NEW NURSERY: The new nursery block extension at Eveswell Primary School has been completed and is now in use. The cost of £120,000 has been funded by the Early Years Partnership to better meet the needs of the school's three-year-olds.

The Friends of Eveswell meet regularly to plan very successful events - a Mothers' Day shop raised £560, discos (£300) and an Easter egg hunt (£25). The Friends, chaired jointly by Jan Hussey and Linda Wilkins, have funded a whiteboard in a reception classroom.

The children raised £247 on Red Nose Day by wearing something red (and silly). Mrs Ellen Routley kindly purchased six trees for the bank at the front to celebrate her husband, John's, umpteenth birthday.

FULL STEAM AHEAD: All council meetings are interesting (I have to say that, don't I?).

However, some, as Napoleon Pig would say, are more interesting than others.

One particularly worthwhile recent meeting was a councillors' seminar with Network Rail about developments at Newport station.

The first part of the £5.5m project is nearing completion, with the scheduled July reopening of the extended platform 4. It will serve eight-coach high-speed trains and will be ready when the long-awaited Ebbw Vale link is opened.

The canopy cover is being completed, and signalling, passenger information, waiting rooms, lighting and security all improved.

There will be new passenger concourses each side of the station with modern-style footbridges, a bus interchange and multi-storey car park.

Especially good news is that the landmark station building, although not listed, will remain.

It is all so exciting that I wish I could afford to travel by train!