Author: Rhys Gregory

Pop chart-topper George Ezra is heading to Chepstow Racecourse for an exclusive weekend of live music next summer. The BRIT Award-winning and multi-platinum selling artist – whose latest album Gold Rush Kid topped the charts on its release in June – will play the venue on Sunday, July 2, as the final night in a weekend of special gigs. An acclaimed live performer, George is the first headline act announced for a weekend of live music at the prestigious Welsh course – with a further announcement to come on Monday, October 31. George’s summertime show at Chepstow follows his sell-out…

Father Christmas will return to Swansea this year for his traditional parade that heralds the start of the festive season. The city centre procession, organised by Swansea Council, will take place on Sunday 20 November – five weeks before the big day itself. The parade will set off from Victoria Road at around 5pm before making its way through the city centre to The Kingsway. Council cabinet member Robert Francis-Davies said: “Christmas is one of the most important times of year for the city centre. “Santa’s arrival in the parade to switch on the lights is just the right kind…

Swansea Council is making plans to relocate one of its Park & Ride sites at Landore. The current site is earmarked for redevelopment as part of the ongoing Hafod Copper Works regeneration programme, which has already seen part of the historic site developed into a new site for the famous Penderyn Distillery company. A public consultation has now opened, seeking the views of park and ride users, so that a new site can meet the needs of future travellers. Two alternative sites within Swansea Vale are in the running for the relocation of the park and ride site. Both potential…

Wales will be taking on New Zealand on Saturday November 5that Principality Stadium. With severe restrictions on the train network due to strike action, all those travelling via road are advised to leave plenty of time to get into Cardiff and into the Principality Stadium. The M4 motorway is expected to be very busy – please plan ahead – and avoid the congestion in Cardiff by using the park & ride facilities at CCFC Stadium in Leckwith, or County Hall in Cardiff Bay. With the kick-off taking place at 3.15pm – there will be a full city centre road closure…

Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Thomas, a fearless young military nurse from Seven Sisters rescued from the water after her transport ship was torpedoed went on to win the Royal Red Cross for her work in treated wounded soldiers. But sadly, not long after the end of World War One, she died from tuberculosis, thought to have been caused by the time she spent clinging to life in the sea. Betsy’s is just one of a host of moving stories in an exhibition entitled Heroes Gallery which begins at Port Talbot’s Aberafan Shopping Centre on Saturday, October 29th as part of the Mayor…

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council today agreed to renew its Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for the exercising of dogs and clearing up of dog fouling on land throughout the borough. The previous PSPO was introduced in 2019 for a period of 3 years and was due to expire at the end of October. The PSPO aims to help owners behave responsibly in areas that are enjoyed by others. It outlines requirements and restrictions for dog owners and ensures that shared spaces are usable for all Blaenau’s residents to enjoy. Blaenau Gwent CBC will continue to apply a fixed penalty…

The redevelopment of the County Borough Council’s Neighbourhood Learning Centre (NLC) at Gurnos has been shortlisted for two national awards. The building, which will open before Christmas as ‘a unique accommodation centre’ providing both housing and on-site training for residents aged 16-24, is one of the finalists in the Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru’s Welsh Housing Awards. Shortlisted in the ‘Working in Partnership’ category alongside Merthyr Valley Homes, this award ‘celebrates partnership and collaboration across the housing spectrum’. The ‘Positive Placemaking’ category acknowledges ‘the critical importance of a range of bodies, organisations and local groups in revitalising and regenerating local…

The Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) has reached a major milestone with the formal acquisition of the former Nant Helen opencast site and Onllwyn Washery in South Wales from opencast mining company Celtic Energy, Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething announced today. The 700-hectare site at the head of the Dulais Valley in south Wales  will now be transformed and developed to become the UK’s ‘one stop shop’ for railway innovation, from research and development, through testing, verification and certification, to applied innovation on mainline passenger and freight railways. Outline planning consent for GCRE was granted by Neath Port Talbot Council…

Updated goals for the pharmacy profession have been published this week, as the transformation of pharmaceutical care in Wales continues. The Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee’s vision for pharmacy, Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales, was first published in 2019. Developed by the pharmacy profession, the 10-year plan aims to provide a clear direction for pharmacy professionals in every part of the NHS, focusing on meeting patients’ and the NHS’s needs now and in the future. The new goals refresh expectations of what the pharmacy profession can achieve in the three years to December 2025, including: undertaking a comprehensive review of how the…

Living rooms are an essential part of any home. Whether you’re a family, a couple, or single, it’s where you spend most of your time and is usually where you can relax, unwind, and even entertain friends or guests. Whether you have a modern or traditional style living room, you may feel that from time to time, you want to make some subtle yet effective changes to freshen the room up a little. Living rooms are an essential part of any home. Whether you’re a family, a couple, or single, it’s where you spend most of your time and is…