Author: Rhys Gregory

CHILDREN with additional learning needs are thriving thanks to innovative methods and investment at a top secondary school. Ysgol Eirias in Colwyn Bay has redeveloped its curriculum and facilities for ALN pupils, including the construction of a new accessible outdoor learning space and ‘garden classroom’. The school secured grants of £40,000 via a £20m Welsh Government capital funding scheme, allocated to improve the inclusivity of teaching environments, create quiet or sensory areas, upgrade or purchase new equipment and for works to improve additional provision for young people with ALN and/or disabilities. Ysgol Eirias – listed fourth in Wales in the…

Semiconductor manufacturer Kubos is set to bring its revolutionary new compound semiconductor material to South Wales, thanks to a £670,000  equity investment from the Development Bank of Wales Kubos has chosen Cardiff University’s Sbarc building for its base, putting them at the heart of Wales’ world-class compound semiconductor eco-system.  The business will recruit for five new positions including testing engineer, device manager and VP of development along with continuing technical development undertaken at Cardiff University and the University of Cambridge by Professor David Wallis and his team. The business is working on a new compound semiconductor material called cubic gallium…

PEOPLE in Cardiff united against cancer by taking part in Race for Life on Sunday (5 May). Georgina Wren, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 25 following her first screening appointment, was chosen as VIP to kick off Cancer Research UK’s flagship fundraiser in Cardiff. She sounded the horn at the start line to send more than 1,500 people on the 5k course at Coopers Field in Bute Park.   The event was part of a bumper weekend of activities which included Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids, a mud splattered obstacle course. Around 6,000 people took in total part…

Shane Barnett, 49, was last seen leaving the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, on Sunday, May 7, 2023. Extensive enquiries have been carried out to locate Shane but there have been no confirmed sightings since he was seen on Allensbank Road, close to the hospital, at around 12.30pm that day. Shane’s mum Diane Bush, from Bridgend, said: “Shane must feel like he’s the most unwanted person in the world and he’s not at all. He’s very much wanted, and he’s very much loved. “My message to Shane is please just get in touch. I’ll come to get you wherever you are,…

St Mellons Church in Wales Primary School has celebrated the official opening of its brand new £6m school building during a special event in the presence of Cardiff Council Leader, Cllr Huw Thomas and Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Sarah Merry. The new school issituated at the St Edeyrns development east of the Pontprennau link roadand opened its doors to pupils for the first time in September after relocatingfrom its former site inLlanrumney. Delivered as part of Cardiff’s Local Development Plan (LDP) by Halsall Construction on behalf of Persimmon Homes, the new school is 1 form entry,…

Denbighshire Countryside Service rangers with the support of Nature for Health volunteers, Coleg Llandrillo student and Ysgol Tir Morfa students, have created a new area for communities to enjoy alongside the Rhyl Cut. Work has commenced along key points of the watercourse with a view to carrying out a longer-term project to develop the route to support local nature and the wellbeing of communities living along the historic route though Rhyl. Denbighshire County Council is also working with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to improve the watercourse and land surrounding its route through the town from east to west into the…

Swansea International Jazz Festival is set to return and celebrate 75 years of live jazz music in the city with a line-up packed with legendary musicians, special performances, and familiar favourites. Swansea Council has once again joined forces with Swansea Jazz Club, now in its 75th year, to present this year’s jazz festival, which will be held at venues across Swansea’s Maritime Quarter from Thursday 13 to Monday 17 June 2024. The festival opens with a special gala dinner at Morgans Hotel on the Thursday evening, which will start the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of Swansea Jazz Club and the 80th birthday…

Significant progress is being made on site in the creation of Y Storfa, Swansea’s new city centre public services hub. Contractors Kier, working on behalf of the council in Oxford Street’s former BHS store, have spent several months expertly stripping the huge property back to its shell and core. Their work has revealed the expansive spaces that, from next year after work is complete, will be a welcoming space to the thousands who’ll visit every week. As part of the city’s ongoing £1bn regeneration, it’ll become home to Swansea’s main library the West Glamorgan Archive Service and a number of…

Neath Port Talbot Council has announced the rollout of a one-year pilot programme for a 24/7 mobile response service designed to enhance the support available to users of its Lifeline service. This innovative programme ensures that Lifeline service users facing non-medical crisis situations, such as a non-injurious fall, have prompt access to trained responders who can provide quick assistance within their own homes. The introduction of the mobile response service aims to ensure individuals can get the right help quickly when needed, particularly in addressing non-medical emergencies. By addressing urgent situations at home, this service enhances safety and security, and…

An ambitious £300m school building programme which could transform education across Powys over the next 10 years has taken a step forward after Cabinet gave the go-ahead to submit plans to the Welsh Government. Powys County Council has prepared a new Strategic Outline Programme (SOP) to submit to the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning’s nine-year rolling programme. Yesterday (Tuesday, May 7), the Cabinet agreed approved the programme for submission to the Welsh Government. If approved by the Welsh Government, the programme will help the council deliver its Transforming Education Programme, which was relaunched in 2022 along with an updated…