Author: Rhys Gregory

A FULL MEETING of Neath Port Talbot Council on Thursday, March 7th, 2024, has approved proposals for the county borough’s 2024/25 budget. A council spokesperson said: “This has been the most difficult budget for this council since devolution but after an extensive review of all budgets across the council it has been delivered without the significant jobs and service cuts which are being seen in many other parts of Wales.” The 2024/25 budget invests: £139.6m into Education and Schools (an increase of 4.4%), to provide education services to around 22,000 children and young people, to increase planned places for children…

Pembrokeshire County Council has this week (Thursday 7th March) agreed its budget for the coming year, 2024-2025. Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Miller said Cabinet Members had listened to concerns regarding the level of a proposed 16.31% Council Tax rise. At yesterday’s meeting of Council, Cllr Miller put forward alternative proposals which would limit the Council Tax rise to 12.5%. This was agreed by a majority of Members. The changes will be funded primarily by the use of an extra £1.5m of reserves plus £1m of efficiency savings as part of an operational review led by the Chief Executive. Cllr Alec…

On International Women’s Day, Health Minister Eluned Morgan welcomes the appointment of a new clinical lead for women’s health, who will help drive improvements in women’s health services across Wales. Dr Helen Munro, a consultant in sexual and reproductive healthcare, will take up the role of Wales’ first ever clinical lead for women’s health. Together with Alex Hicks, the new strategic network manager, she will lead the National Clinical Strategic Network for Women’s Health in developing the Women’s Health Plan for Wales. The development of the plan will be underpinned by the results of a wide-ranging survey completed by almost…

Thirty-nine projects across Wales will benefit from £8.2m of Welsh Government nature funding, Climate Change Minister Julie James announced today (Friday, March 8). The projects have been named in the latest round of the Nature Network Fund and include everything from investigating bugs on coal spoils and reintroducing voles to Newport wetlands to learning more about dolphin diets off the coast of west Wales. This fund is a key component of the Nature Network Programme, launched in 2021, helping Welsh Government work towards the Global Biodiversity Framework 30 by 30 goal, which aims to protect and effectively manage 30% of…

The first exhibition as part of the National Contemporary Art Gallery for Wales project will open to the public this weekend [Saturday 9th March]. The Teulu/Family exhibition at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre is the first activity to be delivered as part of the dispersed model of the project where art will be displayed in galleries closer to where people live and work to improve access to contemporary art and the national collection. The other eight galleries which make up the dispersed model are: Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea Mostyn, Llandudno Newport city Oriel Davies, Newtown Oriel Myrddin, Carmarthen Plas Glyn-y-Weddw,…

Ascona Group (‘Ascona’), the 7th largest UK independent forecourt operator and one of the fastest growing companies in Wales for the last three years, is delighted to announce that it has made another £50,000 donation to its charity partner, the Wales Air Ambulance, as it hits its ambitious fundraising target of £100,000 in the 2023/24 financial year. After Ascona made initial donations of £10,000 in March 2023 and £40,000 in November 2023, the Group has made this additional donation following the success of its fundraising activities across its portfolio of first-class roadside retail destinations over the last few months. Following…

The opening act of the Cheltenham Festival, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, sets the stage for a thrilling display of speed, agility, and raw talent as young hurdlers vie for supremacy over the demanding two-mile course. Throughout its storied history, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle has been graced by champions who have gone on to etch their names in racing annals, with luminaries like Constitution Hill, Altior, Shishkin, and Klassical Dream leaving their mark on the sport. At the helm of this prestigious Grade 1 contest stands Willie Mullins, a titan of jumps racing with an unparalleled record of 94 Festival winners.…

If you have ever wondered what the term handicap means in sports, more specifically, what it means in horse racing, you’ve come to the right place. Here is everything you need to know about what a handicap horse race is, how horse handicap ratings are determined, and why it even exists. How is a horse’s rating determined? Each horse has a rating; the higher the number, the better the performance. The rating system in horse racing takes into account several factors, including the following: Betting market expectations Past ratings of key runners Overall times Weights carried Margin spread through the…

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On World Book Day 2024, a new book was launched that was written and created by Year 2 pupils in Ceredigion primary schools and the county’s three language centres. The new book ‘Bant â Ni gyda Seren a Sbarc’ was launched at Penrhyncoch Primary School on Thursday 07 March, with the other schools and centres attending virtually. The book comprises seven chain stories that follow the main characters as they visit various places of importance in Ceredigion and learn all about local history, meeting many colourful and interesting characters along the way. Full of humour, idioms and rhetorical devices, the…