Author: Rhys Gregory

Bannau Brycheiniog National Park is paving the way for increasingly sustainable travel in Wales’s countryside, with the installation of 16 new electric vehicle (EV) charge-points – funded by BMW UK through its Recharge in Nature partnership with UK National Parks. In addition to enhancing the UK’s EV charging infrastructure, the partnership also sees the two organisations collaborate on nature restoration and community impact projects. The new charge-points, which are now live, are split evenly between Bannau Brycheiniog National Park’s Visitor Centre in Libanus and Craig-y-Nos Country Park. The installation means EV drivers can now top up their batteries while enjoying…

Forest Feastival has announced the full trader line-up for its five weekends of flavour. Running from 19 April to 19 May, Forest Feastival will return to the Merthyr Mawr Estate, bringing its family-friendly global feast to these unique woodlands by the sea. Two new food zones have been created to help visitors navigate the menu with a Wildfire area dedicated to chefs cooking over open flames and Feasts from the East showcasing the diversity of Asian flavours on offer. Traders include a mix of familiar Street Food Circus favourites alongside new arrivals like Bristol’s award-winning Gourmet Warriors, Brecon’s Hill’s Burgers…

A North Wales trailer maker has teamed up with TV presenter Matt Baker in a mission to give an aspiring farmer a “life-changing” opportunity. In his new Channel 4 series, Our Dream Farm with Matt Baker, the Countryfile and former The One Show presenter follows the journey of seven prospective farming tenants as they try to secure a 10-year tenancy with the National Trust. Over the course of eight, hour-long, episodes viewers will see the potential tenants being put through their paces in a series of rural tasks under the guidance of some of the country’s leading farming experts to…

A new fertility clinic is set to open in Pencoed, Bridgend bringing hope to those on the path to parenthood. Part-funded by a £350,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales, The Fertility Home has been set-up by cousins Merve Koca and Isabelle Beckmann, a Senior Clinical Embryologist with an MSc in Clinical Embryology from the University of Oxford. Based at Bocam Park, the new private clinic has a licence from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. With a dedicated theatre, laboratory and consultation rooms, fertility treatment services will include IVF, ICSI, IUI, and egg freezing and donation along with…

Cutting-edge technology, aircraft maintenance advancements, and pioneering aircraft recycling initiatives were seen by the UK Civil Aviation Authority as part of its engagement in Wales this week. The visit by the regulator’s Chair Sir Stephen Hillier, Chief Executive Rob Bishton, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority Board highlights the pivotal role Wales plays in shaping the future of air transport safety and sustainable operations. GE Aerospace, British Airways Maintenance, Wales Air Ambulance, and ecube were all visited as part of the two-day engagement. The visit coincided with a Civil Aviation Authority Board meeting held in Cardiff on Wednesday, and forms…

Swansea University has been awarded more than £2 million in research funding to look at the impact of climate change on mums-to-be. The £2.2 million research funding from Wellcome, echoes an international push to understand how mothers are dealing with climate change, particularly the effects of heat. It will focus on mums from deprived communities in Wales and in London, analysing linked temperature, maternal health data, and mum’s biological response to heat; and will invite mums to take part in focus groups and interviews. Principal Investigator Dr Richard Fry, from Swansea University Medical School, is leading the research team of…

Cardiff Council has honoured a man who saved City Hall from destruction when he tackled an incendiary bomb dropped on its roof during a German air raid during World War II. On the night of February 2, 1941, 16-year-old Ronald Brignall was walking home from college where he was studying for his plumbing qualifications. As he passed City Hall, the air raid sirens heralded the onset of a German bombing attack and he saw an incendiary bomb land on its roof. With no thought for his own safety, he grabbed two sandbags and, holding one under his arm and another…

Plans to make Swansea’s historic Oystermouth Castle even more welcoming to visitors have taken an important step forward. Funding has been secured to undertake a feasibility study into a range of innovations at the attraction. It could lead to the creation of a new reception area, shop, education facilities, exhibition area and visitor toilet. The £148,020 grant was obtained by volunteer group The Friends of Oystermouth Castle through Swansea Council’s share of the Shared Prosperity Fund, part of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda. Friends chair Paul Lewis said: “This grant will allow our members to realise our ambitions for…

A brand new walkers’ bridge in picturesque Pwll Du Bay has opened in good time for visitors to sample some of the finest springtime scenery on Gower An old concrete bridge has been replaced with a wider, more user-friendly wooden and steel bridge that’ll welcome walkers for years to come. The new purpose-built £15,000 bridge will make for an easier and much more attractive crossing for users of the busy Gower coast footpath network that’s part of the Wales Coast Path. The 10m bridge of oak cladding on a steel sub-structure was installed by a Gower-based contractor with support from…

The Hive Guys Youth Project, funded by the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Youth Service, recently collaborated with local artists, Hurts So Good, to create a mural at the community centre. The youth group host weekly meetings for young people in the Vale at Buttrills Community Centre in Barry, which had previously been defaced by a graffiti tag. Young people involved with the Hive Guys Youth Project collaborated with Hurts So Good and community centre users to create a mural design that would replace the graffiti and better represent the local community. Once the design was ready, the Hive Guys Youth…