Author: Rhys Gregory

More businesses are showing their support for a campaign aimed at raising awareness of everything there is to see and do in Swansea city centre. Led by Swansea Council, the Enjoy Your City Centre campaign started in September and will run until the spring of 2024. Videos forming part of the campaign on the council’s Facebook and Instagram pages have already been watched close to 50,000 times. Some of the businesses to have recently featured in the campaign include Founders and Co on Wind Street, Basekamp on Kings Lane, The Entertainer in the Quadrant Shopping Centre, and The Gamers’ Emporium…

National Trust Cymru are seeking a new tenant for the Dolaucothi Arms in the village of Pumsaint, Carmarthenshire. The conservation charity is looking for tenants who are passionate about heritage, people and the local landscape to develop a new business at the centre of a rural Welsh community. The Trust are promoting the vacancy as an open opportunity, which could include continued use as a pub. They are inviting expressions of interest from anyone with a vision that will give the building a bright and sustainable future. The traditional Grade II listed Inn is at the heart of the village…

Age Cymru is launching its winter resilience campaign Spread the Warmth to highlight the ways people can keep warm to stay safer and in better health this winter.   The charity says warmth is a basic need which we all require alongside food, water, and rest, to survive.    The campaign is underpinned by its newly updated guide Winter Wrapped Up that explores what you can do to get yourself and your home ready for winter, as well as where to go for more information and support.   The guide provides recommendations on arranging safety checks on your heating system, and how to…

Six blocks of flats nearing the end of their lives have been transformed using innovative retrofit design and building techniques in a £16 million project. County Flats at Sandfields Port Talbot, owned and managed by Housing Association Tai Tarian, have been given a new lease of life adding 55 new living spaces in an attractive, modern setting.  The transformation has been possible using an imaginative approach which retains the essential structure of the flats, greatly reducing the environmental impact of the work. Architect Dennis Hellyar of DHA Architects explained that the project had delivered the maximum benefit for tenants while…

A new, independent bar and kitchen based in Pontcanna’s Laundry Quarter (Llandaff Road) will open its doors for the first time at midday on Wednesday 8th November. Outpost is an 85 cover, all-day venue which promises to take visitors from their morning coffee right through to working lunch, dinner and drinks. The interior of the brand-spanking new venue draws on the industrial feel of warehouse venues in Brooklyn, New York – combining elements of urban grit, with vintage charm and modern design. Raw materials like exposed brick and concrete floors are mixed with soft furnishings and details – like contrast stitched leather seating…

Young people across Wales are being encouraged to consider green careers to help reach the country’s net zero target by 2050. According to a recent report by WorldSkills UK and the Learning and Work Institute, the majority of young people are strongly motivated to fight climate change and feel inspired to pursue a career that can help the UK reach net zero. But despite this, there’s a lack of awareness of ‘green skills’ and ‘green jobs’ amongst young people and only 13% of companies are fully confident that they have the skills to successfully compete in a sustainable economy. Together,…

Nine tourism projects have secured over £3million from the Development Bank of Wales in the first half of 2023/24 from the dedicated Wales Tourism Investment Fund as demand for funding gains momentum post Covid-19. Since its launch in 2020, the Wales Tourism Investment Fund has supported 17 different companies with £15.3 million made up of £13.81 million in loans and £1.1 million grant funding from Visit Wales. Co-investment is £6.7 million. Launched specifically to support stand-out tourism projects that add value to the rural and local economies of Wales, the Wales Tourism Investment Fund offers loans between £100,000 and £5…

On Thursday night, 26 October, a new network, ‘Creative West Wales’, was launched at Canolfan S4C Yr Egin.   This new network aims to represent and engage the creative industries in the region, namely the counties of Swansea, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Neath Port Talbot. Creative West Wales’s initial priority is to focus on the growth of the screen, music, digital and research and development sectors. As part of the launch, there was a special preview of a new S4C documentary series by the local production company Carlam, “Ceffylau, Sheiks a Chowbois”, which follows a family’s story from Ffairfach to…

To mark the end of the Future Energy Wales conference, where collaboration has been a central theme, Marine Energy Wales (MEW) and RenewableUK Cymru (RUKC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, outlining their commitment to work together to accelerate the clean transition in Wales. MEW and RUK, both membership organisations, are committed to supporting the renewable energy industry in Wales, and to realising the economic and environmental opportunities for Welsh communities. Marine Energy Wales has its roots in the marine renewable energy sector in Wales, representing the tidal, wave and floating offshore wind (FLOW) industries. RenewableUK Cymru has specific interests…

Seven cross pug puppies have been found abandoned in a wet cardboard box in New Tredegar, prompting an urgent RSPCA appeal for information. The eight-week old pups were found on a mountain pass on 31 October and were handed into a vets before the RSPCA were contacted. RSPCA animal rescue officer Carl Hone said: “Unfortunately we don’t know much about this abandonment, as the contact number for the person who took them to the vets isn’t working. “The puppies all appear healthy – and may even come from two different litters as two of the seven are bigger than the…