support the Welsh Government’s ambition to achieve a zero-waste economy by 2050. The five Cafés receiving the funding are the Flint Town Hall Repair Café, Mold Repair Café, the St Mary Upton Village Repair Café, the Bagillt Community Library Repair Café, and the Buckley Repair Café, all located across Flintshire and Merseyside within 30 miles of enfinium’s Parc Adfer facility. This latest announcement follows enfinium’s grant…

Summer 2025 will see Caldicot Castle join the ranks of other prestigious fortresses around the UK who play host to successful concert events, as Caldicot Castle launches Summer Nights at Caldicot Castle for 2025.  The new outdoor music brand will bring the royalty of world music to Wales, hosted within the majestic landscape of the castle and nestled under the crystalline stars of the Welsh sky.  Plus, the new music series pledges to give new and local talent slots on the lineup, as it opens up the performance stage to the cream of burgeoning Welsh artists to support the headline…

Three men have been sent to prison after stealing two vans in broad daylight. At around 12:35pm on Wednesday October 31, 2023, whilst at bus stops on North Road at the junction with Gabalfa roundabout, the victim was confronted by Tom Price and had his work van stolen. The victim, a 61-year-old man from Rhondda, told police that he was cleaning one of the bus shelters with his back facing the van. He has then heard Price shout at him “Where are the keys?”. The victim has turned to face him, Price has then repeated aggressively “Where are the keys?”…

Prestatyn’s new police station will officially open in the centre of the town next week. North Wales Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, working with Denbighshire County Council, developed part of a new building on the site of the former library on Nant Hall Road, which will be a base for response officers and the Neighbourhood Policing Team. Commenting ahead of next week’s opening, Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman said: “Having listened to both our local residents and business community, I am delighted that we will once again have a base within the town. “Recent years have seen…

This week sees the launch of the council’s annual ‘Spend Christmas in your town centre’ campaign, which encourages people to ‘shop local’ and support independent businesses and events in the run-up to the festive period. Highlighting a jam-packed calendar full of festive fun across the county borough, the campaign features the popular Christmas Lights Switch-On, Christmas Parade, Victorian Christmas, and Santa Fest events organised by Bridgend, Maesteg and Porthcawl Town Councils. Christmas shoppers can look forward to an array of handcrafted goods and seasonal produce at Green Top traditional Christmas street markets, alongside exclusive offers and promotions from local businesses…

Development is underway to create a nature reserve at Green Gates, Cwttir Lane, St Asaph, which will eventually grow into a 70-acre site supporting local biodiversity and helping nature recovery. Groundworks have begun to shape the site into a vital support for local nature. The St Asaph nature reserve development is part of the Council’s response to protect and restore local nature habitats to contribute to the nature recovery goal. Increased hedgerow and tree cover will also contribute to continuing efforts to tackle climate change and contribute to the council’s net carbon zero goal by increasing carbon absorption. Work has…

11 parks in Cardiff could be permanently protected after a public consultation found overwhelming public support for the plans put forward by Cardiff Council. The eight-week consultation found that 95% of respondents were in favour of plans to enter into a legal agreement known as a ‘deed of dedication’ with Fields in Trust, an independent UK-wide charity dedicated to the protection of parks and green spaces. Trelai Park, one of 11 parks that could benefit from protection. Credit: Cardiff Council A recently published report recommends that the Council now begins the necessary work to complete the dedication of the following parks…