Latest news with #RachelMorgan
ITV News
30-05-2025
- General
- ITV News
Aqua Park to be installed at a popular beauty spot despite opposition from more than 2,000 people
An inflatable water park is set to be installed at a popular beauty spot despite opposition from more than 2,000 people. Vale of Glamorgan Council has approved the use of the eastern lake at Cosmeston Country Park, Penarth, to pilot the new Aqua Park attraction ahead of the school summer holidays. It follows the announcement that Aqua Park Cardiff won't be re-opening this summer in Cardiff Bay due to poor water quality. It is expected that the Aqua Park will open in its new location on Saturday 5th July 2025, and will remain open until mid-September. It will feature an inflatable obstacle course, including climbing walls, trampolines and giant slides. Cllr Bronwen Brooks, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Sustainable Places, said: 'The Aqua Park will be another great addition to the already fantastic offer at Cosmeston Country Park as the Council continues to promote sustainable tourism and leisure activities in the area. 'Consultation with residents through the Council's placemaking work has shown there is appetite locally - particularly among young people - for more varied leisure activities, and the re-introduction of water-based activities at Cosmeston will help us to ensure that our Country Parks are for everyone. 'Trying new things is at the heart of what we do as an ambitious Council, and this pilot could also enable further income opportunities for our Country Parks – especially in supporting the re-wilding and conservation work already underway at Cosmeston. Locals previously raised concerns and started a petition. Rachel Morgan, who started the petition, said: 'For years, Cosmeston Lake has been officially deemed unsafe for swimming, raising serious concerns over the safety measures underpinning the Aqua Park's proposal. 'Contained within this park are some of Penarth's most diverse and fragile ecosystems, home to numerous species of wildlife. The recent proposal to introduce an Aqua Park this coming summer poses a significant and direct threat to this refuge.' Cosmeston Lake Country Park contains areas designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), protected by law against damage from development or damaging management practices due to the rare and diverse plants and animal species found there. Home to swans, mallards and otters among other waterfowl, 25.6 hectares of the lake also hold SSSI status to protect the endangered starry stonewort plant. And in 2019, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) completed a four-year reintroduction project of water voles to the lake, which are a protected species in the UK. While the east side of the lake has been used in the past for water-based leisure activities such as boating, paddle boarding and canoeing, local residents fear that relocating the aqua park there will threaten public health, swimmer safety, as well as the wildlife and habitats in and around the lake. The Vale of Glamorgan Council says it has worked with a number of partner agencies to ensure that the lake is safe for Aqua Park visitors to enjoy – including a detailed programme of water testing work - and there will be on-site security to reduce any opportunities for anti-social behaviour – including unauthorised camping, lighting of fires, vandalism, fly-tipping. Connor James, founder of Aqua Park Cardiff, said: "The Country Park is a fantastic venue for our exciting watersport experience, perfect for supervised adventure and family fun. With an exciting new course of obstacles, we can't wait to welcome visitors to our incredible new home. "We are also really excited to be playing our part in giving people and families much-needed access to active outdoor experience, in a controlled and supervised environment to help boost their physical and mental well-being. "With household budgets likely to be limited again this year, we've got an amazing offer on our Aqua Park Season Passes, which means people can book up to twice a week for the whole summer giving families an easy and cost-effective way to keep the kids active throughout a staycation summer.' All visitors to Aqua Park Cardiff will be provided buoyancy aids, but must be aged six and over, 1.2m tall and able to swim 25 metres unaided to take part.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
These are the 2025-26 WVU Mountaineer Mascot finalists
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — Four finalists will compete in a cheer-off this month to see who will become the 71st West Virginia University Mountaineer. The following students have been chosen by a selection committee based on their applications. They will all don the buckskins and coonskin caps during the WVU men's basketball game against TCU on Feb. 25, and the winner will be announced during the on March 8. Justin Waybright, from Parkersburg, is a senior majoring in mining engineering who serves as the 2024-25 alternate Mountaineer mascot. He is a three-year member of the Gold Cheer Team, a member of the Society of Mining Engineers and the president of the Mine Rescue Team in the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. Does the WVU Mountaineer Mascot have to be from West Virginia? Rachel Morgan, a senior marketing major with minors in professional sales and strategic social media from Bridgeport, serves as a student video intern for the WVU football team and as a member of the Project 168 Society and Delta Gamma, where she engages in various community service projects, and professional and leadership development. She is also the secretary of the Country Line Dancing Club and a former 4-H Extension camping instructor. Cade Kincaid, a member of the Honors College from Fayetteville, is a junior accounting major minoring in finance, business data analytics, and business ethics and prosperity. He serves as a peer mentor and ambassador for the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics and as a member of Delta Sigma Pi, where he engages in various community service projects to benefit the Ronald McDonald House and Empty Bowls Monongalia. Thaiddeus 'Ted' Dillie, from Weirton, is a third-year medical student at the WVU School of Medicine who served as the 2019-20 alternate Mountaineer mascot. A first-generation college student and recipient of the Order of Augusta, he earned his bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 2020 and a Master of Business Administration in 2021 from WVU. Dillie volunteers his time to the No One Dies Alone Program and Camp Kno-Koma, a summer camping experience for children with Type 1 diabetes in and around the state of West Virginia. You can read quotes from each of the finalists here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
