In the second half of our Review of the Year, reporter SAUL COOKE-BLACK looks back at news from between July and December

July

A DAD who was called the ‘miracle man’ after surviving a motorbike crash spoke of his determination to walk again.

Gareth Hughes, 36, fell off his bike on the B4235 between Chepstow and Usk, leaving him in a critical condition with a broken back in three places, broken ribs and sternum and punctured lungs.

Chepstow man Leslie Bennett left wheelchair-bound after having his lower leg amputated said he was forced to crawl around his home because adaptations were not carried out.

Scores of residents took part in a protest against plans to build a thermal waste treatment plant on an industrial estate near Portskewett.

It was announced that tolls on the Severn Bridge would be scrapped in 2018.

August

RUNNERS from across Wales descended on Caldicot for the launch of Monmouthshire’s parkrun.

More than one 100 runners and walkers, from as far away as Croydon and Poole, completed the 5k route.

Increased car parking charges at Severn Tunnel Junction were called a ‘disgrace’ by commuters.

The daily rate to use the facilities in Rogiet had risen from £3.60 to £4, infuriating daily users.

Tributes were paid to a “larger than life” Chepstow opera singer after he collapsed at a town council meeting.

The death of Karl Daymond, 52, was met with an immense outpouring of grief not only from his adopted town but from across Wales and the wider singing community.

Usk residents faced with speeding motorists on a daily basis feared not enough was being done to combat the problem.

Thousands of festival-goers braved inclement weather to enjoy Castell Roc at Chepstow Castle.

A packed line-up saw The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Band prove to be the main draw.

September

PUPILS and staff at Caldicot School walked through the doors of their new state-of-the-art school building for the first time.

The new facilities were made possible after more than £36million of investment from Monmouthshire County Council.

Hundreds turned out to pay tribute and celebrate the life of much-loved opera singer Karl Daymond.

Crowds lined Chepstow High Street to watch a procession as more than 600 people gathered at Karl Daymond Day.

Protestors opposing plans to build a thermal waste treatment plant near Caldicot disputed claims the facility is ‘unlikely’ to cause significant adverse effects on the environment.

October

VILLAGERS in Devauden were campaigning for the speed limit on a road leading into the village to be halved due to concerns over their children’s safety.

Parents were said to be facing a ‘daunting’ walk across the B4293 while putting their children on the designated bus stop opposite Tredean Lodge.

A man with a rare condition which caused him intense pain when exposed to sunlight said he was hoping to benefit from an experimental treatment if it is rolled out in Wales.

James Rawnsley, who has erythropoietic protoporphyruia (EPP), was hoping to benefit from a new treatment for the condition which affects around only 20 people in Wales.

A family carer said he was “frightened about the future” if plans to close a dementia ward at Chepstow Community Hospital go ahead.

Armand Watts who cares for his mother, Pauline, said he feared his family and hundreds of others would be hit under plans set out by Aneurin Bevan University Health Board to close the St Pierre Ward.

A village post office threatened with closure was saved, to the relief of the departing postmistress.

The future of Caerwent Post Office was previously in doubt after Sarah Woodfield had to resign, following a fibromyalgia diagnosis.

But the “community lifeline” service was taken over by Angelique Gittings, of Caldicot.

November

CONCERNS were voiced after new figures showed Chepstow Foodbank fed more people than ever before in the last financial year.

In 2016/17, the foodbank in Bulwark Industrial Estate fed 1,143 people - the highest number since it opened in 2012.

News that air pollution figures in Chepstow exceed global health guidelines was “not a revelation”, according to a campaigner.

Figures revealed by the World Health organisation showed emissions produced were on par with Cardiff and Birmingham.

A school governor said his school will have no option but to lose staff following the council’s refusal to increase the education budget.

Martyn Groucutt, a governor at King Henry VIII school and Abergavenny councillor, said the school could not afford textbooks or new technology because of budget restraints.

The long-awaited project to convert parts of the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road between Abergavenny and Brynmawr was 23 per cent - around £51m - over budget, it was said.

Economy secretary Ken Skates revealed the Welsh Government were in dispute with contractors Costain to ensure the firm were paid only for what they are contractually entitled to.

December

A GROUNDBREAKING scheme which could offer young women and girls in Caldicot cheap and reusable sanitary products was being considered by the town council.

The idea was put forward by Cllr Rachel Garrick at a council meeting in a bid to tackle “period poverty” in the area.

The Welsh Government’s plans to create a six-point strategy to help cut the growing air pollution levels in Wales were met with a lukewarm reception in Monmouthshire. Assembly members unanimously supported a motion which includes treating air pollution as a public health issue and providing guidance to health boards to alert people of pollution levels.

Chepstow was one of five locations in Wales to show damaging levels of pollution last year.

An MP called for action after hearing that “despairing” constituents were forced withstand cramped conditions on trains due to overcrowded services at Severn Tunnel Junction. Newport East MP Jessica Morden urged transport secretary Chris Grayling to “immediately” address the lack of carriages on offer by Great Western Railway for commuters between Rogiet and Bristol.

A community project to bring a railway station back to Magor was given further funding to develop the plans. Magor Action Group have been campaigning for a walkway station to be reinstated in the village for more than five years.