Rail passengers are reminded that essential maintenance work will close the Ebbw Vale line at the end of April Starting from midnight on Sunday 27 April a replacement bus service will be in place between Cardiff Central Rail services will return to normal on the morning of Friday 2 May The closure will allow teams to renew sections of the railway in the Crosskeys station area As well as complete other tasks along the line such as management of trees and plants to maintain visibility for train drivers and users of level crossings Drainage maintenance to manage water levels next to the track as well as lubrication and testing of the tracks to keep the railway efficient disruption will be kept to a minimum for passengers and people who live close by Network Rail Wales and Borders route director said: “We are working really hard to improve train service punctuality and this essential work is a part of our commitment to do that “We recognise there is never a good time to close the railway but we have planned the renewals to minimise disruption as much as possible “I would like to thank passengers for their patience and urge them to check their journeys before travelling.” Passengers are advised to visit the Transport for Wales website for the latest travel updates Work has been completed on a new mixed-use business centre on the Festival Park site at Ebbw Vale. Owners Birmingham-based Mercia Real Estate Ltd have created 24 industrial units totalling 84,202 sq ft for local and national businesses and logistic operators on the 70 acre site, which was chosen in 1992 to be the last British Garden Festival site. The 24 units range in size from 958 sq ft to almost 12,000 sq ft and offer a range of business uses including light industrial, trade counter and storage units. Mercia Real Estate acquired the unoccupied site in 2021 and was granted planning permission last year to go ahead with the changes. Chief executive officer Samuel Clark said: “The much-needed redevelopment of Festival Park provides an attractive proposition to new and existing businesses, and provides a range of unit sizes to enable successful small businesses to expand over time without ever needing to leave the site to find larger premises.” The company has appointed the Cardiff office of global property consultancy Knight Frank to attract tenants to the completed centre. Rhys Price, associate in Knight Frank’s Industrial & Logistics division in Wales, said: “This is a great opportunity that is addressing the lack of refurbished, quality business units in the region within close proximity to the Heads of the Valley. The development provides a broad range of occupational space that is attracting strong interest from a range of potential occupiers already. “The Festival Park site has a long history and the landlord’s imaginative redevelopment of Festival Park, coupled with a willingness to agree leases quickly, will help bring the site back to life and this will no doubt be an attractive proposition to local and national businesses.” Ebbw Vale was chosen as the last British Garden Festival site in 1992 because of the waste land which had been the British Steel steel and tin works, which had been partly demolished in the early 1980s. The National Garden Festival ran from May until October 1992 and attracted over two million people. The site subsequently became home to a shopping centre hosting fairground attractions, plant exhibitions and over 30 shops but has been unused for several years. Our wide-ranging menu of platforms, communication services, and highly targeted distribution networks offers our clients a proven, strategically connected one-stop-shop solution for all regions and business sectors in Wales and beyond. CloseVandals have destroyed a block of toilets which were being used by employees and visitors of an owl sanctuary in Ebbw Vale all the toilets and mirrors were smashed rendering the facility unsafe for use said it will cost about £10,000 to replace the toilet block Luckily no damage was done to the owl sanctuary itself and no birds were harmed Gwent Police said the "mindless acts of vandalism" have had a negative impact on the community Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRead descriptionEditor's recommendationsWatch: 'Disgusting' vandalism of owl sanctuary 00:00:38Watch: 'Disgusting' vandalism of owl sanctuary 0:38Up Next Merz defeat 'an obstacle not a catastrophe' Video 00:01:05Merz defeat 'an obstacle not a catastrophe' 1:05Watch: BBC reports from pier 33 - the gateway to Alcatraz 00:01:44Watch: BBC reports from pier 33 - the gateway to Alcatraz 1:44Watch: Prince Louis steals the show as royals mark VE Day 00:01:25Watch: Prince Louis steals the show as royals mark VE Day 1:25Watch: How Lady Gaga's record-breaking concert almost ended in disaster Video 00:01:21Watch: How Lady Gaga's record-breaking concert almost ended in disaster 1:21'Trump was the game-changer': Three things to know about the Australian election result 00:01:20'Trump was the game-changer': Three things to know about the Australian election result 1:20Prince Harry 'can't see a world' where his family will visit the UK 00:02:54Prince Harry 'can't see a world' where his family will visit the UK 2:54Watch: Key moments from the local elections.. 00:01:32Watch: Key moments from the local elections.. 1:32Watch: Reform by-election win raises questions for Labour and Tories 00:01:11Watch: Reform by-election win raises questions for Labour and Tories 1:11Russell Brand's court appearance explained.. 00:00:50Russell Brand's court appearance explained.. 0:50Ros Atkins on.. What's in the US-Ukraine resources deal 1:23Kamala Harris hits out at Trump in first major speech since losing election 00:01:18Kamala Harris hits out at Trump in first major speech since losing election Ebbw Vale put one foot firmly into the Super Rygbi Cymru Cup final after beating Gwent rivals Newport for the second time in nine days to move into pole position in Pool B The ir 44-21 victory now means that a win at Swansea on 15 March will be enough to cement top spot for the Steelmen and see them through to their first cup final appearance since 1998 wing Ryan Gardner and skipper Joe Franchi all scored in the first half for Ebbw at Eugene Cross Park with a penalty try also helping them open up a commanding lead Flanker Sion Parry and replacement back rower Lewis Young added further Ebbw tries in the second half Centre David Richards and scrum-half Dafydd Buckland scored for Newport who at one point in the first were down to 13 men with hooker Henry Palmer and captain Ben Roach yellow carded Jac Lloyd kicked a conversion and three penalties This maximum six-point triumph takes Ebbw four points clear of Newport in the pool ahead of their trip to St Helen’s in a fortnight Newport must now beat Pontypool in their final pool match and will then also need a huge favour from Swansea in order to keep their hopes alive “It was really pleasing to get over the line against Newport We had a bit of worry just after half time having let Newport into it a bit,” said Ebbw team manager Dan Haymond “We then unloaded our bench and managed to get the job done It was perfect for us in the end taking the six points as well The Steelmen still have to get past a Swansea side who will go into that final pool game with a spring in their step after their win at Carmarthen Quins And Haymond added Ebbw will be taking nothing for granted despite being huge favourites to reach the final even when I was playing and when we’ve won down there It’s not an easy place to go St Helen’s – so we’ll give them all the respect they deserve,” added Haymond Newport must now dust themselves down after a second defeat at Ebbw in as many weeks having lost the league encounter there 20-5 nine days earlier “We’re obviously hugely disappointed with the result Credit to Ebbw Vale – they’ve done a job on our set piece two games in a row and stopped us at source,” said head coach Ty Morris “We couldn’t really get anything functioning in our attack and then to concede 44 points is always very hard to take We’re our own worst enemy at the moment with our inaccuracies down to 13 men just before half time; we managed to hold them out and get ourselves back in the game “But then unfortunately a couple of missed lineouts and they were accurate in our 22 and finished us off “We’ve been struggling with injuries – and they don’t help – but we’re not making any excuses though; we need to be better as a group.” S Parry L Young; Cons: E Lloyd 3; Pens: E Lloyd 2 Email: info@wru.wales Telephone: 02920 822 000 Newport now face their toughest test – a trip to Ebbw Vale on a cold wet February evening to face a side that is unbeaten at home this season But there is a bit more than the usual rivalry at stake on Thursday Ebbw Vale currently hold the SRC Challenge Trophy having snatched it away from Llandovery in October with a narrow victory at Church Bank If the Black & Ambers get the win then they take the trophy and with only two home league games to play they would have a great opportunity to hold on to it With both teams having a quick turn around after Saturday the coaches haven’t had much time to prepare but both teams know what to expect from their opposition Let’s hope that it’s a good game in front of the TV cameras   Designed by  There’s sure to be a lot of emotion involved when Newport play their first game since the passing of Club President and Rugby Icon There will be a ‘minute’s applause’ before the game when supporters can show their appreciation of ‘Mr There has been a lot of criticism of the SRC league structure this season every team has something to play for whether it’s an ‘easier’ game in the play-offs or home advantage This does mean that the team finishing bottom in the regular league position can win the title with a good run in the play-offs!! and the game against Ebbw Vale is very important for both sides The Steel Men are still hoping to finish in top spot and their recent form says that they are certainly capable of achieving it The Black & Ambers want to finish as high up the table as possible to give them a slightly easier run-in Newport paid the price of the six-point win against RGC by picking up several injuries among the forwards but can still field a useful matchday squad Newport RFC v Ebbw Vale RFC – 13th April 2025 by John Evans Last weekend proved to be quite a contrast Following a stirring 6-point away win at RGC a feat unmatched by any team in the Top 5 of Super Rygbi Cymru this season we were greeted by the sad news on Sunday that Newport RFC President Brian ‘BJ’ Jones has passed away It would be remiss to go any further without paying tribute to Brian Newport RFC have lost their spiritual leader There’s no point trawling through Brian’s record within the game of rugby What a search engine won’t tell you is Brian’s attachment to our club He was the physical link between the club’s glory days and the present a man equally comfortable talking about Ken Jones or Matt O’Brien Brian was never happy using one word when ten would do Brian’s record within the game would have caused some folk to act above their station Why Brian was loved was because he was engaged and had a deep passion for Black & Amber rugby he was texting Team Manager Mark Workman asking for the score from Colwyn Bay and Ebbw Vale RFC would not be turning at Rodney Parade to let Newport have their day if anything they would want to spoil the party Ebbw Vale have proved too strong for Newport twice this season already Nobody from Newport wanted to let them make it three from three overcast afternoon was the backdrop to the Rodney Parade stage and everybody hoped that the rain that was forecast held off until at least 4.30pm single file to the point of lining up for the minutes applause He laid a wreath from the club onto the Rodney Parade turf With the ceremonial proceedings dealt with Newport won the scrum prompting Lloyd Lewis to join the line from the wing and puncture the green and red defence Tom Workman and Josh Skinner presented themselves as willing carriers but an improvised pass from Carwyn Penny to Iestyn Galton proved too high for the winger to hold Ebbw Vale were penalised on 5 minutes for not rolling away in the tackle Ben Roach instructed Jac Lloyd to put the pack in the corner of the field the Newport pack rallied around him before Ben Roach took it further but Ben Roach continued his supporting run to dive over under pressure and open the scoring for Newport Jac Lloyd converted to make it Newport 7 Ebbw Vale 0 with 6 minutes played jinked around a few Ebbw tacklers before passing to Jac Lloyd encouraging Iestyn Galton to chase the ball but the rolling maul was wrapped up and Ebbw claimed possession sailing over the top of the jumper in Tyler Olding’s grasp Che Hope scanned for runners before picking out Ben Roach striding at pace at a disorganised defensive line Jac Lloyd added the two-pointer to make it Newport 14 Ebbw Vale 0 Jac Lloyd was dictating play as he kicked ahead Ebbw full-back Matt Jones claimed the ball had no hesitation awarding a penalty try to Newport running under the crossbar with his arm extended before waving a yellow card at the visiting captain and inviting him to the naughty step for ten minutes This made the score Newport 21 Ebbw Vale 0 on 26 minutes a shadow of the team they’ve been this season They knocked on the restart again on 28 minutes but They exerted pressure on the Black & Amber defence but it stayed firm but was distinctly creaking Josh Skinner earned himself the ire of Mr Evans as he attempted to rip the ball clear Prop Morgan Davies was over the line but held up Mr Evans was becoming impatient; he summoned Ben Roach and Tyler Olding before the big man burst from the left of the maul to barge over Evan Lloyd added the conversion to make it Newport 21 Ebbw Vale 7 on 36 minutes Ebbw scrum half Rory Harries spilled the ball conspicuously on 40 minutes Carwyn Penny and Iestyn Galton combined to get close but Ebbw openside Sion Parry did tremendously well to get hands on the ball and halt the attack chasing a kick towards visiting wing Ewan Bowden which was then compounded by some unnecessary Ebbw chopsing but an excellent defensive set by the Steelmen shut Newport out as halftime arrived Half Time:  Newport RFC 21 Ebbw Vale RFC 7 Evan Lloyd restarted but Newport made hard work of dealing with the ball at the restart but a ferocious scrum drive by the Steelmen soon won the ball back for the visitors but Newport were able to just do enough to hold on A powerful 45th minute rolling maul had the Black & Ambers desperately trying to stem the tide Josh Skinner was an obvious target for Mr Evans as he emerged onto the Ebbw side of a maul with his arms wrapped around the ball and an equally easy yellow card to deliver The try that followed was as predictable as night following day Joe Franchi was the scorer following a series of drives Evan Lloyd adding the two to make it Newport 21 Ebbw Vale 14 on 46 minutes Tyler Olding was replaced by James Benjamin while Ollie Drake made way for Garin Harris on 47 minutes Ebbw were a team transformed from the first half hour The vocal travelling support were getting louder especially when flanker Cameron Regan charged down Che Hope’s clearing kick he managed to knock the ball on in his attempt to collect it otherwise and equalising try was a certainty The Black & Ambers were distinctly on the ropes It was going to be a long 28 minutes until full-time while Rhys Jenkins came on for Josh Skinner on 57 minutes Newport caught a break when the ran from deep out of defence but Ebbw managed to infringe as they tried to secure the ball The key seemed to be to keep the ball moving stretch the play and not let the Steelmen’s mighty pack get into their stride when a penalty to Ebbw was aimed at the corner affording Newport an attacking scrum back in the visitor’s half Carwyn Penny combined with Lloyd Lewis to attack along the right Lloyd Lewis chipped ahead but managed to drag the Ebbw defender across the line to dot down and award Newport an attacking scrum 5 Garin Harris got the better of his opposite number as the Black & Amber pack regained parity but it was George Young that had the Newport supporters raise the roof on the stand as he burrowed across the line for a try Jac Lloyd’s unorthodox kick was good enough to score two points and at least one bonus point was in the bag while Dai Richards replaced Jonny Morris on 71 minutes Newport seemed to up the tempo a notch as the backs ran at the Ebbw defence A high tackle on Iestyn Galton brought a penalty which was kicked to the corner Newport threw to the front and the peel to the left was irresistible and Barney Langton-Cryer was rewarded with a try This made the score Newport 33 Ebbw Vale 14 with 77 minutes played The vociferous Ebbw Vale supporters were quieter now The Black & Ambers now had the elusive 6th point in their metaphorical back pocket and Ebbw Vale were desperate to deny them that They tried to play out of defence before Evan Lloyd kicked delicately into an unguarded area What they hadn’t bargained for was Iestyn Galton gathering the ball dancing around would-be tacklers before passing to Tom Devine the big prop was never going to outstrip the regrouping defence securing the 6th point and condemning Ebbw Vale to their heaviest defeat of the season so far and that seemed symptomatic of all but 25 minutes of their game a nail-biting game of rugby that could have gone either way at one point It was the saddest of occasions with the best possible outcome for Newport RFC Full Time: Newport RFC 40 Ebbw Vale RFC 14 Newport RFC conclude their regular Super Rygbi Cymru fixtures next Saturday when they visit Carmarthen Quins RFC Following that will be the special celebration game against Crawshays RFC at Rodney Parade on Friday 25th April Pencil in the weekend of May 3rd for those until the final standing of the league is settled Final Score – Newport RFC 40 Ebbw Vale RFC 14 On Sunday 13th April Newport host Ebbw Vale at Rodney Parade in what promises to be another cracking local derby match as part of the Super Rygbi Cymru league Both teams are doing well in the league and are in contention for the playoffs Ebbw have beaten Newport in the first league fixture at Eugene Cross Park and also in the cup competition so Newport will be sure to be looking for revenge Hospitality hosted in a superb box overlooking the famous old ground is available at £40 a head including a hot meal served in the box before the game. Contact for details – commercial@newportrfc.co.uk Match tickets are now available to purchase on-line here: Click Here We encourage everyone to purchase tickets in advance to beat the queues on the day This promises to be a fantastic local derby match and we’d love you to join with us so all refreshments at the stadium need to be purchased electronically on the day Ebbw Vale are hopeful of restoring Evan Lloyd to their side for the return game against Pontypool in Super Rygbi Cymru after he was forced to pull out in the warm-up at Pontypool Park last weekend Without their ace goalkicker and chief tactician The Steelmen fell to a 23-16 defeat as they lost ground at the top of the table Llandovery in third by four and fourth place Newport “We’ve worked hard to get to the top of the table and we’ve enjoyed being there and looking down on the rest That’s how we want to keep it,” said Ebbw Vale team manager Dan Haymond “Everything that could have gone wrong at Pontypool last weekend did go wrong and we need to put things right back at Eugene Cross Park We lost Evan just before the game and had to give a debut to a scrum half playing outside half “Evan is going to be fit for this weekend and that will help us We didn’t make the most of what we reckoned was a 12-point wind at Pontypool and allowed them to feed off our mistakes and we like to think it is a difficult place for teams to come to play It’s another Gwent derby and we don’t want to let teams beneath us get any closer to us.” Two try hero Pat Lewis switches from full back to centre to accommodate Wales U20 outside half Harri Ford to the Pontypool back line Kyan Best takes over from Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths at loose head prop while Morgan Allen drops out of the back row to allow Adam Stratton to start Newport will be seeking a double over arch-rivals Cardiff following their 27-20 triumph at the Arms Park last weekend It will be the first game between the two clubs at Spytty Park a venue at which Ty Morris’ men have lost only four times in three years the Black & Ambers could leapfrog every side ahead of them and take over at the top when they catch up but Morris knows the return game against Dan Fish’s Cardiff team will be vital “It’s so tight at the top that every point is going to matter in the battle to finish in the top four I can see five or seek teams emerging to challenge for the best seedings ahead of the end of season play-offs,” said Morris “It’s always nice beating Cardiff at the Arms Park but the real challenge now is to back up that performance We are turning our home ground into a fortress and we need to keep it like that this weekend.” Cardiff have lost their last two matches against Ebbw Vale (32-20) and Newport (27-20) and won’t want to go down again having already surrendered top spot in December “We just weren’t clinical enough when it counted towards the end of the game last weekend We had plenty of chances but didn’t convert them into points because we were trying to score two or three phases earlier than we needed to,” said Cardiff skipper Sean Moore “Newport are a quality team and we know it’s never going to be an easy game against them They just took their chances when they had them “We’ve got away with not being at the level we know we can be in the first block of games Now we are playing teams at the top of the table we’ve come out on the wrong side of the scoreline in the last two weeks “We know it’s going to be tough there and we’ve just got to go into it with the right attitude to hopefully come out on the right side of the scoreline.” Third place Llandovery will be seeking a local derby double at Carmarthen Park when they face the Carmarthen Quins The Drovers were 35-5 winners at home last week and have now crept up into fourth place without a win since 12 October at Aberavon will be keen to turn their recent near misses into wins having lost their last seven games in a row who were 34-28 winners at the Brewery Field last weekend Aberavon head to Swansea looking to build on their 26-0 home triumph over the All Whites last weekend Wales Community and Business News from Need To See it Work has been completed on a new mixed-use business centre on the Festival Park site at Ebbw Vale Owners Birmingham-based Mercia Real Estate Ltd have created 24 industrial units totalling 84,202 sq ft for local and national businesses and logistic operators on the 70 acre site which was chosen in 1992 to be the last British Garden Festival site The 24 units range in size from 958 sq ft to almost 12,000 sq ft and offer a range of business uses including light industrial The redevelopment work has transformed the site from a retail park to a multi-use business facility modifying existing units and recladding and reroofing the refurbished units The site has an improved access and flow to accommodate industrial operators including the central walkway being resurfaced to create a spine access road the landlord has undertaken a comprehensive remodelling of the site which included dismantling specific units to create more yard space Mercia Real Estate acquired the unoccupied site in 2021 and was granted planning permission last year to go ahead with the changes Chief executive officer Samuel Clark said: “The much-needed redevelopment of Festival Park provides an attractive proposition to new and existing businesses and provides a range of unit sizes to enable successful small businesses to expand over time without ever needing to leave the site to find larger premises.” The company has appointed the Cardiff office of global property consultancy Knight Frank to attract tenants to the completed centre associate in Knight Frank’s Industrial & Logistics division in Wales said: “This is a great opportunity that is addressing the lack of refurbished quality business units in the region within close proximity to the Heads of the Valley The development provides a broad range of occupational space that is attracting strong interest from a range of potential occupiers already “The Festival Park site has a long history and the landlord’s imaginative redevelopment of Festival Park coupled with a willingness to agree leases quickly will help bring the site back to life and this will no doubt be an attractive proposition to local and national businesses.” Ebbw Vale was chosen as the last British Garden Festival site in 1992 because of the waste land which had been the British Steel steel and tin works which had been partly demolished in the early 1980s The National Garden Festival ran from May until October 1992 and attracted over two million people The site subsequently became home to a shopping centre hosting fairground attractions plant exhibitions and over 30 shops but has been unused for several years we do not ‘recommend’ or endorse any business or products shown on this site We would like to thank our image providers: Canva Storyblocks Deposit Photos Freepik Pixabay Pexels Unsplash As well as the many talented 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