Author: Rhys Gregory

Merthyr Tydfil’s very own TikTok-dominating star dancer Lewis Leigh is joining the guest list at next week’s Christmas lights switch-on. The 21-year-old viral sensation who even appeared on the Good Morning America TV show during the Covid lockdowns will be at Redhouse Cymru next Saturday, November 19, for the first live switch-on in three years. Nandos worker Lewis became a star when he uploaded a video with Nan Phyllis dancing along in the background, which gained him more than 1.7m followers. The Christmas Family Fun Day will inlcude a funfair, inflatable snow globe, reindeer, festive walkabout characters, face painting and…

A consultation begins this week [Monday, 14 November] on proposals to require CCTV in all slaughterhouses in Wales. This is a Programme for Government commitment and is included in the Animal Welfare Plan for Wales, which seeks to maintain and improve standards of welfare for all kept animals. Most slaughterhouses in Wales already have CCTV.  This requirement would ensure all are covered, supporting consumer confidence welfare standards are being delivered. Minister for Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths said: “Animal welfare is a priority for the Welsh Government, and our ambition is for all farmed animals to have a good quality of…

Welsh Government plans to promote a progressive, modern Wales on the global platform provided by the FIFA World Cup in Qatar have been unveiled by Economy Minister Vaughan Gething today. The campaign will project Wales’ values and secure a positive legacy from the country’s first World Cup campaign in 64 years. With less than a week to go until Wales plays the first group match against the USA, the Welsh Government’s programme of activities is well underway in a bid to showcase the best of Wales on a global stage and introduce the nation to new audiences. Today, the Minister…

A new national digital service which will streamline the Childcare Offer for parents and childcare providers has launched. The Childcare Offer has also been extended to more families, and parents in education and training can now apply for up to 30 hours of government funded early education and childcare for children aged three and four. Currently the Childcare Offer is delivered by local authorities who use different systems to process parent applications and pay providers for Childcare Offer hours provided. The national digital service will replace these systems so that every local authority, parent and childcare provider will use one…

Your sight can be incredibly important. Without it, you may not be able to do your job, or even some of the things you love. While you may think you currently do all you can to look after your eyes, there may be some things that you have missed out. Taking the time to consider how you can better protect your vision could allow you to continue seeing as clearly as possible, even as your eyes start to age. The use of sunglasses While sunglasses may be worn predominantly in the summer, they may have their uses at other times…

Wales’ biggest ever festive lights trail, Christmas at Bute Park, has joined forces with a host of home-grown creatives to make sure its 2022 event shines brighter than ever. Visitors will wander this year’s trail to surround-sound audio created by local young composers, marvel at a host of illuminations made by locally-based lighting designers and makers, and benefit from the very best in Welsh creativity thanks to partnerships forged through the Ignite Cymru scheme. Ignite Cymru is an initiative run by Christmas at Bute Park, with the support of Arts Council of Wales and the Welsh Major Event Unit, to…

The headline NatWest Wales Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – registered 49.1 at the start of the fourth quarter, up from 47.7 in September. The rate of decline was marginal overall, with firms linking the decrease to weak client demand and economic uncertainty. The pace of contraction eased from September, with firms attributing this to the arrival of delayed inputs and the processing of backlogs of work. Welsh firms recorded a slower fall in output than the UK as a whole.…

The North Wales chair of a prestigious industry body is inviting local company owners and directors to reflect and share advice in preparation for the new year.  The region’s branch of the Institute of Directors (IoD) is hosting a Christmas networking lunch for businesspeople at 17thcentury Bodysgallen Hall in Llandudno.  David Roberts, who is chair of the region’s committee, is encouraging company leaders to attend and experience a refreshing take to networking, while hearing from distinguished business voices in North Wales at the historic site.  With Bodysgallen Hall surrounded by views of Snowdonia National Park and Conwy Castle, David hopes…

All three Fire and Rescue Services in Wales are urging households to remain vigilant and follow lifesaving safety advice after a growing concern for electrical fire safety at home. In the three years to 31st October 2022, Welsh Fire and Rescue Services attended almost a thousand accidental electrical fires in the home. The call for action falls in line with Electrical Fire Safety Week (14 – 20 November 2022), a consumer awareness campaign run by Electrical Safety First in partnership with the Home Office. With worries surrounding the cost of living at the forefront of all our minds, residents may…

The cost-of-living crisis is pushing people affected by terminal illness to “breaking point,” says the end-of-life charity Marie Curie. Calls to its support line from people worried about their finances have increased by over a third since last year, with one in five calls now about the cost-of-living crisis. Nearly 80% of callers surveyed were concerned about whether they or their loved one would be able to keep their home warm this winter. And 61% thought they or their loved one would struggle to pay their energy bills. Nearly two-thirds of callers (65.9%) said they or their terminally ill friend…