Author: Rhys Gregory

‘Socially responsible procurement, increased collaboration, greater community impact,’ these are just some of the core objectives of Ardal, a new innovative procurement service launched by Cardiff Council which will deliver its collaborative procurement partnership with Monmouthshire County Council, Torfaen County Borough Council, and the Vale of Glamorgan Council. The new collaboration has been formed to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving procurement landscape and to provide solutions in line with Welsh Government legislation, including the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act 2023. Ardal will harness the skills, knowledge and…

An artisan food company has clinched a major new listing to supply a top supermarket chain with Welsh gourmet crisps. Asda is now stocking three varieties from the Jones o Gymru 150g share bag range from Bwydydd Madryn (Madryn Foods) at 28 of its stores across Wales. Madryn has teamed up with two other iconic Welsh brands for the seasoning, Gwynedd-based South Caernarfon Creameries for the Dragon Cheddar Cheese and Onion hand cooked crisps and Halen Môn, from Anglesey, for the Sea Salt and Sea Salt and Vinegar flavours. All the crisps are made using Welsh potatoes from places like…

A former banking high flyer who returned to her roots in North Wales is on a mission to build 1,000 new homes. In a stellar career in the City of London, Helen Pittaway played a central role in mega, multi billion pound deals like the sale of Manchester United Football Club to the American Glazer family and she’s now applying her skills and financial acumen as the new chair of housing association Cartrefi Conwy. It’s brought life full circle for the mother-of-two who was raised in a former council house on the Elwy estate in Rhos-on-Sea which is now run…

Drop Bear Beer Co., the ground-breaking alcohol-free brewery based in Swansea, is rewriting the rules of the industry with its dynamic female married couple, Joelle and Sarah Drummond, who exemplify the spirit of ‘Work Hard and Play Hard’. Supported by a generous £2.1 million investment from Henry Engelhardt, the former CEO of Admiral, amongst 800 other investors, Drop Bear is poised to realise its vision of establishing itself as the first alcohol free brewery in Wales. Since its founding in 2019, Drop Bear has rapidly become one of the most prominent names in the UK’s alcohol-free craft beer scene. Joelle…

A tattooed vicar who loves make-up and false eyelashes is aiming to give viewers a slice of TV heaven on the Welsh version of Gogglebox. The Rev. Kirstie Griffiths, the unconventional cleric from Carmarthen, is among the newcomers on the second series of the hit S4C show, Gogglebocs Cymru. Joining her on the sofa is her sister, Annaly Jones, 42, who’s also from Carmarthen. Fifty-year-old Kirstie, who is married to a professional tattooist, got her first tattoo at the age of 35, a decade before deciding to train as a vicar, and enjoys nothing better than dressing herself up in…

Defib Dani, a short new cartoon animation, that aims to give people the confidence to use a defibrillator, during a cardiac arrest – the ultimate medical emergency, has been launched by Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK) today. Recent data shows that 61% of people say they aren’t confident enough to use a defibrillator, yet early defibrillation within 3–5 min of collapse can increase survival rates by as high as 50-70%. RCUK is on a mission to get the UK defib confident, to increase survival rates, and have created an engaging and informative cartoon animation starring Defib Dani – a green talking…

Clean energy solutions company Enviromena has energised its first solar farm in Wales at a 30 acre site at Bryngolwg Farm in Rhigos, Aberdare. The news follows the announcement that Enviromena has just completed a major equity raise of £65million, which will support the growth of its constructed and operational UK solar portfolio to over 500MW by 2025. The 8.99 MWp project at Bryngolwg will provide power to over 2,500 homes and will offset around 3,700 tonnes of carbon emissions per annum for 40 years. This will help to contribute to the Welsh Government’s target of achieving net zero in the Principality by 2050.…

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for fog with slower journey times and delays to bus and train services expected. Areas of fog are expected to continue to develop this morning becoming dense with visibility falling to below 100 m in places. This will lead to difficult driving conditions, slower journey times and some disruption. The fog will slowly clear after sunrise but may take until late morning to do so in a few locations. The weather warning is in place until 11am on Wednesday. Local areas affected in Wales Denbighshire Flintshire Powys Wrexham

AN ENERGY boss has reinforced calls to install solar panels on all new-builds and housing developments in Wales. And Gareth Jones, Vice President of the Federation of Master Builders for Wales, insists safety must be top priority following a series of incidents in past months, notably a solar panel battery fire on Anglesey. Gareth, Managing Director of award-winning Carbon Zero Renewables – part of the Carbon Zero Group based in Old Colwyn, St Asaph, Mochdre, Llandudno and Deeside – backed the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales’s (NICW) plea for a review of national building regulations. They say there must be…

In May 2023, Police received reports of a child in Prince of Wales Hospital, Bridgend having suffered a potential drugs overdose. Following enquiries, officers were able to locate the supplier and conducted urgent warrants at an address Mill Street, Maesteg, the home address of David Rodgers, 51. In total over £8,000 worth of cocaine and amphetamine over £2,200 worth of Cannabis was recovered from the address. Other drug paraphernalia including scales, drug supply bags were also seized. Detective Sergeant Lia Jones commented,“This highlights the clear dangers and impact drug dealing has on our communities. That is why we act upon…