Wales Vale of Glamorgan News

A woman has been rescued after falling overboard from a yacht off Barry Dock in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The skipper of the 35ft yacht raised the alarm at just after 7am this morning. The woman was struggling to get back on board but she was wearing a lifejacket and was attached to the boat.

The RNLI Barry Dock all-weather lifeboat along with the RAF search and rescue helicopter from Chivenor was sent to the scene. The woman was pulled out of the water by the helicopter and was flown to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff,

We cannot stress enough how important it is for people to be well prepared when they head out to sea.

These crew members were well equipped. I believe the correct use of DSC radio no doubt assisted in the swift recovery of this casualty, who was also wearing a lifejacket and was attached to the yacht.

We always advise people if they are going afloat for pleasure, working around water or fishing, they should wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid. It’s useless unless worn.

• UK
• Vale of Glamorgan

Glamorgan coach Matthew Mott says the side had to do 'a lot of soul-searching' ahead of the coming season after a disappointing result last year.

The Welsh county won just three games out of 16 in the County Championship Division Two, despite high hopes for success in all three competitions.

Since then some new faces have joined the squad, including Zimbabwean batsman Murray Goodwin and Australian bowler Michael Hogan, whose experience Mott hopes will help Glamorgan to success.

He told our sports reporter Nick Hartley: "We've done enough training, skill work and fitness work. We're as well prepared as we could hope - the rest is up to the boys on the field."

• Sport
• Glamorgan County Cricket Club
• Matthew Mott

It's one of the best known historic houses in South Wales.

Today, following a multi-million pound restoration scheme, Dyffryn House in the Vale of Glamorgan opened its doors to the public for the first time in seventeen years.

Sarah Powell went to take a look...

• UK
• Vale of Glamorgan

• UK
• Vale of Glamorgan

• The Vale of Glamorgan Council acquired Dyffryn House and Gardens after local government reorganisation in 1996
• Dyffryn House is a Grade II* Listed Building and the Gardens are Listed Grade I
• There are over 55 acres of gardens, including intimate garden rooms, formal lawns and seasonal bedding areas

• Dyffryn House and Gardens was one of the last country mansions to be built in Wales
• The current house was built in the late 19th Century

To find out more about the historic house and gardens, visit the National Trust Website.

• UK
• Vale of Glamorgan

A special opening ceremony will take place today to mark the first public opening of Dyffryn House and gardens since it was restored.

The house has benefitted from funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help restore five of its rooms and the gardens.

We are very pleased to open the House to the public at Dyffryn Gardens, our newest member of the National Trust family in Wales.

We hope people who visit will see how the work of many project partners has brought about such a splendid transformation. We are confident that today marks another significant step in our journey to see Dyffryn Gardens and House grow into a major tourist attraction in Wales and a special place loved and enjoyed by all.

• UK
• Vale of Glamorgan

Dyffryn House will reopen for the first time since its multi-million pound restoration. The historic house has never been fully opened to the public before, but today visitors will be able to explore its restored rooms for the first time.

Rooms on the ground and first floor will be open to allow visitors to enjoy views of the garden.

In January, the National Trust took over management of the house and gardens on a 50-year lease.

• UK
• Vale of Glamorgan

It defined many a family holiday for generations - now a £700,000 grant is set to breathe new life into the old Butlins site in Barry as part of a £3.3m regeneration project for the town.

Closed shops will be revamped and the Butlins site made into an events arena and car park until an investor can be found.

The investment comes during Wales Tourism Week, as those in the industry call for more effort to be put into raising Wales' holiday profile abroad.

The tourism sector currently employs more than 10% of the Welsh workforce - as our Business Correspondent Carole Green reports.

• UK
• Barry
• Vale of Glamorgan

The Minister for Regeneration says 'new life' could be breathed into Barry Island as a tourist destination.

Huw Lewis AM said: "The way people spend their time and money is different from the 1960s and 70s, but people are still looking for a quality day out. Barry has a fine beach... we need to make sure the facilities are here to match the natural environment."

The first tranch of a £3.3m investment from the Welsh Government has been announced, focusing on Barry Island.

The money will be used to regenerate the eastern half of the seafront and the old Butlins site.

• UK
• Huw Lewis AM
• Barry

The announcement of funding to help regenerate Barry Island comes in Tourism Week, with the industry campaigning to highlight the impact they have on Welsh economy. Nearly 10% of all jobs in Wales are in the tourism sector and it's worth an estimated £6.18 billion.

With a new tourism strategy for Wales being developed by the Welsh Government this year, it's important that the industry's voice is heard loud and clear. We have a superb tourism product here in Wales, but we need to make politicians and the public aware of just how important the industry is to the nation's long term future.

• UK
• Barry
• Vale of Glamorgan