Author: Rhys Gregory

A study of 2,000 Brits has revealed the top 40 factors which make up the perfect member of the community, with 22 per cent of respondents in Wales believing they fit the bill compared to 15 per cent UK-wide. Reducing food waste, donating to food banks, doing odd jobs for people and keeping the garden neat and tidy also featured highly on the list. While being trusted with the neighbours’ keys, pets and plants and shopping locally are seen as signs you are a good member of the community. 28 per cent of those surveyed in Wales say they have…

A SUCCESSFUL entrepreneur is among the first in the country to introduce revolutionary new robots to the hard-hit hospitality sector. As the industry battles with staff shortages and a recruitment crisis post-pandemic, restaurant chains, hoteliers, holiday parks and tourism operators are turning to technology for support. To help meet demand, Gareth Jones launched AI Global Robotics Ltd – based in Deeside, Mochdre and St Asaph – in partnership with Pudu Robotics, a leader in manufacturing robots for a range of sectors and solutions. The Autonomous Indoor Delivery (AID) ‘Bellabots’ can carry up to 40kg on four trays, have human interaction…

The owners of a luxury holiday homes business in Mid Wales are seeing stars after receiving the top grading from Sykes Cottages, one of the UK’s leading holiday lettings agencies. David and Carol Parry, who own Plas Robin Rural Retreats in the village of Llandyssil, near Montgomery, are thrilled to have been awarded a highly coveted ‘Six Star’ grading. It’s one of only 37 holiday homes in the UK from Sykes Cottages’ portfolio of more than 20,000 properties to achieve this grading. Plas Robin Rural Retreats now comprises three luxury holiday homes, originally designed by a leading Scottish architect based…

Snowdrop Independent Living has announced an ambitious new growth strategy, with a key focus on improving customer outcomes. Since the business was founded 20 years ago, specialist mobility aids retailer and distributor Snowdrop has grown from a single shop in Haverfordwest, to seven showrooms across the West Midlands and South Wales, alongside an engineering division to carry out installation and home adaption work. Now, Snowdrop has revealed its future growth plans to invest in the management team, engineering division and reinforce supply chains following industry-wide disruption, with support from the Development Bank of Wales. The business has also partnered with…

Denbighshire County Council is currently undertaking works to convert Llys Anwyl on Churton Street into accessible apartments available for social rent. Llys Anwyl, once home to the Rhyl tax office was purchased by the Council to redevelop the site into accessible apartments with either one or two bedrooms for older people, to meet demand identified for accommodation in the town. Work has now begun on the building which was vacant for years before the council made the purchase to return it to a productive use. A range of energy efficient improvements are being made to the building for the benefit…

Students gave the equivalent of almost a-year-and-a-half of full-time work to voluntary causes during the first year of a project organised by the University of South Wales (USW). The University’s Civic Engagement Scheme was established in 2021 so students could gain valuable work experience with the voluntary sector, working in areas including conservation and the environment, care and social work, or the arts and cultural sectors. Since being set up, the 138 USW students who have taken part in the scheme have carried out an average of 20 hours on volunteering opportunities with 125 different organisations – which is a…

Lorna Lee-Price from Cardiff, aged 81 has been recognised as one of the winners in a nationwide competition celebrating remarkable older people and has been awarded a Purple Plaque. Lorna was nominated for her incredible achievements as one of the first women to participate in the women’s Olympic Long Jump in 1948. The competition has been organised by home care company, Home Instead which has a local office in Cardiff. Every day, they hear impressive stories about what older people have accomplished in their lives, especially clients like Lorna. Home Instead wanted to ensure that they don’t go forgotten so…

Christmas has come early for two young North Wales actors who’ve landed dream roles as a pair of mischievous twins with secret super powers in a hit S4C show. Moi Williams, from Caernarfon, and Lowri Llewelyn from Bangor, both 10, beat more than 600 other hopefuls to clinch the parts of Deian and Loli in the hugely popular series of the same name. They are taking over from Ifan Henri, 11, who lives in Abersoch, and Lleucu Owain, 12, from Cerrigydrudion, near Corwen, who are bowing out after outgrowing the characters. The new duo will be making their debut when…

Growth in adoption of most digital devices has hit a plateau and, for some categories, has declined for the first time since Deloitte began surveying UK digital device ownership in 2011. This follows a record-breaking year for device adoption in 2021. According to new research from Deloitte’s Digital Consumer Trends 2022 report, the proportion of consumers with access to smartphones (91%), smart TVs (64%), laptops (77%) and tablets (64%) has stopped growing, and for some devices declined, signalling a shift away from pandemic-induced technology habits. Laptops and tablets had the biggest drop-off in adoption rate across the last year, falling…

A Denbighshire bird coastal colony has broken records this season. The group of Little Terns found at Gronant beach near Prestatyn is the largest breeding colony found in Wales. This site is internationally known as it contributes to over 10 per of the entire UK breeding population as well as supplementing other colonies. The 2022 season marks the 18th year Denbighshire Countryside Services has dedicated to protecting the colony. A return to full engagement activities on the site following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions saw 1,138 visitors visit the beach to support and view the colony. This year saw 211…