Author: Rhys Gregory

Par 59, the renowned St Mary Street bar, restaurant, and mini-golf hotspot, proudly backed by football icon Gareth Bale, is set to double its capacity with the grand opening of a thrilling upstairs bar and games room, aptly named ‘Shuffles.’ Established in March 2022 through a dynamic partnership between Bale’s Elevens Group LTD and The DEPOT, one of Wales’ most successful independent entertainment brands, Par 59 breathed new life into a city-centre location that had sat vacant since 2016 (formerly home to Liquid nightclub). It introduced a unique blend of a bar and casual dining with two custom-designed 9-hole mini…

Cardiff Metropolitan University is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Helen Langton MBE. Professor Langton, who will start at Cardiff Met on Monday 8th April 2024, brings a wealth of experience, having served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Suffolk for the past five years. She was previously Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of South Wales and prior to this was Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the University of the West of England. Professor Langton said: “I’m excited to begin my tenure as Vice-Chancellor at Cardiff Met…

A Welsh fintech company has tripled its revenue in just one year following a surge in demand for its product overseas, thanks to support from the Welsh Government. Finalrentals, a digital car rental platform which employs 17 people at its Penarth office and remotely, has seen demand for its services skyrocket in Europe, with the company recently securing contracts in Greece, Portugal and the Balkans that will bring gross revenue of approximately £500,000 per annum. Over the last year 12 months, the company has seen its team size, number of clients and gross revenue treble thanks to the new deals.…

You can now choose from 112 charging points across Ceredigion to charge your electric vehicle (EV). 76 of these are provided by Ceredigion County Council in 18 different locations, including Council car parks. Following the successful delivery of two phases of EV infrastructure installations in Ceredigion County Council car parks, the county now has the highest number of EV charging points per 100,000 population for the public to use across the whole of Wales. According to Welsh Government figures published in July 2023, Ceredigion has 158.5 chargers per 100,000 population when compared against the Welsh average of 60.7. These chargers…

Age Cymru is urging older people to keep their homes warm this winter to maintain their health, despite the financial challenges many are facing.   The charity is making the call as it launches its Spread the Warmth campaign that highlights the health benefits of keeping yourself and your home warm. The campaign says keeping warm puts less strain on heart and lungs, while improving the symptoms of existing health conditions and assisting with pain management.     It also says that being warm can protect people’s physical and mental wellbeing and thereby help them to become more resilient to the many challenges…

Chef Matt Powell has shared his delight at his restaurant’s new listing in The Michelin Guide, just four months after reopening at its new location. It’s the second important accolade for Annwn, which made number 14 on the Good Food Guide’s 20 Most Exciting Restaurants while at its original location in Lawrenny in 2022. The restaurant has since relocated to Narberth, where it opened its doors on May 12 this year. Annwn is a unique dining experience: a small, intimate restaurant with just 10 covers where the focus is on culinary discovery. Matt cooks in an open kitchen and his…

Scientists in Cardiff have been awarded a £500,000 grant to fund ground-breaking research which could bring much-needed hope to patients diagnosed with the most lethal form of brain cancer. The funding has been awarded jointly between the charity Brain Tumour Research and the Medical Research Council (MRC). It will allow the development of a new ‘super sponge’ to deliver drugs directly to the brain following surgery. The innovation focuses on glioblastoma (GBM) tumours, the most common type of primary malignant brain tumour in adults, which often carry a devastatingly short prognosis of just 12 to 18 months. It is the…

More than 100,000 people have been supported by Working Wales, delivered by Careers Wales, since its launch in May 2019. The service is funded by the Welsh Government to provide careers guidance and employability support to those aged 16 and above. Careers advisers and employability coaches at Working Wales can provide a range of support, from help with CVs and job applications, searching for jobs and apprenticeships and applying for funding, through to career changes and redundancy support. Working Wales also delivers the ReAct+ programme, which is funded by the Welsh Government, and provides tailored support to help people into…

Bus passengers and those heading to the capital for the Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday 1st October are being urged by Cardiff Bus to plan their journeys in accordance with their travel advice. The bus operator is alerting passengers to diversions and bus stop changes throughout the day from the first bus until 15:15, noting that each route will be effected at different times throughout the day. Route 6 (baycar) between first bus and 1245 will operate between the City Centre and Cardiff Bay (Mermaid Quay instead of Wales Millennium Centre) operating via Dumballs Road.  Normal route will resume from…

Responding to new figures showing more than 16% of 11-15-year-olds were persisently absent from school in Wales in 2022/23, Laura Doel, national secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, said: “School is vital for children’s learning and social development. While it is concerning to see these stark figures, they echo what we hear from our members. “Children and families, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have been hit first by the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis, fuelling growing challenges with mental ill-health and anxiety among pupils. In some cases, there may also have been a shift in parental…