Here is our latest update, covering: new Splashpad sessions tailor made for children with additional needs; bringing empty homes back into use; and tickets go on sale as Wales' biggest festive lights trail is set to return to Cardiff for another year. 

New ‘relaxed sessions' at Splashpad for children with additional needs

A visit to Victoria Park Splashpad on a sunny day will be high on the wish list of many children this summer, but for some children with additional needs the sheer popularity of the facility has, until now, made it difficult to enjoy.

From next Wednesday (6th July) an hour every Wednesday will be run as an inclusive, ‘relaxed session' so that children with additional needs, who would benefit from a quieter environment and reduced numbers, can enjoy the 33 exciting water features, which include jets, sprays, tunnels and a tipping water bucket.

During term-time, the ‘relaxed sessions' will run every Wednesday from 11am to midday. During the school holidays the new sessions will run every Wednesday from 10am-11am.

Cabinet Member for Parks, Culture and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke-Davies said: "Parks are for everyone, and we want them to be as inclusive and accessible as possible. The Splashpad was designed with that in mind, but as its popularity has grown, it has become more difficult for children with additional needs to enjoy fully. Making Cardiff a Child-Friendly City is one of our priorities, and these new quieter Splashpad sessions will allow many more children to enjoy the simple pleasure of play."

Local resident, Amy, whose ten-year-old son uses a wheelchair, said: "The splashpad is something that really appeals to children with additional needs because it's flat and the kids love the water, so it's great that the council is able to start doing this."

Read more here:

https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/29336.html

Eighty-three empty homes in Cardiff have been brought back into use this financial year

Eighty-three empty properties have been brought back into use in Cardiff since April 2021, with support through the council's empty homes policy.

Empty properties are a blight on local communities, as they can cause issues to adjacent and neighbouring properties, attract antisocial behaviour, as well as fly tipping and issues with vermin.

The council has up to 300 properties in Cardiff that have been highlighted as an issue, and although the onus is on the private property owner to deal with these issues, council officers actively pursue them to ensure the properties can be brought back into use as quickly as possible.

Cllr Lynda Thorne, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities at Cardiff Council said: "Empty properties are caused through a variety of reasons, whether they have been inherited in the state that they are in, the owner cannot afford to fix the problems, or the owner could be living abroad or in long term care, with the property left vacant for a significant period of time allowing it to go into a state of disrepair."

Read more here:

https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/29325.html

Wales' biggest festive lights trail is back - and tickets are on sale now

Wales' biggest ever festive lights trail is back - and tickets are on sale now. Christmas at Bute Park is set to shine brighter than ever in 2022 as it returns for its second year with a host of new sights in tow.

The award-winning event is set to follow up its sell-out debut in 2021 with an exciting ‘hypnotic laser journey', an ‘epic orb of iridescent colour' and a whole lot more on offer.

This year the trail will also take in a magical ‘Light Canyon' awash with a thousand mesmerising stars, an epic light orb experience, and will also pass beneath a lake of light created by hypnotic lasers to create a ‘Liquid Sky'. 

Roxy Robinson, Creative Director at From The Fields which produces the trail, said: "After such an astounding first year, it's an absolute pleasure to be bringing Christmas at Bute Park back to Cardiff once again, and we can't wait to show everyone what's in store for 2022.

"We are building on our work with local businesses and communities to bring about a magical experience from start to finish. Visitors of all ages and backgrounds will once again be able to soak up the magic at Christmas at Bute Park, and we're over the moon that we get to do it all again."

Read more here:

https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/29314.html