Author: Alice Gregory

This Christmas, voco® St David’s Cardiff is pulling out all the stops to offer a magical and luxurious festive experience. Known for its stunning views over Cardiff Bay and exceptional hospitality, the five-star hotel invites guests to indulge in a series of unforgettable events, from festive afternoon teas to dazzling party nights and a grand Christmas Day feast. The landmark hotel is promising to deliver the perfect setting for every festive occasion, whether it’s celebrating with friends, family, or colleagues. The highlight of the season is the series of Festive Party Nights, where guests can enjoy a festive cocktail on…

The pet retailer will be showing off Christmas ranges in central Cardiff on Monday 28 October ahead of new store opening at City Link Retail Park on 30 November. Jollyes now has other South Wales stores nearby in Llanelli, Merthyr Tydfil and Newport. Award-winning pet retailer Jollyes will be opening its first Cardiff location at the end of November – but is giving new customers a sneak peek at what’s in store in Cardiff City centre this coming Monday, 28 October. From 9.00am to 4.00pm, the Jollyes team will be on Churchill Way outside NatWest showing off some of the…

British women’s fashion brand Sosandar is set to open its first Welsh store at St David’s Cardiff. Originally starting out as an online retailer, Sosandar has become one of the fastest-growing fashion brands in the UK, creating quality, trend-led products for women of all ages. Co-founded by two friends with more than 20 years’ experience in fashion magazines, Sosandar has an in-house design studio and offers affordable clothing in sizes 6 to 20, from both casual and occasion wear to footwear and accessories. St David’s will be home to Sosandar’s fourth store as part of its plans for 50 new…

Theatr Clwyd’s redevelopment has now raised the highest amount by a theatre in Wales and received the biggest ever single gift made to a cultural organisation from the Moondance Foundation. The total from trusts, foundations and private philanthropy now stands at over £5.3m. Executive Director Liam Evans-Ford said: When you start work towards projects of this scale the funding is a daunting prospect, indeed we were advised based on precedent that in Wales we would be unlikely to raise much more than £2m. Due to the amazing people involved in the project, and with the belief and support of high…

Two men have been sentenced after they admitted to interfering with a badger sett with a dog in Gwynedd. Anthony Lloyd Wilkinson of Llanllyfni and Stephen Lee Jones of Caernarfon, appeared at Caernarfon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 16 October. They both pleaded guilty to two offences under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 in that ‘on or about 7 January’ the the area of Garndolbenmaen they interfered with a badger sett by causing a dog to enter, and they interfered by digging the sett. At the hearing they were both sentenced by the District Judge to 12 weeks custody which…

Leading energy efficiency company, Consumer Energy Solutions (CES), has announced it will be offering a two-year apprenticeship in NVQ Level 3 in Insulation & Building Treatments. In contrast to regular apprenticeships, Swansea-based CES will be paying National Minimum Wage per age bracket to ensure fair compensation as the apprentices develop their skills and experience to accelerate their careers. In addition, to improve accessibility, CES will provide an Internal Wall Insulation Apprentice Starter Kit to all apprentices, including PPE, key tools and storage items, as well as offering a £25 per night stay-away allowance. The two-year course will start by covering…

A Wrexham woman has been disqualified from keeping all animals for three years after she admitted to causing unnecessary suffering to her young dog – whose dead body was found in an emaciated condition. Stacey Louise Ince-Stamp of Wrexham, appeared at Wrexham Magistrates’ Court on 8 October for sentencing after previously pleading guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act. The offence was that she caused unnecessary suffering to a male brown cross Weimaraner type dog, named Dougie, by failing to investigate and address the causes of his poor bodily condition, weight loss and sickness. At sentencing she was…

A Welsh TV production company has sold a hard-hitting programme tackling mental health problems affecting children and their families to the Czech Republic. Two series of the ground-breaking drama, Bex and BEXtra, which were first shown on S4C have been snapped up by the public service broadcaster, Česká televise, which runs six channels in the East European country. The live action show was devised and made by Nia Ceidiog’s award-winning production company, Ceidiog, which specialises in making TV shows for children. The deal was brokered by UK-based sales house Videoplugger which has a strong track record in selling programmes in…

A national beauty pageant established to raise morale in the aftermath of World War 2 has just crowned its 79th winner in a glittering sold-out ceremony at Leicester’s Athena.  Despite having not been televised since the 1980’s, The Miss Great Britain competition, which began in Morecambe the Summer of 1945 as the ‘Bathing Beauty Queen’ contest, has seen a huge surge in applicants in 2024, attracting thousands of hopefuls which were whittled down to 68 women across three divisions.  Across the two days, the finalists showcased their charity, talent and publicity efforts and took part in private interviews with an…

Age Cymru West Glamorgan, a leading charity serving Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, and Bridgend, has announced the launch of its new digital services aimed at improving the wellbeing of older people and their carers. As part of this initiative, the charity is actively seeking volunteers to help deliver these innovative services and make a meaningful difference to the lives of local older people. In a rapidly evolving digital world, the charity is offering an exciting range of digital support services designed to help older adults and their families build confidence online. Whether it’s staying connected with loved ones through social…