Merthyr Tydfil Council faces budget gap of £13million
MERTHYR Tydfil Council is currently facing a budget gap of £13m for next year even with a 3.4% increase in its funding. In a statement responding to the recent Welsh Government provisional budget, the council leader said that, while the…
Former Gwent MP recognised in New Year’s Honours
A FORMER Gwent MP has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours for his services to music. But Huw Edwards, who represented Monmouth, insisted: “I’m not a musician in the real sense, just an ordinary bloke who sings in a…
Men struggling with mental health say they are ‘transformed’ after playing in newly-formed band
A GROUP of men from the Vale of Glamorgan struggling with their mental health say they have been transformed after playing in a newly-formed band. The band, which was brought together by the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s community mental health…
Bridgend Council hear about improvements made to local child protection services
BRIDGEND Council has been given an update on improvements that have been made to local child protection services. The update came after a joint report was carried out by Care Inspectorate Wales in June 2023, reviewing the performance of child…
Bridgend Council signs off on new volunteering policy for residents
BRIDGEND Council has signed off on a new volunteering policy for residents in the borough. The policy is designed to outline Bridgend council’s responsibilities when it comes to volunteering, along with the obligations faced by volunteers and voluntary organisations. The…
Clarkson’s bargain bin economics and life observations a revelation
I gave up buying books some time ago. I think it was around the time I stopped buying cassettes and CDs’. I just couldn’t fit them all into the rucksack I used to travel from home to home. Life was…
South Wales Police & Crime Commissioner wins national award for custody visiting
The South Wales Independent Custody Visiting Scheme has been recognised nationally for the quality of its independent custody visiting scheme. Under this scheme, trained volunteers from the local community (Independent Custody Visitors or ICVs), make regular unannounced visits to police…
Bringing the green green grass to grey hospital walls
A little bit of the outdoors is now inside Morriston Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) brightening the surroundings for patients and their families. A giant vinyl wrap featuring an image of the Welsh countryside has been put up along one wall…
Executive Medical Director retires after five decades of service
THE Welsh Ambulance Service’s Executive Director of Medical and Clinical Services is retiring after a career which has spanned five decades. Dr Brendan Lloyd joined the Trust in August 2014 having led a career as a GP, which started at…
Award for programme which has seen huge reduction in pupils needing specialist support
Pioneering work to train up teachers in their classrooms has seen a huge reduction in children referred for specialist support. The award-winning project, the first of its kind in Wales, involves an occupational therapy team working with the education authority…