South Wales Echo

Volunteering Key to a New Career ; Advertising Feature

SINGLE mum Yvonne Knowles urges others to take up volunteering as a stepping stone to finding work. Yvonne has returned to full-time work after gaining invaluable experience through volunteering and support from Jobcentre Plus.

Busmen Ride the Freeway to Aid Charities

TWO pensioners will embark on a 300-mile bus odyssey around Wales to raise money for a major South Wales charity. Neighbours Jeff Amos and Brian Lee hope to raise cash for the Sully children's hospice Ty Hafan by spending four days travelling the length of the country, using 13 buses on the way.

What'son

THE Friends of St Lawrence at Lavernock, the small medieval church on the coast at Lavernock Point between Penarth and Sully, are holding a Service for Sea Sunday on July 12 at 3pm to which all are very welcome. The Reverend Margaret Stark will lead the service. Free parking is available in the nearby car park. MARY Immaculate High School, Caerau, presents its school play Return To The Forbidden Planet from today to July 3. The production, which includes classic pop songs like Good Vibrations...

Second Hospital Staff Member has Swine Flu ; Nine New Cases of Virus in Wales Confirmed by Laboratory Tests

ANOTHER person working at the University Hospital of Wales has been confirmed as having swine flu. The 25-year-old man, who has not been named as he is no longer at work, is one of nine new confirmed cases of the virus announced yesterday.

Rundown Area Set for Renewal

A RUNDOWN part of Barry is set to receive substantial investment next year. Vale of Glamorgan council cabinet members have agreed to declare the Castleland ward in Barry a renewal area.

Top Musical to Be Staged ; Newsbrief

TOP musical The Thorn Birds will be at Wales Millennium Centre from July 7 to July 11. Staged by the Wales Theatre Company, it will be directed by its internationally acclaimed, award-winning artistic director Michael Bogdanov.

Explore Gardens for a Good Cause ; Newsbrief

THE annual Open Gardens Trail in Penarth takes place on Saturday, July 25, from 10am to 6pm and on Sunday, July 26, between 2pm and 5pm. Admission to the event, in its 13th year, is by rover ticket to all gardens at a cost of pounds 4, which also includes tea and coffee, while entry for children is free.

Ultrasound Postgrad Course ; Newsbrief

THE University of Glamorgan will offer the first postgraduate ultrasound courses in Wales. The courses, which include a postgraduate diploma and a Master of Science, will increase the clinical ultrasound skills of a range of healthcare workers.

Brought Tojustice

THE following cases were heard at Cardiff Magistrates' Court: Amy Lisa Druce, 22, of Bute Street, Butetown, Cardiff, was given a 12- month community order and told to pay pounds 50 compensation to her victim after pleading guilty to assaulting a woman, failing to surrender to custody, possessing cannabis and failing to comply with a community order. Rodney Raymond Guy, 39, of Broadway, Roath, Cardiff, was given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, and a 12-month community order...

Welcome to the Valleys - Land of Opportunities! ; Report Talks Up Region As 'a Honey-Pot for Tourism'

LIFE in the Heads of the Valleys is often criticised as beset by unemployment and poverty. But a major new report says there is much in the area to be praised while attacking some of the worst Valleys stereotypes.

Ams Call for Tough Measures to Tackle Hospital Violence

NOT enough is being done to protect NHS staff from violence and aggression, a cross-party group of AMs will claim today. They will condemn a "general lack of urgency" and a low number of prosecutions, amid concern that the official figure of 6,950 incidents in 2008-09 may not be reliable because of under-reporting and inadequate CCTV.

Wales Give It Their Best Shot in the Tri-Nations ; Hockey

WALES' veterans enjoyed an eventful weekend competing in this season's Tri-Nations tournament in Edinburgh. The Dragons didn't always en-joy the rub of the green, as injuries, suspect decision-making by officials and a taxing fixture schedule all took their toll.

School Nets a Great Medal Haul in Uk Championships ; Athletics

EIGHT pupils from King's Monkton School in Cardiff took part in the finals of the UK Independent Schools Athletics Championships in Birmingham, where they won five medals. After qualifying in Yeovil, last month, the Welsh youngsters represented the south west region in various disciplines against teams from the north east, north west, Midlands and south east England, together with three London teams.

Devils Add Armour to Their Side ; Ice Hockey

ALAN Armour has signed for the English National League Cardiff Devils. Former Swindon Wildcats and Bracknell Bees player Armour will be a key player for the club and his capture from ENL rivals Oxford City Stars is a major coup for Cardiff Devils, who now have direct links with the Elite League outfit.

A Sporting Search Is On ; Newsbrief

New Shop for Town Centre ; Newsbrief

Youngsters' Gold Award ; Newsbrief

FIVE young people from Merthyr Tydfil have been awarded the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. Former Bishop Hedley High School students Elizabeth Sullivan, Victoria Scrivens and Bleddyn Escott, ex-Cyfarthfa High School pupil Rachel Jones and Daniel Evans, who had attended Afon Taf High School, got the award for a wide range of activities including charity work, supporting young people, cooking, cycling and canoeing.

Coach Firm Facing Drivers' Hours Rap ; Offences Not a Threat to Safety, Insists Boss

A COACH firm featured in a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary faces disciplinary action at a public inquiry. The Traffic Commissioner for Wales - the official who licenses bus and coach operators - will consider the "repute" of the managers of Ferris Holidays, in Nantgarw, after the inquiry in Cardiff on July 20 and 21.

Admiral's Man Hopes to Realise American Dream

THIS is the man charged with making Admiral the success in America that it is in the UK. The Cardiff-based insurance firm is looking to gain a foothold in the multi-billion-dollar US car insurance market.

Pick of the Day

Celebrity MasterChef (8.00pm) The six remaining contestants are challenged to cook a two-course meal for 30 schoolchildren before preparing a roast dinner to impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. Continues tomorrow. James May at the Edge of Space (10.00pm) The presenter undergoes a rigorous training regimen at a US Air Force base in California before boarding a U-2 spy plane that will take him 70,000ft above Earth.