Author: Rhys Gregory

A Newtown resident has been fined £400 for illegally dumping rubbish in the ‘devil’s elbow’ hair-pin bend layby (near Dolfor) of the A483 trunk road. Reported by the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency (NMWTRA), the fly-tipped material consisted of waste DIY building material. On inspection, the council’s Powys County Council Waste Awareness and Enforcement Officers found a receipt within the rubbish, which linked back to a local builder’s merchant. The vendor was able to supply information which linked the purchase back to a north Powys resident. Following an interview under caution, the culprit admitted the waste was left…

The UK is a nation of animal lovers, but with under half of the nation’s landlords advertising their properties as pet friendly, it can be difficult for renters to share in the joy pets bring. Further to this, animal charities across the UK are experiencing an increase in the number of animals needing their support, with many owners citing housing issues as a reason for rehoming their pets. Around one in ten of those owners calling Dogs Trust cite issues with housing as the reasons for needing to rehome their dog. This includes people being forced to move or downsize…

Nowadays, many people look for different ways to settle their financial matters. Every now and then, life throws something unexpected our way that usually costs us a lot of money. If you don’t have money on hand in such situations, you must rely on taking out a loan. Fortunately, there are fast and easy online loans these days that enable a seamless way to get the funds your need when you need them the most. People usually go to the bank for a loan but that can be a lengthy processes depending on your urgency. For some odd reason, when…

Swansea Building Society has donated £40,000 to Mumbles Community Association’s Go Underhill development in the same week the building society celebrates exactly 100 years trading. The building society, with branch offices in Mumbles, Swansea, Carmarthen and Cowbridge, made the donation on February 6th – the day after its 100th birthday – to further help Mumbles Community Association (MCA) redevelop the facilities in Underhill Park. The Go Underhill development is a major multi-phase project to redevelop and refurbish the much-loved Underhill Park in Mumbles. It aims to protect and enhance the asset with up-to-date facilities fit for the 21st Century, which…

Cardiff Metropolitan University has signed agreements with four prestigious Pakistani institutions which will lead to an increase in collaboration in a number of important areas. The high-profile signing is between Cardiff Met and the following institutions: National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) The number one institution in Pakistan and 74th in Asia, as ranked by the QS World University Rankings. Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Placed in the 251 – 300 band in the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings and the 601 – 650 band in the QS World University Rankings. COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) Placed…

Audio production company Bengo Media has won the contract to produce Radio 2’s Early Breakfast Show with new presenter Owain Wyn Evans after the station put the strand out to tender. Radio 2 has commissioned Welsh independent audio production company Bengo Media to produce the Monday to Friday 4-6.30 am programme, presented by Owain Wyn Evans, following a competitive pitch process. The programme will be broadcast from the BBC Cymru Wales broadcast centre in Cardiff, making it the network’s first weekday programme to broadcast beyond the London and Salford studios. The move is part of the broadcaster’s Across The UK plans – announced…

Despite a fall in demand during the final quarter of the year, office take-up in Cardiff bounced back in 2022 with annual transactions above the pre Covid trend level, according to global property consultancy Knight Frank. In its annual survey of the office market in the UK’s key regional cities, the firm reported that Cardiff office transactions for the year reached 459,074 sq ft, 87 per cent up from the previous year and the highest level in five years.   The number of out-of-city deals grew by 20 per cent from the previous year. Key office deals in Cardiff during 2022…

Bwyd Abertawe, the sustainable food partnership and network for Swansea, has been awarded £97,000 to help grow the network and progress its work to make Swansea a Sustainable Food Place. The funding, which comes from the Welsh Government for Sustainable Food Partnerships/Cross-Sector Food Partnership, will bolster funding received in 2022 from Sustainable Food Places to support the network’s development, including making a food charter for Swansea during 2022-23. “The grant will increase staff time within the project, as well as making a Bwyd Abertawe small grant available for sustainable food-focussed activity in Swansea,” said Mary Duckett, development officer at Bwyd…

A PhD student studying plastic pollution has pioneered the transformation of an Anglesey bungalow into a state-of the-art eco home – despite never having used a drill before. DIY newcomer Nia Jones paired up with roofer Mark Hughes for Channel 4 property show The Great House Giveaway and ended up successfully boosting the three-bedroom property’s energy efficiency value from E to A – the best possible. It is the first time since the show launched in 2020 that a pair of renovators have gone all out for the eco-approach, swapping traditional heating systems for greener technology in the wake of…

The social care crisis in North Wales has deepened with news that two more care homes are closing – with the combined loss of a further 91 beds. Both the 54-bed Morfa Newydd Care Home in Greenfield in Flintshire and the Gwastad Hall Care Home in Cefn-y-Bedd near Wrexham, that’s registered for 37 residents, have gone into administration. It’s understood that the staff in both homes have been given four weeks’ notice and that the owners have been working with Flintshire and Wrexham councils  to find  alternative accommodation for the residents. In the past few weeks it’s already been revealed…