Here's your Friday update, covering: restaurant owners ordered to pay £10,000 for health and safety breaches; Lord Mayor to receive HMS Cambria for Freedom of Cardiff Ceremony; Children's Literature Festival returns; and designs for Drovers Way play area.

Restaurant owners ordered to pay £10,000 for health and safety breaches

A father and daughter have been ordered to pay £10,000 in total for a string of health and safety offences - including a rat infestation - at the Lilo Grill restaurant on City Road, Cardiff.

The offences were described as ‘the worst case of neglect at a restaurant that we have come across in 15 years' by health and safety inspectors.

Mr Sabz Ali Khan, 77, and Miss Sabrina Khan, 41 represented themselves in court.They were found guilty on February 21st,2023,of 18 offences following a trial at Newport Crown Court. Both defendants were sentenced today for these offences (March 23rd, 2023).

The legal Food Business Operator of Lilo Grill is ‘Nightcover Limited' and Sabrina Khan is the sole director of the business. Nightcover Ltd was also ordered to pay £18,500. Her father Sabz Khan managed the day-to-day operations of the restaurant.

Cllr Dan De'Ath, Cabinet Member responsible for Shared Regulatory Services at Cardiff Council, said: "I have been reliably informed by the case officer that this is the worst case of neglect at a restaurant that we have come across in the past 15 years. Not only was the state of the property an absolute disgrace that put their customers at risk, but the manager was also very unhelpful and obstructive throughout the investigation. To top it all off, the argument he used in his defence that the rats in the restaurant were due to the proximity of students living in the area, is quite honestly laughable.

"If you own or run a food business, you have responsibilities which are laid out in law. If you do not follow the correct practices and allow your business to go into a state of disrepair, you are putting your customers at risk of disease and infection."

Read more here

Lord Mayor to receive HMS Cambria for Freedom of Cardiff Ceremony

HMS Cambria Freedom of Cardiff Parade - Saturday 25th March 2023

HMS Cambria, the Royal Navy's shore-based home in Wales, will be exercising their Freedom of the City of Cardiff tomorrow (Saturday 25th March 2023).

A Freedom of Cardiff ceremony will take place at City Hall in Cathays Park from 11am, followed by a parade outside and a march through Cardiff City Centre.

The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr Graham Hinchey, said: "I am honoured to be part of the celebration and to recognise the outstanding service, dedication, and commitment to duty of the men and women who serve as the Ships Company in His Majesty's Ship Cambria.

"In conferring the Freedom of the City upon HMS Cambria, we recognise its long and distinguished history as the Royal Navy's home in Wales, and its pivotal role in training and deploying Royal Naval Reservists to support the Royal Navy at sea and ashore, at home and abroad.

"The event reinforces the strong maritime bond between the Welsh capital and the Royal Navy and celebrates HMS Cambria's distinction and eminent services to the City and County of Cardiff."

The Parade will be the first time HMS Cambria has marched through Cardiff since its formation in 1947, when it was based in a former foundry on the western side of East Dock.

The Freedom Parade will consist of Sailors from HMS Cambria, The Royal Marines Band from CTCRM, Cardiff Detachment RMR, Sea Cadets, URNU students and RN Veterans.

In the years since its founding, HMS Cambria has played a pivotal role in training and deploying Royal Naval Reservists at sea and ashore. They have operated at several sites across South Wales until 2020 when they moved into an £11m purpose-built facility in the heart of Cardiff Bay.

Cardiff Children's Literature Festival returns

Cardiff Children's Literature Festival is returning after a two-year break, with a range of presentations from some of the UK's best-loved children's authors.

The Beast and the Bethany author Jack Meggitt-Phillips; award-winning illustrator and creator of the Mini Rabbit series, John Bond, Iszi Lawrence's tales of eighteenth-century pirates, and a celebration of 30 years of Horrible Histories, will all feature at the festival.

Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke, said: "Cardiff Children's Literature Festival has been helping inspire a love of reading in local children for years now and it's fantastic to have it back. There are some great authors lined up for this year, ready to create a whole new generation of lifelong readers."

Other events currently confirmed for the festival include:

• Go Bookwandering with Anna James, as the author of the Pages & Co series talks about her love of books and the places around the world that have shaped her stories, including the latest Pages & Co adventure, The Treehouse Library.
• Meet the very WORST Vikings in the village! Prepare yourself for anarchy, mischief and total chaos as Francesca Simon and Steve May introduce the third instalment in their Two Terrible Vikings series.
• Join illustrator Huw Aaron as he shares tips and tricks on creating your own magical worlds, weird monsters and legendary adventures as we ask ‘Ble mae Boc?'
• When Blanksy the cat discovers a talent for painting murals he uses it to draw bigger and bigger crowds to help his friend Pete the busker become rich. But will money really make Pete happy?' Find out with author Gavin Puckett and Blanksy the Street Cat.
• Discover some mind-blowing animal facts and see how you measure up against some of the world's most amazing creatures and dinosaurs on this journey through author and illustrator Sophy Henn's Lifesize series.

The full line up for the festival, which will be held at Cardiff City Hall and in the Undercroft at Cardiff Castle on Saturday April 22ndand Sunday April 23rd, will be revealed when tickets go on sale.

Read more here

Designs for Drovers Way Play Area Revealed

Drovers Way play area in Radyr is to get a water-themed refurbishment suitable for toddlers, juniors, and accessible play.

The play area will be in the shape of ‘water ripples and puddles' and includes a new layout with rubber safety surfacing, paving, and new seating. New play equipment will also be installed, including swings, a bouncing mat, an accessible carousel, spinners, a multi-unit with slide, spring toys, and imaginative play elements.

A contractor has been appointed and the improvement works, which are part of an ongoing programme of investment in parks and play areas across Cardiff, will begin once drainage works in the park are complete.

Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke, said: "Kids need to play, it's essential to their development, and having access to a good quality local play area can make such a difference for families. The investment we're making in Cardiff's play areas is so important and I'm delighted that we're now able to reveal our plans to bring the Drovers Way play area back into use."