Author: Rhys Gregory

An artistic care home resident who paints with his mouth is helping to create spectacular swathes of golden bunting to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a top music festival. The dazzling decorations will festoon magnificently from the walls and ceilings at historic St Asaph Cathedral where the two-week North Wales International Music Festival. will be held from September 17 to October 1. Members of the art group at Pendine Park in Wrexham were thrilled to be invited to join the anniversary taskforce preparing bunting, banners and celebratory garlands. One of the residents whose work will be displayed at the cathedral cannot…

The Development Bank of Wales saw a milestone year for business succession in the 2021/22 financial year, with more than 40 new management teams supported as they took control of businesses across Wales – the highest number of succession deals backed by the Development Bank in a single year. More than £17m was invested via succession deals in companies in Wales, supporting incoming teams and outgoing owners across a range of sectors. More than £4.2m of the investments made were achieved through equity, accounting for approximately a quarter of all succession deals. In the last five years, the Development Bank…

Great Taste, the world’s most coveted food and drink awards, has announced its stars of 2022, and a host of delicious Welsh food and drink products have been stamped with a gold seal of approval. A remarkable 182 Welsh products, ranging from small independent artisan producers to large scale distributors, have been successful at the 2022 awards, with 129 products achieving 1-star, 46 receiving 2-stars and 7 earning the gold stamp of approval with 3-stars. The seven Welsh products that have this year been recognised to deliver 3-star “extraordinarily tasty foods” status are: Bay Coffee Roasters – Indonesian Sumatran Fairtrade…

National charity, Family Fund, has welcomed the Government’s one-off £150 cost-of-living payment for 6 million disabled adults and children from September, but warns more support will be needed given tomorrow’s uplift of the Energy Price Cap. Cheryl Ward, Family Fund Chief Executive, said: “We know that current severe inflationary pressures are affecting millions of people across the land, but for families caring for disabled and seriously ill children, who have even greater costs, the outlook is very grave. The choices between putting food on the table, paying for energy or clothing and sensory equipment are stark”.  Family Fund, the UK’s…

There will be plenty of Welsh food and drink to savour when Aberystwyth welcomes the motorsport world for the Get Connected Rali Ceredigion next week (September 3rd – 4th). Attracting motorsport enthusiasts from Wales, the UK, and beyond, the rally’s organisers anticipate an attendance of around 25,000 spectators. To cater for hungry fans and give Welsh producers a valuable opportunity to showcase to a new audience, the Cywain Fine Food Cluster has created a pop-up Food Hall. Located on the grounds of St Michael’s Church in the heart of the dedicated spectator area, the Food Hall will be open on…

The unnecessary death of a much-loved relative has driven Bethel Ohanugo’s passion for improving healthcare in her native Nigeria. Now she has gained a place at Swansea University which will allow her to continue her studies in the growing field of health informatics. Bethel Ohanugo is the latest recipient of the University’s annual Eira Francis Davies Scholarship and begins her studies in Swansea in the autumn. The full tuition fee scholarship is awarded to one outstanding female student per academic year. It was established in 2012 by the late Eira Francis Davies and aims to help women from countries whose economic,…

With the first stadium event for WWE in the UK in the last 30 years, ‘Clash at the Castle’ is coming to Principality Stadium on September 3rd and a full city centre road closure will be in place between 12 Noon until 12 Midnight on health and safety grounds to ensure people can safely enter and leave the stadium. Please plan your journey in advance and leave plenty of time to get into Cardiff and the Principality Stadium. Those attending this event are strongly advised to leave large bags at home and pay attention to the prohibited items listed at principalitystadium.wales before they…

Specialist counselling provider Breathe has opened additional premises in Swansea to accommodate growth as the organisation celebrates 4 years since its opening. The social enterprise, which is based in Roath, Cardiff has opened a dedicated counselling room on Beaufort Road in Swansea. The new space will help support the demand for face-to-face appointments to people in the area. Breathe counsellors work with people on ways to help overcome challenges in their life, finding ways forward that are best suited to each person’s individual goals. Since its opening in August 2018, the organisation has significantly grown to over 70 people including…

Based on Barry Island, husband and wife owned Barry Island Spirits Co has been named among the top food and drink producers globally this year, picking up two highly prized 1-star Great Taste awards for its Botanical Spiced Rum and Pink Dry Gin. More than 14,000 products were put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process; and the two spirits from Barry Island Spirits Co were dubbed ‘delicious’ at the world’s most coveted food and drink awards. 4,078 products were awarded a Great Taste 1-star – ‘food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour’, 1,237 were awarded a Great Taste 2-star…

‘Fly-tipping’ is usually associated with vanloads of tyres, sofas, and bulky household items being left in undesignated, hidden-away locations. However, this summer, Wales has seen a rise in what is being termed ‘accidental fly-tipping’ at beauty spots — referring to when members of the public leave bins overflowing, place bags of rubbish next to full bins, leave rubbish littered near to waste disposal spaces, and abandon the likes of barbecues and camping equipment at sites of natural beauty. According to Fly Tipping Action Wales (FtAW) along with Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and Snowdonia National…