Author: Rhys Gregory

A small and dedicated team of helpful staff at the heart of Pembrokeshire County Council has been celebrating two decades of providing information and assistance to the public. The Council’s Contact Centre is often the first port of call for residents and visitors to Pembrokeshire to access the many services offered by the Local Authority. The team answer around 21,000 telephone calls a month plus about 3,600 digital enquiries on anything from parking and pest control to weddings and waste and recycling. “The contact centre strives to provide an excellent service to our residents, dealing with phone calls, emails, webchat…

County Hall will be lit in purple today (Tuesday 7th November) in support of Purple Tuesday – a day dedicated to improving the customer experience for disabled people and their families. Purple Tuesday – which is celebrated annually – aims to make organisations aware of the numerous commercial and social opportunities available to them once they become more disability inclusive. The day also promotes the Purple Pound, which refers to the spending power of disabled people and their families. In the UK alone it was most recently estimated to be worth a staggering £274 billion and is said to be…

RCT Council has announced that a £1 maximum single fare for all bus journeys that start and end in Rhondda Cynon Taf will be applied for the whole of December 2023 – providing cheaper travel this festive period. Subsidised bus travel was successfully provided for a six-week period earlier this year, between July 24 and September 3. Following a recent delegated officer decision, the offer will be repeated next month using a further allocation from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund secured by the Council for 2023/24. During the previous six-week offer, local bus operators reported a positive experience to the…

Minister for Climate Change Julie James will today (Tuesday, November 7) announce the Help to Stay Wales mortgage support scheme, a new funding package for Welsh homeowners having difficulty paying their mortgage. With rising interest rates, energy costs and cost-of-living expenses, not being able to meet mortgage repayments is a reality many homeowners are facing. As part of the Co-operation Agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, a commitment was made to explore Local Authority Mortgages. The Help to Stay Wales Scheme has been considered as part of discussions about the mortgage market and how we can provide targeted…

Football is among the biggest betting markets in the world. Globally, it’s estimated that around $70 billion is spent every year on football betting around the world. In the UK, for example, football betting by far accounts for the largest proportion of betting figures at over £900 million per year. Unsurprisingly, then, as seen on comparison betting sites, football betting operators have begun to offer odds on virtually all major football leagues—leaving a big question about which league offers the best returns for betting. Today, we’re going to compare some leagues and the betting returns you can expect from them.…

Football is a sport that’s rich in tradition, and for many, the vision of a lush green pitch represents the epitome of the beautiful game. However, as technology has advanced, artificial training tools like football mats have emerged, challenging the dominance of natural turf. With the modern world looking for efficient and effective ways to improve skill development, the debate between football mats and natural turf becomes more relevant than ever. But how do these two compare? Let’s dive in. Football Mats: The Pros Uniformity in Training: As mentioned earlier, one of the most significant advantages of football mats is…

A Cardiff-based project management and cost consultancy has revealed a renewed focus on its Wales-based project portfolio, after completing a shareholder buyout with the help of funding from the Development Bank of Wales. TC Consult was founded almost 17 years ago by partners, Paul Tambini and David Champs, and provides core services in project management and quantity surveying. Mr Tambini will now take sole ownership of the firm in a deal brokered by Llantrisant-based SME Finance Partners and advised on by Acuity Law. Supporting Mr Tambini is operations director, Adam James, and former Tata Steel director, Colin Harvey, from SME…

Welsh football star Aaron Ramsey is urging people to learn vital CPR and defib skills as he is named Save a Life Cymru ambassador in support of his team doctor, who lost his daughter to cardiac arrest. The Cardiff City and Wales midfielder is inspired by his team doctor, Len Nokes, who lost his 25-year-old daughter to cardiac arrest in 2017. He wants to increase public awareness of cardiac arrests and the number of people trained in CPR and defibrillation. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates remain stubbornly low in Wales at less than 5% – significantly lower than the UK…

An acclaimed Cardiff chef who has worked in some of London’s most celebrated kitchens has announced a month-long series of pop-ups at a coffee shop in Canton this December. Chef Alex Vines’ Vines Restaurant will take over the Hard Lines coffee shop on Cowbridge Road for four Fridays before Christmas, offering a five course, seasonal set menu for £45pp. Originally hailing from the vibrant neighbourhood of Pontcanna, 39-year-old Alex Vines has spent the last 11 years working in the kitchens of some of London’s most celebrated restaurants, including 40 Maltby Street, Rochelle Canteen, and Sardine. Most recently, Alex was the…

With mixed weather over the last few months, we’ve all been eagerly waiting for the annual show of autumn colour, but it’s finally here and a kaleidoscope of rich browns, golden yellows, vibrant reds, and vivid oranges can be found in gardens, woodlands, and parklands across Wales. Now is the time to see the country in its full autumn glory so dig out your knitwear, pull on your walking boots, and feel the crunch of leaves underfoot as you take a walk through an incredibly vibrant landscape at one of National Trust Cymru’s top spots to soak up the autumn…