A 23-year-old man is in a critical condition in hospital after falling from a moving vehicle in Newport. Police are trying to trace the driver of a dark coloured people carrier or Land Rover type vehicle involved in the incident in Newport on Saturday night.
Part of the A48 southern distributor road near Carcraft, where he was found lying at 2330 GMT, has since reopened. Gwent Police said they are "keeping an open mind" over how he came to "exit" the passenger side of the vehicle.
Detectives believe he was socialising in the Maindee area of the city and had bought a kebab prior to getting into the vehicle in Maindee Square. He was found later lying by the roadside and police said following the incident, the vehicle continued to travel along the distributor road towards the slip road to Stephenson Street.
Newport City Council has agreed to formalise shared working with two neighbouring authorities as part of its drive to reduce costs.
Newport's Chief Internal Auditor will provide a similar role for Monmouthshire on a formal basis from now onwards as part of a new agreement between the two Councils.
In addition, Newport's Student Services function will be transferred to Cardiff City Council from April.
Members allowances for Newport City Council are set to be frozen for the 2010/11 financial year to reflect the difficult economic circumstances being experienced by residents.
Councillors currently receive a salary of £13,030 per annum. The Leader receives an additional £30,591 and Cabinet Members £15,396. The Leader of the Opposition receives an additional £9,236.
Newport paid her respects today to John Sicolo, the inspiration behind the TJ's music venue in Clarence Place.
Mr. Sicolo died on Sunday March 14. A massive turnout at St. Paul's Church in the city centre commemorated the life of a merchant seaman from Pill who became a leading figure in Newport's rough and ready independent music scene. The funeral cortege started its route with a slow drive past TJ's greeted by a round of applause from those gathered to remember Mr Sicolo.
Later that evening hundreds gathered at TJ's as a number of bands played in his memory.
A tribute issue of the Frug zine has also been produced. See here. Donations will go towards a possible memorial for John Sicolo in Newport.
Police in St Julians, Newport, are appealing for help to tidy the local area at a special clean-up day during the Easter holidays. Newport East Neighbourhood Policing Team joined forces with Church of Christ minister Paul Halliday to organise the St Julians Clean-up Day on Wednesday 31 March.
Newport City Council, local councillors, Newport City Homes and Keep Wales Tidy are also involved. Car company Vauxhall have offered to supply the transport on the day. High school pupils under the age of 16, particularly those living in the Old Barn Estate area, are invited to take part on the day. The day will involve two-hour morning and afternoon sessions and lunch will be provided for all helpers at the Church of Christ on East Usk Road. Youngsters who take part will also be rewarded with a high street shopping voucher.
St Julians ward police officer Alex Jones said: “The clean-up day promises to be a fun event, which will be rewarding for youngsters who take part in a number ways.Helpers will see a visible difference to their local neighbourhood, but they will also be rewarded with a shopping voucher and a tasty meal for lunch."
Newport Gwent Dragons have signed an agreement to move the majority of the region’s training to Newport High School.
In a move that addresses many of the region’s concerns regarding training facilities, the Dragons will also be able to develop greater links with the local community. It is hoped that the deal will help raise the profile of rugby at the school and in the local area, as well as giving local pupils the opportunity to rub shoulders with professional sportsmen as role models.
Newport High School, which is in the final stages of a major redevelopment, boasts some fantastic sports facilities, including 2 football and 2 rugby pitches, a full-size Astroturf, hard court surfaces, an indoor gym and an indoor 25 metre swimming pool.
The school have also made office facilities available for the region so that analysis sessions and team meetings can take place on site.
"This is a very important step forward for the Dragons," said Rugby Manager Robert Beale. "We have lived a very nomadic existence up until now and to have resolved our training facilities issues at the same time as gaining closer links with the local community is a great position to be in.
"DW Sports Fitness will continue to play a vital role in our rehabilitation programmes and our partnerships with both DW and Spytty Sports village remain strong and crucial to our strength and conditioning plans, but to have a training base within the region is a very important breakthrough.
"We would like to thank Paul Lidster and his team at Cardiff University who have worked very hard to accommodate us at Llanrumney over the past few years and provided us with excellent facilities and support.
"The teams at Rodney Parade have always had strong community links and it is in keeping with this ethos that we are integrating further into the community instead of building more private facilities."
The Dragons marked the deal by inviting pupils from the High School to join in a training session on Friday morning before players Jason Tovey and Ashley Smith presented certificates at a swimming gala hosted by the school for primary schools.
Dragons Chief Executive Gethin Jenkins is also delighted at the move. "This deal enables us to address our training facility issues within the region as well as ensuring that the squad are accommodated during the regeneration works. It is a great opportunity for all parties to work closer together for the promotion of rugby and sport in the local area."
Newport City Council leader, Councillor Matthew Evans, said: "Newport City Council is delighted that the Newport Gwent Dragons has signed an agreement to use the new facilities at the Active Living Centre in Bettws.
"This announcement reflects the ambition of the rugby side who are performing well in the Magners League. We are pleased that they have chosen to train in the region and that they do not have to move outside the area to find first class training facilities."
People from in and around the city have been signing up for Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile taking place from 10am tomorrow (Sunday 21st March) at NewportInternationalSportsVillage, Velodrome Way.
An event for all the family to enjoy, from tiny tots to mums and dads, to sprinters. Money raised from the Mile will be spent by Comic relief to help transform lives of people here in the UK and across the world's poorest countries.
Manager of NewportInternationalSportsVillage, Neil Sargeant said: “The Newport Mile is set to be an amazing day. It’s fantastic that so many people of Newport are gathering together to show their support for Sport Relief 2010. But we want this to be the best Sport Relief event yet, so we still need more people to raise their game, enter the Newport Mile and join us to raise plenty of cash.”
In aid of Diabetes UK Cymru, husband and wife, Adrian and Katie Sully will be walking from London's Trafalgar Square to Newport's John Frost Square between Saturday 27th March and Friady 2nd April
The couple are planning to walk 20 miles a day for the 140-mile challenge, which they hope will raise £1,000 for the charity. They decided to do the walk as Adrian, 36, has Type 1 diabetes, a condition which cannot be prevented and is treated with insulin injections.His father Bob and his brother Richard also have Type 1 diabetes.
Katie, 26, who is also a teacher, said: “Adrian and his brother were diagnosed with the condition within six months. His diabetes is really well-controlled as he has had it from such a young age. The walk was Adrian’s idea. He has always wanted to do something for diabetes and he wanted to raise money to give something back. Diabetes is a big issue and it has a huge impact on anyone who has got it.”
The couple have been training hard for the challenge, spending three days during the half term holidays walking 50 miles. “The training has been going quite well and we’ve got lots of blister plasters ready for the walk itself,” said Katie.
The couple have already raised £800 towards their target.You can sponsor Adrian and Katie at www.justgiving.com/Katie-Sully.
Dai Williams, National Director of Diabetes UK Cymru, said: “We are delighted that Katie and Adrian have decided to support Diabetes UK Cymru with this fantastic challenge.By doing this walk Adrian is an excellent example of how you can lead a fit and healthy life with Type 1 diabetes. Diabetes is increasing rapidly across Wales, with more than 7,000 people in Newport alone living with the condition. Money raised by their walk with raise vital funds for research into the condition and help us to provide advice, support and information to people living with diabetes across Wales and their families.”
For information about diabetes, you can call Diabetes UK Cymru on 029 2066 8276 or email wales@diabetes.org.uk.
A group of 8 soilders from The Royal Signals will stop at Rodney parade on Friday as part of a charity cycle ride to the rugby clubs that are involved in the Anglo Welsh Cup.
Having already visited the likes of Sale Sharks and Leicester Tigers, the Newport Gwent Dragons will receive a visit on route from Gloucester to Scarlets.
They aim to be arriving at Rodney parade just after 9am, and will be making a collection for Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion.
You can track their progress, and donate to the cause here.
A review commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government has recommended changes to the way Newport Unlimited, the City's regeneration company, is run.
Formed in 2003 urban regeneration company Newport Unlimited was tasked as being the engine room for change in Newport working alongside WAG and the City Council.
The review, however, warns that Newport Unlimited is "very disconnected from the people, businesses and communities in Newport". This needs to change so that local people are better informed and see Newport as a 'city of change'.
The review recommends a review of Newport Unlimited's Masterplan for Newport and a 'reality check' on the developments planned and the dates for delivery.
It concludes:
"This interim evaluation has concluded that the URC approach has proved to be a powerful and effective mechanism for driving forwards the physical regeneration and economic change needed in Newport. To date much still needs to be done which will require the continued co-ordination and direction of partnership efforts and resources."
Police investigating the murder of a woman almost two years ago have arrested a 27-year-old man. Aleksandra Lipska, born Kaczmarska, 27, was found dead at a house on Dewstow Street, Maindee, Newport, in May 2008.
The suspect, who is from Cardiff, is being questioned by detectives at Ystrad Mynach police station in Caerphilly county. Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact them on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Det Supt Paul Griffiths said: "This investigation has been ongoing for nearly two years and I am appealing to anyone not previously approached by police who has any information with regards to Aleksandra's death to come forward."
Police and the ambulance service had been called to the house in Dewstow Street in the early hours of Tuesday, 13 May where they found Ms Lipska's body. At the time of the murder, detectives appealed to the Polish community in Newport for any information that could help the investigation. Detectives distributed posters in Polish and set up a telephone line with a Polish and English voicemail message.
One of the leading lights of the music scene in Newport for 40 years and owner of TJs, John Sicolo, has died in hospital aged 66.
Mr Sicolo died at 0600 GMT on Sunday at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport.
John's daughter Leanne Jane Sicolo responsed to the facebook tributes: "thank you everyone for your kind messages my dad died early hours of this morning he passed away in his sleep he will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him love you dad x."
Mr Sicolo was a former merchant navy seaman, where he served as a cook. He is described on the club's website as 'half Welsh, half Seychellean'. He founded the club in 1971, first christening it El Sieco's before renaming it TJ's Disco. The late BBC DJ and presenter John Peel dubbed the venue "the legendary TJs" on his radio shows. Oasis, Echo and The Bunnymen, Catatonia, Manic Street Preachers, the Buzzcocks and Primal Scream were among the thousands of bands who appeared there.
Paul Flynn MP for Newport West stated TJ's gave Newport fame, excitement and musical chutzpah. "It was TJs that won for Newport the title the New Seattle. A generation of Newportonians relished the buzz of hearing top World groups on their own doorstep. They fondly remember TJ's at it's thrilling best, robust, loud and bursting with talent."
The future of the club had been shrouded in uncertainty and Mr. Sicolo had planned to sell off some of his memorabilia to keep things afloat. In the next month there was a busy schedule of events including the return home to Newport of Skindred.
A supermarket could re-open on the site of a former shopping centre in Newport that had been due for a £90m facelift.
A plan to demolish the Cambrian Centre to build shops and a 100-metre tower was scrapped last year when developer Modus went into administration. New owners Scarborough Development Group are now considering building a supermarket on the land, believing it is more economically viable.
There have been plans to regenerate Cambrian Centre going back to 2004. Mark Jackson, managing director at Scarborough Development, said: "The food store market is understandably proving to be one of the more robust in this recession, and is a great sector in which to be investing and in which to found our new business." The Cambrian Centre used to house a Somerfield supermarket before it was closed down to pave the way for regeneration.
Welcoming the news of the acquisition Robert Carew- Chaston, director of Newport- based Hutchings & Thomas Chartered Surveyors told Wales Online :
“I’m keen to know more about Scarborough Development Group’s plans for Newport but on the face of it this is fantastic news for our city. This could well be the first sign that the private sector is now ready to act and get back into the marketplace and take up what are in the case of the city of Newport ‘oven ready’ development sites such as the one worked up by Modus for the centre of Newport."
Rosemary Butler AM stated
"I was ...glad to hear that the Modus subsidiary company which originally set out to develop the Cambrian site, has now been acquired by the Scarborough Development Group. That's another piece of good news and I hope that the Friars Walk redevelopment will also get back on track . All this, as well as the Ryder Cup in October, means that Newport is still very much on the map."
Posts
