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#southwales — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #southwales, aggregated by home.social.

  1. For those interested in Llantwit Major history, a book I'd not seen before has just turned up on the Internet Archive, about 5th century Llantwit Major. Nothing I'd not heard locally, but a useful summary and some photos from the late 19th century which may be of interest.

    #LlantwitMajor #LlanilltudFawr #SouthWales #DeCymru

    archive.org/details/llantwitma

  2. ABERGWYNFI: Man admits weapons stash after major incident saw homes evacuated

    Maximin Carter, 51, from Neath Port Talbot, pleaded guilty at Swansea Crown Court to a string of offences following the dramatic scenes in Abergwynfi last month.

    Police were called to a property on Commercial Street on February 14 amid concerns he was attempting to make an explosive.

    As previously reported by Swansea Bay News, the incident led to homes being evacuated and a major emergency response in the village, with residents told to leave for their safety.

    Officers later discovered what they described as a “significant” cache of weapons at the address.

    Carter has now admitted possessing an air rifle, a samurai sword, a knuckle duster and four telescopic truncheons.

    He pleaded guilty to possessing a banned weapon under the Firearms Act 1968, along with six counts of possessing offensive weapons.

    The 51-year-old has been remanded in custody and is currently being held at Swansea Prison.

    He is due to be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on April 7.

    The case follows the major incident that unfolded in Abergwynfi, which Swansea Bay News covered live as police cordons were put in place and residents were evacuated.

    We also reported how a man later appeared in court charged in connection with the discovery of weapons at the property.

    The latest development confirms the scale of the weapons haul that triggered the emergency response and disruption for the local community.

    #Abergwynfi #AfanValley #court #Crime #emergencyIncident #FirearmsAct #NeathPortTalbot #Police #southWales #SwanseaCrownCourt #weapons
  3. PORT TALBOT: Government vows to “do whatever it takes” to protect steel jobs — but critics warn over end of traditional steelmaking

    A major new Steel Strategy has been unveiled during a visit to Port Talbot, with ministers promising tougher trade rules, billions in investment and a push to increase the amount of steel made in Britain.

    At the centre of the plan is a target for 50% of all steel used in the UK to be made domestically — up from around 30% — with the Government saying Welsh producers are expected to play a major role.

    That includes Tata Steel operations in Port Talbot, Llanelli, Shotton and Newport, as well as 7Steel in Cardiff.

    The UK Government says it will also crack down on cheap imports.

    From July, steel import quotas would be cut by 60%, with anything above those limits facing a 50% tariff.

    Ministers argue the move will stop British steel being undercut — a long-standing complaint from workers and industry leaders in South Wales.

    But the strategy has already sparked debate about what kind of steel industry the UK is actually protecting.

    Massive ladles and overhead cranes inside Port Talbot steelworks, as Tata prepares the site for Electric Arc Furnace installation. (Credit: Tata Steel)

    While ministers are backing domestic production, the plans also confirm a continued shift away from traditional blast furnaces towards electric arc furnaces, like the one being built in Port Talbot.

    These use recycled scrap metal rather than raw materials — a move the Government says is key to cutting emissions and modernising the industry.

    However, critics warn that transition could come at a cost.

    They argue electric arc furnaces cannot always produce the same specialist grades of steel needed for defence and major infrastructure, raising concerns about long-term capability.

    There are also fears the UK could become more reliant on imported materials — even as ministers move to restrict finished steel imports.

    Peter Kyle, Business and Trade Secretary, said steelmaking was “vital” to the UK’s future.

    He said: “Making steel in the UK is vital for national security, critical infrastructure and the wider economy.

    “With this strategy we are closing the decades-long chapter of destructive de-industrialisation and committing instead to strengthening and sustaining Britain as a steel-making nation.”

    The Government says the strategy is backed by major investment, including £5.8 billion through the National Wealth Fund for priority industries such as steel.

    That builds on more than £600 million already committed to Port Talbot, alongside plans to unlock up to £2.5 billion in further funding during this Parliament.

    Jo Stevens, Secretary of State for Wales, said the plans showed ministers were standing firmly behind Welsh industry.

    She said: “The UK Government is standing up for Welsh steelmaking and showing that we will do whatever it takes to boost domestic steel production and protect the thousands of steelmaking jobs in our communities.

    “Welsh steel is expected to account for half of future UK steelmaking… Welsh steelmaking now has a secure and bright future.”

    The strategy also includes measures to lower energy costs, prioritise UK-made steel in public projects and strengthen links with sectors like offshore wind, defence and infrastructure.

    A new working group will also look at securing long-term supplies of scrap metal — a key part of the shift towards electric arc production.

    The move comes after years of uncertainty for the industry, with global competition, rising costs and the transition to greener production putting pressure on steelmaking communities across South Wales.

    Ministers insist imports will still play a role, but say the new rules are designed to strike a balance between protecting domestic producers and maintaining supply.

    However, with the industry undergoing one of its biggest transformations in decades, questions remain over whether the strategy will truly secure the long-term future of steelmaking in Wales — or simply reshape it.

    Related stories from Swansea Bay News

    One year on: resilience after blast furnace closure
    Council leaders reflect on a turbulent year for the steel town.

    Work begins on Port Talbot electric arc furnace
    A major step in the steelworks’ transition to new technology.

    Farage promises “reindustrialisation of Wales”
    A headline‑grabbing pledge to revive coal and steel sparks debate.

    Government criticised over treatment of steelworkers
    Unions and politicians condemn support offered during the transition.

    Dramatic video shows final push at Morfa coke plant
    Striking footage captures the last days before shutdown.

    #BritishIndustry #Economy #electricArcFurnace #featured #industry #JoStevens #jobs #Llanelli #manufacturing #netZero #PeterKyle #PortTalbot #PortTalbotSteelworks #southWales #steel #steelIndustry #steelStrategy #steelworks #TataSteel #TataSteelworks #Trostre #TrostreSteelworks #UKGovernment #WelshSteel
  4. Swansea motor giant hits 100 – from single garage to UK powerhouse

    Day’s Motor Group, launched in 1926 by Charles Edward Manton Day on St Helen’s Road, has gone from a small Singer dealership to a major player employing more than 500 people across the UK.

    And this week, the milestone was marked with a visit from Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart, who met with the Day family and staff to celebrate a century of success.

    From those humble beginnings, the company struck up a long-standing partnership with Ford in 1934 — a relationship that still plays a central role in the business today.

    Early workshop scenes show the company’s roots as a local garage businessThe business grew steadily from its Swansea beginnings into a major UK dealershipDay’s Motor Group in its early years on St Helen’s Road

    Now in its fourth generation of family ownership, the firm is led by chairman Graham Day, alongside director Jill Day and CEO Russell Day.

    Speaking during the visit, Russell Day said reaching the 100-year mark was a proud moment not just for the family — but for everyone who has been part of the company’s journey.

    “This is an incredible milestone for our family and for the whole Day’s team,” he said.

    “Our growth over the past century wouldn’t have been possible without the loyalty of our customers and the dedication of our colleagues.

    “Swansea has always been at the heart of our story, and we’re proud to keep investing here while continuing to grow across the UK.”

    He added that the anniversary isn’t just about looking back — but pushing forward.

    “This milestone isn’t just about the past — it’s about the next chapter. We’re committed to investing in new technology, new skills and sustainable mobility right here in the region.”

    Over the decades, the business has expanded far beyond its original site, now operating more than 14 locations and representing major global brands including Ford, Peugeot, IVECO, Chery and Geely.

    It has also developed a number of successful divisions, including Day’s Fleet, Day’s Rental and Day’s Finance — helping cement its position as one of Wales’s leading automotive groups.

    Day’s Motor Group now operates multiple sites across the UKThe company represents major global brands including Ford and Peugeot

    Cllr Stewart praised the company as a shining example of Swansea success.

    “Day’s Motor Group is a fantastic local success story,” he said.

    “From its beginnings in Swansea a century ago to becoming one of Wales’s leading dealer groups, it shows what can be achieved through hard work, innovation and a real commitment to the community.

    “It also proves Swansea is a place where businesses can grow, invest and create jobs — and that’s exactly what we want to see.”

    The company has picked up a string of national awards over the years, including being named AM Best Dealership in the UK twice, alongside recognition from Motability and Investors in People.

    And as it enters its second century, the message from the Day family is clear — Swansea remains firmly at the heart of everything they do.

    #Anniversary #Automotive #Business #Car #CharlesEdwardMantonDay #Chery #CllrRobStewart #DaySLeasing #DaySMotorpark #DaysMotorGroup #Ford #Geely #GrahamDay #IVECO #localBusiness #motoring #Peugeot #RussellDay #Singer #southWales #StHelensRoad #Swansea #WalesNews
  5. Back around 2002 I went on a Scout camp to #southwales, we camped near/within #bannaubrecheiniog / #breconbeacons.
    Certainly it was a short drive to a car park/lay-by and we climbed up a scree slope - kinda coming from the back (South) of Corn Du.

    This is the only picture I have of the site. To the right and back of this building there was a flat area where we pitched tents, and beyond that a stream.

    Behind the photographer was a small bank and a road.

    If anyone has any ideas where this might be, I’d be grateful to know so I can revisit it.

    I’ve searched for bothies in South Wales and come up with nothing…

  6. RE: toot.wales/@alexisbushnell/115

    Music fans of #Cardiff - get yourself down to ArtHole tomorrow for a bunch of local bands fundraising for the unhoused folks locally.

    #SouthWales #Wales

  7. Are there any towns, villages or groups doing an organised Mari Lwyd event in South Wales this year?

    I have a friend who is desperate to go to one so I'm trying to help her find one that's not too far away.

    Thanks.

    #MariLwyd
    #SouthWales

  8. The Alien House
    Ralph is Michael’s inner voice. Sarcastic. Brutal. Always watching.
    He also thinks aliens are real.
    Michael just thinks he’s losing it.
    'The Alien House' is what happens when both might be right.
    📘 meganpublishingservices.com/bo
    #AlienHouse #fiction #ImmigrationStory #Expats #MetaphysicalFiction #SouthWales #WeirdLit #booktokuk #booktokusa #booktokaustralia #booktokcanada #booktokenglish

  9. Irresponsible dog ownership, irresponsible parenthood. You can't put a baby and an aggressive dog in a room together and just 'hope for the best', look at the terrible result 😔

    news.sky.com/story/arrests-mad

    #XLBullies #DogsOfMastodon #SouthWales #Rogiet

  10. #UKGovernment expands #police use of #FacialRecognition vans

    by Kate Whannel, August 13, 2025

    "More live facial recognition (#LFR) vans will be rolled out across seven police forces in England to locate suspects for crimes including sexual offences, violent assaults and homicides, the Home Office has announced.

    "The forces will get access to 10 new vans equipped with cameras, which scan the faces of people walking past and check them against a list of wanted people.

    "The government says the technology has been used in London to make 580 arrests in 12 months, including 52 registered sex offenders who breached their conditions.

    "However, campaign group #BigBrotherWatch said the 'significant expansion of the #SurveillanceState' was 'alarming'.

    "Live facial recognition was first used in #England and #Wales in 2017 during the Uefa Champions League final football match in Cardiff.

    "Since then its use has largely been confined to #SouthWales, #London and #Essex including at a Beyoncé concert to scan for paedophiles and terrorists [like elderly Palestine Action activists!]

    "The government is now funding 10 vans equipped with LFR to be shared between seven forces, approximately doubling the number of vehicles.

    "The seven forces are Greater #Manchester, #WestYorkshire, #Bedfordshire, #Surrey, #Sussex, #ThamesValley and #Hampshire.

    "The technology identifies people by taking measurements of facial features including the distance between the eyes and the length of the jawline and then comparing the data to to an existing watchlist.

    "Each van will be staffed with a trained officer who checks the matches identified by the technology.

    "Simultaneously, the government is holding a consultation on what safeguards are needed to "ensure transparency and public confidence", ahead of drawing up a new legal framework.

    "Big Brother Watch is bringing a legal challenge against the #MetPolice's use of the technology, alongside #ShaunThompson, who was wrongly identified by an LFR camera.

    #Rebecca Vincent, interim director of Big Brother Watch, said: 'Police have interpreted the absence of any legislative basis authorising the use of this intrusive technology as carte blanche to continue to roll it out unfettered, despite the fact that a crucial judicial review on the matter is pending.

    " ;The #HomeOffice must scrap its plans to roll out further live facial recognition capacity until robust legislative safeguards are established.'

    "Labour peer Baroness Chakrabarti told the BBC the technology was 'incredibly intrusive' and 'some would say this is yet another move towards a total #surveillance society'."

    Read more:
    bbc.com/news/articles/cj4wy21d

    Archived version:
    archive.ph/I2g32

    #Orwellian #UKPol #BigBrotherIsWatchingYou #ThoughtCrime #PalestineAction #Censorship #Authoritarianism

  11. Listening to Australian Rugby League on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, don't know who the commentators are, but I think they could make snail races exciting. 📻🏉

    #RugbyLeague #australia #queensland #southwales #bbc #bbcsport #bbcradio5sportsextra #SportsCommentators #commentators

  12. More drone footage from the South Wales valleys today. And what a gorgeous day it was.
    youtu.be/YGhyZmpOA-Q
    #Drone #Valleys #SouthWales

  13. Weekend trip to visit family at #Carmarthen, #SouthWales. Yesterday found these two lovely small #art galleries with some exceptional pieces (ceramics, mixed media, photography, painting) by members of a local collective that run the place together.
    kingstreetgallery.co.uk/
    origincarmarthen.com/

    Nearby, a great bit of street art next to a mini pub, celebrating one of Wales most iconic bands, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci.
    1/n

  14. Anyone I should be following to keep up to date with protests and other actions in the South Wales area? I'm assuming someone is protesting the Tesla branch(es?) in Cardiff, for instance.

    #protests #southwales #cardiff #CivilAction #antifacism #AntiTrump #AntiElon #antihate

  15. Maen Ceti or Arthur's Stone on the Cefn Bryn ridge, Gŵyr/Gower for today's #StandingStoneSunday

    A Neolithic chambered tomb with a broken capstone, it has a lovely setting looking across Afon Llwchwr towards Llanelli and the mountains of South Wales.

    This visit March 2012.

    #Neolithic #TheModernAntiquarian #SouthWales

  16. The remaining stones of the chamber of Sweyne's Howes (North) chambered tomb on the slopes below Rhossili Down, Gŵyr/Gower for #StandingStoneSunday. There are two tombs here, as well as many Bronze Age cairns and a prehistoric settlement.

    This visit March 2012.
    #Gower #SouthWales #Neolithic

  17. 𝗪𝗜𝗞𝗜𝗣𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔'𝗦 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘

    ✧ Castell Coch ✧

    Castell Coch is a 19th-century Gothic Revival castle built above the village of Tongwynlais in South Wales. The first castle on the site was built by the Normans after 1081 to protect the newly conquered town of Cardiff. The castle's earth motte was reused by Gilbert de Clare as the basis for a new stone fortification, built between 126...

    #SouthWales #Tongwynlais #WorldWar #Crichton-Stuart #Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castell_

  18. Major incident declared in #Northamptonshire as #FloodWarnings remain across UK

    25 November 2024

    Summary

    - A major incident is declared in Northamptonshire as several areas face heavy flooding

    - More than 100 flood warnings are in force across the country, including one "danger to life" warning in Northamptonshire

    - Residents in flood-hit Tenbury Wells describe how "everything's been wiped out" as Storm Bert continues to cause major travel disruption

    - In South Wales - one of the worst hit places - people are angry at what they say is a lack of preparation from officials

    - The forecast from BBC Weather: Showers are expected throughout the day, especially for Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north-western parts of both England and Wales

    bbc.com/news/live/ckg7w7xzrj3t

    #ClimateChange #ExtremeRain #StormBert #SouthWales #UKWx #Flooding #TenburyWells