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Cardiff Council Update: 21 June 2023
Here is our latest update, covering: suspended sentence for Supajump play centre owner; school premiere for Refugee Week film; Babies Remembrance Service; investing in Cardiff tennis courts.
Sole director of Supertramp Ltd given 10 month suspended prison sentence at Cardiff Crown Court
The owner of Cardiff indoor play centre Supajump has been given a 10-month suspended prison sentence, 200 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £10,000 in costs for a string of health and safety offences, and for failing to report to the correct authorities injuries to children who played on faulty equipment.
Supajump, based at Trident Park on Ocean Way, offers a range of attractions for children including a climbing wall; trampolines; inflatables; basketball and dodgeball arenas; a foam pit and a large airbag.
But Between August 2017 and August 2019 six separate incidents occurred on the premises which left children injured. These included:
- A minor injury when a child was trapped between an underinflated airbag and the pit wall.
- Leg fractures while using trampolines or the foam pit, and;
- A child sustaining a spinal fracture whilst using the foam pit
Philip Booth, 61, who was sentenced today at Cardiff Crown Court, pleaded guilty to all six offences back in September last year.
Mr Booth is the sole director of Supertramp Ltd, which runs the leisure facility Supajump on Ocean Way. Supertramp Ltd was also fined £10,000.
The court heard that Shared Regulatory Services visited Supajump prior to the venue opening at Easter in 2017 to investigate reports that the standard of equipment being installed at the leisure facility was not compliant with legislation.
A health and safety inspector advised Mr Booth that ‘suitable and sufficient' risk assessments needed to be carried out to safeguard his customers. Mr Booth was also advised that the equipment should be independently assessed before the facility was opened to the public.
Despite ongoing discussions and a number of visits from Health and Safety Mr Booth failed to comply with health and safety recommendations and failed to report injuries to children which occurred on his premises to the appropriate authorities.
School to premier film in celebration of Refugee Week 19th - 25th
St Mary the Virgin Church in Wales Primary School is to host a film premier of a poem written and performed by pupils from the School of Sanctuary Steering Committee.
‘A Sanctuary Alphabet - Zig Zag Journey' tells the story of the wonderful community of Butetown - starting at the Betty Campbell statue and ending at the Ghandi statue.
The premier is part of a special programme of events in celebration of Refugee Week 19th - 25th June with other highlights from the school and local community to include; a Talk with Hamed Amiri, author of 'The Boy with Two Hearts', treasure hunts, kite Making, soup lunch and chat, intergenerational activities, a global picnic, mass and prayer sessions, Faithful Butetown walk and a Great Get Together BBQ.
You can see the full programme of events here:
St Mary the Virgin Church in Wales Primary School was awarded School of Sanctuary status in June last year, which means it is a place that fosters a culture of welcome and safety for people seeking sanctuary, including asylum seeking and refugee families and educates the whole school community about the human right to sanctuary.
Reflecting on the schools intentions of Quality, Diversity, Faith and Flourishing, staff and the community are committed to build empathy and intercultural awareness through promoting the voices and contributions of people seeking sanctuary, encouraging an understanding of the experiences of displaced people and helping to combat stereotypes.
Babies Remembrance Service
A Babies Remembrance Service will be held at 11.30am on June 25th at the Wenallt Chapel in Thornhill Cemetery.
The memorial service is supported by the Stillbirth and Neonatal Deaths Society (Sands) and will be led by members of the University Hospital of Wales Chaplaincy team.
During the service there will be an opportunity for families to place a memory pebble in the memory bowl.
Everyone is welcome to attend, and members of the Cardiff branch of Sands will be available at the service, at Thornhill Cemetery, Thornhill Rd, CF14 9UA.
Families in Cardiff who have lost a baby also have access to a unique ‘Dear Mum' garden in Western Cemetery. Based around the story of a young mouse called Dora who wishes she could tell her mother how much she misses her, the ‘Dear Mum' sculpture garden is designed to help young children cope with the loss of a loved one and provide a place of remembrance for parents who have lost a baby.
For further information about the service or the ‘Dear Mum' garden, please contact a member of Bereavement Services' staff at Thornhill Crematorium on 029 2054 4820.
Local tennis courts in Cardiff set for major investment opportunity
A popular tennis scheme which has boosted the number of people taking up the sport in the Cardiff suburb of Heath, and which would see significant sums of money invested into local tennis courts, could be rolled out to six other parks across the city.
Tennis Wales, the governing body for Tennis in Wales, has approached Cardiff Council with a plan which could see £750,000 invested in 29 of the city's tennis courts.
If agreed, residents would also benefit from opportunities to get involved in tennis through affordable and free tennis programmes, and activities run by local coaches.
The offer to invest and take over the running of the council's tennis courts at 6 park sites, starting with Rhymney Hill Gardens, Victoria Park and Llandaff Fields, will be considered by Cardiff Council's Cabinet on Thursday, June 22. If agreed Tennis Wales would manage, operate, and maintain the courts for a minimum of ten-years.
This would see the organisation:
- Invest financially into the long-term security of park tennis courts, resurfacing, repainting, and repairing existing facilities.
- Introduce online booking software so local people can find a court, book, and pay online.
- Install gate access technology for booking purposes and remotely manage courts across the city, creating a safe space to play, potentially reducing anti-social behaviour and misuse.
- Create local opportunities to get involved in tennis through affordable and free tennis programmes and activities run by local coaches, promoting general play to open tennis up in Cardiff.
