A new lift bridge for the Newport stretch of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal

A new lift bridge has been installed on the malpas stretch of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. This will now allow boats to navigate under the bridge that is of course if there is any water in the canal. As you can probably see from the 2nd photo the water level is at least 1 to 2 foot below what it should be. The bridge is operated by 2 people one at either end, pulling down on the 2 extended metal green arms you can see in the photo. This will then tilt the bridge up allowing boats to pass underneath the bridge.

The Ryder Cup 2010 course at the Celtic Manor.

It's now only one week until the Ryder Cup starts at the Celtic Manor. Today we take you through the 2010 course, where team Europe will be looking to take back the Ryder Cup from team USA. Famous golfers like Lee Westwood, Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink will be battling it out in the three-day competition. Crowds of up to 50,000 people are expected at the tournament every single day.

Ryder Cup fans warned of banned items

Ryder Cup organisers have sent fans a hit-list of objects that are off-the-Ryder for next month’s golf tournament.

While smoke canisters, klaxons and glass bottles might seem obvious no-no’s – ticket holders have also been instructed not to pack frisbees, gazebos, in-line skates or deck chairs if they want to get in.

And if fans, who have shelled out up to £430 for a ticket, want to leave during the day they will not be allowed back in.

Organisers at Ryder Cup Europe have also banned visitors from taking mobile phones or cameras into the three-day tournament at the Celtic Manor in Newport for fear of distracting the players.

Golf fan Ceri John, of Cardiff, branded the rules “heavy handed”.

The 26-year-old said: “I can understand things like mobile phones because the players hate to have their photos taken and they think it distracts them, but it seems a bit heavy handed not to have a phone at all.

“What happens if there is some kind of emergency?

“I’m not going to let it spoil my enjoyment of the tournament though – as long as I’m allowed to take a brolly in then I’ll be fine.”

Organisers have also banned visitors from wearing clothes with advertising or political slogans, for fear of a repeat of the “ambush marketing” stunt seen during the Holland-Denmark match at this summer’s World Cup.

Some 36 women clad in orange mini-dresses were ejected from the game when Fifa bosses accused them of wearing the outfits to promote a brand of beer which was not one of the official sponsors.

It later emerged their tickets could have come from an allocation of a “substantial number” of tickets given to ITV football pundit Robbie Earle, which could have made their way into the hands of a third party.

When asked yesterday about worries over ambush marketing, a Ryder Cup spokesman said he had “nothing further to add”.

Speaking about the list of banned objects, he said: “With 45,000 attending The Ryder Cup each day, these restrictions, as itemised in the Spectators’ Guide, can assist security staff and reduce the waiting time for the public, who are keen to watch the golf.”

Meanwhile, drivers heading for the tournament from across the border have been urged to pay their Severn crossing tolls with cash, despite the introduction of credit and debit card payment options in time for the contest.

The machines are being installed after years of criticism about the lack of card payment facilities on the crossing. A permanent card payment system is expected to be introduced next year.

Norman Baker, UK Government transport minister, said: “The card payment system is being introduced in recognition of the large number of people from around the world who will be using the crossing for this event.

“However, as this will require road users to enter their pin number into a hand-held device, we encourage crossing users to pay with cash for the quickest transit.

“I am grateful to the staff of the Highways Agency who have worked hard to ensure this card system is in place.”

The event runs from October 1 to October 3.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/09/19/ryder-cup-organiser-issues-ticket-holders-with-a-list-of-banned-items-91466-27296133/

Newport City ready for Ryder Cup

In just weeks, all eyes will be on Newport as we host one of the top global sporting events - The 2010 Ryder Cup. In 2001 Newport won the rights to host the 38th Ryder Cup and that announcement has acted as a catalyst for huge change. Central to the regeneration is the city enhancement scheme -established to ensure that The Ryder Cup will leave a lasting legacy. Projects totalling £3-8m have been completed and work includes the restoration of landmark features, environmental enhancements, improvements to transport gateways and improved public spaces. At the start of 2010 the council set aside £125,000 which has been used to bring communities together by funding local projects and events. Those receiving funding include a five-a-side football tournament, village fetes, a garden party and treasure hunt. Another key part of the Newport Festival is a programme of spectacular activities for residents and visitors to enjoy. Events have been running throughout the year from city centre parades to spectacular eye-catching stunts on the River Usk. The city centre has also been given a splash of colour with temporary flagpoles, lamppost banners, tree wraps, hoardings, building wraps and shop window displays. The SuperDragons project is one of the highlights of the Newport Festival 2010 and has seen more than 100 dragon sculptures decorated and painted by local artists, arts groups and school children creating a fantastic trail of creativity across the city. Major regeneration projects including the £35m university campus in the city centre and the £20m railway station facelift are also helping to boost the city. Early this year, the council . launched a new bilingual curriculum into schools across Newport. In a world first, education officers created an exciting curriculum using golf and The Ryder Cup as a theme and all schools will be taking part from this month. Our sports development team continues to work with young people from all backgrounds to boost interest in golf and more than 1,200 primary school childrer have been introduced to golf. Three community festivals have taken place with more than 700 people taking part.

Ryder Cup Logistics How will people get to the event?

Spectators attending The Ryder Cup will need to travel to the Celtic Manor Resort by catching one of the special coaches that will be operating from the Park and Ride sites. There is no direct public or pedestrian access to the Celtic Manor Resort or the Golf Course site, even for holders of valid tickets. There are two Park and Ride sites, one situated at Tredegar House and the other at Llanwern. Spectators planning to attend the tournament must purchase a valid car park pass for their vehicle in advance of each day of attendance to gain access to the Park and Ride car parks. If you have not already booked, please visit www.seetickets.com/rydercupcarpark There will be designated drop-off and collection points at both car parks, but Llanwern is primarily intended for those coming from the east via M4 Junction 23a. The recommended Park and Ride site for Newport and Cardiff taxis or private hire cars is located at Tredegar Park. There will be no fee for taxis entering the car park to drop off passengers prior to them then using the free shuttle bus once they have had their tickets checked. There is no other way to access the Celtic Manor site by car unless utilising the park and ride facility. Buses will run from Tuesday – Sunday of event week from 6am until 9.30pm. To return to either of the Park and Ride sites, spectators will need to make their way back to the Public Bus Terminal at the course and take the next available shuttle bus back to the facility. For those arriving by train at Newport station, there is a bus shuttle service to the Celtic Manor Resort, only for train passengers, with security and ticket checks in place. The shuttle service costs £10 per person per day return. What roads will be affected by The Ryder Cup? The roads affected are Bulmore Road, Abernant Road and Catsash Road – these will be closed throughout the duration of the tournament. Bulmore Road is already closed due to the preparations for the tournament, though arrangements are in place for residents or those visiting residents on this road. During the event week all vehicles entering the area where roads are closed to the public will be given special vehicle passes to allow access. What if you don’t have tickets for the tournament, is anything happening in the city? There will be a Family Fun Zone in John Frost Square in the city centre with a giant screen relaying all the action as it happens live at the Celtic Manor Resort while there are activities for younger family members.

CHRISTMAS RAIL DISRUPTION CONFIRMED

Some major sections of the rail network including the area around Newport will be shut down over the Christmas and new year period because of engineering work, Network Rail (NR) has said. There will be 28 separate pieces of engineering work on Sunday December 27 while there will be 21 on December 28, then 16 on December 29 and 15 on December 30. But NR said that 8,000 more trains will run over the festive period than in the Christmas/new year 2008/09 period and that there will be 33% fewer replacement buses.Rail customer watchdog Passenger Focus welcomed the promise of less disruption this Christmas but said it was "regrettable" that the work affecting travel to and from South Wales was taking place over the festive period.

The Network Rail press release states "Bristol to Newport - 27/12 to 03/01 - the first phase of the £150m Newport area improvement scheme, which will deliver more reliable services for passengers throughout the region, will be completed over the Christmas break. The job entails modernising signal equipment, extensive rebuilding of tracks around Severn Tunnel Junction station and the building of a new platform. Preparatory work for the redevelopment of Newport Station ready for the Ryder Cup is also taking place. As a result the rail route into South Wales from Bristol and Gloucester will be closed over the Christmas / New Year period although four other routes into Wales from England remain open".

MOTHER OF TWO DIED FROM UNDIAGNOSED MENINGITIS

A mother-of-two died of meningitis after she was diagnosed with an ear infection, an inquest heard today. Gwent Coroner’s Court heard how Sarah Stitt, 36, of Magor visited numerous doctors over the course of a month complaining of severe earache. Mrs Stitt was admitted to the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, on February 8, 2009, after she and her husband Sean insisted that she be kept in because the pain was so bad, but she died within hours.A post-mortem examination revealed that she died of meningitis as a complication of infections in her inner ear and the bone behind her ear. Gwent Coroner David Bowen recorded a narrative verdict, describing the events that led to Mrs Stitt’s death. He said the treatment which partially resolved the inner ear infection had masked the fact there was an underlying infection of the bone behind her ear which, if diagnosed, would have raised the suspicion of meningitis.Meningitis, he said, was not diagnosed until after her death and so the opportunity to treat it was missed. She died after being in constant pain for a month, he said.

RAIL PASSENGERS DELAYED BY CARDIFF RAM RAID TRAGEDY

Rail passengers in Newport and Cardiff were delayed following a robbery in the Rumney area of Cardiff this morning. Two men were killed when a quad bike were hit by a train fleeing the scene of a shop burglary. Two hundred men's specialist outdoor jackets worth £40,000 were stolen from Go Outdoors in Newport Road, Cardiff. Police officers were called to the store just after 0400 GMT - around the time the men, both in their 20s, were hit on tracks in Rumney nearby.

British Transport Police said the quad bikes had been travelling east towards Newport when they were struck from behind. The passenger train involved was not carrying members of the public at the time, and had been making its way from the Canton depot in Cardiff to Cheltenham for servicing. The crash led to four rail lines being closed for some hours, disrupting morning commuters. Three have since been reopened but continuing delays are likely. A spokesperson for Network Rail said: "There was some damage to the track in the area of the collision".

A spokesman for South Wales Police said: "The line runs directly behind the store and is normally very quiet at night. It seems somebody came up with the idea of using quad bikes for the raid and to get away. Two people have paid with their lives and two others will have it on their conscience." The store backs onto the railway line which is used by quad bikers as an unofficial race track.

FLYNN NAMED WELSH MP OF THE YEAR

Paul Flynn Newport West Labour MP has been named MP of the Year in the Welsh Yearbook Welsh Politician of the Year Awards. The award was given to Flynn “for being unafraid of speaking his mind on issues like the war in Afghanistan”.

FARMER Darren Matthews PROSECUTED FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY

Farmer Darren Matthews has been found guilty of six different charges relating to bovines on his farm at Caerphilly Magistrates Court.On 30 November 2009, Matthews pleaded guilty to the charges, brought under the Cattle Identification (Wales) Regulations 2007 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Matthews was investigated and prosecuted by Newport City Council Trading Standards for causing a bovine unnecessary suffering, and failing to adhere to procedures regarding the identification of cattle.In April 2008, the farmer was investigated for an alleged animal welfare issue on a farm in Llanwern, Newport, this led to the discovery of six bovines in an adjacent field, and one bovine carcass. Owners of livestock have to keep records of all animals, and for bovines, passports. The investigation by Trading Standards found he failed to keep up-to-date records on livestock movement and retain passports. He also failed to notify the authorities of the death of a bovine. Matthews pleaded guilty and was ordered to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work, and pay costs of £3,000. In addition, he was disqualified from keeping cattle for 10 years.