REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2016: September and October

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MORE than a decade after the project was first envisaged, it was announced that work will begin early in 2017 on Gwent's long-awaited Specialist and Critical Care Centre (SCCC).

The approval of more than a third of a billion pounds of funding, announced by Health Secretary Vaughan Gething during a visit to Cwmbran, was greeted with delight by Aneurin Bevan University Health Board chiefs.

The SCCC will be built on land on and around the former Llanfrechfa Grange Hospital site, which has lain dormant for approaching two years, after preparatory work for the £350 million project was completed.

The full business case for the 460-bed hospital - to serve a population of 600,000 in Gwent and south Powys, and expected to open during 2021 - had been with the Welsh Government for more than a year and was subject to a review in the summer.

Mr Gething pledged earlier in October that he would be the last of several health ministers involved in a project formally unveiled in 2004, having been discussed the previous year by NHS bodies in Gwent.

The project weathered economic downturn and recession in the mid-2000s, during which a halt was called to planning and design work for almost two years, and has been subject to a number of reviews and delays.

But it has always been vindicated as a sound model for acute hospital services for Gwent, and as part of wider NHS provision across south Wales.

Defending the level of scrutiny and time that went into reaching a decision on the project, particularly during the past year, Mr Gething told the Argus it had been vital the Welsh Government was assured that the SCCC is the right means of delivering modern, improved hospital services.

"There's a lot of money involved. In times when less money is available it is a big choice to make, but we have made it," he said.

Health board chief executive Judith Paget said the announcement was "great news for patients, staff and communities across Gwent."

"The idea of the SCCC has stood the test of time and it will be good to get on with delivering it," she said.

The hospital will provide major emergency treatment and assessment, critical care and acute cardiac beds, and cardiac catheterisation labs.

Inpatient services will handle major cases, with specialties such as general surgery, medicine, orthopaedics, haematology and vascular care.

There will also be inpatient obstetrics, midwifery- and consultant-led services, gynaecology, emergency endoscopy, inpatient paediatrics, neonatal intensive care, emergency diagnostics, radiology, CT and MRI scanning, ultrasound, pathology, pharmacy, and an education centre for staff training.

September 19

THE South Wales Argus declared "it is time to back our city" by launching the We're Backing Newport campaign, to accentuate the city's positives, celebrate its achievements, and highlight its potential.

Declaring war on negativity about the city, we pledged to laud its transformation in recent years - a process that continues apace - and to foster a sense of pride and optimism.

"In recent years, Newport has proved itself time and time again. As a city, we can think big and deliver big," declared our opening campaign salvo.

"Transformation of the riverfront, the opening of Friars Walk, and the arrival of major employers like Admiral have changed the face of the city centre - though there is much work still to be done."

During the following days and weeks, key organisations and businesses have been keen to lend their support.

Newport City Council, the University of South Wales, the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport City Homes, Newport Live, Newport Now, Specsavers, Tovey Bros, Roberts and Co, New Adventure Travel, Rougemont School, George Street Furnishers, Middleton Mobility and Malmo Hearing were among a varied range of organisations to come on board early - and they have been joined by dozens of others as the campaign has progressed.

The Argus has also focused on promoting some of the city's key assets, including sporting facilities and clubs, an expanding range of eateries, music and entertainment, and varied and fascinating countryside.

Perhaps most pleasing of all though, has been the response from the people of Newport, who have told us why they love their city and what are their hopes for it.

The picture that has emerged is of a friendly city about which there is more of a buzz at present than for some considerable time.

That is what the We're Backing Newport campaign wanted to tap into and help promote, all along. This is a great city, and its people, schools, businesses, charities and the countless other organisations that make it tick, will help it to stay that way.

September 1

A TORFAEN church decided to take an unusual and organic approach to clearing up its overgrown graveyard.

St Peter's Church in Blaenavon has had difficulties for many years in maintaining its cemetery, as it relies on volunteers or the relatives of those buried there to help keep it trim, because it is not the responsibility of the council.

Enter the Anglo-Nubian goats owned by Nick and Sally Prewett-King of Abersychan, who were able to supplement their oats, wheat and berries diet with a healthy helping of graveyard greenery.

It was expected to take three or four months of visits by the goats to get the graveyard looking pristine again.

September 5

A GROUP of amateur photographers began a project with a dark side - to capture images of nocturnal Newport.

Using the Twitter hashtag #NewportAtNight they began to share photographs of the city's lit landmarks and landscapes.

"We want to raise the profile of Newport as a community, and everything within it," said 17-year-old Callum Hiscott, from Caerleon, who started the campaign.

He added that his aim is to stage an exhibition of some of the photographs that have been shared.

September 6

It was a case of a new year, a new look, for pupils at the newly christened John Frost School - formerly Duffryn High - in Newport.

A new purple blazer and a new motto, Carpe Diem (Seize The Day), were among the innovations at the school, which as well as a rebranding is also undergoing a major site refurbishment, as part of a wider development that includes a new Welsh secondary school.

It was also a new dawn for pupils of the former Oakdale and Pontllanfraith comprehensive schools, who now attend a new school, Islwyn High. This is spread across the two former schools' existing sites until a £24m new school is completed at Oakdale.

September 8

READERS could have been forgiven for seeing triple as the Argus featured Ffion, Paige and Madison Gilbert as they prepared for their first day at nursery school.

The three-year-old triplets, from Pontypool, joined their big sister Faye, aged eight, at the town's George Street primary school.

Colour coding of the girls' hairbands and hair bobbles - fuchsia for Ffion, mint for Madison, and purple for Paige - was key to the preparations made by parents Ian and Karen Gilbert for the big day.

"They have had their colours since babies, and we have informed the teachers. The girls have their names on their cardigans to help reduce the chance of any confusion," said Mrs Gilbert.

September 12

SIX weeks of travel disruption began for thousands of rail users in south Wales, as the Severn Tunnel was closed for vital improvement works as part of preparations for the electrification of the South Wales-London main line.

Around 200 Network Rail engineers began the task of installing electrical equipment along the tunnel's 4.4-mile length.

Closure was deemed necessary to shorten dramatically the amount of time that the installation would take, but the result was delays for commuters from both sides of the Severn, with diversions and bus replacements adding up to 45 minutes to journeys.

The tunnel reopened on October 22.

September 17

A NEW structure was hoisted into position to replace the former road bridge over the railway at Bridge Street, Newport.

A special crane was used to manoeuvre the 560-tonne bridge deck into position in the early hours.

Around 30 onlookers stayed up past their bedtimes to watch the spectacle, required as part of preparations for the rail electrification project.

September 22

POLICE officers armed with Tasers stormed the hotel room of an innocent Gwent man in a mix-up caused by his name being the same as that of a wanted man.

Richard Jones, aged 53, from Oakdale, told the Argus he was taking a shower at Cardiff's Radisson Blu ahead of going to a charity event with his wife 12 days earlier, when armed officers burst into the bathroom.

It was only after he told them that he had a different middle name to the man they were seeking, and a photograph of the wanted man had been checked, that the mistake was confirmed.

Mr Jones, who runs the Goytre Arms at Penperlleni, made a formal complaint to Gwent Police. A force spokeswoman said officers acted "in good faith."

October 1

THOUSANDS of shoppers defied an early autumn downpour to sample the delights available at Newport's sixth annual food festival.

Everything from cakes to Thai curry, craft beers and flavoured coffee, was on sale at more than 80 stalls across the city centre.

The festival was sponsored this year for the first time by Newport's Tiny Rebel brewery, and has cemented its place a highlight in the city's calendar.

October 4

THE seemingly never-ending saga of the M4 Relief Road project suffered another setback as it was announced that a public inquiry intended to begin in November was delayed until the end of next March.

Welsh Government economy and infrastructure secretary Ken Skates blamed the UK Government - which had introduced a revised method of traffic growth forecasting - for the delay.

He called it "hugely disappointing" but claimed that the project could still be completed on schedule by 2021.

The inquiry, when it does go ahead, is expected to last for five months.

October 8

GRAHAM Westley was appointed as manager of League Two Newport County AFC following the sacking of previous boss Warren Feeney, and began the task of preventing the club from dropping out of the Football League.

The 48-year-old former manager of Stevenage Athletic, whom he took from the Conference to League One, before a spell at Peterborough United, was bullish about the prospects of the club avoiding the drop.

And two days after his appointment, he told the Argus he believed in bottom-of-the-table County's players, and it was "just a question of harnessing them, forging a way that they all believe in."

October 19

A £3.7 million redevelopment plan for the long-derelict 1,185-acre former industrial site at The British, Talywain, was approved by Torfaen council.

Funding for the project includes a Welsh Government grant of up to £1.7m, with the council to buy the site from owner HSBC for £300,000.

Campaigners have fought a 30-year battle to end private ownership of one of the largest sites of industrial dereliction left in south Wales.

Councillor Giles Davies called the project "a once-in-a-generation opportunity" to make the site safe and rid the area of "the shadow of opencast."

October 22

THE Welsh Georgian Trust secured six-figure funding to help it save a rare and hidden 17th Century Catholic chapel in the roof space of a Grade Two listed building in Abergavenny.

The chapel at the town's Gunter Mansion was only rediscovered in the 20th Century after being 'lost' for more than 200 years.

It was used for Catholic services by priests David Lewis and Philip Evans in defiance of a Government ban on Catholicism. The pair were arrested and executed in 1679.

Trust chairman Andrew Beckett called the chapel "a fascinating and important part" of the area's history.

October 26

THE first set of figures for speeding offences after the enforcement of variable speed limits on the M4 around Newport was introduced, revealed that almost 240 motorists were caught during the first three days.

Enforcement began earlier in the month, on a section from junction 24 (Coldra) to junction 28 (Tredegar Park), after a lengthy period during which variable speed limits were merely displayed.

The system was introduced in 2011 in a bid to cut congestion and improve road safety. Variable speed limits on the motorway around Newport can range from 20-70mph, depending on factors such as volume of traffic and ongoing incidents.