Author: Rhys Gregory

Wacky composer David Toop doesn’t just think outside the box – he uses one when he’s making music. Cardboard boxes will be among the array of unusual items the acclaimed sound artist will be using at Bangor Music Festival, along with components from hearing aids and old fashioned cassette players. Toop will also be using more conventional instruments like a guitar and flute when he stars at the event, which takes place on February 17 and 18. The theme for this year’s festival, now established as a highlight on Wales’s cultural calendar, is Improvisation. According to co-founder and organiser Guto…

A big hearted TV production company has given all its staff a £500 bonus to help them ride out the cost of living crisis. Caernarfon-based Cwmni Da, which made broadcast history four years ago when it became an employee-owned trust, makes some of the best-loved programmes on S4C. According to operations director Bethan Griffiths, the well-being of the staff was always a major priority for them. The bonus was a way of rewarding the commitment of the 53 people who work there at a time when the price of energy and food was soaring. The company, founded in 1994, had…

This spring, The Angel Hotel in Abergavenny is offering a brand new Gong Bath Break to help tackle the tensions of everyday life. Ideal for reducing stress and anxiety, Gong Baths are the ultimate way to relax as you bathe in the healing vibrations of sound. This ancient deep relaxation technique is known to work on numerous levels and can help balance emotions and support mental health. Led by Chrys Blanchard, a sound healing expert and composer for over 40 years, the 90-minute Gong Bath sessions enable powerful shifts to take place, bringing positive change. Lying down with closed eyes,…

Welsh firm Storage Giant has cut the ribbon on a new high-security self-storage facility in Bridgend, which gives the company a tally of six sites in Wales. The fast-growing company, which is headquartered in Newport, is one of the most impressive business success stories in the country, having started out as a single-facility concern at the onset of recession, in 2007, to becoming the largest independent self-storage firm in the UK. The Bridgend facility offers 47,625 sqft of personal, domestic and business units and 600-plus storage rooms, ranging from 10sq ft to 250sq ft, at South Road, Bridgend Industrial Estate, 25…

Street Food Warehouse are delighted to announce the return of Swansea Street Food Festival to Museum Park (SA1 3NE) for four days of food and drink fuelled fun! Over Easter Weekend, from Friday 7th – Monday 10th April 2023, 30 top street food traders from across Wales and the UK will descend onto the Marina ready to fill you up with some stunning food! This year they’ve got more traders than ever before and are planning to add an entertainment stage with live music and fun for all the family! Swansea Street Food Festival is now into its 5th year!…

Tourism, hospitality, attraction and activity businesses across Mid Wales are being encouraged to be creative to capitalise on this year’s theme adopted by Visit Wales,  “Llwybrau. Wales, by Trails”. Val Hawkins, chief executive of MWT Cymru (Mid Wales Tourism), believes the theme, which encourages both visitors and residents to explore epic trails, is perfectly suited to Powys, Ceredigion and  Southern Snowdonia. MWT Cymru represents around 600 tourism, hospitality, attraction and activity businesses across the rural heartland of Wales. Visit Wales, the tourism arm of the Welsh Government, wants trails to be the springboard into exciting experiences and new opportunities. The theme…

Clenergy EV were delighted to welcome the Welsh Minister for the Economy, Vaughan Gething, to their new office opening this month. In attendance were organisations from across Wales, which Clenergy EV has supported with EV charge point software since 2020. Invited to the day were representatives from Swansea Council, Carmarthenshire County Council, Vale of Glamorgan Council and the Dragon Charging Network. The event highlighted how much has been achieved by organisations in the electric vehicle ecosystem within Wales in meeting their net-zero commitments, of which Clenergy EV provides a pivotal role. Clenergy EV has grown rapidly in the past 3…

From Manufacturing Wales to Tata Steel UK, Ledwood Mechanical Engineering to RWE, Floventis to NPTC Group of Colleges, momentum is gathering behind a freeport bid that will accelerate Wales’ decarbonisation and act as a catalyst for the transformation of Wales’ industrial cluster. Over 100 organisations and politicians have come together to back the transformational bid for a Celtic Freeport. Supporters include global industrial giants and Welsh engineering and construction businesses, green energy developers, decarbonisation groups and trade associations, universities, colleges and local politicians. On 24 November 2022, a public-private consortium lodged its bid for a Celtic Freeport with the UK…

Preliminary works have started on the site of the latest Welsh medium Primary School project for Pembrokeshire County Council. Following the decisions of Cabinet during the latter part of 2022 to fund a shortfall in capital funding towards the Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Penfro project, the construction contract has been awarded to Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure Ltd. Preliminary works on the site in Pembroke have now commenced. Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and the Welsh Language, Cllr Guy Woodham, said he was delighted the project had been given the go ahead. “I am very pleased that after much…

A Blue Plaque has been unveiled by Rhondda Cynon Taf Mayor, Councillor Wendy Treeby, at Dewi Sant Health Park, the site of the former Pontypridd Union Workhouse. Rhondda Cynon Taf has many Blue Plaques across the County Borough, commemorating the lives of individuals and buildings of historical significance. The Blue Plaque at Dewi Sant Health Park was unveiled by Rhondda Cynon Taf Mayor, Councillor Wendy Treeby, accompanied by Rhodri Powell MBE, former Directorate Manager of Pathology for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (1989-2001). Mr Powell, on behalf of Llantrisant and District Local History Society, nominated the location of the…