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The Update: 09 May 2025
Here is your Friday update, covering:
- Holocaust survivor receives Peace Award from Cardiff on historic VE Day anniversary
- Travel advice for Bristol Bears vs Bath on Saturday May 10 in Cardiff
- Vape Shop Fined Over £10,000 for Selling Illegal Tobacco Products and Breaching Health & Safety Offences
- Cardiff's urban forest grows by another 36,000 trees
Holocaust survivor receives Peace Award from Cardiff on historic VE Day anniversary
In a poignant and symbolic gesture, the Rt Hon Lord Mayor of Cardiff Cllr Helen Lloyd Jones has awarded a Personal Peace Award to Eva Clarke, a Holocaust survivor whose birth coincided with the final days of World War II.
This special recognition, granted on the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, underscores the remarkable journey of Eva Clarke, who was born in Mauthausen concentration camp, Austria, on April 29, 1945, just days before the war ended on May 8, 1945.
Eva Clarke's survival was nothing short of miraculous. The camp's gas chambers were blown up on April 28, 1945, and the Americans liberated Mauthausen just days after Eva's birth. Tragically, most of her family had been murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau, including three of her grandparents, her father, uncles, aunts, and her 7-year-old cousin, Peter. Eva and her mother were the only survivors of their family.
Throughout her life, Eva has worked tirelessly with the Holocaust Educational Trust to raise awareness of the horrors of the Holocaust and to condemn genocides wherever they occur. She participated in this year's Holocaust Memorial Day event in Cardiff and her dedication to sharing her family's experiences has been invaluable to ensure that the atrocities of the past are never forgotten and that future generations learn the importance of tolerance, understanding, and human rights.
Travel advice for Bristol Bears vs Bath on Saturday May 10 in Cardiff
The Bristol Bears will be taking on Bath this Saturday for the Big Day Out at Principality Stadium.
With the kick-off taking place at 3.05pm - there will be a full city centre road closure from 11am until 7pm to ensure all ticket holders can get into and out of the stadium safely.
The M4 motorway is expected to be very busy due to this rugby match - so please plan ahead - and avoid the congestion in Cardiff by using the park & ride at the car park by the Vindico Arena on International Drive in the Sports Village - CF11 0JS.
For up to date traffic information on the motorway and trunk roads go to the Traffic Wales website, or @TrafficWalesS on Twitter and Facebook.
Gates open at 1pm, those attending the rugby match are strongly advised to plan their journey and get in early. Please pay attention to the prohibited items listed at principalitystadium.wales, in particular the bag policy (no large bags permitted) before travelling into the city.
Vape Shop Fined Over £10,000 for Selling Illegal Tobacco Products and Breaching Health & Safety Offences
The owner and director of Best One Vape on Clifton Street in Cardiff has been ordered to pay over £10,000 for breaching a number of health and safety offences as well as selling counterfeit tobacco and illegal vapes.
Sirwan Nuri Kadri, 37, of Clifton Street Cardiff appeared at Newport Magistrates' Court on April 29th to be sentenced for five illegal tobacco and e-cigarette offences and two health and safety offences relating to live electrical wires that were found protruding out of walls at the back of his business.
Prior to the hearing last Tuesday (April 29th), the owner and director of the business, Mr Kadri pleaded guilty to illegal tobacco and e-cigarette offences at a previous hearing on 23rd January 2025. The health and safety offences that were heard in court last Tuesday related to an unstable fridge at the business, with reports of a number of live electrical wires exposed at the rear of the property causing an immediate threat to life.
An improvement Notice was issued by Shared Regulatory Services as soon as the live electrical wires were found and it was made clear that the issues had to be resolved by a competent person, while making it clear that a Prohibition Notice could be served on the property if the work wasn't carried out.
Cardiff's urban forest grows by another 36,000 trees
An urban forest project developed by Cardiff Council as part of its ‘One Planet Cardiff' response to climate change has planted 36,526 new trees in the last 7 months.
This season's planting, which included 280 new semi-mature trees on Cardiff's streets and another 1,144 semi-mature trees in green spaces around the city, means that over 118,500 trees have been planted since the Coed Caerdydd (Cardiff Forest) project began in late 2021.
Oak, Rowan, Hawthorn, Alder, Beech and other native species were some of the most planted trees this year, but the project also saw the reintroduction of rare ‘Gabalva' apple trees to the city for the first time in around 100 years.
