Author: Rhys Gregory

Street Food Circus returns this spring, bringing Forest Feastival back to its unique woodland site behind the dunes at Merthyr Mawr. For six weekends in April and May – including three bank holiday Mondays – the outdoor street food court will be pitching up among the trees at Candleston Woods. Now in its third year, Forest Feastival is bringing back a mix of street food favourites from previous events, and some new ventures from some of Wales’ most exciting chefs. To help visitors experience the widest possible range of dishes and flavours, most of the street food vendors will be…

Cardiff-headquartered HSG Group has acquired Oxford-based The School Lunch Company as it looks to build its portfolio of businesses between south Wales and London. The School Lunch Company, which was established over nine years ago, will retain its branding and the 184 staff it currently employs whilst becoming part of the HSG Group. The School Lunch Company provided fresh children’s meals using local suppliers, whilst delivering a bespoke and customised menu and service. HSG, which primarily offers facilities management services, will see its group turnover exceed £20m in the current financial year. HSG Managing Director, Ashley Govier, said: “This is…

CIPD Wales, the professional body for HR and people development, has recognised the top HR talent in Wales at its 2023 Awards ceremony. The CIPD Wales Awards returned to Cardiff’s City Hall with its fifth annual awards, marking the first gala ceremony since 2019 due to the pandemic. The awards saw four exceptional individuals and ten remarkable organisations take home the industry’s most coveted accolades, recognising the efforts and resilience across Wales during a period that has tested the sector as businesses continue face unprecedented challenges in both recruitment and economics. One individual and a further five organisations were also…

Wales’ largest community mutual social landlord, Trivallis has appointed experienced business leader Nick Beckett as its new board chair. Nick Beckett, 62 from Usk, joined the board of Trivallis at its February meeting, replacing outgoing chair Dr Jonathan Huish, who leaves after five years leading the association through Covid, floods and substantial internal restructuring. Mr Beckett, who describes himself as “busily retired,” brings a lifetime of retail and property experience gained most recently as head of operations at Hammerson, where he led a team of 1,500 across a UK and Irish portfolio of 11 flagship shopping centres and retail outlets.  He is…

Britain’s most beautiful road routes have been announced in a brand new list by used car buying service, ChooseMyCar.com. The list includes the top 10 most scenic roads, including the famous Snake Pass in the Peak District and the absolutely stunning North Coast 500 in Inverness. The roads have been chosen for their scenic beauty as well as their enjoyment to drive. Many are located in undulating landscapes or along rocky coastlines, with breathtaking views well worth the trip. The list features footage of each location to show you what’s on offer, so you can have a preview before checking…

Finola Wilson, a former teacher and director of Impact School Improvement, a Caerphilly-based education company shares her view on curriculum changes and what it may spell for Wales. Concerning new evidence about the progress of the school curriculum in Scotland should be ringing some very loud alarm bells with policymakers here in Wales. Major new research into Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) published last month finds that the curriculum has “diverged considerably from its original aims”, leading to “significant unintended consequences”, according to its authors. The research, carried out by a team of researchers at the University of Stirling, says pressures…

Live a wilder life! Take more risks! That’s the advice from TV presenter and author Simon Reeve as he prepares to take audiences To The Ends Of The Earth with his new UK theatre tour – which heads to Cardiff in the autumn. Best known for his travel documentaries which combine current affairs, history, wildlife, culture and conservation, Simon will bring his new live tour SIMON REEVE – TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH to St David’s Hall in Cardiff on Friday, October 20. Speaking about the new tour, Simon said: “I’ve been incredibly lucky to travel to some of…

Plans for a brand new community living scheme for older people have been brought to life in a new computer-generated ‘fly-through’ of the development in Riverside. The scheme, which gained planning approval in December 2021, is part of the Council’s ambitious new build programme to deliver more affordable housing in the city, and will provide flexible, sustainable, low-carbon accommodation for older residents to help maintain their independence in their own homes for longer. The new short film gives a glimpse of how the 41 apartment building and community facility will look on Leckwith Road, on the site of the current…

More community play areas, free bus services during school holidays and free school meals for more children are in the pipeline for Swansea over the coming months. In the coming year the council will be investing around £1.9m a day to help hard-pressed families through the cost of living crisis. Hundreds of millions of pounds are also being invested in schools, social services, roads, council housing and other key services that touch the lives of residents every day under proposals agreed by Swansea Council on Thursday March 2. Rob Stewart, Leader of the Council, said: “When times are tough for…

Neath Port Talbot Council’s Chief Executive Karen Jones has inaugurated 17-year-old Maddie Pritchard as the council’s new Youth Mayor at a ceremony held in the Civic Centre, Port Talbot, on St David’s Day, 2023. Maddie, a pupil at Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera Bro Dur and a member of Neath Port Talbot’s Youth Council, takes over from outgoing Youth Mayor Bethan Nicholas-Thomas. In her acceptance speech, Maddie said in her year of office she wanted to concentrate on promoting the Welsh language and to help raise awareness of environmental issues. Maddie said: “My main priority is Welsh as I’m a fluent Welsh…