31 October 2022

Political rivals in Powys are putting their differences to one side to help combat violence against women and girls through sport.

Councillors from across the political spectrum are to play together as a football team in a charity match to mark White Ribbon Day 2022 which this year falls on the same date (Friday 25 November) that Wales will face Iran at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

To mark both events, a Powys County Council team, mostly made up of members of its White Ribbon steering group, will take on Caersws FC Reserves at the Recreation Ground in Caersws at 1pm on Sunday 20 November.

The event is in support of White Ribbon UK, which is part of the global White Ribbon movement seeking to end men’s violence against women. It will also act as a curtain-raiser to the World Cup which kicks-off later the same afternoon, at 4pm, with a match between Qatar and Ecuador.

Lining up on the left-wing for the council will be Labour’s Cllr Matthew Dorrance, who is also its Deputy Leader and one of its White Ribbon Lead Ambassadors, while on the right will be Conservatives Group Leader Cllr Aled Davies.

There will be a duo of Liberal Democrats in the centre, including Council Leader and team goalkeeper Cllr James Gibson-Watt and the Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys Cllr Pete Roberts.

Completing the rainbow coalition against domestic abuse will be Cllr Gareth E. Jones (Independents for Powys).

They will be joined by fellow White Ribbon steering group members and ambassadors Matt Perry (Head of Highways, Transport and Recycling and Lead Ambassador) and Marc James (Work-based Learning Manager).

“We invite everyone to come along and watch the councillors and officers of Powys County Council take on Caersws FC, quite possibly with hilarious results,” said Cllr Matthew Dorrance, whose portfolio includes supporting the White Ribbon movement. “We will also be encouraging as many people as possible, especially men and boys, to make the White Ribbon promise to never commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women and girls.

“We will be aiming to have a bit of fun on the day ahead of the World Cup but will also be promoting the very serious and damaging issue of violence against women and girls which sadly tends to increase around major sporting events.”

Members of the council’s White Ribbon steering group will also be supporting members of Caersws FC to become White Ribbon champions and plan to encourage players and officials at other sports clubs in Powys to do the same.

Anthea Sully Chief Executive of White Ribbon UK added: “This year White Ribbon Day is focusing on the attitudes and behaviours men and boys can adopt to move away from associations to violent and abusive behaviour.

“Men and boys are now expecting better from their colleagues, friends and family to ensure women and girls are safe.”

Powys County Council has also organised three walks which will take place on White Ribbon Day (Friday 25 November), starting at 2pm from Park Street Family Centre in Newtown, County Hall in Llandrindod Wells and Theatr Brycheiniog in Brecon. People of all genders are encouraged to take part.

The council is a White Ribbon accredited organisation which means it has made a commitment to ending violence against women in Powys communities, improving its own workplace culture and ensuring the safety of its female employees.

PICTURE: Some of the key players for Team Powys as football stickers including Cllr James Gibson-Watt, Cllr Matthew Dorrance, Cllr Pete Roberts, Cllr Aled Davies, and Cllr Gareth E. Jones.

21 October 2022

Parents of prospective pupils have had the chance to tour the development of a new Welsh-medium school in Welshpool as they consider educational options for their children.

Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng played host to an open day highlighting the benefits of a bilingual education at the modern facility.

The day, organised by the school, Powys County Council, and main contractor Wynne Construction, gave interested parents the opportunity to tour the new site and speak to school leaders on the topic of Welsh-medium education.

The school is currently undergoing a wide-scale redevelopment to accommodate 150 pupils as well as provisions for early years and community facilities, with the design also preserving elements of the historic Ysgol Maesydre building.

Bodelwyddan-based Wynne Construction are leading on the build project, which began in November 2021 after being appointed by Powys County Council.

Alison Hourihane, social value manager at Wynne Construction, said: “Wynne is thoroughly committed to delivering strong socio-economic opportunities to the areas we build in, which is why we were thrilled to work with Powys on this great step forward for education in the region.

“It was our pleasure to welcome prospective parents onto the site to highlight the value of a modern and first-class Welsh-medium education as well as showcase the excellent work of our team to date.

“Work on site to deliver a high-quality and sustainable space for education in the area is progressing well, and we look forward to welcoming students into the new facilities in the near future.”

As part of Wynne’s and Powys’ commitment to achieving net zero on its builds, the redevelopment of the school has incorporated numerous Passivhaus standards into the build aimed at reducing energy usage and retaining heat.

The modern facility, which will also incorporate the historic Grade II-listed site of Ysgol Maesydre, is on course to be among the first certified Passivhaus-hybrid projects in the UK.

Angharad Davies, headteacher of Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng, said: “The value of a Welsh-medium education for children is becoming more recognised by parents who wish to ensure their children can enjoy the benefits of being bilingual and the endless opportunities associated with Welsh education.

“It was our pleasure to welcome interested parents who are looking to help their children take that first step into Welsh-medium education and answer the pressing questions about the system and how we are best placed to support their children.

“The discussions between current parents, pupils, and interested parents was extremely beneficial. Thank you to all involved.”

The project, which has been part backed through the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, will help the council deliver its Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys, which was updated earlier this year.

The programme aims to transform the learning experience of pupils to ensure they are taught in modern facilities needed to support the delivery of the Welsh curriculum.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “We are committed to improving access to Welsh-medium provision across all key stages of education in Powys and want to increase the opportunities for children and young people in the county, and those who move into the county, to become fully bilingual.

“The new build for Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng is an important project to help us achieve this and help deliver our Welsh in Education Strategic Plan.”

To find out more about Welsh-medium education in Powys, visit Destination bilingual.

For more information about Wynne Construction, visit www.wynneconstruction.co.uk

24 October 2022

The spookiest night of the year is nearly here but it’s a time to scare your friends, not the planet! There’s plenty of recycling to be done around Halloween and lots of ways you can reduce the scary amount of waste generated by the fearsome festivities.

Here are a few frighteningly good tips on how to go green this Halloween (they’ll save you a few pennies too):

• Don’t be scared of the pumpkins! Make sure you scoop out the flesh before carving and turn it into something delicious. There are plenty of ideas for some taste treats on the Love Food Hate Waste website for you to choose from.
• Get creative with your ghoulish costumes and buy second-hand, reuse old outfits, or make your own from old clothes, left over bits of material or recycled rubbish.
• Use face paints to create your own scary faces, rather than buying plastic masks.
• Make your own spooky party decorations – paper bunting tied to string, coloured in pictures of spiders and skeletons, you could even try making your own paper-mâché pumpkins.
• Ditch the evil disposable partywear and just use real plates, glasses, and cutlery.
• Offer your trick or treaters some homemade treats such as pumpkin shaped biscuits – it makes a change from all the sweets and cuts out the horrible plastic wrappers going to waste.
• Make sure to recycle as much of your Halloween waste as possible, especially if you have any leftover food, cans, plastic and glass bottles from your frightful parties… just add them all to your recycling boxes.
• Although they can’t be recycled from home, most plastic wrapping, including sweet wrappers, can be recycled at collection points in your local supermarket. Just remember to bundle them all up and take them with you next time to go shopping.
• Once they’ve had their day, your old pumpkin shells can be added to your compost heap or cut up and popped into your food caddy. If they are really big (and not too rotten) they can be left on top of your kerbside food caddy for a one-off post-Halloween collection by our crews. Please remember to remove any candles first.

Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys, Cllr Jackie Charlton, said: “Most people in Powys are already doing a great job of making sustainable choices and recycling each week. But we can all do a little bit more, especially during these seasonal celebrations.

“Making an effort to be ‘greener’ is becoming easier with more and more of us choosing to reduce, reuse and recycle more than ever. The added bonus of these more environmentally friendly options is that they often save us money too… particularly important in these times of austerity.”

For more information on recycling, please visit: What do I do with my recycling and rubbish (household) 

21 October 2022

A drop-in session for the final phase of the consultation aimed at improving the public spaces within Brecon town centre, will take place on
Wednesday 2 November, between 3.30pm and 6.30pm at Y Gaer, Brecon.

Working together with Amey Consulting and LDA Design, Powys County Council are looking at ways to improve the public spaces within Brecon town centre. The focus is on improving pedestrian priority and experience, improving connections and biodiversity and creating safe, accessible public areas that enhances the unique qualities of the town along the length of the High Street; including the Struet, High Street Superior, High Street Inferior and the Bulwark.

The consultation on these proposed improvements was available online from August, with on-street engagement at the end of August. The drop-in session on Wednesday 2 November will be the final opportunity for of local people, businesses, and visitors to talk about the plans and share their thoughts and experiences on how they use the town centre and how the space could be improved.

A similar drop-in event recently held in Crickhowell was very well attended, with some excellent feedback gained for the consultation process regarding to future of Crickhowell town centre. 

“Following an initial informal engagement exercise with the local communities back in June 2021, we have considered peoples view and taken the opportunity to look at how we could change and improve the way we have traditionally used our town centres.” explains Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys.

“Temporary alterations to the public areas of our towns, introduced during covid restrictions, gave rise to businesses and visitors using the space differently. This highlighted how our town centres can evolve and make use of space in other ways, particularly by embracing our outside areas.

“It is important to balance the views of all users of the town centre; visitors, residents and businesses, and this drop-in session on Wednesday 2 November at Y Gaer, will provide a final and vital opportunity for us to gather valuable feedback which will be used to shape how the town centre will look, work, and feel in the future. We look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible.”

Along with representatives from the council, Amey Consulting and LDA Design, Accessibility Powys will also be attending the drop-in session to ensure everyone is able to effectively take part in this final part of the consultation and that every consideration in made to ensuring future plans for the town are accessible to all, especially those with mobility issues.

The future of Brecon town centre consultation drop-in session:
Wednesday 2 November, 3.30pm and 6.30pm
Y Gaer, Glamorgan St, Brecon. LD3 7DW  

21 October 2022

Parents of prospective pupils have had the chance to tour the development of a new Welsh-medium school in Welshpool as they consider educational options for their children.

Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng played host to an open day highlighting the benefits of a bilingual education at the modern facility.

The day, organised by the school, Powys County Council, and main contractor Wynne Construction, gave interested parents the opportunity to tour the new site and speak to school leaders on the topic of Welsh-medium education.

The school is currently undergoing a wide-scale redevelopment to accommodate 150 pupils as well as provisions for early years and community facilities, with the design also preserving elements of the historic Ysgol Maesydre building.

Bodelwyddan-based Wynne Construction are leading on the build project, which began in November 2021 after being appointed by Powys County Council.

Alison Hourihane, social value manager at Wynne Construction, said: “Wynne is thoroughly committed to delivering strong socio-economic opportunities to the areas we build in, which is why we were thrilled to work with Powys on this great step forward for education in the region.

“It was our pleasure to welcome prospective parents onto the site to highlight the value of a modern and first-class Welsh-medium education as well as showcase the excellent work of our team to date.

“Work on site to deliver a high-quality and sustainable space for education in the area is progressing well, and we look forward to welcoming students into the new facilities in the near future.”

As part of Wynne’s and Powys’ commitment to achieving net zero on its builds, the redevelopment of the school has incorporated numerous Passivhaus standards into the build aimed at reducing energy usage and retaining heat.

The modern facility, which will also incorporate the historic Grade II-listed site of Ysgol Maesydre, is on course to be among the first certified Passivhaus-hybrid projects in the UK.

Angharad Davies, headteacher of Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng, said: “The value of a Welsh-medium education for children is becoming more recognised by parents who wish to ensure their children can enjoy the benefits of being bilingual and the endless opportunities associated with Welsh education.

“It was our pleasure to welcome interested parents who are looking to help their children take that first step into Welsh-medium education and answer the pressing questions about the system and how we are best placed to support their children.

“The discussions between current parents, pupils, and interested parents was extremely beneficial. Thank you to all involved.”

The project, which has been part backed through the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, will help the council deliver its Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys, which was updated earlier this year.

The programme aims to transform the learning experience of pupils to ensure they are taught in modern facilities needed to support the delivery of the Welsh curriculum.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “We are committed to improving access to Welsh-medium provision across all key stages of education in Powys and want to increase the opportunities for children and young people in the county, and those who move into the county, to become fully bilingual.

“The new build for Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng is an important project to help us achieve this and help deliver our Welsh in Education Strategic Plan.”

To find out more about Welsh-medium education in Powys, visit Destination bilingual.

For more information about Wynne Construction, visit www.wynneconstruction.co.uk

20 October 2022

Difficulties in recruiting HGV drivers and a rise in covid cases are still causing significant disruptions to the waste and recycling collections across the county.

With a number of crew members testing positive for covid, it has been inevitable that there have been more missed and delayed collections, especially in the north of the county.

Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys says: “Staff shortages and covid outbreaks are still causing major disruption to the waste and recycling collections across the county. We understand that missed or delayed collections can be very frustrating to. 

“We would like to thank our crews for their continued commitment and hard work and of course the residents for their understanding. Please be assured that we are working hard to keep the service going as effectively as possible and actively recruiting additional staff to help relieve the pressures on the current team.

“If you haven’t received a collection by 5pm on your normal day, please check online for details of when we will be returning to collect: Bin collection day

“As a rule, we will try to return as quickly as possible to collect missed wheeled bins/purple sack collections, but recycling collections will probably be collected the following week. If this is the case, we will of course accept additional separated recycling left safely alongside your bins and containers on your next collection day.”

Residents are advised to keep an eye on the councils Powys Recycles social media pages and the council website for any updates to collection arrangements:

Facebook: @recycleforpowys / https://www.facebook.com/recycleforpowys  

Twitter: @PowysRecycles / https://twitter.com/PowysRecycles  

Bin collection details: Bin collection day