Search results for : Articles only in Blackwood
Miss Divine UK Finals!
Miss Divine UK would have struggled to find a more beautiful setting to celebrate the final night of their beauty pageant competition. The New House Country Hotel stands proudly overlooking the dynamic city of Cardiff. The original period features are only enhanced by the gentle candle light as they welcome guests to the majestic 19th Century manor house. A charming marquee sits in the hotel garden and it’s immediately evident why so many couples choose this venue as the perfect setting for their wedding ceremony. Tonight however, the hotel is hosting an entirely different celebration and we are overwhelmed by the number of guests who have turned up to see the next Miss Divine UK receive their crowns. Stalls selling make up, hair and beauty products decorate the beautiful marquee and friendly traders are more than happy to share beauty tips and advice as the customers sample their exclusive products. Having never attended a beauty pageant before, we weren’t really sure what to expect, but the organisers welcomed us with open arms and the evening’s entertainment did not fail to impress. This included a very talented dance show from Rhians Dancer‘s and a very powerful enjoyable performance from Yasmine. The girls are all here for different reasons, but it is clear that this opportunity gives girls the chance to shine and increase their confidence. Maegan Beaton chose to brave the stage to help her overcome her own challenges: I never thought I’d ever be on stage again.. for many reasons, but mainly due to struggling constantly with my mental…
Miss Divine UK a pageant unlike any other
Miss Divine UK is an organisation with aims to support and empower females from all over the United Kingdom to achieve their individual success. The organisation works with women and young girls from a variety of different backgrounds and offers them a platform to develop important life skills, make new friends and gain incredible opportunities. It is extremely important to them to provide a positive, happy and fun place for young girls to grow and express themselves while learning valuable skills. The females that are involved in the organisation are all truly inspirational and powerful in their own right, and Miss Divine UK encourage them to recognise their strengths and how they can use them to make a difference in the world. Miss Divine UK have an outstanding range of females from all walks of life that want to use their personal experiences to inspire others to follow their dreams. Some of their girls are; cancer survivors, burns victims, mental health sufferers, rape/sexual assault victims, victims of bullying etc. The main thing that they all have in common is that the trauma they have suffered has given them a purpose, which is to empower other women and raise awareness for these issues so that other sufferers are not alone. It is all about making a positive impact on your community and society as a whole. The phenomenal stories that we hear from girls as young as six that are a part of Miss Divine UK leave us speechless, these females are true inspirations. Of course, there is still a huge stigma…
Blackwood Town Centre Gazette – February 2017
Latest news for Caerphilly Town Centre, local community and Council offices.
Sirhowy Valley Honey Bee Company Creates a buzz
Social Enterprise Sirhowy Valley Honey Bee Company (SVHC) scooped the Pride in Your Place overall award. SVHC were recognised for their success in the innovative and ground breaking project bringing the importance of bees into the local schools. Honeybees are in crisis worldwide said SVHC founder, experienced beekeeper Lorne East Disease and climate change are decimating the numbers and impacting on the health of bee colonies. The knock-on effect of this decline is that our plants – most especially food crops – are not being pollinated as well as we might like them to be, and there is a real threat to our capacity to produce food. Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Pride in Your Place award ceremony was recently held at Blackwood Miners’ Institute to celebrate the environmental work undertaken by groups, schools and individual volunteers. The Sirhowy Valley Honey Bee Company clinched the overall award for their efforts in helping to stimulate local bee populations, as well as developing a honey education centre in Ynysddu. The education centre helps to teach groups of all ages can learn about the importance of pollinators in supporting a healthy food chain. Tyn-Y-Wern Primary with their award Other winners during the awards ceremony included: Environmental Champion – Mrs Daryl Resting for her work on litter clearance and bird box installations in and around the Caerphilly Basin Tyn Y Wern Primary – improving the local community with clean ups, planting and creating habitats for hedgehogs Fochriw Primary – salmon hatchery project Pengam Primary – making their school a more attractive place to learn and visit Cllr…
Caerphilly businesses help shape the future of the Valleys
Key business leaders from across the Caerphilly County Borough gathered at Tredomen Business Centre in Ystrad Mynach today to help the Welsh Government shape a new vision for the South Wales Valleys. The meeting was organised by the ‘Valleys Taskforce’, a newly-established group dedicated to developing and delivering a fresh approach to real change across the region. The Welsh Government has set up the group to focus on investment and jobs over the next five years. Over 50 people attended the event, hosted by Alun Davies AM, Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language. We had a great discussion with business leaders and other Taskforce members on opportunities for growth in the future. I’d like to thank all those who came along and I really enjoyed listening to businesses in Caerphilly shape the thinking of the Valleys Taskforce. said Alun Davies. Also in attendance was Cllr Ken James, Caerphilly Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration: We very much welcomed the opportunity to host the Minister and the Taskforce, as Caerphilly is a key strategic region located in the heart of the South Wales Valleys. It was encouraging to see so many business representatives in attendance and I’m sure the issues discussed at the event will provide the Taskforce with useful feedback and suggestions going forward. The Valleys Taskforce will build upon work previously undertaken in a more coordinated and targeted way which will meet the needs of the South Wales Valleys communities. It will learn from previous regeneration programmes in Wales, and further afield, to develop a fresh approach which matches…
Pizza Hut Arrives in Blackwood
A new Pizza Hut take away has opened in Blackwood town centre. The famous brand is located on High Street at its junction with Pentwyn Road and is close to the Blackwood Miners’ Institute. The store is operated as a franchise by Khorum Amin who was a Civil Engineer before deciding it was time to swap building bridges for making pizza. Prior to being accepted to run a Pizza Hut as a franchise applicants are put through a stringent vetting and selection process. Khorum said: I decided it was time to run my own business and so I applied to Pizza Hut to operate a franchise. The whole process to get accepted was really tough because the Pizza Hut name means that people expect a high standard of quality and service and your store needs to meet those expectations.
Winter is on its Way
Over the next few days the weather forecasts are predicting a sharp fall in temperature, bringing with it the increased risk of snow and ice. Caerphilly County Borough Council is ready to respond to these types of adverse weather conditions and we will be paying particular attention to our town centres if there is heavy snow. We recognise the importance of keeping town centres ‘open for businesses’, particularly as they are key focal points for the community during periods of inclement weather. Each of our principal town centres have a number of yellow grit bins placed throughout the core retail areas and these are for use by local businesses to assist them in keeping the area outside their shops clear of ice and snow. If you notice that the grit level in any of the bins is low please contact the Council’s Customers Service Team on 01443 815588 / 01495 226622 and they will arranged for more grit to be delivered. The council has a detailed Winter Maintenance Plan in place which aims to keep the area’s main highway network open, as well as minimising disruption to key frontline services and protecting the vulnerable. Our fleet of gritters will pre-salt key strategic routes with priority given to the main ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads. The Council also tries to ensure, where possible, that access is maintained to residential accommodation for older people, education establishments, hospitals, doctors surgeries, town centres & major bus stations. Salt/grit box photo by Lee Haywood . True grit photo by Mary Hutchison .
Retailers Window Display in Aid of Local Charity
This Christmas, a retailer in Blackwood town centre is lending their support to a local charity. Kismet, which is situated in Hall Street, has specially dressed its Christmas window in aid of CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/. The charity supports young people diagnosed with potentially life-threatening cardiac conditions and offers bereavement support to families affected by young sudden cardiac death (YSCD). Sue Jenkins the owner of Kismet showed the window to Betty Thomas whose grandson Jack Thomas died suddenly when he was 15 years old. Jack‘s parents June & Grant have already raised money through ‘Jacks Appeal/Welsh Hearts‘ to provide defibrillators to all comprehensive schools in the County Borough and through a memorial fund set up through CRY they are funding twice yearly cardiac screening sessions at Oakdale Medical Centre. Each session screens 111 people between the ages of 14-35 and takes place on the Saturday closest to Jack‘s birthday on 6th June and on the anniversary of his death on 12th February. Sue said: We are delighted to help raise money for CRY in memory of Jack. I hope people will take time to stop and enjoy the window and make a donation to the charity in appreciation. Betty Thomas said: The work that CRY are doing is so important and it really does save lives. Please support the funding of the screening program in Oakdale that Jacks parents have set up. Kismet and Betty’s Boutique in Blackwood town centre are both donating proceeds from their carrier bag sales over Christmas towards CRY in memory of Jack…
Working Women Shaken not Stirred
The Caerphilly Working Women Forum met for their last event of 2016 in Bryn Meadows Golf Club and what a great night it was too. Our Master Cocktail shaker Tom showed the ladies how to prepare a Mojito and a Cosmo overseen by Katrina Roham from Bryn Meadows Golf and Hotel. A competition was held to find the fastest cocktail shaker and the winners were treated to vouchers for a spa session in the fusion spa in Bryn Meadows Spa. Cocktail making competition from last night's @ww_wales networking event @BrynMeadows pic.twitter.com/Mfyn18Q0QN — Caerphilly Business (@CCBCBusiness) December 8, 2016 Phil Loveless Rural Development Officer and Katrina Roham from Bryn Meadows Golf and Hotel show the ladies how its done. Working Women Forum is an informal organisation and joint partnership between Caerphilly Business Forum and Caerphilly Rural Development Programme, working women will give you the opportunity to meet and work with like-minded women, promote your business and make new friends. For further information on forthcoming events call Sharon Peters on 01443 866397 and look out for our brand new series of events in 2017. Photo sources: Cocktail networking event with @ww_wales @cbforum @Welsh_ICE @BrynMeadows pic.twitter.com/2KKERa1Zak — Caerphilly Business (@CCBCBusiness) December 7, 2016 Fantastic evening with the @cbforum @ww_wales for cocktails & networking!Thank you to the 15 ladies who learnt how to make mojitos &cosmo's pic.twitter.com/r3xBkCfBsg — Bryn Meadows (@BrynMeadows) December 7, 2016