Author: Rhys Gregory

The Development Bank of Wales led a pre-seed equity investment into a Welsh car insurance firm during a recently closed funding round. Cardiff-based Driverly provides a unique, flexible, subscription-based car insurance service, using proprietary technology to offer flexible pricing to its customers. The Development Bank recently invested £250,000 in equity investment in the company during a £525,000 pre-seed investment round, joined by serial entrepreneur Manuel Santiago as an Angel investor, and Duncan Russell, former CFO at Admiral Financial Services. Driverly’s service tracks users’ driving, with new subscribers downloading the Driverly app and taking an initial test drive to provide data…

A dog who was famous for saving 27 people from drowning lives again in a new book by two lifelong Swansea friends. Swansea Jack was a black retriever who lived near Swansea docks in the 1930s. He became famous – and twice won the canine equivalent of the Victoria Cross – for saving 27 people from the River Tawe and Swansea docks in his lifetime. At the time he starred in numerous national and local newspaper stories, appeared at Crufts, and was given a bravery award by The Daily Mirror, but in recent decades his legacy has been largely forgotten.…

A NEW campaign will shine a light on the inspiring bravery and resilience of hundreds of young carers in North Wales. There are up to 1,400 young carers identified in Wrexham, Conwy and Denbighshire alone, so ahead of Carers Rights Day (Thursday November 24) – and in celebration of the strength of the many young people across the country looking after a loved one – WCD (Wrexham, Conwy Denbighshire) Young Carers has launched an appeal encouraging schools, colleges, and communities to provide more support and understanding to the challenges they face every day. Making Young Carers Count hopes to ignite…

Two Welsh street artists will be travelling to Qatar to take part in a festival of culture running alongside the World Cup. The 2022 UK Festival will run from 23 – 29 November in Qatar and will have a particular focus on Wales and England as the two teams competing in the tournament. Welsh street artists Bryce Davies and Hannah McGree and sports illustrator and photographer Tim Vyner will work with artists and young people in the host nation to paint murals at the Katara Cultural Village and take part in an exhibition. They will work with Qatari artists Muna…

What happens in Vegas goes on tour this Christmas. The rebellious, rambunctious spirit of the 1960s is set to arrive at St David’s Hall on the 12th December 2022, as The Definitive Rat Pack brings the party to Cardiff as they visit the city as part of their festive tour. Capturing the trademark chemistry, class and camaraderie of the original Clan, the trio offers audiences a personal musical time machine and a ticket to a party with old-style Vegas spirit.   The last time Wales was visited by Frank Sinatra he looked quite different – green with feathers! Frank SINGnatra, the singing parrot, was…

Pembrokeshire’s Folly Farm is on a conservation mission, and its newest arrivals are as important as they are adorable In an effort to protect Wales’ declining wildlife and raise awareness on now extinct Welsh species, Folly Farm has welcomed two furry new arrivals – a pair of male Welsh wildcats. Their home is an impressive new exhibit built almost entirely by the zoo’s employees. Wildcats used to be a common sight throughout Wales. Just slightly larger than a domestic cat and closely resembling a tabby, they once roamed freely and are thought to have been the inspiration behind Welsh myths…

Wales will be taking on Georgia on Saturday November 19th at Principality Stadium. With the kick-off taking place at 1pm – there will be a full city centre road closure from 9am until 5pm to ensure all ticket holders can get into and out of the stadium safely. The M4 motorway is expected to be very busy – please plan ahead – and avoid the congestion in Cardiff by using the park & ride at County Hall in Cardiff Bay. Gates open at 10.30am, those attending the rugby match are strongly advised to plan their journey and get in early. Please pay…

Plans setting out how the Council intends to deliver the next phase of its ambitious housing development programme, creating another 1,700 new homes for the city have been unveiled. Against a backdrop of extreme pressures on housing availability in Cardiff, the Council is seeking a new housing partnership scheme arrangement to ensure more high quality, energy efficient homes can be built at volume and pace. The partnership scheme would be the second of its type the Council has embarked on, following the success of the award-winning Cardiff Living partnership with national developer, Wates Residential. That £320m 10-year programme is delivering…

Exciting plans for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the river Taff have been unveiled, part of the wider regeneration of Grangetown’s Channel View estate. The Council is embarking on a £80 million redevelopment of the Channel View estate in Grangetown to replace existing homes suffering from subsidence and structural damage and create a greener, more sustainable, more attractive neighbourhood for the existing community. As part of the masterplan approved by Planning in December 2021, the proposed new footbridge will provide an active travel link for pedestrians and cyclists between the Channel View estate, the Marl and the area…

Bridgend County Borough Council’s Cabinet have approved plans to start a consultation process about increasing the council tax charge for owners of second homes and long-term empty properties. The local authority has powers available to charge council tax premiums through the Housing (Wales) Act 2014. The proposal would help to bring empty homes back into use to provide safe, secure and affordable homes and would also support the council to improve the sustainability of local communities. A long-term empty property is defined as a place of residence, which is both unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for a continuous period of at…