Latest news with #Mirrorpix
Wales Online
11-07-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Number of long term empty properties in Merthyr brought back into use last year
Number of long term empty properties in Merthyr brought back into use last year The council's target is to bring 7% back into use each year and 200 over the course of the period covered by their strategy Open space improvements, new council vehicles and a temporary alteration to a section of road are among the projects set to be funded by this Community Infrastructure Levy funding (Image: Mirrorpix ) The council brought 43 long-term empty homes in Merthyr Tydfil back into use over the last financial year. Figures from a cabinet report on the council's empty homes strategy show that 43 out of 540 (8%) long term empty properties in the county borough were brought back into use through direct action from the council in 2024-25 with the aim of the strategy which covers 2022 to 2026 being to bring 7% of empty properties back into use each year. The specific target within the strategy is to bring a further 200 empty properties back into use. In 2023-24 a total of 39 of 529 (7.37%) long-term properties were brought back into use via direct council action and the figure for 2022-23 was 41 out of 582 (7.04%). The report says the council is making 'good progress' in towards achieving the aim of the strategy and has updated its action plan around bringing long-term empty homes – defined as those left vacant for more than six months – back into use. The strategy emphasises that there are several ways in which council officers can bring empty homes back into use which come under four main categories: engagement, advice and assistance, financial assistance and support, and enforcement action. Article continues below Number of homes Merthyr Tydfil needs outlined in report Some of the actions the council is taking include setting up an officer-led steering group and re-drafting and launching of the council web page with information relating to empty homes into one easily found page. Other actions include a communication plan which includes monthly social media posts in relation to subjects associated with the strategy and providing contact details of registered social landlords who have indicated they would consider purchase/leasing empty homes on the empty homes web page. To get all the latest Merthyr Tydfil news straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here. The council is also writing to all owners of empty properties every other year to engage and offer support to bring properties back into use but the updated action plan includes contacting owners on an annual basis. The council has carried out a risk assessment of all empty properties that have been empty for more than 10 years and has participated in the national empty homes grant scheme which has brought 11 properties back into use. Latest council figures show 43 long term empty properties were brought back into use through direct council action last year (Image: Matthew Horwood ) It has also participated in property improvement loan schemes and it has introduced council tax premiums on empty properties. Article continues below Where engagement, advice, financial assistance and support have failed to bring properties back into beneficial use enforcement may be the only tool left, the report said. The strategy includes 'priority scoring' for the most problematic empty homes based on a set of factors that takes into consideration the risk of leaving the home empty. Following a risk assessment in December 2024 six properties empty for more than 10 years were considered to be high-risk.
Wales Online
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Liam Gallagher apologises after coming under fire for offensive post ahead of Oasis reunion
Liam Gallagher apologises after coming under fire for offensive post ahead of Oasis reunion Fans told the singer to be "more mindful" following his remark on social media Liam Gallagher from Oasis has come under fire after he used an offensive phrase on X, formerly known as Twitter (Image: Mirrorpix ) Liam Gallagher has apologised after coming under fire for an offensive post on social media. The Oasis frontman posted a racial slur on X, formerly known as Twitter, before quickly deleting the post. The singer soon apologised about the offensive remark in another post where he wrote: "Sorry if I offended anyone with my tweet before it wasn't intentional you know I love you all and I do not discriminate. Peace and love LG x". The singer, who is active on X, posted a series of posts on Tuesday, July 1, containing words such as 'slingding' and 'lip lip'. However, Liam received backlash for one post which included an offensive phrase that is used to mock or imitate languages spoken in China, people from East Asia or of descent. People responded to the initial post, with some saying: "Liam, you can't say that". In another post, in which he apologised, fans told the singer: "Nice one Liam. Be a bit more mindful next time eh?". Article continues below The controversy comes as Liam is about to join his brother Noel Gallagher for the Oasis reunion tour. Live '25 will see the siblings perform for the first time in 16 years after the band had an explosive split in 2009. Article continues below The band will be starting their tour in Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Friday, July 4, with the second gig taking place at the venue the following day on Saturday, July 5. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here . Soundchecks have been taking place at the stadium and you can find out more about that, here. And here is our guide to the gigs if you are attending the dates.
Wales Online
29-06-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
Children with rotten teeth and infected wounds found living in horror Welsh home with faeces on the walls
Children with rotten teeth and infected wounds found living in horror Welsh home with faeces on the walls The children were found with rotting teeth and untreated skin infections, had "overpowering" body odour, and were wearing dirty clothes (Image: Mirrorpix ) A mother has come to the "very sad" conclusion that her young children are better off living in care than with her, a court has heard. The youngsters were found living in filthy conditions and with untreated skin infections and rotting teeth when police and social services went to the family home. Swansea Crown Court heard the children are now in the care of the local authority with the mother allowed supervised contact with them. The woman's advocate told the court: "She has now concluded that her children and better off, and have better life chances, living in the care of others rather than in her care." Caitlin Brazel, prosecuting, told the court that social services had been involved with the Swansea family for some time prior to matters coming to a head in 2023 and a number of the children had been placed on what is known as the "at risk" register. The court heard that over the months the children's attendance records at their schools had been poor, and that when they did turn up their clothes were dirty, they were unwashed with "overwhelming" body odour, and they often had not eaten breakfast that day. The prosecutor said numerous visits were made to the family home with the mum - who cannot be named to protect the identity of her children - reluctant to engage or to let staff into the house. On a number of occasions school staff looked through the windows and had seen the children at home when they should have been in the classroom. The prosecutor said during a home visit in July 2023 a social worker saw faeces smeared on the walls and floors in the property and told the mother she had until the following day to clean up. The next day the mess was noted to be even worse and the social worker called the police. Article continues below The court heard that social workers and detectives entered the house later the same day and found faeces on the walls, mouldy food on plates, dirty mattresses, and generally dirty, messy, and unhygienic conditions. The children found in the house were taken into the care of social services. The prosecutor said when the youngsters were medically examined two were found to have "significant" dental decay, with one of the children requiring emergency surgery to remove rotten teeth. One child was found to have infected lesions on her body from untreated chickenpox - medics were unable to say what had caused large lesions which were covered in bandages - while another had infected abscises on his arm. A number of the children were unwashed and unkempt. In her subsequent police interview the mum admitted she had been struggling but did not accept the children were neglected. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter The woman, who is in her 40s, had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of ill-treating a child when she appeared in the dock for sentencing. She had no previous convictions. Andrew Evans, for the defendant, said in the spring and summer of 2023 the woman had been uncapable of looking after herself never mind her children after her long-term partner had left her "in unusual circumstances". He told the court his client had reflected on her life and circumstances and come to a "very sad" conclusion. He said: "She has reflected that she is not able to care for her children in the way they deserve. She has now concluded that her children and better off, and have better life chances, living in the care of others rather than in her care. For a mother to conclude her children are better off without her is very sad". The advocate added that the two-year delay in the matter coming to court was "unconscionable", and he said the defendant had indicated to him and to the Probation Service that she was prepared to work with whatever agencies the court deemed appropriate. Judge Catherine Richards said the court would be "perfectly justified" in sending the defendant straight to prison but said she was satisfied based on everything she had read that there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. She said immediate custody would also mean the mother would not be able to continue with supervised contact with the children, and she said it was the welfare of the children that was her primary concern. With one-third discounts for her guilty pleas the defendant was sentenced to 20 months in prison for each offence to run concurrently and suspended for 18 months. She was also ordered to complete a rehabilitation course. Article continues below The judge said she was "very concerned" about the two-year delay in the case for which she had not been provided with an explanation, and she said she wanted the matter raised with the officer in the case.
Wales Online
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
The much-loved Cardiff pub which has survived so much but could now close for good
The much-loved Cardiff pub which has survived so much but could now close for good It's nostalgia meets eccentricity at the Golden Cross which is Wales' oldest gay bar The Golden Cross is a legendary Welsh pub, but faces an uncertain future (Image: John Myers ) In a hidden corner of Cardiff's city centre, now swamped by modern high rise hotels and offices, is Wales' oldest gay bar. Of all the anthems played at the grade-II listed Golden Cross pub in the shadow of John Lewis and the second St David's shopping centre, Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive would be fitting. It's nostalgia meets eccentricity at the pub which dates back to 1863 and became a gay venue in the late nineties having previously been set for demolition. Now glitter portraits of stars including Welsh legends Ian H Watkins, Gareth Thomas and Tom Jones decorate the walls of the dark room at the rear. It's rather PG-guidance compared to the sort of dark room you'd find in Gran Canaria or Sitges, and yet it's where kinky lovers of Cardiff's leather scene regularly meet for a late night intriguingly described as 'anything goes'. The main room features a long L-shaped bar - one of only 14 remaining ceramic bar counters left in Britain. The room appears almost unchanged from Western Mail archive pictures taken in the nineties, and includes an open space with a raised stage. It doesn't look like much, yet the tight room where punters cram on a Friday and Saturday night has become a mecca for drag cabaret which rivals anything you'll see in Europe. You'll regularly find Amber Dextrous, Dr Bev and Baroness Mary Golds ripping the crowd to shreds - all in fabulous taste. This picture of John Gallagher, then new manager of the Golden Cross, was taken in June 1986 after the pub was refurbished following it being saved from demolition (Image: Mirrorpix ) Article continues below A third room, where custodian Rob Burnett chats to us about his decade running the place and sometimes having to prop it up financially himself, is a throwback - the sort of pub room which feels like you're sitting in your nan's dated lounge. Challenge is on repeat - usually Bullseye or The Chase - on the television which hangs from the wall. "After everyone was allowed to come back after Covid so many people said it was like coming home," Rob tells WalesOnline ahead of Wales' biggest queer weekend in the calendar - Pride Cymru in Cardiff. "That's when I knew we'd cracked it. I think that's what a pub should be. It's a community above anything else." You can read all the updates from Pride Cymru in Cardiff here. A third room, where owner Rob Burnett chats to us about his decade running the place and sometimes having to prop it up financially himself, is a throwback - the sort of pub room which feels like you're sitting in your nan's dated lounge (Image: John Myers ) This weekend the Golden will be a picture of gloriously colourful chaos in what will be Rob's last Pride Cymru here and he's putting on a street party to celebrate. Rob, who is originally from Portsmouth and made his money in the motor transport and cleaning industries, took on the pub in 2015. 'It was an old man's dying pub really,' he recalls. "I remember a lot of hype in the community when people heard it was being rescued. "It's a very loved place. It's not just running any old pub. We've got a married gay couple here who have been together for 65 years - they've seen it all, and lots of young LGBT+ people too who feel they need a safe space. It's so important. "It was something I'd honestly never planned on doing but after being here I could see how much people truly cared about it. It would have been such a shame to see that lost. I'd never run a pub before but I'd been successful in business and thought I'd give it a go." Leonard Davies, then manager of the Golden Cross, leans on the bar in January 1979 (Image: South Wales Echo ) A decade on, the Golden again finds itself on the edge of closure. Rob is desperate to find a custodian but is concerned time could run out. A countdown to the pub's closure if no-one is found to take it on is above the bar, in the hope someone will come forward. In an era where fewer people are going to the pub and the younger queer folk of Cardiff seem to be more partial to an iced matcha latte than a pint of lager, the Golden is proving a hard sell and yet Rob says he can't lie to potential custodians about how difficult it has been at times. 'I'm concerned about it,' he explains. 'I'm trying to separate emotion from a commercial sense. The building is so expensive to run. If you stick entertainment on stage costs go up but if you don't stick entertainment on stage the crowd disappears. This weekend is the biggest in the calendar for the Golden - Pride Cymru (Image: John Myers ) 'It's a rock and a hard place. At times I've had to prop it up myself with my own money from my other business. I put it out there on social media about a £2 door charge and most people say it's fine and they'd happily pay but then of course it's very difficult attracting a younger crowd when charging on the door. "We're also finding now a lot of the younger crowd don't drink either. Many come in looking for a pint of water or a non-alcoholic drink. We've had to expand our range of non-alcoholic stuff but also soft drinks. "The rising cost of living has significantly impacted people's spending. People used to come out multiple times a week and those same people come once a week now. I can't lie - it's hard. But I don't regret doing it. We've essentially done it as a social investment and it needs someone to take it over who really loves the place and wants to keep it going." Rob arrived in Cardiff having had a varied life. Realising he was gay in his twenties when he already had a wife and a daughter, he came out at 27 and began a new life (Image: John Myers ) Rob arrived in Cardiff having had a varied life. Realising he was gay in his twenties when he already had a wife and a daughter, he came out at 27 and began a new life - although he has always prioritised being a father. "I was married at 23, a dad by 25 and this year I'm going to be a grandad - although I'm definitely not being called grandad, I'll be called papa," he laughs. "I came out when my daughter was three years old. It was very hard at the time. I had no real gay outlet. I am now in contact with one gay friend who I went to school with back home and to our knowledge we are the only two openly gay people who were at that school at the time. "I came out in 2000. I was living with my family in Dumfries in Scotland at the time, where there was no gay bar or obvious gay community. But I did meet someone who was clearly openly gay and when I saw him and saw how happy he was in himself and how accepting people were of him, I realised the possibility of being myself and realised I could be gay. "We were quite different. He was young, single and free. I moved to Milton Keynes but travelled back to Scotland every weekend to keep up the relationship with my daughter. The way I saw it was that it wasn't her fault and my first responsibility had to be and will always be as a dad.' The pub in 1999 just after it began operating as a queer venue. It is now Wales' oldest operating LGBTQ+ venue (Image: Mirrorpix ) Rob, who has been honoured with a top three place in this year's WalesOnline Pinc List, has been a father-like figure to many who've come through the doors at the Golden too. 'You can't be a shrinking violet when you run an LGBTQ+ venue. You can't be someone afraid of sticking their head above the parapet. It's not just about opening the doors every day. "People will always need places like this. Look at the recent Supreme Court ruling against the trans community. We have to make sure trans people especially now do not feel on their own. They must know they have a community in Cardiff's LGBTQ+ spaces.' Rob says while LGBTQ+ people might always face challenges, Cardiff is a friendlier place now. 'When I first came to the city even the bars wouldn't talk to each other. I asked for a coffee with all of the other LGBTQ+ venues and only three turned up. We put our heads together and decided to stop competing with each other and work together, agreeing to do our cabaret nights on different days, and it worked brilliantly. Mary's and I have worked really well together over the years. If I'm not drinking in here I will be in there.' While many queer venues have now changed their tag line to all-inclusive to welcome straight punters, others have remained just for LGBTQ+ or, in some circumstances, still gay men only. Some queer venues even only allow gay men with membership cards and say they rely on their strict entry codes to remain profitable, and Rob says he can see a 'dilemma' but ultimately it's 'ethically wrong' to turn down people who don't identify as LGBTQ+. Inside the Golden Cross in April 1991. The long L-shaped bar is one of only 14 remaining ceramic bar counters left in Britain (Image: Mirrorpix ) 'For years we've wanted our own safe spaces as LGBTQ+ people and then we got them. But following that more and more we were accepted into straight spaces too. We're now in a position where we'd be accepted as our authentic selves in most straight spaces in Britain. 'Gay bars still like to be known as gay and sometimes shun the appearance of straight people in their bars. To me that's ethically wrong in Britain today. In my mind you can't fight for equality and then say: 'Well these are our safe spaces so straight people aren't welcome.' 'We have lots of straight people who come in and feel it's their home too. Fantastic allies. One straight couple comes in and they dance with us every Sunday evening. When I say community it really is all encompassing. I think it has to be.' Article continues below Rob reserved special mention for Baroness Mary Golds, who he said has been a "huge part" of the Golden's success over the last 10 years.
Scottish Sun
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Popular English beach town launches new ride in time for summer
Plus, from beaches to dinosaurs – Haven's Weymouth Bay resort has lots to see RIDE ON Popular English beach town launches new ride in time for summer Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HUGE new ride has made an appearance in a popular UK coastal resort. Weymouth has a new structure, stretching 26 metres tall and accommodating up to 108 passengers, with views across the coast. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The wheel stretches 26 metres tall Credit: Mirrorpix 3 It was financed by the people who run the local funfair Credit: Mirrorpix The Observation Wheel, which has been financed by the people who run the local funfair, is located on the central beach in the town. According to the SomersetLive, locals have been enthusiastic about the new addition. One local, named Robert, said: "We always come down to Weymouth. We used to do a lot of diving in the sea here. "So we thought we'd come back and visit some of the regular haunts for our anniversary." Some locals also mentioned how the town used to be quite run down, but that the new wheel has brought more confidence to locals about improving the appeal of the town to visitors. Another local added: "The Observation Wheel has only been up a few weeks and I don't mind it. "It adds something and brings people in." The wheel is located at Weymouth Central Beach's end, which is also home to a number of fairground attractions and seaside activities. The wheel costs £11 to go on, and riders will see amazing views across the coast. Other locals mentioned how the wheel will help local businesses as it will bring people down in the summer. Inside the UK seaside town home to the country's longest beach and its biggest ice creams Mayor of Weymouth, Councillor Jon Orrell, said: "The observation wheel is one of the tallest attractions on the beach offering fantastic views of Weymouth's iconic Jurassic coastline. "We are pleased to see this new attraction opening on the beach for the very first time, which complements the other seasonal rides. "It will offer something for all ages for residents and visitors alike." Weymouth has also been described as a supersized UK seaside town that's home to the country's biggest beach and foot-long Mr Whippy ice creams. Plus, from beaches to dinosaurs – Haven's Weymouth Bay resort has lots to see.
