>Keep Wales Tidy’s Project Officer for Powys, Rachel Palmer, has been presented with a Silver Kite Award in recognition of her years of dedication in championing volunteers to care for their local environment.

The Powys County Council Silver Kite Award is a civic award presented by the Chair of Council, Cllr Gareth Ratcliffe, to recognise outstanding commitment to the community. As well as being a Keep Wales Tidy Project Officer for Powys for 15 years, the award is also in recognition of Rachel’s earlier career in the council’s museums service.

Rachel was nominated for her award James Thompson, the council’s Waste Awareness and Enforcement Manager, as a thank you for all her hard work over the years. Throughout her time as the Keep Wales Tidy’s Project Officer for Powys, Rachel has dedicated herself to supporting community and environmental projects in the county.  She has supported schools, community groups, charities, businesses, councillors and local individuals to take direct action to help make their communities cleaner and greener.

“I am delighted to officially recognise Rachel’s dedication and commitment to the county of Powys,” said Cllr Ratcliffe, “and although the award is made to Rachel personally, it also reflects on the hard work of so many of the local volunteers across Powys who do so much to help keep our county free of litter.

“Rachel and her volunteers have done so much for Powys, not just litter picking but also championing environmental projects, encouraging wildlife and nature habitats and gardening ventures across the county.

“I know first-hand from volunteering with local environmental tasks just how much this improves the physical and mental health of those partaking, as well as improving the local environment for the whole community.”

Lesley Jones, Keep Wales Tidy Chief Executive said “I’m delighted that Rachel’s outstanding contribution in Powys over the past 15 years has been recognised by Powys County Council. Rachel has worked closely with our local authority partner and so many others in Powys to protect and improve the local environment which has made a huge difference to communities across the county.”

From powys.gov.uk

Front line workers, such as the waste and recycling crews, have been relied upon to continue working hard throughout the chaos of the past couple of years. Despite the strains of a global pandemic and budget pressures, the council’s key workers have worked tirelessly to ensure services are maintained and resident’s needs are met.

However, the current national recruitment crisis is now taking its toll and the waste and recycling service are suffering a staff shortage. At times this is resulting in missed collections and delays to emptying litter bins and the banks at community recycling sites. We are working hard to make sure disruption is kept to a minimum.

Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys says: “We understand that missed or delayed collections can be very frustrating to everyone including our crews, residents, and commercial customers.

“We would like to thank our crews for their continued commitment and hard work and the residents and commercial customers 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.”

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

“Despite the hard work, being part of the waste and recycling team can be a very rewarding job” added Cllr Charlton. “We would encourage anyone looking for a job in their local area to consider applying to become part of our team.

“It is important to us to employ local people and we would especially welcome applications from women wanting to take advantage of the good work-life balance. As well as friendly and committed colleagues, you will also have the satisfaction of helping the council to become a top preforming recycling authority and contributing to the county’s climate change agenda.”

For more information on the current vacancies within the waste and recycling service, please visit: Search and Apply for Jobs

Children across Powys are invited to attend free sporting activities this summer.

Powys County Council, in partnership with Freedom have arranged free sporting activity sessions in nine different locations across the county. These sessions are for children and young people aged 6 to 12 across Powys is part of Welsh Government’s Playworks Holiday funded project.

Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for Future Generations, Cllr Susan McNicolas said: “We are delighted that we are able to provide summer holiday activities for children across the county, thanks to funding from the Welsh Government. These sessions will provide an opportunity for children to take part in fun outdoor activities and make new friends at the same time!”

Places will be limited so parents must book their child’s place online.

Applications will open on Friday 8th of July onwards for 5 weeks of the summer holidays. For your child to attend, you must book a place online by Wednesday 12 noon for the following weeks sessions.

Families will be notified of confirmed places a week in advance for activities the following week.

If you have any questions, please contact us on [email protected].

For more information visit https://en.powys.gov.uk/article/11259/Holiday-Playworks-Summer-Sessions-with-Freedom-Leisure

Article from Powys Council

A local government partnership that supports and actively champions LGBTQ+ inclusion in Welsh communities will have a new member.
Powys County Council is to become a ‘Proud Council’ and will be first rural authority in Wales to join the partnership.

Proud Councils is a voluntary partnership of Welsh local authorities who are proactive in the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people.  It was formed in 2015 to ensure that local government across Wales is a visible leader in the field of LGBTQ+ rights and actively championing LGBTQ+ inclusion in communities across Wales.

The partnership aims to create a unified and collaborative approach to LGBTQ+ inclusion across Wales, supporting member local authorities with their commitment towards creating equal, diverse, and inclusive workplaces and communities, where the LGBTQ+ community can be free from discrimination or prejudice.

The decision to become a Proud Council was approved by Cabinet on Tuesday 28 June.

Cllr Matthew Dorrance, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for a Fairer Powys, said: “I’m delighted that Powys County Council will become a Proud Council. It’s especially pleasing that the decision to join this partnership was taken during Pride Month.

“The decision to become a Proud Council sends a very clear signal that we are a welcoming and inclusive employer that supports and promotes diversity across our workforce while supporting the LGBTQ+ community in Powys.

“It is important that the council does more to support our LGBTQ+ staff and residents. Our ambition is to build a Fairer Powys, becoming a Proud Council is an important step in achieving this.”

The other Welsh local authorities that are Proud Councils are:

Blaenau Gwent; Bridgend; Caerphilly; Cardiff; Merthyr Tydfil; Newport; Rhondda Cynon Taf; Swansea; Torfaen.

Article from Powys Council

New ‘recycle on the go’ litter bins are popping up across the county, allowing us to all keep up the momentum and recycle our waste while we are out and about.

The new bins are split in two with one half for general rubbish and the other half for cans and plastic bottles which can be recycled along with the items collected from peoples weekly kerbside collections.

“Powys people have proven to be great recyclers.” says Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys. “It is second nature for many of us to recycle as much of our waste as possible, which is why it is so important for us to be able to recycle while we are on the go and not just at home.

“These new dual-purpose bins are ideal at ensuring our beautiful Powys communities stay litter free as well as providing an opportunity for us to recycle our drinks containers while we are out and about.”

The bins have been purchased with funding from the Caru Cymru initiative, an all-Wales movement led by Keep Wales Tidy and local authorities to inspire people to take action, care for the environment and eradicate litter.

Article from Powys Council