Author: Rhys Gregory

A big-hearted animal bedding company from Wrexham who gave all its staff a £1,000 Covid bonus is vying for the title of the UK’s best family firm. Fast-growing Platts Agriculture will be flying the flag for Wales at the Federation of Small Businesses Awards when it will also be in the running for the environment award. Platts qualified for the UK final after scooping both awards at the Wales heats. The prestigious Oscars-style ceremony will be held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow on May 19. Next year the company, based on Llay Industrial Estate, will be celebrating its…

A flock of ducklings were rescued by an RSPCA inspector and firefighters after they fell into a storm drain in South Wales – before being lured out by officers playing duck sounds on their mobile phones. The five tiny ducklings – thought to be about a week old – became trapped in the drain yesterday morning (5 May) after they had followed their mum across Llantrisant Road in Graig, Pontypridd. While the mother duck and several of her babies managed to safely go over the storm drain and climb into a hedge, five of her ducklings did not and they…

A platform for fandoms and online communities has revealed that the video game ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ is the most popular video game with the highest ‘Curse Count’. Conducting a study into IMDB’s most popular 18+ video games*, the platform has discovered that ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ is the game with the most profanity, with more than 700 incidences of offensive swear words in the game’s script. ‘Grand Theft Auto IV’ was discovered to be the second video game with the highest ‘Curse Count’, followed by ‘Grand Theft Auto V’. A platform for fandoms and online communities has revealed that ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ is the…

A Risca native who works as a robotics product manager at Amazon will make a special appearance on national TV this week. Phil Davies from Risca features on Dom Delivers, which airs on BBC One on 9th May at 10.45am. In the programme, Phil and his colleagues give presenter Dom Littlewood a behind the scenes tour at Amazon. The programme shows the journey of a product from the factory floor of a third-party seller through Amazon’s fulfilment network, which includes the Amazon fulfilment centre and delivery station in Bristol. In the programme, Dom pays a visit to one of the fulfilment…

Outdoors retailer Millets are delighted to announce that on 12th May they are opening a new store in Tenby, located at 10 High Street, SA70 7EU. It comes following a post-pandemic boom in the popularity of outdoor exploration, bucking the gloomy trend seen elsewhere on the British high street. With over 100 stores, Millets are well known around the UK for offering an extensive range of quality, affordable outdoor equipment and clothing for the whole family. The new store will be the go-to destination in Tenby for outdoor enthusiasts, stocking everything from waterproof jackets, to tents, walking boots, rucksacks and more. Opening their…

Entries are pouring in for this year’s prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru as the May 20 deadline fast approaches. Highlight of the year for apprentices, employers and work-based learning providers and practitioners, the awards are organised by the Welsh Government and supported by the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW). Headline sponsor for the third year is Openreach. The awards highlight the outstanding achievements, during unprecedented times, of successful employers, inspirational apprentices and talented work-based learning practitioners. Application forms can be download from gov.wales/apprenticeshipawardscymru and submitted before the closing date of May 20 at 12 noon. From the applications, finalists in…

National Trust Cymru are preparing to start work this week on improving the existing facilities at Pont ar Daf, creating a fit-for-purpose car park from which visitors can access the iconic Brecon Beacons. With the addition of new visitor facilities, the popular countryside parking spot will become a welcoming starting point for the 350,000 people who walk up Pen y Fan each year. The new and improved car park will add around 200 more spaces, giving visitors access to a total of nearly 260 safe car parking spaces away from the busy A470 road. Cared for by National Trust Cymru,…

The Riverside Library, Gallery and Visitor Information in Haverfordwest is welcoming a very special exhibition this spring, thanks to the National Gallery Masterpiece Tour, sponsored by Christie’s. Hélène Rouart in her Father’s Study by Edgar Degas will form the centrepiece in an exhibition drawn from the National Welsh Portrait Collection at The National Library of Wales, which will be held at the Riverside Gallery, Haverfordwest. The exhibition will contextualise the painting through an exploration of the female form in art, and analyse the theory of the male gaze in portraits through the eyes of both female and male artists such…

A programme that helps Powys’ unpaid carers and volunteers balance their own care needs, with the needs of those they look after, is to return. Powys Health and Care Academy is offering a free mindful based living course over eight weeks, starting on Wednesday 12 May, and a free retreat day at the academy’s Bronllys campus on Saturday 28 May, for those who want help to look after their own wellbeing, while caring for others. The academy previously offered similar support to the county’s unpaid carers and volunteers during February, March and April this year, when 31 people learnt techniques…

The Welsh Government has formally removed the Infection Control Framework for Higher and Further Education institutions from today. The change will bring higher and further education into line with the wider public health guidance followed by businesses, employers and event organisers. The advice covers control measures that could be implemented to reduce the risk of transmission of the most common communicable diseases, including Coronavirus, flu and norovirus. Universities and colleges have been following sector-specific guidance to reduce the transmission of Covid-19, similar to the local framework followed by schools, with a scale of measures based on local risk. On 18…