Community
Aldi launch Back-to-School Fund to support families
ALDI has launched a Back-to-School Fund to support families as around three quarters (73%) of parents admit they worry about covering the costs of the start of the academic year.
As part of the Fund, parents in Wales can apply for £100 Aldi vouchers throughout September to help out with the costs of everyday essentials following the back-to-school period.
In addition, the supermarket is donating £20,000 to good causes focused on supporting children. This includes schools and nurseries in Wales via community giving platform Neighbourly, to help provide essentials to those families that need it most.
It comes as research from the UK’s fourth largest supermarket revealed that parents spend just over £100 per child during the back-to-school period – on the likes of new shoes, pencil cases and lunchboxes.
And the costs don’t stop there – with research showing that parents are also spending around £23 a week on average throughout the school year on packed lunches and £90 on after school clubs or extra-curricular activities.
Liz Fox, National Sustainability Director at Aldi UK said: “We know the back-to-school period can be a real pinch point for family finances, especially after having to contend with keeping the kids entertained during the summer school holidays.
“As the UK’s lowest-priced supermarket, we’re committed to doing whatever we can to support parents in making their money go further and that’s why we’re giving parents an extra helping hand via our Back-to-School Fund this September.
“We’re giving our customers the chance to apply for vouchers to help parents cover the cost of packed lunches and other essentials that they’ll need to stock up on throughout the school year.
Aldi has a long-standing partnership with Neighbourly as part of its commitment to make fresh, healthy food accessible for everyone. Shoppers who wish to support local charities can do so through community donation points in Aldi stores.
Steve Butterworth, Neighbourly CEO, said: “We support many thousands of good causes across the UK that directly support families, and this additional funding from Aldi will provide a vital lifeline for them to cover the cost of essentials for the parents and children who need it most.”
Parents who want to apply for Aldi’s Back-to-School Fund should email [email protected] by 30/09/2024, with 100 people chosen throughout the month to receive a £100 voucher.
For full terms and conditions, visit: https://www.aldipresscentre.co.uk/aldi-terms-and-conditions-back-to-school-fund-2024-the-promotion/
Business
Derelict Cilgerran house to be transformed into cafe
PLANS by a village shop owner to convert a house “in a state of disrepair” to a café to “improve the variety of community facilities” locally have been given the go-ahead.
Mrs Morris, through agent Harries Planning Design Management, sought permission from Pembrokeshire County Council to convert The Old Post House, High Street, Cilgerran, currently a four-bed dwelling, to a ground floor café, along with a first-floor flat.
The application received five letters of support, saying it would provide local jobs, support the community, promote Welsh and local food, and provide a local community hub, with three letters of objection, raising concerns about parking and traffic, and potential odours from the premises.
A supporting statement, through the agent, said: “The proposed site is currently a dwellinghouse, in current need of modernisations and renovations throughout. The site is under the same ownership as the neighbouring village stores Siop Y Pentre,” saying the proposal “can be read as an extension to the existing Siop Y Pentre”.
“Siop Y Pentre is a thriving local community village shop which acts as a village hub. The shop provides local residents with day-to-day necessities, with a focus on local, sustainable and minimal waste products,” the statement says, adding the dwelling it seeks to convert “is in disrepair and in need of internal works to make suitable for modern living”.
It went on to say: “The proposed café seeks to retain its focus on local and seasonal produce with minimal waste and would provide a welcomed opportunity for socialising, especially during the daytime. The café will also seek to employ local staff retaining a community feel throughout. As such, the principle of the café adjacent to the existing village store is considered acceptable. The site seeks to encourage a sustainable community, with development of an appropriate scale and nature.
“Further to this, the location of the development is within the settlement boundary and seeks to fulfil a need for day-time socialising environments currently lacking within Cilgerran.”
The application was conditionally approved by county planners.
Community
Emergency call outage affected Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire
RESIDENTS in parts of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire faced difficulties contacting emergency services via the 999 landline number on Sunday (Dec 17) due to a temporary outage.
Dyfed-Powys Police issued alerts on social media, warning residents of potential issues when trying to dial 999 from landlines in affected areas. Locations impacted included Pembroke, Manorbier, Carew, and surrounding areas.
In a statement, police advised: “You may have faced problems calling 999 from a landline in the Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire area. Places likely to have been affected were Pembroke, Manorbier, Carew. Please try calling from a mobile phone as mobile networks may have been working normally. Normal service will be restored as soon as possible. Non-emergencies can be reported online. Please look out for further updates.”
Later in the day, an update confirmed that the 999 landline service had been restored in the Llangrannog and Llanteg areas.
The temporary disruption raised concerns about access to emergency services in rural areas, where mobile coverage can sometimes be unreliable.
Authorities urged residents to remain vigilant and use alternative communication methods in the event of future disruptions. Further updates are expected as investigations into the cause of the outage continue.
For non-emergency issues, residents can continue to report incidents via the Dyfed-Powys Police website or contact their local police station directly.
Community
Police and council in collaborative effort to tackle fly grazing
IT WAS confirmed this week Pembrokeshire County council is teaming up with Dyfed-Powys Police in a bid to tackle a growing problem of horses on public areas in the county.
The move comes after the County has witnessed a significant increase in incidents of horses being left on public land and highways – known as fly-grazing.
Over the Christmas period the agencies will work operationally in a collaborative effort to alleviate the issue.
This joint approach is in response to community concerns and part of a wider initiative that will enable partner agencies to effectively address with the issue.
Members of the public can report fly grazing concerns by contacting [email protected] or 01437 764551.
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