Author: Rhys Gregory

Employees at Aston Martin’s St Athan facility received a boost when Welsh rugby legend and co-founder of FabFour Coffee, Shane Williams OBE, dropped in for a meet & greet to celebrate his coffee being selected by the iconic ultra-luxury brand. Now served at Aston Martin’s manufacturing site in the Vale of Glamorgan, Williams founded FabFour Coffee with former Wales and British & Irish Lions players Mike Philips, James Hook and Lee Byrne, with three goals in mind: to create great tasting coffee, to keep their long-standing friendship intact and to make a contribution to the Velindre Cancer Centre, known as…

The Kia Sportage is blazing a trail as the latest recruit to join Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) is responsible for providing public safety information, prevention and protection programmes, and emergency response for mid and west Wales, covering nearly 12,000 square kilometers – almost two-thirds of Wales.  With 58 stations across six counties, MAWWFRS attends around 255 incidents weekly on average. The five Kia Sportage PHEV ‘GT-Line’ in eye-catching infra-red paint, were bought from business specialist Gravells Kia Bridgend.  As part of the selection process, a number of…

Working in partnership with Glamorgan Hedgehog Rescue, Bridgend County Borough Council is in the process of identifying suitable local nature reserves where hedgehogs can be released safely. The nature reserves are being assessed according to the quality, variety, size and safety of the habitats that they offer.  Before any hedgehogs are released at any of the given sites, they will be deemed as free of disease, fit and healthy.  They will also have been originally rescued from the area surrounding the reserve. https://twitter.com/BridgendCBC/status/1641364648103649280 This partnership between the council and the Glamorgan Hedgehog Rescue, forms part of the Cwm Taf Nature…

With Easter on the Horizon, the Times Newspaper has named Margam Country Park’s adventure playground as one of the best in the UK. The newspaper has honoured it as one of Britain’s seven best adventure playgrounds alongside the likes of Wildplay at Keswick, Cumbria, Lilidorei (the world’s largest play structure) in the grounds of Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, and Tudor Towers in Kent. The Times says of the Neath Port Talbot attraction (best for children aged six to 12): “A mini castle with a watchtower and a huge slide are the standouts at this adventure playground, while younger children will fall…

Repeated non-compliance with food safety legislation and deliberate breaches of statutory notices served by Environmental Health Officers to protect the health of consumers has resulted in suspended prison sentences for two food business operators in Pembrokeshire. Colin James Brown and Donna Brown, who run Shores Seafood at 16 India Row in Monkton, Pembroke, were also served with Orders prohibiting them from managing a food business indefinitely. The sentencing hearing took place at Swansea Crown Court on 24th March 2023, after the couple pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to four offences under the Food Hygiene (Wales) Regulations 2006 as amended and…

A Blue Plaque in memory of Welsh sports administrator and keep fit leader Jenny Jones has been unveiled at Morlais Hall, Ferndale. Jenny Jones was secretary of the South Wales Keep Fit Association in 1956, secretary and development officer of the Sports Council for Wales in 1975, representing Keep Fit Wales and was also responsible for ‘Keeping Rhondda Fit’ for so many years. Councillor Ann Crimmings, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Cabinet Member For Environment and Leisure, said: “Jenny Jones had a vision to keep the residents of Rhondda fit and healthy during the war years. With great determination, she developed…

RCT Cabinet has approved a £5.808m programme of maintenance, general works and repairs across local schools next year – as well as details of additional school improvements using separate £4.052m Welsh Government funding. Each year, the Council delivers important enhancements across its schools to ensure the buildings remain safe, watertight and warm – with much of this activity taking place during the school summer holiday. Funding of £5.808m was previously allocated by Full Council for next year’s capital programme. An officer report to Cabinet on Monday, March 27, put forward a proposed Education and Inclusion Services Capital Programme for 2023/24,…

Serial Fly-Tipper, Steven Bouchard has been given a custodial sentence following fly-tipping SEVEN times across Rhondda Cynon Taf. Mr Bouchard aged 38, from Pontypridd was caught red handed fly-tipping across known beauty spots within the County Borough. The serial offender dumped almost 200 black bags of waste across 3 locations, namely, Engine House Road, Llanwonno, Penrhys Forestry, and Pen-y-Wal Road, Llanwonno. The waste consisted of large amounts of cannabis waste and related materials, including venting pipes, heat lamps, soil and other items. The offender was a licenced waste carrier – which highlights a key issue in this case and could…

A Caerphilly based manufacturer has been officially opened by Vaughan Gething MS, Minister for Economy. Atlantic Service Company welcomed the Minister for Economy, last week as he officially opened their newly refurbished premises in Gellihaf, Caerphilly. The prestigious site opening was part of the Welsh Government Minister for Economy’s promotion of the Explore Export Wales conference, which Atlantic Service attended as an Exemplar following their recent export successes, with customers in more than 50 countries around the world. Having experienced huge growth in the last decade, the manufacturer – who supply bandsaws and handsaws to the food industry – had…

Maxime Cinema is the independent movie theatre located on Blackwood High Street that has been in operation since 2007. The cinema caters for all age demographics with an excellent variety of food and beverages available, including a licenced bar, making it a great setting for entertainment of the whole community. It is also a large employer for the area employing over 10 full time staff and 12 part time staff. Having been impacted over the last 2 years with the COVID closures, they are gradually starting to build back on customer numbers since restrictions were lifted. Before COVID they were…