Here is your Friday update, covering:

• Sid the rescue dog - from Cardiff Dogs home to South Wales Police's new recruit
• Wood Street and Central Square - renewal scheme wins second major award
• Drovers Way Park - work to refurbish the play area set to begin next week

Abandoned dog becomes latest South Wales Police recruit

An abandoned dog found wandering the streets of St Mellons in Cardiff, and taken in by Cardiff Dogs Home, has become one of South Wales Police's newest recruits.

The team at the Dog's Home work closely with South Wales Police, who spotted that the Belgian Malinois, called Sid, had all the attributes needed to become a police dog.

When Sid became available for adoption, it was decided he would join South Wales Police temporarily to see if he could pass the assessments.

With the dedicated help of his handler and the other instructors, Sid successfully passed and is now a fully licensed general purpose police dog, ready to work alongside his handler Andrew to keep south Wales safe.

Cabinet Member with responsibility for Cardiff Dogs Home, Cllr Dan De'Ath said: "The team at Cardiff Dogs Home work hard to match the right dogs to the right new homes and what Sid has achieved just goes to show how that can really turn a stray, unwanted dog's life around. There's an excellent working relationship between the Home and our South Wales Police colleagues and we're all delighted that Sid is now in a job and has a new life with his handler, Andrew."

Inspector Elen Reeves said: "It's been such a pleasure to watch PD Sid develop in his training since joining South Wales Police, from where he started as an abandoned dog wandering the streets of Cardiff to becoming a much loved and valued member of Team SWP, where we hope he will have a long and happy career with us here in the dog section.

"I'm incredibly grateful for the work that Cardiff Dogs Home do and the support they provide us. Sid is an excellent example of the partnership that we have."

If you think you could provide a forever home for one of the dogs currently being looked after by Cardiff Dogs Home, visit:

www.cardiffdogshome.co.uk

Cardiff's Wood Street and Central Square Scheme wins second major award

Cardiff's Wood Street and Central Square Scheme has been awarded a second major civil engineering award.

In June this year the scheme picked up the Civil Project of the Year Award, to which it has now added the Bill Ward Sustainability Award, which was won at the Ice Wales Cymru Civil Engineering Awards 2023, on Friday, September 22.

The Civil Engineering Awards recognise individuals and organisations for innovation, smart engineering, and sustainability in the industry in Wales.

The latest award relates to the transformation of Wood Street, which includes a new road layout; new bus lanes; rain gardens to manage surface water drainage; improvements to the public realm and a highway network which gives priority to buses ready for when the new Transport Interchange opens to the public.

Submitted by the Council's contractor ARUP and delivered by Cardiff Council and Knights Brown, the Bill Ward Sustainability Award assesses the principles of sustainability, social, economic and environmental benefits during the delivery of a scheme and when it is completed.

Cllr Dan De'Ath, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport said: "This is the second award that this scheme has won and is a testament to all the hard work carried out by our staff and contractors.

"The scheme uses the latest engineering to manage surface water drainage, with a series of rain gardens and specific soil and planting that cleans rainwater - so it doesn't have to be pumped to the sewage treatment plant - creating a sustainable solution that saves time and money."

Read more here

Work on new Drovers Way Play Area to begin

The ‘water-themed' refurbishment of a play area at Drovers Way in Radyr is due to start on 2ndOctober, following completion of work to resolve drainage issues at the site.

Suitable for toddlers, juniors, and accessible play, the play area will be in the shape of ‘water ripples and puddles' and include a new layout with rubber safety surfacing, paving, and new seating.

New play equipment will also be installed, including swings, a bouncing mat, an accessible carousel, spinners, a multi-unit with slide, spring toys, and imaginative play elements.

Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke, said: "Children need to play, and having access to a good quality play area, close to home, can make a really big difference for families. That's why we're continuing to invest in local play areas across the city, creating safe, accessible and fun-filled spaces for children and to enjoy."

Work to refurbish the Drovers Way play area is expected to be completed by early 2024.