Here is your Friday update, covering:
- Caring Friends - Support and friendship for people with caring responsibilities
- Work on new swimming pool at Pentwyn Leisure Centre underway
- Opportunity to have your say on Cardiff's Ambitious Green Replacement Development Plan
- Cardiff Children's Literature Festival 2025
Caring Friends - Support and friendship for people with caring responsibilities
A new initiative to support and provide friendship for people in Cardiff with caring responsibilities has been launched.
Cllr Leonora Thomson, Cabinet Member for Adult Services, announced the start of the Caring Friends scheme, that will bring befriending volunteers and unpaid carers together.
Cllr Thomson made the announcement earlier this week at the Carers Wales' All Wales Carers Assembly in Cardiff.
Speaking at the event at County Hall, Cllr Thomson said the scheme had been created to provide unpaid carers in Cardiff with the opportunity to take a break and receive some emotional support. The scheme has been set up in response to feedback from those with caring responsibilities that their own health and wellbeing was adversely affected by their duties.
Cllr Thomson said: "We ran a successful pilot last year with 12 volunteers and 12 unpaid carers and it was incredibly useful to hear the views of both groups, their experiences and the difference it made to their lives. Their views have helped us to shape this new scheme.
"Unpaid carers play such an important role in our society. They provide vital care for their loved ones and it's crucial that they can access support themselves. So I am delighted to officially launch Caring Friends which is an exciting step forward in supporting unpaid carers across Cardiff."
Work on new swimming pool at Pentwyn Leisure Centre underway
Construction of a new swimming pool at Pentwyn Leisure Centre has begun. Cardiff Council's appointed contractor is working on a new 25 metre swimming pool, which will feature a split raising floor and new children's wet play area, alongside several other improvements to the centre.
The work, which is currently expected to be completed by the end of the year, will also see the changing facilities and reception area refurbished and other improvements to the building, including a transition to green energy sources. The centre will remain open to the public throughout the construction period.
The pool will feature an adaptable, moving floor which allows the depth of the water to be varied. This feature enables the pool to be used for a wide range of swimming and ‘splash' activities, as well as reducing the energy needed to heat the water.
Wet play facilities aim to encourage interactive and social play. Typically, they include features such as water jets and sprinklers, blasters, water tunnels, small slides and ‘tipping buckets,' creating a fun and inclusive space for children to enjoy.
Opportunity to have your say on Cardiff's Ambitious Green Replacement Development Plan
Final consultation begins Tuesday, February 18th
Following the approval of the Replacement Development Plan by Full Council on January 30, a series of online and face-to-face events have been organized to engage the public on the new development plan for the city.
The ‘Deposit Plan', or ‘Final Plan', previously approved by Cabinet on January 23, aims to create over 32,300 new jobs and 26,400 new homes by 2036. An eight-week consultation will begin on February 18 and run until April 15, allowing the council to engage with as many people as possible on the new plan.
Cardiff Children's Literature Festival 2025
Award-winning children's authors and illustrators including Emma Carroll, Jack Meggitt-Phillips, Sioned Wyn Roberts, Rob Biddulph and Maz Evans are lined up to entertain and inspire a new generation of readers at this year's Cardiff Children's Literature Festival.
The festival, which runs from Monday, March 24th to Sunday, March 30th starts with a week of free events for the city's schools. Ticketed events on the Saturday and Sunday will be open to all.
English and Welsh language festival events will be held at a range of locations including the Reardon Smith Theatre and Clore Discovery Centre at the National Museum Wales, the Undercroft at Cardiff Castle, Bute Park Education Centre, and the Museum of Cardiff in the Old Library on the Hayes.