Author: Rhys Gregory

Bodnant Garden, a National Trust Cymru garden in North Wales, is joining together with Forestry England to plant critically endangered Wollemi pine trees as part of the first global ‘metacollection’ to save the iconic species from extinction and help protect the biodiversity of wild trees.  More than 170 young Wollemi Pine trees grown by Botanic Gardens of Sydney were shipped from Australia and have been carefully looked after at Forestry England’s tree nursery at Bedgebury. Six were planted there on 31 October to become part of the living collection at the National Pinetum, while the remaining trees have been distributed…

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust and Glanusk Estate are proud to announce that the next installment of the prestigious Welsh Game Fair will take place over the weekend of 8-9 June 2024. This exciting event – a celebration of the Welsh countryside – is moving from the Vaynol Estate in Bangor, Gwynedd, to Glanusk Park near Crickhowell in the Usk Valley and will be known as The GWCT Welsh Game Fair at Glanusk. Championing rural life and people, businesses, skills, traditions and country activities seen and practiced throughout the whole of Wales – the event will showcase the enormous…

Following the successful opening of the Council’s first Wellbeing Centre in Lampeter earlier this year, residents are invited to share their views on the second Wellbeing Centre in the county. Residents are invited to share their views on what services and activities they would like to see offered at the Wellbeing Centre in Cardigan. Councillor Catrin M S Davies, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Customer Services, said: “The creation of Wellbeing Centres is a key aspect of the Council’s Corporate Strategy, and improving the health and wellbeing of our residents is a priority for us as a local authority.…

Poo from across North Wales is being used to heat homes and cook meals in Wrexham, an MS has heard. During a visit to Welsh Water’s wastewater treatment work in Ruthin, Llŷr Gruffydd, who represents North Wales in the Senedd, was told how human waste from the region is processed so it can be used by the National Grid. The Plaid Cymru politician described it as a “positive story for the circular economy in North Wales”. Staff from the water firm explained that chemistry is used to turn soluble phosphorous in waste water into a solid. The sewage sludge is…

In the latest of a trio of recent lettings totalling 7,000 sq ft at the Parmer Cardiff business campus in Cardiff Bay, Goldbeck Construction has signed to take space at the No 2 Caspian Point office building. Caspian Point comprises two high quality six-floor office buildings on the Parmer Cardiff Waterside estate, with 1 Caspian Point extending to 68,015 sq ft, and 2 Caspian Point 30,500 sq ft.  Joint letting agents Knight Frank and Cooke & Arkwright secured the tenancy on behalf of landlord Parmer Cardiff Waterside. Goldbeck Construction Limited has leased a 1,423 sq ft office on the 4th…

AN OPTICIANS in Caernarfon has invested £60,000 in a store refurbishment. Specsavers Caernarfon, located on Bridge Street, has installed new, state-of-the-art illuminated stands and digital displays, as well refreshing the store. The digital displays, which are visible from outside the store, allow customers to find out next available appointments and the latest offers in store. To celebrate the reopening of the new-look store, the team held a bake sale and dress up day in aid of Children in Need, raising £124.12. Specsavers Caernarfon director, Jenny Dogan, says: ‘It’s been absolutely fantastic to welcome our community into our new-look store. We…

A call is going out for people to have their say on Pembrokeshire County Council’s budget for the coming year, 2024-25. Like all other Councils in Wales, the Council continues to face significant budget pressures – especially in light of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. The Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Alec Cormack, encouraged all those interested in how the Council is funded and how it spends its funds to take part in the consultation. “It’s very important that we hear from as many people in Pembrokeshire as possible,” he said. “Like other Councils, we are once again facing significant…

Wales again secured high-quality results in 2023 with 98% of designated bathing waters meeting our stringent environmental standards. 80 of our 109 bathing waters achieved the highest classification of ‘excellent’. An ‘excellent’ classification is one of the essential criteria for obtaining a Blue Flag accreditation, one of the world’s most recognised voluntary eco-labels. Two beaches at Tenby North and Aberdyfi have moved up from ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ classifications, making them eligible to apply for the coveted Blue Flag status. Climate Change Minister, Julie James, said: “Wales is recognised internationally as having some of the best beaches and water quality in…

5 million free school meals have been served in primary schools across Wales as part of the Co-operation Agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru. Providing free school meals to all primary school pupils is a key commitment in the programme, which was signed two years ago. All primary school children and more than 6,000 nursery-age pupils attending a maintained school will be eligible for free school meals by the end of 2024. The second annual report about progress under the Co-operation Agreement has been published. Working together, the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru have delivered on a wide…

Narberth restaurant Annwn has received the latest in a string of accolades: inclusion on the prestigious worldwide restaurant selection, La Liste. The illustrious guide, based in Paris, uses reviews, guidebooks and chef’s recommendations to formulate a score out of 100. Annwn scored 90 which places it well up the thousand-strong list. Annwn’s chef patron Matt Powell says he is delighted with the result. “I was just looking through the list on Thursday morning when it came out. I wasn’t expecting to be on it at all, and then all of a sudden there we were,” he said. “It was mind…