Under the proposals a new railway station would be built at Heathrow Airport which would link directly to Cardiff, cutting journey times and avoiding the need to go via Paddington.

It is hoped that the link could be operational by 2021, with multi-million pound benefits to the South Wales economy.

Earlier this year the Government announced the £1bn electrification of the main rail line between London and Cardiff and the latest news follows lobbying by the Great Western Partnership (GWP), of which Cardiff Council is a member, for an electrified rail route running directly from South Wales to Heathrow Airport.

Councillor Berman said: “This is incredibly encouraging news. Along with the council leaders of Bristol and Swindon, I wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport calling for direct links to Heathrow from South Wales to be part of the future high-speed rail link. It sounds like the lobbying of the GWP has influenced Government thinking which is very pleasing.

“Electrification to London Paddington was good news, but by itself is not enough to give the boost to economic growth that South Wales needs.  The link with Heathrow will help us attract new businesses to Cardiff and South Wales, opening up greater opportunities for inward investment. Travel links to major airports are a big consideration for businesses looking to relocate and if we can improve those links it can only mean that we attract more quality companies to Cardiff.

“This is ultimately going to be very important to the future growth of the economy in South Wales and the Cardiff city region.”

Darren Gillard, 46, from Splott, was employed by Euro Clad Ltd to make metal roof panels at the company’s Wentloog factory.

On 19 April 2010 he was operating a machine that positions wooden blocks beneath packs of roof panels on the production line when some of the blocks became jammed in the machinery. Walking into the enclosure with the machine still in ‘automatic’ mode, he reached under the machine to reach the jammed bearers and free them.

However, once the blockage was removed, the machinery started up again and crushed his wrist between the bearer and the base frame.

Mr. Gillard was taken to hospital where he underwent three operations to insert a metal plate into his wrist, and skin graft treatment to serious skin abrasions sustained in the incident. He was only able to return to work four months later.

Cardiff Crown Court today heard that he was able to gain access to the production line through a defective interlocked gate in the two-metre high perimeter fence that surrounded it. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive revealed the gate had been interfered with and tied open.

This was deemed to be common practice due to a high number of jams that occurred, with workers regularly passing the gate without correctly stopping and isolating the machine.

HSE prosecuted Euro Clad Ltd, of Wentloog Corporate Park, Wentloog, for failing to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, and for not checking the guards or interlocks were in place at the time.

The company had previously pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(3) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment. Today at Cardiff Crown Court, it was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,000.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Paul Cartwright said:

"This was a very serious injury and one that has had a significant impact on Mr. Gillard. The case demonstrates the importance of ensuring that machinery guards and protective systems remain effective. Employers need to regularly monitor practices and rectify any problems promptly. HSE will not hesitate to take action where employers fail to ensure that protective measures are in place.

"In this case, there was no such monitoring, and a dangerous system was allowed to exist for some time before it was highlighted by a serious and wholly avoidable incident."

Fairwater and Pentrebane Community Angling Club has been working in partnership with Cardiff Council’s Leisure Services, Ely Garden Villagers and drug and alcohol charity Kaleidoscope.

The club was established two years ago by Gary Smith, an employee of Fairwater Leisure Centre. Since then, organisers plan several fishing trips throughout the year to Sevenoaks Fishery, Pontyclun.

During the trips people are taught how to catch fish such as carp and bream as well as learning the skills to look after the fish properly and put them back into the water safely.

The initiative aims to bring communities together whilst providing recovering addicts with support and imaginative opportunities so they may build self-confidence.

The 60 member strong club was established two years ago and also attracts families and young people from the local areas.

The initiative is funded by Communities First and through sponsorship and fundraising. Executive Member for Communities, Housing and Social Justice, Cllr Judith Woodman said: “The community angling club offers invaluable opportunities to learn the skills needed to enjoy this wonderful outdoor activity.

“The partnership between the club, Ely Garden Villagers, Communities First and Kaleidoscope has meant that this hobby can be made more accessible to individuals who will benefit from it as well as engaging other members of the community.”

Kaleidoscope aims to provide life enhancing services to people on the margins of society. They provide support to people with drug and alcohol problems, enabling them to make positive changes in their lives.

Communities First is the Welsh Assembly Government’s flagship programme to improve the living conditions and prospects for people in the most disadvantaged communities across Wales.

209 days ago Richard Parks left Cardiff attempting to make history and raise £1m in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care.  The former Wales rugby international, turned mountaineer had just one more mountain left to climb to complete his world first.

Mount Elbrus, the highest point in the Russian Caucasus and Europe was all that stood between Richard becoming the first ever person to stand on the 7 highest summits of the world and all 3 poles in the same calendar year.  In fact, he completed his challenge in a record setting 7 months.

189 days ago Richard was stood on the South Pole having completed the first leg of his 7-month race looking ahead to 7 gruelling months of climbing, trekking and skiing and to the dangers and unknowns of some the most hostile places on the planet.

This week he arrived home from Alaska for one day, enough time to wash some kit and re pack before jetting off to Russia.

Interview requests are flooding in and excitement building now Richard has achieved this incredible world first, but he remained as focused and steadfast about how he approached climbing the last mountain.

Richard Parks is a former Welsh international rugby player, earning caps against South Africa, Fiji, Scotland and Ireland. He also represented the Barbarians and Wales Sevens on the IRB world circuit and in the World Cup.

As a back row forward, he made a name for himself as a hard, prolific tackler and support player. However, he was recently forced to retire from the game due to a career ending shoulder injury. Richard was an integral part of both the Principality Cup winning Pontypridd side and the Powergen Cup winning Leeds Tykes.

After a spell playing for the French club USA Perpignan, he returned to Wales with the Gwent Dragons, passionate to represent his country again. Despite putting himself back into contention for International selection with his performances for the region, sadly injury prevented his return to the International stage and ultimately forced his early retirement from what was a highly successful 13 year career in professional rugby. When asked about the 737 Challenge, Richard said;

“Lying in bed following my second operation to repair my shoulder, I was suddenly faced with the reality of life without professional rugby, which had been at the centre of my entire adult life. The adjustment was difficult to deal with as the disciplines of my rugby career no longer applied. Suddenly everything changed – what I ate, the pattern of sleep and my regular daily routine. I felt utterly lost! From the confident person with an organised lifestyle that I had always been, I became scared of the unknown future that lay ahead. I suffered with a mixture of frustration, despair and even anger dominating my thoughts. I was deeply depressed. It was a dark place for me.”

“I happened to be reading Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ book ‘Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know’, which somehow became intertwined with a phrase from my Nana’s funeral ‘The horizon is only the limit of our sight’.”

“It had an immediate effect on me, helping me find the courage and inspiration to face head on my fears and my future. From reading about the experiences of Sir Ranulph Fiennes in his book, the mental, physical and technical challenges of Polar travel and climbing the 7 summits captured my imagination. At the very moment I discovered the 7 summits, I had decided that I was going to climb them! ”

“I learnt that our lives will always be made up of many chapters. We can never go back and we cannot forsee our future. However, we can take charge right now of how we choose to live and what we think, right now in the present. I had belief anew! All I had to do now was find other people that believed in me too!!”

“I found this belief in the support that I received both from Sir Ranulph Fiennes himself and from the organisations that have become closely associated with the early days of the project – Jagged Globe, Limegreentangerine, and Marie Curie. So, with their input, my 737 Challenge was born. 7 Summits, 3 Poles in 7 Months. A World First. Raising funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Awesome!”

“since then I have found many more believers. I am very grateful and humbled by the support of all the companies and individuals involved. Their belief in me, The 737 Challenge and my ability to successfully complete the challenge simply means everything. You know who you are, thank you.”

Spudulike has been serving hot baked potatoes since 1974 and has over 40 restaurants in Britain, continuing to open in new locations around the country. The baked potato connoisseurs will further add to the variety of food available in Eastside, which currently has 17 cafes and restaurants across two levels, totalling 30 food outlets in the whole of St David’s.

Tony Schlesinger, chairman of Spudulike Group, said: “We look forward to providing Cardiff shoppers with our quality baked potatoes, and we’re confident that St David’s will be an excellent location for our first store in the city.”

Joanne Skilton, of St David’s Partnership, a joint venture between Capital Shopping Centres and Land Securities, said: “A concerted effort has been made to offer a diverse range of catering options at St David’s and an outlet such as Spudulike not only helps to achieve this but adds to our range of quality, healthy, fast food offerings.”

Spudulike joins other restaurants on the lower level such as Prêt a Manger, Yo! Sushi, Bellini’s Express, Cadwaladers, Martin’s Chocolatier and French restaurant Boof.

Steven Madeley, centre director for St David’s, added: “The announcement of Spudulike completes the line up at Eastside offering a variety of well known brands, local independents, large restaurants and small cafes. Visitors can make the most of late night shopping until 8pm at St David’s followed by late night dining with cheap evening parking as well as everything else the city has to offer.

“We have spent a lot of time perfecting the offering within Eastside with contemporary dining in a vibrant atmosphere. The area was carefully planned to be a dining destination to complement the top fashion line up that St David’s is becoming well known for. It is fantastic that the offering of Eastside is now complete and we will continue to bring new fashion names throughout the rest of the shopping centre throughout 2010.”

Jenny Randerson AM

Welsh Lib Dem Shadow Transport Minister, Jenny Randerson AM has today called for plans to be brought forward to electrify the Valley Lines network immediately following the electrification of the Great Western line.

The calls come after officials from the UK Department of Transport told the Assembly’s Enterprise and Learning Committee that “there is logic” that the Cardiff Area Network could be electrified once main line work reaches Cardiff.

Jenny Randerson AM said: “It is clear that if we miss the opportunity to electrify the Valley Lines as part of the process of electrifying the main line, then this could be gone for decades.

“Experts say that once the electrification ‘factory’ is shut down, it is hugely expensive and time consuming to re-start it. Therefore, if we are ever going to see the Valley Lines turned into a speedy, economically beneficial, metro service, then this could be our last chance for quite some time.”