Author: Rhys Gregory

The Red Dragon Centre has seen its busiest fortnight since 2019 thanks to the double release of blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer on 21 July. At ODEON Cardiff, the home of Wales’ only IMAX screen, film-lovers flocked to see the double-bill and are yet to stop, with over 14,000 viewers on the opening weekend alone making it second only to the release of Avengers: Endgame four years ago. As Barbie hits the billion mark three weeks after its release, it continues to be the dominant film in ODEON Cardiff with sold out screenings every day, while every IMAX showing of Oppenheimer…

McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Bridgend is pleased to announce that a new, global sportswear brand is set to bring its world-famous apparel, footwear and accessories to the Centre, with Puma opening the doors to its latest store on Thursday, August 24th.   The new store opening marks the brand’s first bricks-and-mortar location in Wales. Previously, local brand fans would have had to travel over an hour to the nearest Puma store at the Swindon Designer Outlet.   Occupying over 365 square metres, the newest addition to the Bridgend Designer Outlet is set to further strengthen the outlet’s premium sportswear offering, whilst also creating…

BOLESWORTH CASTLE is to host a free celebration of young showjumping talent. Visitors to this year’s Al Shira’aa Bolesworth Young Horse Championships will be able to watch some of the sport’s top names for over five days from Wednesday to Sunday (August 16-20). The packed programme also features an equestrian shopping village, food and drink outlets throughout the week, with dog training and agility sessions, family dog shows, funfair, inflatables and more on the Saturday and Sunday. Bolesworth’s Managing Director Nina Barbour is delighted to welcome back an “exceptional field” of young horses and talented riders to the 6,000-acre Estate,…

Ambitious Welsh Premier League football club Pontypridd United have announced a co-ownership investment from dealmaking business GS Verde Group. The investment, which sees GS Verde’s Chief Commercial Officer, David Dulieu, join as Board Director and Ambassador, supports the club’s determination to become a sporting and community force and realise its ambition to achieve qualification to a UEFA European Football competition. Paul Ragan, Chairman of Pontypridd United, said “It’s a true testament of the progress the club has made over the past few seasons; where we are now able to attract the kind of quality we have to the board in…

Swansea Building Society has once again reaffirmed its dedication to supporting local communities in its centenary year with a generous donation of £30,000 to the Swansea-based charity Faith in Families. The donation will contribute to the much-needed repair and renovation of the charity’s vital Community Cwtch, St Teilo’s Church in Portmead. Established in 1999, Faith in Families is a charity with centres in Swansea and Brecon offering a range of services from childcare to lunch clubs. Its three Swansea centres are based in deprived areas of the city and provide support and inspiration to families within the community. The charity’s…

A charity providing home care for vulnerable adults says it’s been forced to hand its contracts back to Wrexham County Borough Council or risk going bust. According to Nick Evans, chief executive of Cymryd Rhan (Taking Part), the “unsustainable fees” paid by the council were so low that they faced an annual loss of more than £100,000 if they had carried on. It would, he said,  have meant Cymryd Rhan being faced with a choice of either effectively subsidising the council for the services they had commissioned or having to run services with insufficient numbers of staff to provide the…

Children should have the chance to learn about the world of work from the age of three onwards, according to Welsh Education Minister Jeremy Miles. The call came at a meeting of Wrexham Business Professionals (WBP) where he said  there was an urgent need to strengthen links between local businesses, schools and colleges. The group is made up of successful businesses and skilled professionals working together to promote regional prosperity and shine a light on the enterprise and expertise that exists in the region.  Mr Miles told the audience it was time to rethink the conveyor belt strategy where all…

A deeply moving poem written by a National Eisteddfod winning bard is the inspiration behind a concert at a top music festival. The poem, Y Gorwel (The Horizon), links in with the theme for the North Wales International Music Festival at St Asaph Cathedral from Friday, September 15 to Saturday, September 30. It was written by John Evans, the grandfather of Aled Lewis Evans, from Wrexham, who is also an acclaimed, award-winning poet. The poem describes an old man gazing out across Cardigan Bay from his home in the Barmouth area of Gwynedd and looking back to his childhood and…

A housing association has given a sneak preview of a planned eco village of nearly 130 low carbon homes. Cartrefi Conwy has for the first time revealed artist’s impressions of the proposed development on the 12-acre plot alongside Towyn Road in Pensarn, near Abergele. The former Inter Leisure site already has planning permission for housing after it was secured by the previous owners. Cartrefi will be embarking on a round of public consultation over the summer and anticipates applying for permission to amend the existing permission in the autumn. If it’s given the go-ahead by Conwy County Borough Council planners,…

Bisley, the Newport-based office furniture designer and manufacturer, is building on recent key client signings with the announcement of two new deals spanning the telecommunications and banking sectors. News of partnerships with BT Group and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) follow on from the recent news that Bisley is designing bespoke spaces within the Googleplex headquarters in California. Bisley’s work with the BT Group is part of a multi-million pound 4-year framework to deliver on BT’s Better Workplace programme, a major new property infrastructure project to provide new and refurbished offices and workspaces at key hubs across…