Cardiff Living

Cardiff DIGs @ UWIC Housing Fayre

2012-01-27T03:32:00.000-08:00

Cardiff DIGs attended a housing fayre on thursday aimed at all students who will be looking to move to private accommodation for the next academic year.

The fayre was held at the New Business School – LLANDAFF Campus, Western Avenue, Cardiff

Guests Included Cardiff DIGs/ Private Sector Housing, - Cardiff City Council, Trading standards, Cardiff Bond Board, Housing Help Centre, Community Liaison Police Officer, UWIC Students Union & Public Relations Member of Gas Safety.

As well as obtaining the Landlord Register, the aim of the fayre was to provide students with as much advice and information on all aspects of renting privately. To offer support on finding the right property and what to do once they’ve moved in. http://cardiffdigs.co.uk/hallstohouse.htm

Environmental Champions 2nd Community Walkabout

2012-01-27T03:17:00.000-08:00

Twelve Environmental Champions including members from the: Community, Students Union, South Wales Police, Waste Management, Councillors, Cardiff Council and The Landlords Forum went on the second recycling awareness walkabout.

Set up by www.cardiffdigs.co.uk, Student Volunteering Cardiff (SVC) and Keep Cardiff Tidy the scheme is a voluntary action group working on sustainability issues. The society is working on a range of action based initiatives around sustainability, initially concentrating on ensuring people are aware of their waste and recycling responsibilities http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm

Last night the team were knocking on doors ensuring people in Cathays and Roath were aware that recycling (green bags) and food waste (brown caddy) is a weekly collection and residual waste (black bins and bags) is fortnightly. The team were advising people about the range of items that can be recycled and how to use their food waste caddies.

The environmental champions are always keen to attract any more willing volunteers and will continue working on recycling along with other sustainability issues including a forthcoming litter pick. For more information please visit: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/environmentalchampions.htm

For information on what you can recycle, how to use your food waste caddies and when to present your waste can be found here: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm People are reminded that a wall makes a world of difference. Rubbish cannot be collected if left inside the boundary of your property i.e. on your side of the property wall or in the garden. It must be placed on the pavement to ensure collection.

Join the Environmental Champions

2012-01-17T02:21:00.000-08:00

On the 24th January the Environmental Champions will be pounding the streets to ensure that students returning from their holidays are presenting their waste correctly and that any accumulations of waste are dealt with before they become a nuisance.

The team will also be sending out safety advice alongside the Student Police Initiative http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/lockithideitkeepit.htm related to ensuring that all residents do not make it obvious how generous Santa has been by leaving packaging of expensive presents on display or in/next to bins as burglars know the packaging relates to items worth stealing. The advice is to rip boxes/packaging in such a way that it is not obvious what was contained in it and then recycle.

The champions are always keen to attract any more willing volunteers and anyone is welcome to come along to assist in this educational drive at the start of term.

Please meet:

Tuesday 24th January
4.30pm
3rd Floor Cardiff Students Union, Park Place

We will continue working on recycling along with other sustainability. For more information please visit: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm

Set up by www.cardiffdigs.co.uk, Student Volunteering Cardiff (SVC) and Keep Cardiff Tidy the scheme is a voluntary action group working on sustainability issues. The society is working on a range of action based initiatives around sustainability: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/environmentalchampions.htm

Pick and Plant day

2012-01-09T04:09:00.000-08:00

We really hope you had a good holiday and that any exams you are undertaking or finished were not too stressful.

For our first event of the New Year we would like to assist a group with a Pick and Plant day.

Pick and Plant day. Communities First is looking for volunteers to help clear rubbish and also plant some flowers and plants. The project is being run with All Become One youth forum, the local police, Celsa Steelworks, CCHA and YMCA. On the day they plan to remove as much rubbish as they can from the area on Green Bay road estate and plant a number of bulbs and plants to brighten up the area, they are also hoping to paint a mural on the border wall. They will be providing refreshments through out the day.

The event is being held in Green Bay road which is in Tremorfa close to Pengam Green area. The housing can be accessed through runway way Road which is off of Mercia Road.

Saturday 14th January

At Green Bay Road

11am start

Any Environmental Champions who are interested in this scheme should e-mail or phone Natalie the Community Development Officer. (029) 20873998 / 07800715097 natalie.stockwell@cardiff.gov.uk

Don’t forget to tell us you are attending so that we can add this onto your timesheets.

Community Walkabout

2011-12-15T05:57:00.000-08:00

Dear all, a huge thank you to all our Environmental Champion volunteers who braved the hail, thunder and lightening last night. Even with the appalling weather we had 13 volunteers out and about knocking doors in the Cathays area. As it was the last general waste collection before the students go home for Xmas it was really important to remind them to put their bins and bags out. The police volunteers were also on hand to remind students to take their valuables home with them over the festive break.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped out this year to make the Environmental Champions an amazing group who are really making a difference in the community.

We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year and look forward to seeing you all in 2012 for some more fun and exciting projects.

Best wishes

Lucy, Kieran and Chris

Xmas Waste Collections 2011

2011-12-13T00:24:00.000-08:00

Driving home for Christmas

2011-12-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

The Student Police Initiative and Environmental Champions will be patrolling the streets of Cathays tomorrow night with Police officers sending out community messages and reiterating the importance of safety advice at this time of year. Please make them feel welcome if they come knocking on your door.

Cathays PACT and Student Police Initiative+Environmental Champions on the beat

2011-12-06T01:47:00.000-08:00

Last night was the Cathays PACT meeting (next meeting 6th Feb, 2012 7pm Crwys Rd Methodist Centre)

After updates from the police and the council some of the discussions centred on the great partnership work that has come about through the Student Police Initiative and Environmental Champions. A lot of time energy and enthusiasm goes into these initiatives to help with community empowerment. We are very grateful to have the support of a range of agencies and community members and thanks were sent out to those who have supported us thus far.

At the meeting some community members integral to the success and who have supported the scheme where advocating and imploring other members in the meeting to come along and assist and to get involved.

So if you are free please come along tonight (6th) and next Tuesday (13th) to ensure that people get the ‘Going Home for Holiday’ advice. Any support is gratefully appreciated.

We will be patrolling the streets sending out community messages and reiterating the importance of safety advice at this time of year.

Please meet tonight (6th) and Tuesday 13th December 4.30pm 3rd Floor Students Union. Wear a festive hat (optional not essential)

If you can’t join us your Going Home for Holiday advice can be found here (please circulate this as widely as you can): http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/

Driving home for Christmas and the Holidays?

2011-12-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

The Student Police Initiative (link) and Environmental Champions (link) will be patrolling the streets of Cathays tomorrow night (6th December) with Police officers sending out community messages and reiterating the importance of safety advice at this time of year. Please make them feel welcome if they come knocking on your door.

During the year the Student Police Initiative have been telling students and residents to Lock it. Hide it. Keep it. This becomes even more important towards the end of term when empty student property becomes a target for burglary. All your Going Home for Holiday advice can be found here on the homepage

Letting agent prosecuted for breach of the Housing Act

2011-12-03T04:25:00.000-08:00

A Cardiff property letting agent has been fined following prosecution by Cardiff Council for breaches of an additional licencing scheme in relation to houses in multiple occupation in Cathays.

The letting agent, Kingstons Residential, pleaded guilty to breaching the licence regarding multi occupancy and was fined £300 and ordered to pay the Council’s costs of £400.

A residential property in Salisbury Road, Cathays had been licenced under the legislation to allow for eight occupants but had housed nine.

In May 2011, a visit to the property from Council officers revealed that there were nine occupiers, and investigations confirmed that all nine persons had been living at the property since September 2010. Information from tenancy agreements and council tax records confirmed this. A case was prepared and referred to the Council’s Legal Services.

Executive Member for Communities, Housing and Social Justice, Cllr Judith Woodman, said: “A clear message has been sent that landlords of homes of multiple occupation who fail to abide by the law can expect to face prosecution. The council is determined that residents in Cardiff should be safe and live in high quality accommodation.”

Further information on the additional licensing scheme in the Cathays ward can be obtained here

Student specific information on Additional Licensing can be found here
If you are in the process of looking for property in the private rented sector please read our avoiding the pitfalls advice here

Housing Advice Week day five

2011-12-02T03:24:00.000-08:00

Housing Advice Week is here

Fridays Housing Tip - How to deal with problems link HERE

Today is your last chance to see the pop up house in the union

Housing Advice Week is about giving you all the information that you need when looking for a house. As a campaign it's main message is Make the Smart move; don't rush, don't panic. Some letting agents may tell you that houses are going fast and that there are less houses than students… this is not true.

Don't be pushed into signing a housing contract before getting it checked. Housing Advice Week is here to bust the myths and give you free and independent information that ultimately means you make the smart move and avoid the pitfalls: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/hallstohouse.htm

When Is It?

This year Housing Advice Week runs from Monday the 28th November until Friday 2nd December

Why Should I Care?

If you need a house, you should care! Every year the Advice and Representation Centre deals with hundreds of complaints from students who have not understood their contracts or have had to put up with inadequate housing conditions. By coming to ARC on the third floor of the Students Union you can have your contract checked prior to signing and be given all the relevant information and questions that you should be asking agents and/or landlords.

Does Housing Advice Week mean I should start looking at houses?

We advise that you take your time. There is more supply than demand for housing so be aware of people that tell you otherwise or try and make you sign a contract before you have had time to think and get advice. More than anything, Housing Advice Week is to arm you with the tools needed to make the best decision.

Should you decide to start looking just stop and think. Think about who you want to live with (you may have only known your house mates for 2 months!), where you want to live and how much you can afford to pay for a room. This is one of the biggest financial decisions you will make this year.

The Advice and Representation Centre (ARC) is available on the third floor of the Student Union for free advice on choosing the right housing. http://www.cardiffstudents.com/advice

Housing Advice week day four

2011-12-01T02:36:00.000-08:00

Housing Advice Week is here

Thursday Housing Tip - Bills, Bills, Bills link HERE

Housing Advice Week day three

2011-11-30T02:31:00.000-08:00

Housing Advice Week is here

Wednesday's Housing Tip - Contract Checking link HERE

Waste Management Operations during strike

2011-11-29T07:58:00.000-08:00

As I am sure you are aware there is a public sector strike planned for tomorrow - Wed 30th Nov.

Please find below information regarding planned Waste Management Operations.

Waste Collections

Household recycling and waste collections will be disrupted. Only the Collections that would have normally occurred on Wednesday 30th November will be affected. Collections on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of next week are unaffected.

Subject to available resources, the Council is taking the following steps to minimise the disruption:

• Green bag collections will not take place on Wednesday 30th. Residents should hold onto their green bags and place them out for collection the following week (7th December).

• Green bin collections will not take place on Wednesday 30th. Green bins should therefore be placed out for collection the following fortnight (14th December).

• The following wards which are scheduled for cleansing will be postponed until Wednesday 7th December - Canton, Llandaff North, Llandaff, Butetown, Grangetown and Riverside. Cleansing crews will prioritise the City Centre and District Centres.

• Black BAG (only in bag areas) waste will be prioritised for collection on Wednesday 30th as scheduled.

• Hygiene Waste will be prioritised for collection on Wednesday 30th as scheduled.

• Food Waste Caddies will be prioritised for collection on Wednesday 30th as scheduled. If this is not possible, additional collections will take place on the weekend.

• Bio Bags will be prioritised for collection on Wednesday 30th. If this is not possible, additional collections will take place on the weekend.

• Black BINS will be collected on Wednesday 30th if resources allow. If this is not possible, additional collections will take place on the weekend.

Please note that your waste is likely to be collected at a slightly different time as a result of the disruption, but it will still be collected within the 6am to 10pm window of collection.

Housing Advice Week day two

2011-11-29T02:26:00.000-08:00

Housing Advice Week is here

Tuesday's Housing Tip - Letting Agency Advice and Deposit Protection link HERE

Housing Advice Week is here

2011-11-28T03:37:00.000-08:00

Don't be pushed into signing a housing contract before getting it checked. Housing Advice Week is here to bust the myths and give you free and independent information that ultimately means you make the smart move and avoid the pitfalls: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/hallstohouse.htm

When Is It?

This year Housing Advice Week runs from Monday the 28th November until Friday 2nd December

Why Should I Care?

If you need a house, you should care! Every year the Advice and Representation Centre deals with hundreds of complaints from students who have not understood their contracts or have had to put up with inadequate housing conditions. By coming to ARC on the third floor of the Students Union you can have your contract checked prior to signing and be given all the relevant information and questions that you should be asking agents and/or landlords.

Does Housing Advice Week mean I should start looking at houses?

We advise that you take your time. There is more supply than demand for housing so be aware of people that tell you otherwise or try and make you sign a contract before you have had time to think and get advice. More than anything, Housing Advice Week is to arm you with the tools needed to make the best decision.

Should you decide to start looking just stop and think. Think about who you want to live with (you may have only known your house mates for 2 months!), where you want to live and how much you can afford to pay for a room. This is one of the biggest financial decisions you will make this year.

The Advice and Representation Centre (ARC) is available on the third floor of the Student Union for free advice on choosing the right housing. http://www.cardiffstudents.com/advice

Housing Advice Week

2011-11-24T07:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you for being so patient http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ is back online thanks to some very hard work by server technicians (thank you)

Housing Advice Week starts next week (28th)

The main message is: don’t rush, make the smart move and get advice.

All the advice that you need to avoid the pitfalls can be found here:

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/hallstohouse.htm

Make sure you rent from accredited letting agents (list here) and landlords (find an accredited landlord at Landlord Accreditation Wales here)

Before you sign a contract the Advice and Representation Centre offer a free contract checking service, they can make sure there are no unfair terms and conditions and will run through the contract so that you know exactly what you are signing

http://www.cardiffstudents.com/housing?source=featured

Who pressed the off switch?

2011-11-24T01:51:00.000-08:00

My sincere apologies but www.cardiffdigs.co.uk is off line at the moment due to server issues. We will be back with you as soon as we can.

However in the lead up to Housing Advice Week on the 28th we will be at Cardiff Students Union today (24th) from 11am giving out housing advice and how to avoid the pitfalls in the private rented sector.

The main message is: don’t rush, make the smart move and get advice.

http://www.cardiffstudents.com/housing?source=featured

Environmental Champions and Police Initiative out in force

2011-11-23T02:51:00.000-08:00

We had a huge turn out last night with 25 people in attendance on our community walkabout with lots of agencies represented including the police, waste management, landlords and letting agents, councillors, student sabbatical officers, community members and students volunteering their time. We are very grateful and extremely enthused with the progress of the scheme and the partnership working.

Police and Waste Management jointly led teams around the community and Cardiff Student Union provided a bus so that we could go further afield.

With the bus last night we were able to tackle areas further afield. We door knocked every house on Mackintosh Place, Moy Road, Richard St, Harriet St, Malefant and Dogfield St and parts of Miskin St giving out waste responsibility advice, making sure everyone was aware of the first stage of the enforcement letter and how to ensure they were correctly presenting waste to avoid £100 fines; that it wasn’t a black bag/bin collection day the following day but only recycling and food waste alongside the police safety advice of securing doors and windows.

Waste advice:
http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm

Security advice:
http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/lockithideitkeepit.htm

We have the opportunity to follow up this event by helping the police with their community walkabouts prior to the end of term. These will concentrate on the ‘Going Home for Holiday’ advice. And includes all the safety information students and residents need including waste advice.

These will take place on the 6th and 13th of December

Please meet 4.30pm 3rd Floor Students Union.
Wear a festive hat (optional not essential)

If you can help us please come along and thank you once again for all your support thus far

Don’t forget to check out Environmental Champions in the latest issue of Unity News

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/unity.htm

Unity News issue 7 now online

2011-11-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

Issue 7 is now online at http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/unity.htm

UNITY news is your opportunity to find out about how the universities and student unions of Cardiff engage the community.
We have installed a shiny new reader which should make it easier to read; click over the issue to view in full screen and flick through the pages.

We have also launched a new enews subscription service so that you can keep updated on news, issues and campaigns. Sign up to receive enews on the link right off the homepage:

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/

Also you can now follow us on twitter @cardiffdigs

Environmental Champions

2011-11-21T03:06:00.000-08:00

Our Environmental Champions are having a community walkabout tomorrow 22nd November and would appreciate your support.

The Waste Advisory letter that signals the start of enforcement monitoring has gone out so we are keen to ensure that all community residents (student and non) are aware of the letter and what steps they have to put in place to avoid receiving follow up warning letters which can lead onto fixed penalty notices (£100).

We are having a community door knock on Tuesday 22nd November (meet 4.30pm third floor Cardiff Students Union, Park Place – all welcome) to tell people that the following day (Wednesday) is not black bin/bag week and inform them of their ongoing responsibilities to prevent people being fined because they didn’t understand the correct ways to present their recycling and waste.

So please come along as we would like to target as many of the streets where the letters have gone out as possible and have booked a mini-bus to take a group over to the streets further afield including areas of Plasnewydd/Roath and Mackintosh Place.

If you are able to make it make sure you and your neighbours are aware of their waste responsibilities. All the information you need is here: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm

To join Environmental Champions just visit the link below for all the details
Environmental Champions

NUS Wales Housing Survey

2011-11-17T07:39:00.000-08:00

After the successful NUS Housing Day conference where unions and delegates from across Wales came to Cardiff to learn how to support their students with housing issues (here) NUS Wales have launched a Housing survey

NUS Wales are carrying out a Housing survey to hear about your experiences with your accommodation during the 2010-11 academic year.

The survey is the first of its kind to look at the experiences of students in their accommodation across Wales. The NUS will use the results to work out what needs improving and what examples there are of best practice. So please complete the survey by following the links below.

Housing survey English link - http://bit.ly/NUSWhs

Housing survey Welsh link - http://bit.ly/htUCMC

Raechel Mattey, NUS Wales Deputy President said "The Housing day is an important part of the NUS Wales calendar. It brings officers from all over the country together to understand the issues and share what they are currently doing to tackle them. The survey is crucial to understanding the housing issues in each University not only in the private rented sector but also in University halls of residences."

Bute Park opening hours

2011-11-15T05:19:00.000-08:00

As part of a 3-month trial two of the gates in Bute Park will see their opening hours extended until 7pm every evening until the end of December to enable commuters to continue using the main cycle and walking route (from North Road to Sophia Gardens) during the winter months.

The gates with extended opening hours are those at the Millennium Bridge, which links Sophia Gardens to Bute Park and Fisher Bridge, which links North Road and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama to the park. All other access gates will follow the normal closing times.

The progress of the experiment will be closely monitored by Council Officers who will keep track of the numbers of users and any issues which may arise.

We are looking for feedback from all users of Bute Park to find out what they think of the extended opening of the park, so please fill in the survey
English: http://surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/buteparktrial/en/

Welsh: http://surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/buteparktrial/cy/

History in the making

2011-11-10T03:03:00.000-08:00

The Cardiff Story Museum team was joined by students, cardiffdigs, environmental champions and volunteers for a student consultation yesterday.

The museum is developing a new gallery to celebrate Cardiff’s History and held a focus group to get views and ideas about Cardiff’s Communities, Leisure, Culture and Sport.

The group came up with some noteworthy ideas. During the session opinions were raised about how students interact with the city, how they spend their spare time, what communities they feel a part of, what the impacts of sport on the city are and what their initial reactions have been to moving into Cardiff among other discussions.

Lucie Connors who led the group discussion said it was a very ‘interesting and lively event with some unique ideas coming through’ that left her busy scribbling key points. Some very interesting ideas around the impact of gaming and technology on leisure time for students was talked about along with how transitory Cardiff was for some people and students, what Cardiff offers for students who choose not to drink alcohol, how easy or difficult it was to find a sense of community and how the museum could develop to attract visitors with some ideas about photography being brought to the table.

Discover the history of Cardiff through the eyes of the people.
The Museum is open and free to visit: http://www.cardiffstory.com/

Advice stand

2011-11-08T01:53:00.000-08:00

Cardiffdigs will be joined by Waste Management and South Wales Police for their monthly advice stand at Cardiff Students Union today (8th November) from 12-2pm in the unions’ main reception.

Come say hello and pick up a free canvas re-use bag along with advice about going home for the holidays, avoiding the pitfalls if you are thinking about moving from halls to a house next year, waste and recycling information and safety advice.

For all your safety advice see here

For your waste and recycling information visit here

and for all advice relating to moving from halls to house - make the smart move see here

Get It Out For Cardiff 2010 wins LARAC partnership award

2011-11-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

The Get it out for Cardiff team is celebrating after Cardiff Council’s City Services won a prestigious award at the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) 2011 Award Celebrations last month. The team scooped the Best Partnership gong for their 2010 campaign and is a fantastic boost as the 2011 campaign has just drawn to a close after another great year.

The Best Partnership award is for the local authority which has worked successfully with one or more partners that are within the private or third sectors or with others such as resident groups.

The partnership involved Cardiff Council, Cycle Training Wales, British Heart Foundation (BHF), Salvation Army, Fair Share and Cardiff Student Union alongside http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/getitout.htm

The aim was to maximise student reuse of a variety of household items and minimise the environmental impact students create when they leave the city.

Bikes, electricals, clothes/bags, food and pots/pans can be donated to charity and in some cases sold back to the student community. Most end-of-year waste headed for landfill; now students have the choice to dispose of their waste in an ethical and sustainable manner.

Executive Member for Environment, Cllr Margaret Jones said, “I am delighted we have won this award, it is brilliant recognition for a model of partnership working that delivers great sustainable benefits to the city, year in, year out. I congratulate all involved for this great achievement.”

Student Liaison Officer, Kieran McCann said, “As the city’s student liaison officer I was very proud to be able to help set up the partnership, which brought together so many different agencies to benefit charities and divert materials away from landfill. It’s great winning awards but we’re not going to stand still, this year’s campaign has just finished and was very successful and we’re already looking ahead to next year’s activities."

Chris Davies, Cardiff Students Union’s Welfare and Communication Officer said, “We are very proud to be part of such a fantastic partnership program. Waste generated by students is a highly contentious subject so it is amazing to share the success of the Get It Out for Cardiff scheme whilst addressing this issue simultaneously. By working together, both myself and the Unions Financial and Commercial Officer, Nicholas Matthew are both keen to see the Get It Out For Cardiff scheme continue and develop further“.

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/getitout.htm

History in the making, be a part of something unique

2011-11-07T02:33:00.000-08:00

The Cardiff Story Museum is developing a new gallery to celebrate Cardiff’s History. We need your views and ideas about Cardiff’s Communities, Leisure, Culture and Sport.

Please join us (refreshments provided) Wednesday 9th November 3pm-4.30pm Room 5.18 Humanities Building, Cardiff University (Just off Colum Road, near Library)

We need as many people as possible to attend but places are limited so please can you e-mail Lucie Connors (lucie.connors@cardiff.gov.uk) with your confirmation or turn up on the day with your student I.D.

NUS Housing Day conference 2011

2011-11-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ and Landlord Accreditation Wales http://www.welshlandlords.org.uk/
were on hand to help with the second Wales wide Housing Day conference by the NUS. Unions and delegates from across Wales came to Cardiff to learn how to support their students with housing issues.

Delegates learnt about the typical pitfalls students encounter with private sector properties and were provided with information on how to advise and support their students. Presentations were given by Anne Rowland from Landlord Accreditation Wales promoting best practice, additional licensing and the importance of community relations.

Anne Rowland presenting on housing legislation

Postal Scam

2011-11-03T09:59:00.001-07:00

With the festive season fast approaching and the number of packages and parcels being delivered significantly increasing, Cardiff Trading Standards is warning residents to be vigilant of a new postal scam which could leave them £315 worse off.

The mail scam, which has already been identified and confirmed by Royal Mail, involves a company called PDS or Parcel Delivery Service. Cardiff residents may find that in the coming weeks a card could be posted through their doors from this company stating that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that the householder needs to contact them on a premium rate 0906 number.

Residents are warned not to call this number as the company is not genuine and calling it - even for a moment - could result in you being charged £315, which will be added to your next phone bill.

If you do receive a card with these details, please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 020 7239 6655.

For further information on scams, including reporting suspicious issues and advice on how to protect yourself, please visit www.direct.gov.uk or contact Consumer Direct on 0808 156 6736.

Want to have your say and make History?

2011-11-03T01:53:00.000-07:00

The Cardiff Story Museum is developing a new gallery to celebrate Cardiff’s History. We need student views and ideas about Cardiff’s Communities, Leisure, Culture and Sport.

Please join us (refreshments provided) Wednesday 9th November 3pm-4.30pm Room 5.18 Humanities Building, Cardiff University (Just off Colum Road, near Library)

We need as many people as possible to attend but places are limited so please can you let us know by e-mailing Lucie Connors (lucie.connors@cardiff.gov.uk) with your confirmation.

The Cardiff Story opened its doors earlier this year to become the first museum dedicated to telling the tale of the city. It is free to visit and can be found in The Old Library, The Hayes, Cardiff, CF10 1BH

Website here: http://www.cardiffstory.com/content.asp

cardiffdigs and Environmental Champions Flash mob Cardiff Bay

2011-10-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

@cardiffdigs and the Environmental Champions joined hundreds of other supporters at a flash mob the size of Wales.

A massive flash mob descended on Cardiff Bay and flooded the area outside of the WMC to form the shape of Wales using all manner of props to give the area a "rainforesty" feel complemented by a film crew who captured this moment for an advert to support the cause.

The Size of Wales Project aims to bring everyone in Wales together to protect tropical forests.

How often have you heard the alarming news that an area of rainforest the size of Wales is being cut down? The Size of Wales Project aims to turn that negative use of the country’s size on its head, by encouraging people to take positive action and help protect an area of rainforest equivalent to the size of Wales.

Wales is 2 million hectares, so they need all the help you can give.

For more information and how you can get involved visit: http://www.sizeofwales.org.uk/

Sustainability Week is here

2011-10-31T02:07:00.000-07:00

Sustainability Week is taking place all this week; starting off by raising sustainability awareness with a Halloween Twist!

Come along to an Eco Halloween Fayre today from 11am till 4pm

Eco Halloween Fayre

Monday 31st October, 11am - 4pm

Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff University

Open to All & Free to Attend!

Be an ethical ghoul or an eco wizard!

• Halloween Food & Recipes

• Exciting Stalls & Ethical Products

• Costume Ideas

• Facepainting Tips

• Interactive Activities & Crafts

Find out about social and environmental sustainability from charities, businesses & organisations including: Lush Cosmetics, Halcyon Daze, Size of Wales, www.cardiffdigs.co.uk, YMCA Prefab Boutique, Canton Carbon Cutters, RSPB, National Museum of Wales, Oxfam Boutique, Eco-Explore, FairDo’s, Fruit & Veg Co-Op and many more

The full list of the week’s events can be found here:

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/sustainability/week/

Any http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ Environmental Champions that attend these events can have the time counted towards their timesheets for your end of year certificate presentations. Please keep a note of the events and time you attended from and till and e-mail your SVC co-ordinator Environmental Champions

Hallo-clean not Halloween litter pick

2011-10-29T03:26:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday the 27th of November the Environmental Champions braved thunderous conditions to help clean up Cathays. The spook-tacular litter pick was slightly tainted by the weather conditions but Chris Davies, Alec Care, and Cllr Simon Pickard joined Chris Partridge from Keep Wales Tidy to tackle the waste within Cogan Gardens. Items such as a geological hammer, a kayak paddle and plenty of bottles were removed from the gardens and surrounding area.

Due to the weather making the litter pick feel more like a hallo-wash out than a hallo-clean the volunteer turn out was slightly disappointing, however the event was very positive in forging some future ideas around more regular partnership litter pick events in Cathays with Keep Wales Tidy and the Environmental Champions

Even despite the rain the volunteers collected and removed large volumes of waste and still managed to raise a ghostly smile.

You can view more photos of the day here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/keep_wales_tidy/6286521301/in/set-72157627992004796/

The event was part of Sustainability Week whcih takes place from the 31st of October all events are listed on these pages: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/sustainability/week/

Get It Out For Cardiff 2011 boosts Lord Mayor's Charity

2011-10-29T03:11:00.000-07:00

Kieran, Fiona, Roshan, Nick and Chris present cheque to the Lord Mayor

The Lord Mayor’s charity, Cancer Research Wales has benefitted to the tune of nearly £740 as the Get It Out for Cardiff 2011 campaign concluded the last of its three successful kitchen reuse sales at Cardiff University Students Union and UWIC.

This reuse scheme collects and re-uses unwanted kitchen items from leaving students and resells to new students. The items would otherwise have been destined for the streets or landfill at the end of the last summer term. The scheme has been a resounding success with over 9 tonnes of items collected at halls of residence and the Students Union throughout the summer.

Kitchen utensils such as pots, pans, plates, cutlery and mugs were offered for sale at the beginning of term and the team built from a partnership between www.cardiffdigs.co.uk, Cardiff Council, Keep Cardiff Tidy, Cardiff University Students Union and Raise and Give (RAG) presented the Lord Mayor with a cheque for £736.30 at the Mansion House in Cardiff.

The Lord Mayor, Cllr Delme Bowen said, “This really is a wonderful effort by the Get it Out for Cardiff team and I’m delighted they chose Cancer Research Wales as the beneficiary of the money raised as every penny collected by this fine charity stays in Wales. This is a great example of partnership working coming up with innovative ways to divert unwanted items from landfill or being dumped on the streets. This helps keeps our streets clean and helps a number of charities including my chosen charity as Lord Mayor. I can’t praise this initiative enough and I’m very grateful indeed to receive the cheque on behalf of Cancer Research Wales.”

Executive Member for Environment, Cllr Margaret Jones, said, “Once again, the Get it Out for Cardiff team has delivered great results in terms of collecting unwanted items from students and putting them to good use. This model of partnership working is a prodigious force for good in our efforts to reduce, re-use and recycle and underlines our commitment to live in a truly sustainable city.”

Student Liaison Officer, Kieran McCann http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ said, “It takes a huge amount of effort to put this campaign together but the results are stunning and the benefits far reaching in terms of the recycling message put forward and the involvement of charities. The final icing on the cake is being able to present the Lord Mayor with a cheque for his charity, Cancer Research Wales. Every year we try to improve what we do and the work for next year’s campaign begins now.”

Meeting the Lord Mayor at Mansion House

Join a flash mob the Size of Wales!

2011-10-26T06:54:00.001-07:00

www.cardiffdigs.co.uk are supporting Cardiff University's Sustainability week and Size of Wales http://www.sizeofwales.org.uk/

Sustainability Week is our chance to work together to help drive forward the sustainable development agenda.

A week-long event with talks, discussions, film screenings, food co-operatives, and more, the aim is to provide an event that is varied, challenging, inspiring and thought-provoking, and one for the whole University community.
Tomorrow 27^th October is your chance to participate in a Hallo-clean litter pick

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk in association with it's Environmental Champions and Keep Wales Tidy are organising Hallo-clean a Ghostly themed litter pick all details here: http://cardiffdigs.blogspot.com/2011/10/hallow-clean-not-halloween.html

Then on Sunday join a flash mob the size of Wales!

If you’re passionate about protecting rainforest, this is the chance to be part of something unique and massive.

On 12.30pm for a 1pm start Sunday 30th October a massive flash mob will descend on Cardiff Bay and flood the area outside of the WMC and form up the shape of Wales using all manner of props that we are having made to give the area a "rainforesty" feel complemented by a film crew to capture this moment for an advert to support the cause.

We are looking for people of all ages and backgrounds to be a part of this unique flash mob. All we ask is for individuals and groups to amass dressed in brown and green clothes (camouflage would be great too!)

Email rob@ziplinecreative.co.uk or call 07757620754 for more specific information and to let us know who you are and who you’ll be bringing!

Sustainability Week takes place from the 31^st of October and all events are listed on these pages:

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/sustainability/week/

Starting off by Raising Sustainability Awareness with a Halloween Twist!

Eco Halloween Fayre Poster

Monday 31st October, 11am - 4pm
Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff University

Open to All & Free to Attend!

Be an ethical ghoul or an eco wizard!

Halloween Food & Recipes
Exciting Stalls & Ethical Products
Costume Ideas
Facepainting Tips
Interactive Activities & Crafts

Find out about social and environmental sustainability from charities, businesses & organisations including: Lush Cosmetics, Halcyon Daze, Size of Wales, www.cardiffdigs.co.uk, YMCA Prefab Boutique, Canton Carbon Cutters, RSPB, National Museum of Wales, Oxfam Boutique, Eco-Explore, FairDo’s, Fruit & Veg Co-Op and many more

Any cardiffdigs.co.uk champions that attend any of these event can have the time counted towards their timesheets for the end of year certificate presentations. Please keep a note of the events and time you attended from and till and e-mail your SVC co-ordinator Environmental Champions

Hallow-clean not Halloween

2011-10-24T00:35:00.000-07:00

On Thursday 27th October – http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ in association with Environmental Champions and Keep Wales Tidy are organising Hallo-clean a Ghostly themed litter pick with the Cathays Youth & Community Centre – free Witches brew (tea/coffee) and Goblin Brains (Cakes) provided after some ghoulish litter picking fun.

Meeting at 2pm Cathays Youth & Community Centre 36, Cathays Terrace, Cardiff, CF24 4HX.

All equipment and insurance provided. Please wear suitable clothing and footwear for the weather. Halloween costumes are encouraged but not essential.

Please let us know if you are attending so we have enough equipment, please e-mail to confirm your attendance at EdwardsK13@cardiff.ac.uk or cardiffdigs@gmail.com

Contaminated Vodka Warning

2011-10-17T01:42:00.000-07:00

Cardiff Trading Standards are issuing an urgent warning to residents in regards to sales of illegal and unsafe vodka.

Label on Bottle - Front

It has come to light that there are bottles of vodka currently on sale in Cardiff, packaged with the Drop Vodka label. At this time, Trading Standards are still investigating the vodka’s origin, and whether it is in fact counterfeit ‘bootleg’ vodka. Irrespective of this, although the label describes it as ‘vodka’, preliminary analysis of the contents has indicated that it does not contain enough alcohol to legitimately be called vodka.

Moreover, preliminary indications are that the contents contain a high level of isopropyl alcohol, which is not an ingredient of genuine vodka. In fact, isopropyl alcohol is normally used as cleaning fluid and is extremely harmful for human consumption.

Label on Bottle - Back

Environmental Champions come knocking

2011-10-12T02:17:00.000-07:00

21 Environmental Champions including members from the: Community, Students Union, South Wales Police, Waste Management, Councillors, Cardiff Council and The Landlords Forum joined with students for the second recycling awareness walkabout.

Set up by www.cardiffdigs.co.uk, Student Volunteering Cardiff (SVC) and Keep Cardiff Tidy the scheme is a voluntary action group working on sustainability issues. The society is working on a range of action based initiatives around sustainability, initially concentrating on ensuring people are aware of their waste and recycling responsibilities http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm

Last night the team were knocking on doors ensuring people in Cathays and Roath were aware that recycling (green bags) and food waste (brown caddy) is a weekly collection and residual waste (black bins and bags) is fortnightly. The team were advising people about the range of items that can be recycled and how to use their food waste caddies.

Chris Davies a co-ordinator for the scheme said:

“If people are correctly recycling and using their food waste caddies then there is a limited amount that needs to go into black bins/bags en route to landfill or that accumulates in frontages prior to the fortnightly collection. A lot of people were surprised with the range and amount of items that can be recycled here in Cardiff as it differs to their local authorities back home. We were pleased to be able to help and educate not just our students but local residents to avoid any fines that might be issued if people incorrectly present their waste”

Kieran McCann, cardiffdigs said:

“I am thrilled with the range of partners and support we received. It is great to see so many different agencies coming together help educate people. A real sense of community cohesion can be achieved if people understand their social responsibilities”

The environmental champions are always keen to attract any more willing volunteers and will continue working on recycling along with other sustainability issues including a forthcoming litter pick. For more information please visit: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/environmentalchampions.htm

For information on what you can recycle, how to use your food waste caddies and when to present your waste can be found here: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm People are reminded that a wall makes a world of difference. Rubbish cannot be collected if left inside the boundary of your property i.e. on your side of the property wall or in the garden. It must be placed on the pavement to ensure collection.

Environmental Champions and Cardiff Rivers Group

2011-10-10T05:12:00.000-07:00

After a successful launch of the new Environmental Champions volunteer scheme working on sustainability issues, the champions were out on Sunday assisting Cardiff Rivers Group with their litter pick and river clean up.

Environmental Champions volunteers

The champions joined with around 16 Cardiff Rivers Group volunteers to clean an area near Llandaff Rowing Club. Volunteers retrieved tyres, trolleys, metal piping and even a few rubber ducks from out of the river and cleaned up the surrounding area.

Chris Davies one of the student volunteers said; “I was shocked by the amount and range of items collected, it was a very worthwhile day. It was a great use of time, and got me motivated to be out of the house seeing different areas of Cardiff and making a difference instead of just staying in on a Sunday. I was pleased to be able to bring along Cardiff students to the event to support Cardiff Rivers Group, and grateful to those students who showed such enthusiasm”

The next environmental champions event is Tuesday 11th October

4.30pm

3rd Floor of the Students Union – meet in the TV lounge outside the sabbatical offices/ARC office.

All welcome to attend, just turn up on the day. An induction and meeting with new volunteers is scheduled in for 6.45pm after the event for those who want to know more information http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/environmentalchampions.htm

New Environmental Champions volunteer scheme take to the streets

2011-10-07T04:48:00.000-07:00

A new Environmental Champions volunteer scheme encouraging students to dispose of their waste responsibly in their community has launched this week.

Kieran McCann launching the scheme

Supported by Cardiff Council, www.cardiffdigs.co.uk, Student Volunteering Cardiff (SVC) and Keep Cardiff Tidy; this partnership project has already received a lot of community interest with 64 students and local residents signing up at this week’s Student Volunteering Fair held at Cardiff University Students Union.

The scheme launched with a community door knock around Cathays and Roath by five groups of student and resident led volunteers as well as the Cardiff Council Waste Education & Enforcement team, Keep Cardiff Tidy, Cardiff University sabbatical officers and representatives from South Wales Police. The door knock was to remind students and other residents of their recycling and waste responsibilities, promote Tidy Text and give out tips on how and when they should present their bins and caddies.

Waste education

The response on the doorstep was very positive as many returning students were not yet aware of the new recycling service and were grateful for the advice from the teams.

Executive Member for Environment, Cllr Margaret Jones welcomed the initiative. “Students bring so much to Cardiff in terms of vibrancy and contribution to the economy. They are also valued members of the community and with that comes responsibility so this is an excellent and timely partnership given the introduction of the new weekly recycling collection service. I’m extremely pleased that the new environmental champions, drawn from students and local residents, are out there spreading the word and helping this important community adapt to the new service and help make Cardiff a green and sustainable city. A green, clean and sustainable environment should be everyone’s goal, it helps reduce crime and creates conditions for communities to thrive.”

Members of the community, students, police and waste help with the education drive

Kieran McCann, Student Liaison Officer for Cardiff Council emphasised the importance of such a scheme and the value of a having a mix of students and local residents volunteering to be Environmental Champions, he said, “If you’re presenting your waste incorrectly, there is potential of a £100 fine. No one wants to issue fines, no one wants to receive fines, what we want to do is help people, help the community out, help students and non-students alike understand their recycling and waste responsibilities. And it’s great to get a good mixture because then people get to understand they are living in a community. It’s also encouraging to get a good partnership working between a range of agencies.

“We’ve had the police out there today, local residents, councillors, students of course, Students Union reps and we’ve had Waste Management out there. It’s really important to make sure that people understand that it’s about community empowerment and engagement with your community.”

A Sabbatical Officer from Cardiff University, Sarah Halpin wanted to get involved and get out on the streets talking to students about local sustainability issues. She said, “it’s something we’re very passionate about and this is a big change in Cardiff affecting the students so we’re keen to get involved and make sure students knew what was coming and avoid any possible fines. Students have a notorious reputation, so anything we can do to improve that relationship between the Students Union and the community is really important.”

For more information on Environmental Champions visit:: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/environmentalchampions.htm

Final Kitchen utensils re-sale

2011-10-06T01:42:00.000-07:00

Quick; for fork's sake it is your last chance to pick up a kitchen bargain. Our third kitchen utensils re-sale from items collected in the KCT Get It Out For Cardiff campaign is this Friday (7th October) at Cardiff Students Union, Solus/reception 9am

Everyone is welcome to pick up a range of kitchen bargains including saucepans, plates, bowls and mugs for as little as 50p each.

Our running total now stands at over £600 so please help us with your donations on Friday. All money raised is being donated to the Lord Mayors charity, Cancer Research Wales. We will be presenting a cheque to him and the charity on behalf of http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ Cardiff Students Union, Raise And Give and Keep Cardiff Tidy the following week

Want to get rid of unwanted electrical goods or bikes?

2011-10-06T01:11:00.000-07:00

Then recycle them and help raise money for Keep Wales Tidy

Simply bring them to the FREE amnesty at

Llandaff Rowing Club on

Sunday 9th October from 12pm - 4pm

* ALL electrical items are accepted eg IT and audio equipment, household appliances, electrical toys and they DO NOT have to be in working order.

* Bikes can be donated even if they have parts missing, but, if they are too rusty or damaged beyond repair they will not be accepted

cardiffdigs.co.uk environmental champions are assisting with the Cardiff Rivers Group litter pick and river clean up that will accompany the amnesty and are offering a lift from the back of Cardiff Students Union to Llandaff at 11.15am sharp (any one requiring a lift must e-mail svc@cardiff.ac.uk before 1pm Friday)

All equipment and insurance provided and all waste from the litter-pick will be collected by CCC. Just turn up in suitable clothing and footwear/wellies.

For more information on environmental champions visit: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/environmentalchampions.htm

Environmental Champions starting tonight

2011-10-04T02:57:00.000-07:00

An astounding 64 student volunteers signed up for our new innovative Environmental Champions scheme last night at the Student Volunteering Fair (SVC)

Environmental Champions stand at the SVC fair

Many thanks to the SVC for hosting such an exciting event and for all those students who showed an interest in Environmental Champions; a voluntary action group working on sustainability issues in partnership with http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ Cardiff Students Union & SVC alongside Keep Cardiff Tidy.

Our first event is tonight (4th October)

4.30pm

3rd Floor of the Students Union – meet in the TV lounge outside the sabbatical offices/ARC office.

Our Environmental Champions coordinators; Alec Care, Kieran McCann, Lucy Prisk

We will door knocking around Cathays and the community raising awareness of waste and recycling responsibilities. Please wear suitable clothing for the weather. A briefing session will be provided at 4.30pm sharp. We should be finished by 6.30pm (for our first event some free food has been provided by the union at the de-brief)

All welcome, please just turn up this eve. We will ask you to sign in so that we can start your time sheets. At the end of the year we will be hosting a presentation ceremony and award various levels of certificates based on your time commitments.

This Sunday (9th) we are also organising a litter pick in association with Cardiff Rivers Group. A mini bus from the back of the union will be provided at 11.15am to transport people to the event in Llandaff.

Environmental Champions coordinator; Chris Davies talking with potential volunteers

If you are unable to attend tonight or Sunday you still have the opportunity to sign up to the group or can join us on the 11th for our induction and 18th with social or for our hallo-clean litter pick more details at:

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/environmentalchampions.htm

Thank you for expressing an interest in us, we look forward to meeting you soon.

Student Environmental Champions starting next week

2011-09-28T05:23:00.000-07:00

A voluntary action group on sustainability issues http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/environmentalchampions.htm

We are working on action based initiatives around waste and recycling, housing and energy efficiency, sustainable travel, fairtrade, environmental tasks litter picks, green police and many more exciting ideas.

This project is a partnership between http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/, SVC and Keep Cardiff Tidy with the aim of making Cardiff a cleaner, greener, safer, more optimistic place filled with civic pride. The projects will work in partnership with the wider community and various supporting organisations.

Current projects you can get involved in:

Everyone is welcome to join us on any of these Tuesdays for a community door knock raising awareness of waste and recycling responsibilities

OCTOBER 2011

4th 11th 18th

4.30pm

3rd floor Students union lounge just outside the ARC and sabbatical offices

And/or

Thursday 27th October – Hallo-clean a Ghostly themed litter pick with the Cathays Youth & Community Centre – free tea and cake provided after some ghoulish litter picking fun http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/Halloclean%20-%20Eng%20&%20Welsh.pdf

Meeting at 2pm Cathays Youth & Community Centre

36, Cathays Terrace, Cardiff, CF24 4HX

Sunday 9th October – for a litter pick and river clean up meeting at the Llandaff Rowing Club at 10am. Meet at the union for a free transport to and from the pick

The litter pick is in partnership with Cardiff Rivers Group http://cardiffriversgroup.blogspot.com/

Llandaff Rowing Club

Bridge Road, Llandaff, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF5 2PT

Any students interested please come along to our stall at the Student Volunteering Fayre (SVC) on Monday October 3rd, (Cardiff Students Union 5.30-8pm) where you can find out more about the project and sign-up an interest

Sign up through the SVC Office on the 3rd floor of the Students’ Union

Tel: (029) 2078 1510 / 1494

Email: svc@cardiff.ac.uk

Web: www.svcardiff.org

Any non-students and community members please help us raise awareness of everyone’s social responsibilities by joining us on our door to door knocking days.

Kitchen re-sale raises £490

2011-09-26T04:41:00.000-07:00

The second kitchen utensils re-sale from items collected in the KCT Get It Out For Cardiff campaign has raised a staggering £490

Cardiff students picked up a range of kitchen bargains including saucepans, plates, bowls and mugs for as little as 50p each.

Thank you to all the Raise And Give girls who helped set up and made the tills ring with their cheerful sales and smiles.

Also a huge thank you to Cardiff Students Union; Nick and Chris for hosting such a great event, even the Cardiff Uni Dragon mascot picked up a fiery bargain.

Our running total now stands at over £600 with one more sale on Friday 7th October at Cardiff Students Union, Solus/reception 9am. All money raised is being donated to charity.

@cardiffdigs canvas bags were in hot demand

Welcome back and Cardiffdigs update

2011-09-20T02:59:00.000-07:00

With the first fresher fairs at UWIC on Monday and with more students returning and being welcomed back into Cardiff each day it seemed like a good idea to welcome everyone back with a quick update about how cardiffdigs.co.uk has been spending it’s summer.

Funding

I am pleased to say that we have secured funding for the Student Liaison Post for three years. Kieran McCann, Student Liaison Officer gave a presentation to the University Quartet (made up of the three university vice chancellors, deputy leader of the council and corporate director) and thanks to our partnership working we have now secured three years of continued funding to work on the actions contained in the Student Community Action Plan.

Get It Out For Cardiff results

The scheme to collect and re-use unwanted items that previously would’ve been destined for the streets or landfill has been a resounding success with over 7.5 tonnes of items collected at halls of residences and the Students Union.

Kitchen bric-a-brac such as utensils and cutlery has been collected for resale

http://cardiffdigs.blogspot.com/2011/09/cardiffs-student-population-responded.html

The scheme also included extra waste collections in Cathays, Roath and Gabalfa over 3 weekends in June with the good news continuing as the amount collected was reduced from 225 tonnes last year to 211 tonnes. The recycling rate also improved from 28% to 31%.

Get it Out scoops Green Apple Award

The Keep Cardiff Tidy partnership that includes cardiffdigs.co.uk have scooped a Green Apple Environment Award in recognition of their on-going contribution to helping the environment through the Get It Out For Cardiff Campaign. The waste management team and Kieran McCann (cardiffdigs.co.uk/Student Liaison Officer) is to be presented with their Green Apple Award trophy at the House of Commons

Waste changes

Cardiffdigs has been giving its full support to waste management to ensure the changes in waste are fully understood and well advertised: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm

You’re In Now What

Just shy of 5,000 social marketing posters have been distributed, via letting agents and landlords/landlords forum, PACT meetings, Students Unions and accommodation offices. It will be used as a full page poster in both the Retro and Gair Rhydd at the start of term and has been well received by the community and stakeholders receiving it.

It provides advice and assistance on the four main issues that concern students: Neighbour relations, Rubbish and recycling responsibilities, Security and Health and safety. Please affix, display and distribute this poster to help facilitate an easier, safer, greener transition for students into the private rented sector and into the community with heightened awareness of social responsibilities. If you haven’t received a poster you can still download it from: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/download.htm

You’re In Now What – Glamorgan

Our You’re In. Now What? poster has been adapted and produced for our student neighbours in Treforest. It has been printed and distributed by their student safety partnership, the union and university.

Environmental Champions

cardiffdigs.co.uk and waste management have set up a voluntary action group on sustainability issues in preparation for the start of term. http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/environmentalchampions.htm

We are working on action based initiatives around waste and recycling, housing and energy efficiency, sustainable travel, fairtrade, environmental tasks including river clean up’s, green police and many more exciting ideas.

This project is a partnership between www.cardiffdigs.co.uk, SVC and Keep Cardiff Tidy with the aim of making Cardiff a cleaner, greener, safer, more optimistic place filled with civic pride. The projects will work in partnership with the wider community and various supporting organisations.

Kieran McCann and Lucy Prisk are leading on this on a city wide basis and student led initiative. Student have the opportunity to join the group at the SVC fair on the 3rd of October and initially volunteers will look at the waste and recycling changes through door knocking education awareness on the 4th 11th 18th October and then broaden out to include various other environmental initiatives.

Meeting with new sabbatical officers

cardiffdigs.co.uk has now met with all the new relevant sabbatical officers across the three unions, it is exciting to see they are keen and raring to go and have pledged their support with our work, we look forward to working alongside them this year.

Freshers Fair

Cardiffdigs will be attending all freshers fairs so come along and say hello to us on our stand – you might even receive a free cotton re-use bag, keyring, security alarm or poster plus all the student living and housing advice you will ever need for your time here in Cardiff.

Student Safety Partnership

The group has produced a partnership leaflet ready for the start of term with the support of cardiffdigs to ensure our students are aware of safety and security issues and to help them ‘BE Safe’

Additional licensing

Having met with the new sabbatical officers and given them a brief overview of additional licensing it has been decided to run a training session for the new recruits so they are fully briefed on licensing prior to housing advice weeks.

Lock it. Hide it. Keep it.

cardiffdigs is fully endorsing and being endorsed by the police and their Lock it. Hide it. Keep it. campaign and have been working closely with the police over the summer to ensure the start of term runs as smoothly and safety as possible.

PACT

cartdiffdigs has been in attendance at various Partnerships And Communities Together meetings across the city updating the community of recent events and giving out the You’re In posters to help the transition at the start of term.

QR codes and Twitter

cardiffdigs and our media guru Richard Mills have been incorporating QR codes into our literature and posters. They are called Quick response readers and are used by smart phones. They look like a barcode and when scanned take you to a website or associated feature. We have also been tweeting all our good news so don’t forget to follow us @cardiffdigs

Unity news

The 6th edition of Unity news was circulated and the next edition is due around November – A new easier reader for the publication has been installed on the website. http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/unity.htm

Subscribe to e-news

A subscription service to cardiffdigs and the website and Unity news has been set up using mail chimp mailings. Sign up here

It’s been a whirlwind summer but the hope is that we can start the term in a positive way and continue the positive work throughout the year to empower our communities and work to our motto of helping create and contribute to a cleaner, greener, safer, healthier and more optimistic city and lifestyle. Thank you to all our partners and stakeholders who have been sending in updates and assisting with ensuring the term gets off to a positive start.

UWIC freshers Fair

2011-09-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

UWIC welcomed its new and returning students back into Cardiff with their Freshers Fair today. @cardiffdigs was on hand with waste management to help students integrate into the city with all the housing and living advice they will need and information about their rubbish and recycling responsibilities.

Our funky new cardiffdigs cotton bags and keyrings were a huge hit with the students who responded well to advice about housing, community and rubbish/recycling responsibilities, health and safety recommendations and security issues. Thank you to the Union for the invite and for hosting such a great event. Good luck to all the new students and welcome back to all those returning to Cardiff. Have a great year and don’t forget to follow us @cardiffdigs for all your student related advice.

First Kitchen re-sale raises £119.26

2011-09-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

The first kitchen utensils re-sale from items collected in the KCT Get It Out For Cardiff campaign has raised £119.26 for charity. UWIC students at Llandaff campus snatched up kitchen bargains including saucepans, plates, bowls and mugs for as little as 50p each.

Two more re-sales will now take place at Cardiff Students Union:

Friday 23rd September Cardiff Students Union, Buffers (near Solus/reception) 9am

Friday 7th October Cardiff Students Union, Solus/reception 9am

All are welcome to come along and pick up a kitchen bargain – saucepans, frying pans, cutlery etc, any money raised will be donated to charity.

Students pick up kitchen utensil bargains

Gas Safety Week: Take care, be Gas Safe

2011-09-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ are proud to be supporting Gas Safety Week

Gas Safety Week is run by Gas Safe Register, the only official list of gas engineers who are legally allowed to work on your gas boiler, gas cooker and gas fire. By law, all gas engineers must be on the Gas Safe Register, it replaced CORGI.

Gas Safety Week aims to raise awareness of gas safety and the importance of taking care of your gas appliances. Badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas. You can’t see it, taste it or smell it, but it can kill quickly with no warning.

Your landlord must keep gas appliances supplied for you to use in good condition. They should arrange a gas safety check every 12 months and give you a record of the check. By taking care of your gas appliances properly you are taking care of your home and your loved ones. Follow these top tips to help keep you and your family gas safe:

• make sure only a Gas Safe registered engineer works on your gas appliances

• make sure gas appliances have a regular service and an annual gas safety check

• always check the engineer's Gas Safe Register ID card

For gas safety advice or to find and check an engineer visit the Gas Safe Register website at www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk. Alternatively call the free helpline on 0800 408 5500.

Cardiff’s student population responded in style to the call to Get It Out for Cardiff this year

2011-09-14T01:34:00.000-07:00

We have three Kitchen utensils and cutlery sales. The first of which is this Saturday:

UWIC LLandaff Campus, I-Zone from 11.30am

We then have two at Cardiff Students Union:

Friday 23rd September Cardiff Students Union, Buffers (near Solus/reception) 9am
Friday 7th October Cardiff Students Union, Solus/reception 9am

All are welcome to come along and pick up a kitchen bargain – saucepans, frying pans, cutlery etc, any money raised will be donated to charity.

So please spread the word that you don’t need to arrive in Cardiff with any new kitchen equipment it will all be available at heavily reduced prices in the three sales.

The space needed to store all these items was considerable but Cardiff Self Storage kindly stepped into the breach and stored all the items.

Your recycling and waste collections are changing today

2011-09-12T01:56:00.000-07:00

Cardiff Council is introducing a new weekly recycling and food waste collection service across the city.

From today the three main changes are:

You can recycle even more as you will have weekly green recycling bag and new weekly kerbside food caddy collections.
Your recycling and waste collection day will change, the main student areas Cathays, Cyncoed, Gabalfa, Pentwyn, Penylan, Plasnewydd/Roath will be collected on a Wednesday.
Your garden waste and general waste will be collected fortnightly on alternate weeks .

For all your recycling and waste collection advice click here http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm
to visit our new pages and download the full leaflet and calendars.

Your recycling and waste collections are changing on Monday 12th September

2011-09-07T00:23:00.000-07:00

Cardiff Council is introducing a new weekly recycling and food waste collection service across the city.

From Monday the three main changes are:

You can recycle even more as you will have weekly green recycling bag and new weekly kerbside food caddy collections

Your recycling and waste collection day will change, the main student areas Cathays, Cyncoed, Gabalfa, Pentwyn, Penylan, Plasnewydd/Roath will be collected on a Wednesday.

Your garden waste and general waste will be collected fortnightly on alternate weeks

For your student recycling and waste collection advice click here http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm
to visit our new pages and download the full information leaflet and calendars.

Kitchen bric-a-brac sort out

2011-08-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Cardiff’s student population responded in style to the call to Get It Out for Cardiff this year. The scheme to collect and re-use unwanted items that previously would’ve been destined for the streets or landfill has been a resounding success with over 7.5 tonnes of items collected at halls of residence and the Students Union. Read the full story here

Kitchen bric-a-brac such as utensils and cutlery collected for resale at the Union this September was sorted out today. Nick Matthew (Finance & Commercial Officer), Chris Davies (Welfare and Communications), Alistair McGuffie, Lucy Prisk and Kieran McCann (Student Liaison Officer) went through the donations arranging the kitchen equipment into various sections such as frying pans, saucepans large and small, plates, cups, glassware, cutlery and various other categories.

The sort out highlighted the quality and quantity of kitchen equipment that was donated and makes for extremely promising re-sales. The three re-sales will take place at Cardiff Student Union; 23rd September and 7th of October (10am onwards in Solus) and the 17th September at UWIC llandaff campus

All are welcome to come along and pick up a bargain, any money raised will be donated to charity. So please spread the word that you don’t need to arrive in Cardiff with any new kitchen equipment it will all be available at heavily reduced prices in the two sales.

The space needed to store all these items was considerable but Cardiff Self Storage kindly stepped into the breach and stored all the items.

Get it Out scoops Green Apple Award

2011-08-03T01:53:00.001-07:00

I am very pleased to announce that the Keep Cardiff Tidy partnership that includes cardiffdigs.co.uk have scooped a Green Apple Environment Award in recognition of their on-going contribution to helping the environment through the Get It Out For Cardiff Campaign

• The Get It Out For Cardiff Campaign

Now in its seventh year, this is a Cardiff Council and Keep Cardiff Tidy initiative in association with Cardiff University, UWIC and Glamorgan University which encourages students to clear out their rubbish at the end of the academic year. The aim is to re-use and recycle as much of it as possible.

You can read about the 7.5 tonnes of re-usable material donation success here

The Green Apple Environment Awards were launched in 1994 by The Green Organisation, an independent, non-political, non-activist, non-profit making environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world. Now in their 18th year, it is well established as one of the major environmental recognition schemes, both in the UK and internationally.

The waste management team and Kieran McCann (cardiffdigs.co.uk/Student Liaison Officer) is to be presented with their Green Apple Award trophy at the House of Commons

www.thegreenorganisation/info

Get It Out For Cardiff 2011 a hit for students and the city

2011-08-03T01:46:00.000-07:00

Cardiff’s student population has responded in style to the call to Get It Out for Cardiff this year. The scheme to collect and re-use unwanted items that previously would’ve been destined for the streets or landfill has been a resounding success with over 7.5 tonnes of items collected at halls of residence and the Students Union.

The re-usable items collected were:

Electricals - 500kg

Books - 430kg

Food – 500kg

Bric a Brac/kitchen utensils - 950kg

Textiles – 5250kg

With some halls taking collections through until September these impressive figures are likely to increase still further.

The following charities will benefits from the variety of items collected:

-British Heart Foundation: Small electrical items such as kettles, toasters, printers, mobile phones, irons etc

-Fareshare: In date, un-opened foods (not fresh) eg. tins, packets etc

-Barnardos: Clothes, belts, shoes and bags.

-Media Bank: Books including textbooks, DVDs, CDs and tapes

-Kitchen bric-a-brac such as utensils and cutlery is being collected by cardiffdigs and RAG for resale at Student Unions this September

The dates for the resale are: 23rd September and 7th of October in Cardiff Student Union 10am onwards and one at UWIC llandaff (17th September) all welcome to come along and pick up a bargain, any money raised will be donated to charity

The space needed to store all these items was considerable but Cardiff Self Storage kindly stepped into the breach and stored all the items collected for free.

Extra waste collections

The scheme also included extra waste collections in Cathays, Roath and Gabalfa over 3 weekends in June with the good news continuing as the amount collected was reduced from 225 tonnes last year to 211 tonnes. The recycling rate also improved from 28% to 31%.

Executive Member for Environment, Cllr Margaret Jones, said, “Once again, the Get it Out for Cardiff team has excelled in diverting items that might have been thrown away and potentially cause a mess on the streets. To have collected over 7 tonnes of items that can be reused is an excellent achievement with the huge added bonus of charities benefitting too. The extra collections worked well too so congratulations must go out to everyone involved. It just goes to show what can be achieved when everyone works together, this is a model for partnership working.”

Student Liaison Officer, Kieran McCann said, “What an incredible achievement, thanks to some great partnership working we have managed to divert over 7 tonnes of material from landfill, collected items that can be re-used and ultimately helped a number of worthwhile charities raise valuable funds. Thank you to all the students who donated their items and to all KCT partners and stakeholders who have assisted to make this ‘tonnes’ of success.”

Keep Cathays Tidy

2011-07-28T05:49:00.000-07:00

Cathays Youth & Community Centre, in collaboration with Keep Wales Tidy, have launched a campaign to clean up the streets of Cathays, with the launch of a series of a planned litter picks.

JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN - We are looking to recruit concerned members of Cathays community for our next litter pick.

DATE: TUESDAY 2ND AUGUST 2011

TIME: 11am

MEET: Cathays Youth & Community Centre, 36 Cathays Terrace, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HX

YOU WILL NEED: Sensible shoes and a keen eye, sunblock and waterproofs*

*delete as appropriate

Equipment and insurance provided by Keep Wales Tidy

Please contact Joanne on 029 2037 3144, alternatively email admin@cathays.org.uk

If you are interested in litter picking and environmental initatives you may be interested in joining our environmental champions scheme: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/environmentalchampions.htm

Cathays PACT Meeting

2011-06-21T01:31:00.000-07:00

Last night was the Cathays PACT Meeting, PACT meetings (Partnerships And Communities Together) are an opportunity for the Community to have a say on what matters the most in their areas, helping paint an accurate picture of what is happening locally.

To find the next meeting please visit here

At this meeting cardiffdigs updated on the following:

Thank you to the PACT chair for attending the sustainability conference on behalf of the community and participating in one of the workshops you can read about the conference here

This year’s ‘You’re In. Now What?’ posters are being printed as we speak – so I will have copies ready to distribute – they obviously reflect the September waste changes so are for display in preparation for the start of term – if people are interested in me posting any posters to them then please just e-mail me (cardiffdigs @ gmail.com) with an address and quantities to find out about the poster read here
I am pleased to say I have somewhere in the region of 3,000 pre orders of the posters from letting agents and landlords – I am very pleased with the response but if there are still letting agents and landlords that haven’t requested copies then please get in touch

Issues 6 of Unity news is now live here, we have a new reader on the website to make it easier to use

We have a subscription service on the homepage so if anyone would like to keep updated on news, issues and campaigns then please subscribe to our enews letter at http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ - we are also on twitter @cardiffdigs

I am really enthused by a environmental champions scheme that I alongside waste management and the SVC are setting up in preparation for the start of term – we have recruited two coordinators and have a stand at the SVC (Student Volunteering Cardiff October 3rd) fair to recruit volunteers – the champions will look at waste and recycling education and awareness alongside other sustainable issues. To kick things off we will be organising:

Three waste/recycling door to door education awareness will take place on the Tuesday’s before collection day – 4th, 11th, 18th October

Each week will target a different theme – and suggestions have included:

4th general waste collection awareness

11th – general collections and tidy text

18th general collections and food waste

I would like to invite members of the community to come help us on these evenings and consider becoming an environmental champion for their street again please contact me if you are interested

The community gave some great feedback on the first of three Get It Out For Cardiff collections that took place last Saturday and even spotted the milk float around the streets the week before – for more details on Get It Out which runs for two more Saturdays and our charity success with the milk float see below

http://cardiffdigs.blogspot.com/2011/06/opinion-how-were-dealing-with-student.html

http://cardiffdigs.blogspot.com/2011/06/milk-floating-success.html

First city wide cycle festival

2011-06-16T01:53:00.000-07:00

A city wide cycle festival starts in two days, as part of Cardiff’s Sustainable Travel City project, Cardiff Council is launching a cycle festival which will run in Bike Week from June 18 until June 26. The festival will include over 30 events at different location across the city.

Events include Re:Fash a unique fashion show featuring urban cycle wear and Gwdihw Cycle Festival a mix of live music and cycle entertainment , Dr Bike sessions will be held for people to learn how to spot problems with their bikes and how to fix them. The festival also features Papergirl Cardiff, which will hand out original artwork, sourced from recent workshops and exhibitions in Cardiff, to the public by cyclists on the move.

Along with the more unusual activities, a variety of riding events has been planned, from rides taking in the peace of the Taff Trail to fast paced BMX pump tracks and a charity ride which takes a loop from Whitchurch to Cardiff Bay and back.

The festival is being organised by Cardiff Council working with community organisations and local companies including, The Gate, ARKlab, Cycle Training Wales, Pedal Power , Hungry Planet, Buffalo Bar, Gwdihw Cafe & Bar, Welsh Cycling, Maindy Flyers, Cardiff Ajax Cycling Club , Ely Wheelies, and Cardiff Cycle Tours.

Further details of what’s on during the festival can be found on the dedicated Cardiff Cycle Festival website www.kcmevents.co.uk/festival

Any students interested in knowing how to make a ‘cardifference’ – don’t bring a car to Cardiff and sustainable travel options including cycling should visit:

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/cardifference.htm

Unity news issue 6

2011-06-15T04:29:00.000-07:00

Unity news issue 6 now released

Issue 6 is now online at http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/unity.htm

UNITY news is your opportunity to find out about how the universities and student unions of Cardiff engage the community.

We have installed a shiny new reader which should make it easier to read; click over the issue to view in full screen and flick through the pages.

We have also launched a new enews subscription service so that you can keep updated on news, issues and campaigns.

Sign up to receive enews on the link right off the homepage:

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/

Don’t panic we will only send these out when we have a new unity news to promote or a very pressing issue and won’t be forever spamming you.

Also you can now follow us on twitter @cardiffdigs so there is no excuse not to be in the know when it comes to student issues and partnership working

Opinion: How we’re dealing with student waste in Cardiff

2011-06-14T04:39:00.000-07:00

Thank you @yourcardiff and @ed_walker86 for the yourcardiff opinion post on how we’re dealing with student waste issues and empowering the community. You can read the full post here

Waste issues are high on everyone’s agenda and I was disheartened to read of the recent resident anger around waste. In this post I don’t want to go into the in and out’s of the collections, I believe the new waste strategy and proposals will go a long way to assisting all residents not just students with reducing their waste and recycling more, but I would like to highlight some of the things partnership working and cardiffdigs.co.uk has been undertaking for the end of term and in preparation for the new academic year and how people in Cardiff can help.

Get it Out for Cardiff, now in its seventh year, is the Keep Cardiff Tidy, Cardiff Council initiative in association with Cardiff University, UWIC and Glamorgan University and Unions which helps Students to clear out their rubbish at the end of the academic year. The aim is to re-use and recycle as much of it as possible

The 2010 campaign saw 225 tonnes of waste and unwanted items collected, with over 62 tonnes recycled and over six tonnes re-used by students donating them in charity collections.

Residents of Cathays, Roath and Gabalfa will have extra rubbish and recycling collections on three Saturdays in June and July:

-Sat 18th June

-Sat 25th June

-Sat 2nd July

This scheme is open to all residents and we are putting a real focus on items that can be re-used by charities, there are ‘Green Zone’ collection points in Cardiff University, UWIC, Liberty Living and Victoria Hall student halls. Green Zones situated in the main reception area of Cardiff Students Union, in UWIC and the Atrium

Keep an eye out for the Raise and Give (RAG) Milk Float - they're coming to Cathays and Roath over the weekend of 11th & 12th June to collect your items

You can read about the success of the milk float here

Here's a list of the items we are collecting for re-use this year

-British Heart Foundation: Small electrical items such as kettles, toasters, printers, mobile phones, irons etc

-Fareshare: In date, un-opened foods (not fresh) eg. tins, packets etc

-Barnardos: Clothes, belts, shoes and bags. No duvets though please.

-Cardiff Council/ Media Bank: Books including textbooks, DVDs, CDs and tapes

-Kitchen bric-a-brac such as utensils and cutlery is being collected for (Raise And Give) (RAG) for resale at the Union this September.

Any items stored over the summer are being kept at Cardiff Self Storage who have kindly supported GIOFC 2011 by supplying a storage container.

We all appreciate that students are a transitory population and each year we must make sure that we educate at the start of each academic year. We have various ways of getting out the message, we attend freshers fayres, use innovative media like podcasts and videos, work closely with the universities and unions on communications through mailing lists, what’s on guides, social media and websites, and use Unity news as your opportunity to find out about how the universities and student unions of Cardiff engage the community. The latest issue and past issues are now live at http://cardiffdigs.co.uk/unity.htm

But we have also been concentrating on:

Environmental champions scheme In preparation for the start of the academic year Waste management, cardiffdigs.co.uk, Cardiff Students Union and Student Volunteering Cardiff (SVC) are coming together to recruit volunteers to look at sustainability issues. We will be working with two coordinators and volunteers who will adopt a street or area to help raise the education and awareness of waste responsibilities as well as broader sustainability issues.

Tidy Text – this is an amazing and innovative initiative. A free text reminds you when recycling/waste collected; text ‘Tidy' with house number and postcode to 60066 for your FREE reminder of waste and recycling collection days. Waste management and the Keep Cardiff Tidy group are looking into ways of sharing data on students so that they are automatically signed up for the service.

Cardiff’s student plan for the future

Thinking globally but acting locally was the key message at an event to revise our Cardiff Student Community Plan. Professor Ken Peattie from Cardiff University’s Sustainable Places Research Institute addressed delegates at the Sustainability and the Environment – Student Community Action Plan event to revise the Plan, outlining how thinking globally can help have an impact locally.

Partnership And Communities Together (PACT) chairs from student wards were among 45 delegates and partners who gave valuable feedback and ideas at the workshops; Green Travel (including travel and wellbeing), Recycling and Waste Management and Housing and Energy Efficiency

The Plan has been developed in partnership with Cardiff, UWIC, and Glamorgan universities and Cardiff Council to address a wide range of local issues. It contains a number of key actions that will seek to address the needs of Cardiff’s student population and its impact on the local community.

Commenting on the plan, Councillor Judith Woodman, Cardiff Council Deputy Leader for Communities said: “I would like to thank all those who have been involved in developing this important action plan. The document will play a critical role in sustaining partnership working between the Council, local universities and our stakeholders in order to both maintain Cardiff’s success as a university city and to improve the quality of life of students and residents alike.”

And finally I would like to appeal for your help through the 'You're In, Now What' poster

You're In. Now What?

Last year we created the free poster 'You're in. Now what?' to support students in the private rented sector.

It provides advice and assistance on the four main issues that concern students: Neighbour relations including noise and parking, waste and recycling responsibilities, security advice and health and safety.

This facilitates an easier, safer, greener transition for students into the private rented sector and into the community with heightened awareness of social responsibilities.

I am currently updating this poster and intend a larger print run which would enable me to again offer free copies of the poster. We are working to empower the community so I am able to offer the poster out to members of the community to display and distribute to their new student neighbours to help them during the start of term; an often difficult and contentious time.

I will be presenting the poster for distribution around PACT meetings and other community channels. I have also been writing to my contacts through letting agents and landlords and am pleased to say that all letting agents who are an accredited ALMA agent have taken up this opportunity along with many others and Douglas Haig and the Landlords Forum are again very supportive.

My appeal is to any landlord, letting agents and community members to get in touch (cardiffdigs@gmail.com) if they are interested in receiving this information which may assist their neighbours, company, clients and tenants. I will send posters to them to distribute and display throughout their properties, give them out during property inspections, distribute at key exchange or, give to new student neighbours. Please contact me with the number of copies that you require and a delivery address.

Come September, the start of term is often the first time many students move out of halls or home and take on such a wide range of responsibilities – it can be very daunting.

Everyone can help with this transition and get the message of community out to those who need help and education. We encourage students to introduce themselves to their neighbours, and to respect the fact that not everyone works to a student calendar. I would appeal to the community that the warmer the welcome, the greater the ownership and respect we will secure from the newcomers. So if you can offer this information poster to your new neighbours, introduce yourself and make them feel a welcome part of the community we can hopefully contribute to a more sustainable community with heightened social awareness.

'You're in. Now what?' is produced and supported in association with http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ a one stop website for student housing and living needs containing useful information and practical tips about living and studying in Cardiff.

If you would like to receive copies of the poster in preparation for September then please get in contact.

Kieran McCann is Cardiff council's student liaison officer and works in partnership with Cardiff, UWIC and Glamorgan universities. Email him cardiffdigs@gmail.com

A Milk floating success

2011-06-13T04:12:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend volunteers from Raise and Give (RAG), the students union and cardiffdigs were out and about in Cathays and Roath collecting charity donations and door knocking the area reminding everyone about Get It Out For Cardiff starting this coming Saturday http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/getitout.htm

Volunteers armed with wheelbarrows and the trusty milk float were collecting donations from residents and reminding everyone to donate unwanted goods to the ‘Green Zone’ at the Student unions and halls of residences at the end of term.

Milk Float collections

Here's a list of the items we are collecting for re-use this year

-British Heart Foundation: Small electrical items such as kettles, toasters, printers, mobile phones, irons etc

-Fareshare: In date, un-opened foods (not fresh) eg. tins, packets etc

-Barnardos: Clothes, belts, shoes and bags. No duvets though please.

-Media Bank: Books including textbooks, DVDs, CDs and tapes

-Kitchen bric-a-brac such as utensils and cutlery is being collected for Raise And Give (RAG) for resale at the Union this September.

To save lugging these items home with you why not give them to us and we will donate them to charity on your behalf. If you have any items that can be re-used by charities, there are Green Zone collection points in Cardiff University, UWIC, Liberty Living and Victoria Hall student halls or in the Green Zone in the main reception area of Cardiff Students Union. The Green Zones are open everyday for the next few months.

Grace - one of our RAG volunteers with some of the donated items

Kieran McCann, Student Liaison Officer said:

‘Although we got some strange looks walking the streets armed with wheelbarrows and being followed by a milk float everyone was very receptive to us. We are very grateful to those that donated items on the day and our thanks to all those who promised to take their unwanted items to the green zone when they have a clear out. My personal thanks to Darryl Light and Raise and Give volunteers for all their help and enthusiasm on the day’

Fire hazard landlords sentanced

2011-06-13T01:22:00.000-07:00

A Cardiff landlord with a series of housing regulation breaches and unpaid council taxes to his name has been fined £7000 this week at Cardiff Crown Court for three offences of failure to licence and one of failure to comply with licensing conditions.

Licensing of larger houses in Multiple occupation became law in June 2006 and is intended to protect the tenants of these higher risk properties from unsuitable landlords.

You can read all about what additional licensing means for students here:

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/licensing.htm

And full details on the council’s webpage here

Mohammed Zafar Malik is a professional landlord with a portfolio of about 27 properties in the City and was aware of the requirements to licence such properties as early as November 2006, By July 2009 he had licensed 6 properties, but in November 2009, inspections identified 3 properties owned by Mr. Malik which were licensable, but for which no application to licence had been made.

In addition, in another property which Mr. Malik had licensed on Treherbert Street, he had failed to comply with the licence conditions in respect of the fire precautions in that the fire alarm was faulty and there was no fire door between the lounge/kitchen and the hallway. This was a 3 storey property with 8 tenants.

Mr. Malik pleaded guilty to all the charges. Following this plea, the Council asked the Magistrates to refer the matter to the Crown Court for sentencing and for consideration of a Proceeds of Crime Act investigation (POCA) which was granted. At the subsequent POCA hearing, it was agreed that Mr Malik would pay £6000.

At this week’s sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court, Mr. Malik was fined £4,000 for failure to comply with the licence conditions at 20 Treherbert Street and £1,000 for each of the offences of failure to obtain a licence. He was ordered to pay the Council’s costs of £200. His Honour Judge Llewellyn-Jones QC also confirmed the confiscation order. Mr. Malik was instructed that failure to pay the fines within 6 months would attract a prison sentence of 6 months. In addition, failure to pay the confiscation order within 6 months would lead to a consecutive prison sentence of a further 6 months.

Mr. Malik has previously been prosecuted by the Council for failure to comply with an Improvement Notice under Section 11, Housing Act 2004 relating to provision of fire precautions for which he was fined £4,000, and has also been prosecuted under planning legislation.

Mr. Malik is known to owe the Council around £80,000 in unpaid Council Tax and a further sum in unpaid Building Control fees. During the licensing of Mr. Malik’s properties, inspections have confirmed that he has frequently carried out extensions and conversions either without planning approval or not in accordance with the planning permission given. In addition, works have been

carried out without consultation or inspection by Building Control officers. In some cases these have lead to property layouts which present a significant risk to the tenants. In one case, it became necessary to serve a Prohibition Order under Section 20, Housing Act 2004 in respect of one room in a house as there was no safe means of escape from fire.

As a result of the above matters, the Council will now have to consider whether Mr. Malik can continue to be considered, under Section 66, Housing Act 2004, a fit & proper person to hold licences.

Executive Member for Communities, Housing and Social Justice, Deputy Leader, Cllr Judith Woodman said, “I am pleased that the court has acknowledged the seriousness of Mr Malik’s offences and punished him accordingly. The message has to go out that landlords have a duty of care to their tenants and must comply with licensing requirements for their safety. Where we find these requirements breached, action will be taken by our committed Private Housing Sector enforcement team and could lead to prosecution.”

My milk float brings all the re-usable items to the yard…

2011-06-08T01:08:00.000-07:00

Keep an eye out for the cardiffdigs.co.uk, Cardiff Student Union and Raise and Give (RAG) Milk Float - they're coming to Cathays and Roath this weekend (11th & 12th June) to collect your charity items.

With our trusty milk float and wheelbarrows we are collecting clothes, books, DVD’s, CDs, small electrical items, kitchen utensils and cutlery and un-opened food (not fresh) so have them ready for us when we come down your street. We will also door knock houses to encourage the use of the Green Zones around the city and to promote the extra rubbish and recycling collection dates; Saturday 18th, 25th June, 2nd July.

Any community volunteers; students or non-students who would like to come door knocking with us and on the collection run are more than welcome please just e-mail me

Green Zones located around all student halls and unions

Get it Out for Cardiff, now in its seventh year, is the Keep Cardiff Tidy, Cardiff Council initiative in association with Cardiff University, UWIC and Glamorgan University and Unions which helps Students to clear out their rubbish at the end of the academic year. The aim is to re-use and recycle as much of it as possible.

This scheme is open to all residents and we are putting a real focus on items that can be re-used by charities, there are ‘Green Zone’ collection points in Cardiff University, UWIC, Liberty Living and Victoria Hall student halls. Green Zones situated in the main reception area of Cardiff Students Union, in UWIC and the Atrium

Here's a list of the items we are collecting for re-use this year

-British Heart Foundation: Small electrical items such as kettles, toasters, printers, mobile phones, irons etc

-Fareshare: In date, un-opened foods (not fresh) eg. tins, packets etc

-Barnardos: Clothes, belts, shoes and bags. No duvets though please.

-Cardiff Council/ Media Bank: Books including textbooks, DVDs, CDs and tapes

-Kitchen bric-a-brac such as utensils and cutlery is being collected for (Raise And Give) (RAG) for resale at the Union this September.

Any items stored over the summer are being kept at Cardiff Self Storage who have kindly supported GIOFC 2011 by supplying a storage container.

Look out for our Get it Out QR code around the Green ZOnes for more information on the scheme

Gearing up for Get it Out

2011-06-07T00:33:00.000-07:00

GET IT OUT FOR CARDIFF 2011

Get It Out for Cardiff, is now in its seventh year, helping students to clear out their rubbish at the end of the academic year. The aim is to re-use and recycle as much of it as possible

So if you are a resident of Cathays, Roath and Gabalfa you will have extra rubbish and recycling collections on three Saturdays in June and July:

-Sat 18th June
-Sat 25th June
-Sat 2nd July

For a comprehensive list of items that can be recycled in your green bag collections see www.cardiff.gov.uk/recycling

CHARITY GREEN ZONES

If you have any items that can be re-used by charities, there are collection points in Cardiff University, UWIC, Liberty Living and Victoria Hall student halls.

If you don't live in halls, please bring them to the Green Zone in the main reception area of Cardiff Students Union or keep an eye out for the Raise and Give (RAG) Milk Float - they're coming to Cathays and Roath over the weekend of 11th & 12th June to collect your items!

Here's a list of the items we are collecting for re-use this year

-British Heart Foundation: Small electrical items such as kettles, toasters, printers, mobile phones, irons etc

-Fareshare: In date, un-opened foods (not fresh) eg. tins, packets etc

-Barnardos: Clothes, belts, shoes and bags. No duvets though please.

-Media Bank: Books including textbooks, DVDs, CDs and tapes

-Kitchen bric-a-brac such as utensils and cutlery is being collected for Raise And Give (RAG) for resale at the Union this September.

Any items stored over the summer are being kept at Cardiff Self Storage who have kindly supported GIOFC 2011 by supplying a storage container.

Look out for the Green Zones across the halls and unions to donate your unwanted items

Spotlight: Supporting Cardiff's students

2011-05-25T01:29:00.000-07:00

Thank you Guardian Cardiff for posting our guest post on their site. You can read the article here and below

Last year's poster is now being updated

Last year we created the free poster 'You're in. Now what?' (download here) to support students in the private rented sector.

It provides advice and assistance on the four main issues that concern students: Neighbour relations including noise and parking, waste and recycling responsibilities, security advice and health and safety.

We distributed this poster as far and as wide as possible. As you can appreciate, this had positive repercussions benefiting not only the students but also the wider community, landlords and agents. This facilitated an easier, safer, greener transition for students into the private rented sector and into the community with heightened awareness of social responsibilities.

I am currently updating this poster and intend a larger print run which would enable me to again offer free copies of the poster. I will be presenting the poster for distribution around student police and communities together (PACT) meetings and other community channels.

We are working to empower the community so I am able to offer the poster out to members of the community to display and distribute to your new student neighbours to help them during this often difficult and contentious time.

I have also been writing to my contacts through letting agents and landlords and am pleased to say that all letting agents who are an accredited ALMA agent have taken up this opportunity along with many others.

If there are any letting agents or landlords who haven't been contacted please get in touch if you are interested in receiving this information which may assist your company, clients and tenants. I will distribute to you to allow you to distribute and display throughout your properties, send them out during your property inspections, for distribution at key exchange and to send onto landlords. Please contact me with the number of copies that you require and a delivery address.

Come September, the start of term is often the first time many move out of halls or home and take on such a wide range of responsibilities – it can be very daunting.

Everyone can help with this transition and get the message of community out to those who need help and education. We encourage students to introduce themselves to their neighbours, and to respect the fact that not everyone works to a student calendar. I would appeal to the community that the warmer the welcome, the greater the ownership and respect we will secure from the newcomers. So if you can offer this information poster to your new neighbours, introduce yourself and make them feel a welcome part of the community we can hopefully contribute to a more sustainable community with heightened social awareness.

'You're in. Now what?' is produced and supported in association with http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ a one stop website for student housing and living needs containing useful information and practical tips about living and studying in Cardiff.

If you would like to receive copies of the poster in preparation for September then please get in contact.

Kieran McCann is Cardiff council's student liaison officer and works in partnership with Cardiff, UWIC and Glamorgan universities. Email him here.

Lord Mayor raises £64K for LATCH

2011-05-23T04:45:00.000-07:00

The Lord Mayor of Cardiff has concluded his year by presenting his nominated charity, LATCH Welsh Children’s Cancer Charity with a cheque for £64,000.

The presentation took place at LATCH’s Sky Ward in the Children’s Hospital for Wales in Cardiff with Judge Phillip Price, Chairman of LATCH, receiving the cheque.

Choosing LATCH as his nominated charity for the year was a relatively easy choice for the Lord Mayor, “I chose LATCH this year because when my granddaughter Poppy was 19 months old she was diagnosed with liver cancer and given only a 40% chance of survival. Having seen what LATCH do for the parents and the children here at the Children’s Hospital It was quite clear in my own mind that I should support them. So when I became Lord Mayor it was the ideal opportunity to give them something back.” he said.

Executive Chairman of LATCH, Judge Philip Price said, “We’re enormously grateful to The Lord Mayor and The Lady Mayoress, first of all for choosing LATCH as his charity and for the money that’s been raised through them. They’ve been indefatigable in attending occasions and events, in taking new initiatives and in raising the profile of LATCH. Quite apart from the financial benefit to the children and the families, we’ve been hugely heartened by their personal involvement. They know what it’s like to have a child who is desperately ill and their concern and warmth has been a huge help to the children and the families on the ward.”

Since the presentation, further monies have been received as a result of the Lord Mayor’s activities and the total has exceeded £65,000. People can donate directly to LATCH on their website at www.latchwales.org

cardiffdigs is proud to have been able to support the fund raising efforts of the Lord Mayor through its kitchen re-sale events, presenting the Lord Mayor with cheques for LATCH read about the campaign here
and the second cheque presentation here

One Wales: One Planet Wales Sustainability Week

2011-05-13T03:45:00.000-07:00

Here at cardiffdigs we are gathering information and comments back from our Student Community Action Plan event; Sustainability and the Environment ready to set out some priorities and the action plan agenda for the coming year (read about it here) so it is very timely that Monday kicks off the beginning of One Wales: One Planet Wales Sustainability Week. We will be in attendance and hope to see some of you there.

Monday 16th May 9.45 – 1pm. Chapter Arts Centre, Canton. The event is free just contact slart@cardiff.gov.uk to book your place. The day will include a Keynote speech by Juliet Michaelson, New Economics Foundation on Promoting well-being in cities

The event will be opened by John Harrison, Environment Agency Wales and Councillor Rodney Berman, Leader of Cardiff Council. The full agenda can be downloaded from the Sustainable Living in Cardiff blog here

Please try to arrive on foot, bike or public transport as parking is limited.

The calendar of events for the week can be found here

Cardiff Rivers Group

2011-04-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

cardiffdigs.co.uk supporter of I Will for Wales was out and about helping Cardiff Rivers Group litter pick an area just below Radyr. The group were in full sweat in the glorious Spring sunshine on Saturday as they undertook a back-breaking project to remove tons of waste from the river Taff.

KWT volunteers removing a motorbike from the Taff

The area below Radyr had never been tackled before due to the lack of vehicle access to remove collected waste, but this did not deter 28 volunteers who were joined by staff from Cardiff Council with their boat.

The group spent over 4 hours collecting and transporting over 2 tonnes of waste in 12 boat trips including bikes, tyres, traffic cones, 750cc motorbike, a wheelchair, large metal wheelie bin, 2 lifejackets and of course, about 10 trollies. Wader-wearing volunteers loaded up the boat and transported it across the river to be unloaded and Cardiff Council will dispose of all collected waste.

Wader-wearing volunteers load up boat and transport waste across the river

Group Secretary Dave King, said, “Today was a fabulous day and a fabulous turnout of volunteers. We’ve wanted to tackle this area for ages and I am delighted that we have finally managed to do it. This was made possible by the use of the Council’s boat for which we are very grateful”.

Group Member, Louise Tambini added, “I’m sure that volunteers had lots of other things they could have been doing on such a lovely day, but the fact that so many of them gave up their time to help today just shows their determination and dedication to clean up the rivers of Cardiff. I was so pleased to see that half the volunteers travelled to today’s event by bike or public transport which shows their commitment to the broader environment and climate change ”

KWT volunteers removing waste from the River Taff

Cardiff Rivers Group formed in 2009 as part of Keep Wales Tidy’s ‘Tidy Towns’ project, a partnership between Keep Wales Tidy and Welsh local authorities. Funded by the Welsh Assembly Government it supports the people of Wales to improve the quality of their local environment.

Cardiff Rivers Group are always looking for new volunteers, so if you would like to lend a hand, please contact Louise Tambini on 07824 504790 or email louise.tambini@keepwalestidy.org.

The next event will take place on Easter Saturday (23rd April) when they will be returning to Bute Park.

KWT volunteers removing waste from the River Taff

Going home for Easter?

2011-04-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

The Student Police Initiative will be patrolling the streets of Cathays tomorrow night with Police officers sending out community messages and reiterating the importance of safety advice at this time of year. Please make them feel welcome if they come knocking on your door.

Volunteers from the Student Police Initiative

During the year the Student Police Initiative have been telling students and residents to Lock it. Hide it. Keep it. This becomes even more important towards the end of term when empty student property becomes a target for burglary.

The message from the Police is:

Take any valuables home with you

Ensure all doors and windows are locked when you leave

Clear gardens of items such as bricks/ladders that could be used to force entry

Ask your landlord/letting agent or trusted neighbour to keep an eye on your house during the holidays and ask them to push through any mail left hanging from letter boxes and bring in your bins

So the house appears occupied set up light timers to come on whilst you are away and close curtains in ground floor bedrooms

Remove obvious signs from windows that it’s a student house e.g. posters

Make sure the boiler comes on for a few hours each day to prevent pipes from freezing

When you return don’t leave packaging of expensive items on display or in bins as burglars know the packaging relates to items worth stealing

Go to http://www.immobilise.com/ a free property protection register for any electrical items, mobiles, bikes, laptops etc

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/lockithideitkeepit.htm for more safety advice

Cardiff Students and cardiffdigs.co.uk represented in new museum

2011-04-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

A new museum dedicated to the history of Cardiff has officially opened in the city; The Cardiff Story Museum shows how much the city has changed over the last 200 years. The Museum focuses on telling Cardiff’s history through the eyes of those who made it – its people.

cardiffdigs.co.uk was asked to contribute to this exhibition and highlight some of the positive influences of students on the city. You can explore a number of photos and quotes from the cities student liaison officer and cardiffdigs.co.uk on the digital screens related to the ‘Changing face of Cardiff’ section in the exhibition.

Students litter picking in the community

“As well as the financial benefits students bring to a community they volunteer hours of their time using a wealth of skills to help within the community. It’s my job to encourage good relations between new and existing residents, by educating students about social responsibilities and finding ways where we all can contribute to a cleaner, greener, safer, healthier and more optimistic city.”
Kieran McCann. Cardiff Council’s Student Liaison Officer.

The new Museum provides an introduction to the city for visitors and a community resource for residents. The Museum is open seven days a week on the site of the iconic Victorian Grade II* listed Old Library. Entry is free.

Museum Manager, Dr. Kathleen Howe, said: “It’s been a unique opportunity to start a city museum and collection from scratch – a mammoth but very enjoyable task! I know that The Cardiff Story team has found it a real privilege to work with the community groups, individuals and organisations across the city and county, to gather objects, information and stories that will represent Cardiff’s long history for generations to come.”

The Student Police Initiative reminding people to Lock it. Hide it. Keep it.

Varsity Volunteers

2011-03-31T03:53:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday 30th March the annual Cardiff v Swansea Varsity Sports Day took place in Cardiff and environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy was on hand throughout the day working in partnership with Cardiff University Student’s Union and Cardiff County Council to manage the site for litter.

Some of the volunteers preparing for the day ahead

An army of Keep Wales Tidy volunteers was out and about patrolling the Pontcanna site to encourage the estimated 3000 spectators to use the bins provided and litter-pick any rubbish that goes astray. In return, Cardiff University made a generous donation to Keep Wales Tidy to enable them to support even more volunteering and provided complimentary tickets to all volunteers for the flagship rugby varsity match.

Volunteers were busy litter picking throughout the day and worked immensely hard to ensure the site was left spotless. At the end of the event a sweep of the site was undertaken and over 85% of the litter that was collected has been recycled.

Just some of the litter left behind and collected

During the day, KWT signed students up to Keep Wales Tidy’s ‘I Will for Wales’ campaign which asks people to make small lifestyle changes that can improve the look and feel of their local area. The volunteer army was be kitted out in campaign T-shirts and encouraging spectators to make environmental resolutions that range from promising to dispose of cigarette butts responsibly and using a bag for life, to volunteering to help local community groups.

Keep Wales Tidy’s Projects Director, Louise Tambini said; “We were delighted to be working in partnership with Cardiff University Student’s Union and Cardiff Council on this initiative. Events like this give us a great opportunity to engage with the student population to get our important environmental message across. Thank you to all the volunteers who worked tirelessly to clean the site”

President of Cardiff Students’ Union, Olly Birrell said; “The Students’ Union was really pleased to have the support of the Keep Wales Tidy team at this year’s Varsity competition. Their contribution made a huge difference to the day games, and we appreciate the time and effort that went into planning this.”

Cardiff’s students plan for the future; Sustainability and the Environment – Student Community Action Plan Event

2011-03-24T01:31:00.000-07:00

Thinking big but acting locally is the key message at today’s event being held to revise the Cardiff Student Community Plan.

Professor Ken Peattie, from Cardiff University’s Sustainable Places Research Institute will address delegates at the event to revise the Cardiff student Community Plan, outlining how thinking global can help have an impact locally. The Research Institute is taking an entirely new approach to the science of sustainability, leading to the development of sustainable solutions applied to real places around the world.

The Student Community Plan has been developed in partnership with the universities Cardiff University, the University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC) and the University of Glamorgan, and Cardiff Council to address a wide range of local issues. It contains a number of key actions that will seek to address the needs of Cardiff’s student population and its impact on the local community.

The event and plan brings together a huge range of stakeholders with students issues and agendas including but not exclusively the universities, unions, the community, police, landlords/letting agencies, public health services (Police, Fire, NHS) charities, advisory services, NUS, private stakeholders including private hall providers, various Council services such as private sector housing, waste management, trading standards, health and public protection, noise pollution et al to work on a number of student focused actions.

Commenting on the plan, Councillor Judith Woodman, Cardiff Council Deputy Leader for communities said: “I would like to thank all those who have been involved in developing this important action plan. The document will play a critical role in sustaining partnership working between the Council, local universities and our stakeholders in order to both maintain Cardiff’s success as a university city and to improve the quality of life of students and residents alike.”

The Council and the universities jointly fund the Student Liaison Officer, Kieran McCann (http://www.cardiffdsigs.co.uk/), who manages the implementation of the plan. After the event the Action Plan will be updated and presented to the University Quartet made up of the Vice Chancellors of the Universities, Corporate Director of the Council and Deputy leader of the Council.

Cardiff Students’ Union Elections

2011-03-16T02:05:00.000-07:00

Campaigning begins today across campus for the Cardiff Students’ Union Elections

Download the list of candidates standing for each position here

You can come along and quiz your candidates at the Candidate Question time on Thursday 17th at 6.30pm in the great hall.

The Union show ‘cardifference’ Friday 18th 12-1 on http://www.xpressradio.co.uk/ has an exclusive interview with the current Union president Olly Birrell talking about the elections, how you can vote, why it’s important to get involved and all about his work this year and his aspirations for the coming years. So tune in.

Download the candidate’s manifestos at:

http://www.gairrhydd.com/

The Executive Committee are the elected representative of the whole student body who work for you to make sure that your views are represented. Part of this committee are the Elected Officers, a team of students who have taken a break from their studies or recently graduated who are elected yearly by the student body to lead the union as a whole. All positions are up for election.

Free Cardiff v Swansea Varsity tickets in exchange for a bit of volunteering

2011-03-09T03:23:00.000-08:00

Free Cardiff v Swansea Varsity tickets in exchange for a bit of volunteering

On Wed 30th March the annual Cardiff v Swansea varsity sports day is taking place in Cardiff. The majority of games will be held during the day on the Pontcanna pitches and at the Welsh Institute of Sport, before the flagship rugby match in the Millennium Stadium at 7.30pm.

The event attracts about 2500 spectators and so unfortunately will also generate a sizable amount of litter

So, we need your help! We need volunteers to patrol the fields to litter-pick rubbish and promote the ‘I Will’ campaign from 12 - 6pm.

Volunteers who work for at least 2 hours will be given a free ticket to watch the rugby match (cost £10) and a free Keep Wales Tidy ‘I Will’ T-shirt to wear.

So, if you would like to help please let Louise know the following info

Name:
Time you are available:
Contact phone number:
T-shirt size:

Louise Tambini, Project Director for Keep Wales Tidy
Mobile: 07824 504790
E-mail: louise.tambini@keepwalestidy.org
Web site: www.keepwalestidy.org

The aim of ‘I Will’ is to encourage the people of Wales to make a resolution that will help care for their local environment and improve the look and feel of the community.

Learn more about the I Will campaign here and in our blog post here

Property registration

2011-03-02T01:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ with our partners at Waste Management, The Police and the Census were on hand in Cardiff Students Union giving out advice.

The Police were specifically brought in to talk to students about any recent security concerns and give out safety and security advice in light of the latest Gair Rhydd article about burglary in the area which can be found here

PC Tim Davies giving out safety advice
and helping students sign up to immobilise

Students are again being targeted by burglars, with a number of reported incidents taking place over the last few weeks. Police were keen to stress that Cardiff is a safe city but were warning students to remain vigilant. Tim Davies, Police Student Liaison Officer was on hand offering safety advice and sign ups to the immobilise service.

Immobilise is a free national property register, enabling users to register their valuable property with the police to help the recovery of stolen goods and catch criminals.

It is a free service and the recommendation is that everyone should register their valuables on the website http://www.immobilise.com/

Tim and his team were also on hand stressing the importance of remembering our Lock it. Hide it. Keep it. campaign as opportunist burglars are also trying student front and rear doors. If they find an open door they rush in stealing what ever is to hand. This even takes place when people are at home so please remember to lock doors for your own safety. For more advice please visit our Lock it. Hide it. Keep it. pages here

PC Tim Davies and Student Liaison Kieran McCann reminding
students about Lock it. Hide it. Keep it.

Monthly Student Advice Stand

2011-03-01T03:10:00.000-08:00

Happy St. David’s Day from everyone at http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/

Every first Tuesday of the month we are at Cardiff Students Union (in the kitchen area) 12-2 giving out advice. Today we will be joined by our partners at Waste Management, The Police and the Census.

Come along for safety and security advice from the police especially after the latest Gair Rhydd article about burglary in the area which can be found here

Or advice about the new food waste kerbside collection scheme in the area – our blog post about this can be found here

Or information about the census and why it is important to fill in the survey (aside from the massive fine you could receive if you don’t complete it as it’s a legal requirement) more information can also be found here

All this alongside your usual http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ advice about living and studying in Cardiff

Hope to see you there

Official opening of Cathays Library

2011-02-28T03:30:00.000-08:00

cardiffdigs.co.uk was fortunate enough to attend the official opening of Cathays Library that took place this morning.

Following extensive refurbishment, Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Nigel Howells formally opened the library by cutting a ribbon and making a thank you and welcome speech.

Since re-opening to the public in the summer, the library has seen over a thousand new customers, an 84% increase in average monthly visits

The £1m pound refurbishment funded by Cardiff Council, with an additional grant of £300,000 from the Welsh Assembly Government, includes an improved layout highlighting the dramatic architectural features complimented by modern furniture and a vibrant colours scheme.

Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Nigel Howells said: “Feedback from members of Cathays Library has been very positive and the increase of people using the service proves why it is so important for the Council to continue to invest in libraries”

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ has held a number of advice stands at the library, giving out the You’re In. Now What? poster (download here), security, safety and social responsibility advice to student residents and the wider community.

Bric-a-Brac donation

2011-02-24T01:33:00.000-08:00

Bric-a-brac; some of life’s essentials raises a total of £498.65 for Lord Mayors Charity

Presenting the first cheque to the Lord Mayor

The Lord Mayor’s Charity, LATCH yesterday received a donation of £59.10 to add to a previous donation from the proceeds of a Bric-a-Brac sale.

Raise And Give (RAG) in association with Keep Cardiff Tidy, http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/, Cardiff Self Storage, Cardiff SU and Get It Out For Cardiff held two Bric-a-Brac fetes in Cardiff Students Union.

The latest event was held during re-fresher week; an event targeted at getting students thinking about trying new things. During the ‘Refresh your diet’ day sale of reusable kitchen equipment that were donated and collected during the ‘Get It Out For Cardiff’ campaign by students leaving at the end of term last year and stored with Cardiff Self Storage over the summer were sold. Items included kitchen equipment such as saucepans, frying pans, cutlery and all those essential household items.

LATCH is a voluntary organisation set up to support the special requirements of the children's oncology centre at the Children's Hospital for Wales.

Darryl Light, Finance and Commercial Officer for Cardiff Students Union said: "This event is a fantastic opportunity for students to decrease their environmental foot print by donating used items which would otherwise go to landfill. It also gives students the opportunity to pick up essential items at a discounted rate. I want to thank RAG and Kieran McCann for the successful running of the event"

Student are being reminded that the Get It Out For Cardiff campaign will begin again towards the end of term. Items such as clothing, electrical items, kitchen equipment and food can be donated at various Green Zones across the unions and halls of residence. Please make sure you also sign up for the I Will campaign because everyone should do their bit to look after their local environment.

Hop on to the Census bus

2011-02-23T07:34:00.000-08:00

The Census Purple Bus Tour is en-route to Cardiff.

Cardiff has been lucky to be selected for the tour and the bus will be in town on Thursday 24th February. Stopping at St John's Square in the morning at 10am (just near Ten Feet Tall) and Loudon Square in Butetown in the afternoon, the Census Bus will give people the opportunity to ask questions about the 2011 Census and get information on how to complete the form.

Help will be available in English, Welsh, Somali, Urdu and Bengali so jump on to the Census Bus and get your queries answered.

Census Day is Sunday 27th March, visit http://www.census.gov.uk/

For student specific advice on the census visit our cardiffdigs pages here

New food waste kerbside collection scheme

2011-02-22T04:23:00.000-08:00

A letter to residents in streets across Cathays and Plasnewydd/Roath is being delivered today to alert people to the new food waste kerbside collection scheme.

Following a trial undertaken in 2010 across five areas in Cardiff, Cardiff Council has found that by providing residents with a separate food waste container, there have been a number of positive results:

• Increased recycling rates

• More people use the food waste service

• Reduced litter on the street and reduced spillages from bags

• Seagulls and pests are prevented from attacking the food and ripping open bags

Therefore this scheme is being rolled out across various streets in Cathays and Plasnewydd/Roath (the full list of streets is below)

The scheme will start the week commencing the 14th of March 2011 but on the 7th March 2011 those participating streets will be delivered;

• An information leaflet explaining how the scheme works

• A large brown kerbside collection caddy

• A small brown kitchen caddy

• Kitchen caddy liners (to line your existing kitchen caddy)

The new food waste kerbside collection caddy will make it easier for you to sort out your food waste at home.

You can still put all cooked and uncooked food into your small kitchen caddy. Please use the caddy liners provided to line your caddy - DO NOT USE PLASTIC BAGS. Once the caddy liner is full, place it into your the large brown kerbside collection caddy, instead of the white bio-bag. The kerbside collection caddy is then placed out on the kerbside each week, on your normal collection day.

Your collection day will not change. The white bio-bag, black bag and green bag will still be collected in the same way. Your white bio-bags can still be used for any compostable garden waste.

Please contact C2C on 2087 2087, if you need a new or replacement kitchen caddy.

If you require any further information about the new service or have any questions please contact C2C via C2C@Cardiff.gov.uk or on 029 2087 2087.

Don’t forget to sign up to Tidy Text to help remind you when your collection days are.

Tidy Text is a free texting service. This easy to use service sends text messages to remind you when your recycling bags and waste are being collected.

You can make full use of this service to help understand waste and recycling responsibilities. Sign up is free when you subscribe online at:

http://www.keepcardifftidy.com/

Sign up is free when you subscribe online but alternatively, you can register by texting ‘Tidy' with your house number and postcode to 60066. This service is also available in Welsh.

For more details visit here or the council’s website here
Streets in Cathays and Plasnewydd that will be participating in the new food waste kerbside collection scheme

CATHAYS

Bruce Street

Brydges Place

Cathays Terrace

Catherine Street

Coburn Street

Colum Place

Corbett Road

Cranbrook Street

Crwys Road

Dalton Street

Daniel Street

Darran Street

Fanny Street

Fitzroy Street

Flora Street

Florentia Street

Gelligaer Street

Gladys Street

Glynrhondda Street

Gower Street

Gwennyth Street

Hazeldene Avenue

Hirwain Street

Letty Street

Lisvane Street

Lucas Street

May Street

Merthyr Street

Minister Street

Minny Street

Miskin Street

Monthermer Road

Mundy Place

North Road

Rhymney Street

Rhymney Terrace

Richard Street

Robert Street

Salisbury Road

Senghennydd Road

Spencer Street

Tewksbury Street

Thesiger Court

Thesiger Street

Treherbert Street

Treorchy Street

Whitchurch Place

Whitchurch Road

Woodville Road

Wyverne Road

PLASNEWYDD

Arabella Street

Bangor Lane

Bangor Street

Boverton Street

Braeval Street

City Road

Cowper Place

Crwys Place

Crwys Road

Dalcross Street

Daviot Street

Diana Street

Donald Street

Elm Street Lane

Essich Street

Fairoak Road

Grouse Street

Hendy Street

Inverness Place

Kelvin Road

Lochaber Street

Lowther Road

Montgomery Street

Morlais Street

Moy Road

Newport Road

Ninian Road

Oakfield Street

Oxford Lane

Oxford Street

Partridge Lane

Partridge Road

Pen Y Wain Place

Pen Y Wain Road

Shirley Road

Snipe Street

Southey Street

Teal Street

Tullock Street

Tydfil Place

Tyn Y Coed Place

Voilet Row

Wellfield Place

Wellfield Road

Werfa Street

Woodcock Street

Woodland Place

Wordsworth Avenue

Mackintosh Place

Richmond Road

Princes Court

Richmond Crescent

Gordon Road

The Walk

West Grove

The Parade

Abany Road

Alfred Street

Angus Street

East Grove

Connaught Road

Claude Road

Claude Place

The Parade

Have you been refused a taxi hire or overcharged?

2011-02-21T02:20:00.000-08:00

Crackdown on Taxi Drivers who refuse fares

Thanks to feedback from students Cardiff Council is cracking down on taxi drivers who refuse to be hired or overcharge passengers.

The Council’s Licensing Department is now working closely with taxi companies to address these issues – many of which have been raised by local students who use taxi facilities.

Cardiff Council is keen to ensure that the student community and all Cardiff residents and visitors enjoy the highest standards from licensed hackney carriage and private hire drivers.

It is also vital that students use only properly licensed taxis driven by licensed drivers to ensure they get a safe journey home.

Remember when hiring a taxi:

• Contact a reputable company when pre-booking a private hire vehicle

• Ensure the taxi has a licence plate displayed on the rear of the vehicle

• Check the identity of the driver against the photo displayed in the left-hand side of the windscreen. The driver should also be wearing an identification badge displaying his photograph.

• If you are travelling alone it is advisable to sit in the rear of the vehicle behind the driver.

• If you feel uneasy ask to be let out in a busy well lit area, where there are plenty of people.

• Don’t take food or drink into the taxi and if you feel unwell ask the driver to pull over, you may be fined for mess.

Anyone who suspects a driver of operating without a licence, or who wishes to report issues of overcharging or drivers refusing fares should contact the Council’s Licensing Section on (029) 2087 1651 e-mail Licensing@cardiff.gov.uk

To enable officers to investigate fully, the following details should be provided

• Vehicle details – plate number and/or registration number.

• Driver details – drivers badge number and name (if obtainable),

• Time and place of hiring.

Go Global

2011-02-17T05:50:00.000-08:00

Cardiff Students’ Union is bringing together students from different backgrounds and cultural heritages for a week-long celebration of culture and diversity.

Go Global, the Union’s annual festival of culture and diversity, runs from 19-27 February 2011. In conjunction with the Cardiff Guild of Societies and the international student community, the Union will be hosting more than 35 events, including music from around the world, art workshops, taster sessions and debates on international issues.

One of the highlights of the week will be Global Village which takes place on 27 February. As well as introducing visitors to food from more than 20 countries, this event will also showcase some of the University’s talented students, with performances including Bollywood, Chinese dancing and singing, a masquerade, break dancing, an international fashion show and many others.

Cosimo Montagu, the Union’s Societies, Events and Activities Officer, said: "Thousands of students get involved with Go Global each year. It is an excellent way to present the identity and strength of culture of our student body to the University and to the wider community in Cardiff."

Cardiff has a long-established tradition of welcoming students from overseas. There are currently more than 3000 international students studying at the University, representing over 100 countries.

A full list of Go Global events is available online here

All the week’s events are open to staff, students and members of the public. There is a charge for some events.

Cardiff Rivers Group

2011-02-17T02:26:00.000-08:00

Cardiff Rivers Group in action with a sample of items removed from the Taff

Cardiff Rivers Group held their first event of 2011 two weeks ago with well over 70 volunteers turning up, pulling out a bath among other things from the river. They have announced their second event will take place this Sunday 20th February where they will be tackling the riverbank and Taff Trail from Radyr Weir downstream towards Forest Farm.

Meeting point: Car park of Radyr railway station

Meeting time: 9.45am

Finish time: 12pm

The group will provide equipment and insurance. Just turn up in suitable clothing, wear sturdy footwear/wellies and bring some water.

For more details contact Louise Tambini 07824 504790

http://cardiffriversgroup.blogspot.com/

Ps Don’t forget to sign up to Keep Wales Tidy’s ‘I Will for Wales’ campaign. How will you help the Welsh environment in 2011? You can make you resolution here

PACT meetings

2011-02-14T02:25:00.000-08:00

Last week I represented cardiffdigs.co.uk at two Partnerships And Communities Together (PACT) meetings; Cathays and Plasnewydd. I try and attend these and the Gabalfa PACT meetings on a regular basis to hear the concerns of the community related to student issues.

Partnerships And Communities Together (PACT) meetings are an opportunity for the Community to have a say on what matters the most in their areas, helping paint an accurate picture of what is happening locally.

I would encourage anyone to attend these meetings to view any concerns you have or to hear about the work that is taking place in your locality. To find the next meeting please visit:

https://ourbobby.com/EN/FE/Local.aspx?n1=1&n2=8

At both meetings I distributed the latest edition of Unity news now available here. Last term was extremely busy, work continued on highlighting safety messages via immobilise, various Housing Advice weeks alerted students about the need to make the smart move and not to rush, cardifference about sustainable travel was launched and a housing and welfare NUS conference was held among other campaigns and activities.

At these meetings the community and panel identify three of the most pressing concerns affecting their locality and priorities are set. At Cathays this week Parking issues associated with Wyverne Rd and in residents bays was reported, letting signs causing a nuisance was identified and other issues included street cleaning, the poor state of the paving stones and takeaways on Salisbury Rd operating beyond their legal opening hours.

At Plasnewydd priorities identified included speeding, Mackintosh Place, Fly tipping and Oxford Lane; cars travelling the wrong way down the one way system.

The problems encountered are discussed and solutions explored. From the issues raised at the meeting and those brought to the meeting by the Neighbourhood Police Officer we decide these three priorities.

At both meeting it struck me that solutions also need to be brought to the table and discussed. Therefore it was great to hear that Plasnewydd PACT Chair Martin Gower has received funding from ‘Tidy Towns’ for litter pick equipment. He is keen to organise a series of community litter picks if you can spare an hour to help improve your environment please contact Martin at martin.gower@ntlworld.com This is an example of how a community can become empowered to enact change and take ownership of their environment so I would encourage anyone, students or non students to get involved.

The PACT meetings have secured a number of successes across the city and without this open communication we would be less empowered to help elicit change. Everyone can help get the message of community out. We all benefit from a thriving city but it is easy to fall back on negative perceptions not just related to students but in a wider context. I believe this benefits no-one. Everyone can help by making your neighbours more socially aware, so that we all contribute to a sustainable community, where we come together to help create cleaner, greener and safer places to live for us all.

To find the next meeting please visit:

https://ourbobby.com/EN/FE/Local.aspx?n1=1&n2=8

UNITY NEWS

2011-02-14T01:18:00.000-08:00

ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL

The fifth edition of UNITY news your opportunity to find out about how the universities and student unions of Cardiff engage the community is now available here

My name is Kieran McCann; Cardiff Council’s Student Liaison Officer, I am employed by Cardiff Council, Cardiff, UWIC and Glamorgan Universities and work in partnership with the student unions to produce this newsletter.

Last term was extremely busy, work continued on highlighting safety messages, various Housing Advice weeks alerted students about the need to make the smart move and not to rush, cardifference about sustainable travel was launched and a housing and welfare NUS conference was held among other campaigns and activities.

With many students finishing exams this month we want to wish them all the best. If New Year resolutions of community engagement weren’t high up on everyone’s agenda, in this issue you can learn about how you can make a community pledge through the ‘I Will’ campaign.

Getting to know you...

2011-02-10T03:48:00.000-08:00

In the third in a series of guest blogs we would like to introduce you to the community work and engagement of Dan Bowen the Vice president sabbatical officer for Glamorgan Union. Sabbatical officers or Sabbs are an Executive Committee of elected student representatives, responsible for addressing the issues that affect students at their University, and for representing students’ views and voice on an institutional, local and national level. Dan covers the Glamorgan Cardiff Campus – The Atrium as well as their Treforest site.

I am Daniel Bowen or as most will know me Dan Bows, and I am the Vice President Student Support at the University of Glamorgan Union. This involves quite a wide remit from Education to Welfare so I am pretty much an all singing all dancing student representative.

The Union is constantly looking to establish links with the community and develop volunteering and fundraising. We are really looking to do more again this year, and with our swish new building we have better facilities to do so!

The first term was rather hectic with having to come to terms with the new Union and the way we worked but I’m glad to say we have got there and even managed to focus on some fundraising. In October we supported the ‘wear it pink’ campaign for breast cancer and our Halloween Spooktackula saw a fair bit of money raised for the cause.

This was immediately followed up by Movember, in the month of November, in support of testicular cancer and was rounded off with an epic Dodgeball competition which was fiercely contested but also a fun way of raising awareness. Some of the rascal moustaches on display were priceless!

As we finally got settled in our new home the Union began embarking on further engagement with the community and as a result a number of campaigns have been put in place. First and foremost, engagement with the local police authority has increased with the union operating a ‘Cuppa with a Copper’ scheme where students are actively encouraged to come along on a Thursday morning to have a chat with our local officer. This scheme is still in its infancy but we hope to see improved links and a greater ease of communication between the two parties.

Also with the support of the police we have recently embarked on a drink spiking campaign. Essentially this involves dropping a straw into un-attended drink with a little reminder that they could have been spiked, and to be more aware. We can see early signs of success as we didn’t manage to find very many drinks left un-attended so hopefully that’s a sign of good things to come.

Finally, before I fill a whole website, we arranged a Health & Well-being day in the Union. This was led by Stuart Brooks (Student Activities) alongside myself and was a resounding success. We opened the event to students, staff and the local community in order to raise awareness on physical, mental and social well-being. Over 200 people attended, it’s a good solid start to the campaign.

Over the coming weeks and months we will be looking to carry on with the good work and introduce more campaigns where we will be looking to work again with the community. If there are any projects in the community we can help with then please get in touch!!!!

Dan Bowen

Dan can be contacted at Glamorgan Union on 01443 483511

Dan is also featured in the latest issue of Unity news where the universities and unions of Cardiff can engage the community. The latest issues is available here: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/unity.htm

RAG Dolls

2011-02-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

Rag Dolls is a clothes exchange and fashion show event. It cost £3 to enter, and will be held in Solus at the Cardiff Students Union on Wednesday 9th February.

Today and tommorrow members of RAG – Raise And Give will be collecting unwanted clothes at the Union reception in exchange for tickets which can be used to exchange for other peoples clothes during the event. On top of this there will be various boutiques both selling clothes and having clothes modelled on the catwalk. This will be accompanied by various university dance societies performing. At the end of the evening there will also be an opportunity to buy any remaining clothes. All the ticket sales and any further donation will go to the charity 'Labour Behind the Label'; you can see the good work they do at this address: http://www.labourbehindthelabel.org/

Student Housing Advice

2011-02-08T04:18:00.000-08:00

Anne Rowland from Landlord Accreditation Wales (LAW) giving housing advice

With the surge in students starting to look for housing to rent for next academic year there has been a number of housing advice weeks with key advice about what to avoid.

The most important piece of advice is Don’t Rush – make the smart move.

We have recently seen lots of enquiries about housing so here are a few reminders and some helpful advice.

Remember there is more housing than demand: So don’t panic.

We have been giving out ‘Avoiding the pitfalls’ information, but it is worth reminding you that this information is available here in the section from halls to house

A podcast with housing hunting advice and avoiding the pitfalls is available here

The Advice and Representation Centre has also created a housing booklet relevant for all students and an interview and transcript with Jane Harding from the advice centre about housing tips can be found here

Anne Rowland has also been on hand at the various events making sure students are aware of The Landlord Accreditation Wales Scheme, advice about Letting Agents and Additional Licensing
For example there are over 90 unaccredited letting agencies in Cardiff. Anyone can open up a letting agency (you can even have a criminal record)

So ensure your letting agent is registered with a regulatory body such as ALMA (Cardiff) ARLA, NALS, RICS or NAEA (search here) who provide minimum set standards to abide by.

Also make sure your landlord is accredited through Landlord Accreditation Wales (LAW).

You should see landlords and agents who are part of the Landlord Accreditation Wales (LAW) scheme as the people to approach first when finding accommodation to rent. They will treat you professionally and you know that they have all the knowledge necessary to ensure that your time in their property is enjoyable and hassle free.

To assist you in finding accredited landlords in your area, covering different types of accommodation, please use the search facility here just search Cardiff as your local authority.

Tidy Text

2011-02-07T03:33:00.000-08:00

Remember to sign up to Tidy Text

Tidy Text is a free texting service available to all Cardiff residents. This easy to use service sends text messages to remind you to put your recycling bags out on the correct day. Information will be available in 'real time` via your mobile phone ensuring that you never forget to put out your recycling again!

Sign up is free when you subscribe here. Alternatively, you can register by texting 'Tidy` to 60066.

For further information please contact Lucy Prisk, Tidy Towns Officer on 029 20717755.

Please note that normal text message charges will apply for your initial sign up text - after that all texts are free depending on your service provider.

UWIC Student Union awareness week

2011-02-04T04:03:00.000-08:00

Claire and Nichola UWIC Union Officers

Starting on Monday for the week UWIC Student Union is hosting an awareness week.

The event will run from February 7th- February 11th in order to show students exactly what services the Union offers, how you can get involved, what clubs and societies are available and to ensure you are taking full advantage of the Union.

Cardiffdigs.co.uk will be on hand to offer housing advice and to promote the website and how we can assist with the move into the Private Rented Sector. The Police and Waste Management will also be on hand helping you with any security and safety concerns and understanding waste social responsibilities.

Plus UWIC is offering you the chance to pick up a SID card for FREE!!

SID stands for Student Identification and Discount card and was launched by UWIC SU in 2008. This is the first time they have ever offered this card for free so make sure you do not miss this opportunity. The SID card can be used in all union outlets and in hundreds of high street stores to gain you a 10% discount.

All you have to do is visit Zen on Llandaff campus between the hours of 11am and 3pm, Feb 7th -Feb 11th and locate the promotion team. You will be asked to enter your details and upload a picture for your card and that’s all there is to it, within 10 days you will be saving money every time you shop.

Refreshers Week

2011-01-28T01:56:00.000-08:00

Cardiff University Students’ Union is launching its Refreshers Week campaign this Monday on the 31st January, which is an event targeted at getting students thinking about trying new things. It aims to capitalise on 5 of the most common New Years Resolutions with its 5 themed days.

Refresh your Diet

Refresh your Future

Refresh your Activities

Refresh your Health and Well Being

Refresh your Creativity

On Monday the Keep Cardiff Tidy ‘Get It Out For Cardiff’ campaign alongside Raise And Give and cardiffdigs.co.uk will be hosting a re-sale event of kitchen equipment so that students can buy all the essentials they need to help them cook up a storm to refresh their diet. The sale will take place in the Union Monday morning from 11am.

Monday is Refresh your Diet, centred around healthy eating and trying new recipes and food ideas. UK MasterChef Peter Gorton will be attending the event and will be cooking throughout the day, doing demonstrations and cooking tasters during the Festival of Food. There are also two evening events in Student Ready, Steady Cook and the Jungle Café (with bugs and more to try!)

Tuesday is Refresh your Future, a day centred on looking at career options and how to improve employability of students. There is a Careers Fair running throughout the day alongside several workshops on how to network, set up a business etc.

Wednesday is Refresh your Activities, another opportunity for students to get involved with sports clubs and societies at University. There will be a huge Activities Fair running all day with demonstrations and performances, before the Annual Dodgeball tournament taking place in the evening!

Thursday is Refresh your Health and Well Being, a chance for students to get a “body MOT” courtesy of the Healthcare Schools at Cardiff (such as dentists, nurses, physiotherapists etc.). There are also several classes in Yoga and Meditation alongside holistic treatments such as massage.

Friday is Refresh your Creativity, which aims to encourage students to try out a new creative outlet. Throughout the day there are Art sessions, “give it a go” dance sessions and also creative writing sessions. The best pieces will be included in the Creativity supplement included in Cardiff Union’s newspaper, the Gair Rhydd.

So come along and Refresh yourself!

I Will For Wales

2011-01-26T02:40:00.000-08:00

Cardiffdigs.co.uk has signed up to Keep Wales Tidy’s ‘I Will For Wales’ campaign because everyone should do their bit to look after their local environment.

The ‘I Will For Wales’ campaign asks people to make a New Year’s Resolution online at http://www.keepwalestidy.org/ You can pick one out of ten simple pledges relating to rubbish or create your own.

I would encourage everyone to sign up. Cardiffdigs.co.uk has signed up because we strongly support Keep Wales Tidy’s belief that small changes in our daily lives can make a huge difference to our communities. Keep Wales Tidy is asking people to make small changes to their lifestyles that will make huge differences to their local communities.

Lesley Jones, Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy, said:

“More than £70 million a year is spent on cleaning Welsh streets. We believe that a cleaner Wales can only be achieved by changing people’s attitudes. Our New Year campaign aims to help Welsh towns and cities rid their streets of graffiti, chewing gum, discarded plastic bags, dog mess and cigarette butts by getting the public to think about the consequences of their behaviour and sign up online to make positive changes that can make a lasting difference to the way our local communities look”

To make a difference to your local community, sign a pledge online at http://www.keepwalestidy.org/

Second Hand Bike Sale

2011-01-26T02:38:00.000-08:00

The next sale is at Cardiff Cycle Workshop on Sat 29th Jan 10am - 12pm.

Cardiff Cycle Workshop, Unit 4 Ely Brewery Workshops, Cardiff CF5 4AQ (easily accessible by bus or train journey planner: http://www.traveline-cymru.info/)

They’ve got some really funky bikes this month as well as the more standard ones. Some of the bikes can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/87847725@N00/sets/72157625493560922/

Plus on Saturday afternoon Cardiff Cycle Workshop are running their first Bike Kitchen. This is an open workshop session where, for £5, people with some bike maintenance experience can come and use the stands and tools to work on their own bikes. Two of our mechanics will be on hand for any advice needed and certain parts such as blocks and cables will be available to buy at discounted rates. Same place, 1pm-3pm, first come/first served.

All the details are here:

http://cycletrainingwales.org.uk/events/bike-sale-3

http://cycletrainingwales.org.uk/events/bike-kitchen

Cardiff Rivers Group

2011-01-25T02:35:00.000-08:00

Cardiff Rivers Group’s first event of 2011 will take place this Saturday and will be the biggest yet!!!!

We will be carrying out a clean-up around Blackweir and will be joined by 170 members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints....yes, you read it correctly, 170 extra volunteers!!

Meeting point is the Blackweir footbridge in Bute Park 10am

Keep Wales Tidy will manage the event and will provide equipment and tools, and all volunteers are covered under insurance. All you have to do is turn up in suitable clothing and wear sturdy footwear/wellies and bring some water.

It will probably take a miracle to create a litter-free Wales but 170 members of the Church of the Latter-day Saints hope to show that a joint effort can begin to make a big difference.

They will be joining volunteers from the Cardiff Rivers Group and Keep Wales Tidy as they clean up Bute Park in support of the ‘I Will for Wales’ campaign.

If you would like to sign up to the ‘I will for Wales’ campaign and get involved in work to improve your local environment with Keep Wales Tidy or Cardiff Rivers Group, please contact Chris Partridge on 07717 412 270 or email chris.partridge@keepwalestidy.org

The Future of Cardiff Bus Station - Your chance to have your say!

2011-01-24T02:33:00.000-08:00

The Future of Cardiff Bus Station - Your chance to have your say!

Cardiff Council is undertaking a public consultation on the future of its Central Bus Station.

The public consultation explains why Cardiff Council is looking at plans to improve the bus station, show the ideas being considered, how they are being developed and to gather views from the public and organisations interested in the bus station’s future. It also sets out a number of different options being considered.

The consultation follows a series of workshops undertaken with key stakeholders including transport operators and access groups.

At the workshops a number of different ideas were considered including:

 A redesigned bus station with improved accessibility and comfortable

 passenger waiting area

 A bus station on the car park behind the railway station

 No central bus station but smaller bus stations around the city centre

 A bus station on Callaghan Square

 A bus station on the site of Marland House, near the railway station

 Leaving the station as it is

 Existing bus station with a new shelter

The workshops discounted a number of these for practical and cost reasons and generated three preferred ideas for the public to consider:

OPTION A - Leave the existing station as it is;

OPTION B: Use the existing bus station with new passenger waiting area

OPTION C: Provide a redesigned bus station with improved accessibility and comfortable passenger waiting area

The public is being invited to contribute on these options via a questionnaire: http://surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/busstation/

This feedback will be considered along with the views from organisations involved. The options will then be assessed again taking into account the feedback and one preferred option will be selected for further development.

The consultation will run from December 10th 2010 to February 14th 2011.

Updates on the modernisation of the bus station will be posted on the Keeping Cardiff Moving website: http://www.keepingcardiffmoving.co.uk/

Welcome back

2011-01-24T02:32:00.000-08:00

After a Christmas and New Years break that included jumping off the world’s highest bungee jump bridge! we are back up and running ready for this academic term.

We want to send our best wishes and good luck to all students sitting exams at the moment.

Upcoming in the next few weeks is re-freshers week, a Get It Out For Cardiff re-sale event, UWIC Student Union awareness week, the latest Unity news and other exciting activities which we will keep you informed about so make sure you keep checking the blog and a belated Happy New Years to all our readers

Best

www.cardiffdigs.co.uk

Cardiff Rivers Group

2010-12-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

Cardiff Rivers Group a dedicated group of litter pickers have been hard at work over December below is some information of their last event. Also included are details of how you can get involved in their last pick of 2010 taking place on Saturday the 18th

Cardiff Rivers Group ventured out in freezing conditions on Sunday to clean-up the River Taff through Hailey Park.

12 volunteers (including 3 new recruits) spent over 2 hours collecting 20 bags of frozen rubbish, traffic cones, road signs, stiff carpets, bikes, railway sleeper, car tyres and various other waste from the banks of the Taff. They even managed to sort 4 bags of recyclable materials (cans and plastic bottles) for collection by Cardiff County Council.

Group Member Louise Tambini, said, “Despite the sub-zero temperatures, 12 volunteers gave up their time to improve the appearance of the riverbanks today. Together they have collected a vast amount of waste and even managed to sort through the rubbish to separate all the recyclables”.

“In the run-up to Christmas, I would like to make plea to the people of Cardiff to ensure they minimise their waste and ensure that whatever waste they do generate, that they dispose of it responsibly. We really hope that the areas we have worked so hard to clean this year are not blighted by flytipping after Christmas”

Cardiff Rivers Group formed last year as part of Keep Wales Tidy’s ‘Tidy Towns’ project, a partnership between Keep Wales Tidy and Welsh local authorities. Funded by the Welsh Assembly Government it supports the people of Wales to improve the quality of their local environment.

The last event of 2010 will take place on Saturday 18th December. Volunteers are asked to meet at Llandaff Rowing Club at 9.45am.

Cardiff Rivers Group are always looking for new volunteers, so if you would like to lend a hand, please contact Louise Tambini on 07824 504790 or email louise.tambini@keepwalestidy.org.
The last event of 2010 will take place Saturday 18th where we will be carrying out a clean-up below Llandaff Weir.

As usual, we will provide equipment and tools, and all volunteers are covered under our insurance. All you have to do is turn up in suitable clothing and wear sturdy footwear or wellies.

Meeting point: Llandaff Rowing Club Car park
Meeting time: 9.45am

Please just let Louise Tambini know you are intending on turning up on 07824 04790

Merry Christmas and a Happy ‘Tidy’ New Year!

More information on Cardiff Rivers Group and their activities can be found on http://www.cardiffriversgroup.blogspot.com/

Bikes and sustainability

2010-12-09T07:15:00.001-08:00

Cycle Training Wales are having a bike sale this Saturday They will have a range of bikes on sale, including ladies, gents, road and mountain bikes all very keenly priced, fully serviced and with a 3 month warranty.

The sale is on this Saturday 11th December, from 10am-12pm at Cardiff Cycle Workshop, Unit 4 Ely Brewery Workshops, Wroughton Place, CF5 4AQ. Check out some of the bikes for sale at: http://bit.ly/ghU9Hh.

Learn more about how you can travel around Cardiff more sustainably and information on cycling and bike use in and around the city at: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/cardifference.htm

Going home for Christmas?

2010-12-08T02:18:00.000-08:00

During the year we have been telling you to Lock it. Hide it. Keep it.

This becomes even more important towards the end of term when empty student property becomes a target for burglary. The message from the Police is:

Take any valuables home with you

Ensure all doors and windows are locked when you leave

Clear gardens of items such as bricks/ladders that could be used to force entry

Ask your landlord/letting agent or trusted neighbour to keep an eye on your house during the holidays and ask them to push through any mail left hanging from letter boxes and bring in your bins

So the house appears occupied set up light timers to come on whilst you are away and close curtains in ground floor bedrooms

Remove obvious signs from windows that it’s a student house e.g. posters

Make sure the boiler comes on for a few hours each day to prevent pipes from freezing

When you return don’t make it obvious that Santa has been generous by leaving packaging of expensive presents on display or in bins as burglars know the packaging relates to items worth stealing

Go to www.immobilise.com a free property protection register for any new electrical items, mobiles, bikes, laptops etc

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/lockithideitkeepit.htm for more safety advice

Christmas Pickers

2010-12-06T01:57:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all the students and residents who became Santa’s little helpers last Thursday.

Over 15 students and residents joined together with the Student Police Initiative to participate in a Christmas Pickers litter pick and a community safety walkabout.

The litter pick targeted areas around Cathays that the community had identified as needing clearing up. Over 12 full bags of rubbish (6 recycling and 6 waste) were cleared from green spaces and surrounding area.

The community safety walkabout ensured that students and non students were informed of key safety messages around this time of year. Reminding people to Lock it. Hide it. Keep it as well as Christmas holiday advice such as taking valuables home for the holidays and ensuring properties don’t become a target for burglary.

The optional choice of wearing red or a Santa’s hat brought Christmas cheer to the event which was organised in partnership with South Wales Polices’ Student Police Initiative, Keep Wales Tidy, Cardiff Student Union and cardiffdigs.co.uk

To learn more about the safety messages and the Student Police Initiative visit:
http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/lockithideitkeepit.htm