Author: Rhys Gregory

A popular wellness festival is set to return to Pembrokeshire in 2026, while also expanding to a brand new location for the first time. The Big Retreat Festival has confirmed it will be back in Lawrenny from 22 to 25 May 2026, marking its seventh year in Wales. At the same time, organisers have announced the launch of a second event in Cambridgeshire, taking place from 11 to 13 September 2026. Held in the coastal village of Lawrenny within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, The Big Retreat has grown into one of the UK’s best known feel good festivals, combining…

A booming North Wales bakery has been given a formal royal seal of approval after its products went global and created 100 jobs. Lord Lieutenant Harry Fetherstonhaugh, the King’s representative in Clwyd, presented staff at Jones Village Bakery with the prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise during a visit to its headquarters. The firm has opened up new markets throughout the globe in recent years, establishing sales in Australia, the Middle East, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Norway. The Lord Lieutenant was given a tour of the firm’s state-of-the-art flagship bakery on Wrexham Industrial Estate before presenting the King’s Award to…

Four talented, young chefs have been selected to contest the Junior Chef of Wales final next month. Both the Junior and National Chef of Wales finals, organised by the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW), are being held alongside the Castell Howell Trade Food Service Show at ICC Wales, Newport on January 20 and 21. The Junior Chef of Wales final – the country’s premier culinary competition for young chefs – will be contested on January 20. Katie Duffy, chef at The Halfway, Llanelli, who was runner-up this year and third in 2024, will be looking to go one better and…

Over 92% of care services in Wales have achieved high standards in the first seven months of a new ratings system being in place. Since April, 578 inspections of care homes and domiciliary support services have taken place, with ratings for 566 being published. The ratings system assesses services against four key themes: wellbeing, leadership and management, care and support, and environment. Services receive individual ratings for each theme rather than a single overall rating for the care home or domiciliary support services. Of the 2,115 ratings awarded by Care Inspectorate Wales between April and October 2025, 1,958 – representing…

Nationwide and Dementia UK’s free face-to-face clinics are returning to Nationwide branches in Cwmbran in January, offering specialist support in a safe, comfortable and private space for people to discuss any aspect of dementia. Hosted by Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurses, the clinics are open to anyone impacted by dementia, offering life-changing support to families and individuals in the area. The clinics will offer practical and emotional advice on all aspects of dementia – from worries about symptoms through to getting a diagnosis and understanding how the condition can progress. Ahead of the appointments, Dementia UK, the specialist dementia nursing charity,…

COLEG CAMBRIA has launched a new series of trailblazing flexible higher education courses. The college is continuing to transform the landscape of further and higher education with the expansion of its HN Flex model – an innovative, bitesize and accessible approach to learning designed for people who want to study around their busy lives. Following the HNC Flex in Business at Northop – unveiled earlier this year – Cambria University Centre is rolling out a full series of Higher National unit delivery, giving learners even greater choice and flexibility in how they study. Developed in partnership with Pearson, the HN…

Wibli Wobli, the premium Welsh-speaking nursery, is set to open their brand-new Cardiff site in January 2026. Originally from Newport, Wibli Wobli opened its first site in 2023. Following the growing success of the business, a second site will soon open in Roath, offering more spaces for parents in the city who wish to have Welsh education and care for their little ones. Their brand new location is in a bespoke custom-built premises and includes various rooms to encourage the children to explore and offers a ‘curiosity approach’ to play. No prior Welsh language skills are required for children or…

Planna, the artificial intelligence (AI) property startup, has announced the launch of the world’s first AI-powered Neighbourhood Guide, created in collaboration with Lloyds Banking Group (LBG). Millions of customers will have access to the digital guide, helping those planning to move home research different areas. Planna’s technology gathers and monitors hundreds of thousands of publicly available and unique data sources to analyse and interpret using its AI software. This information is then used to deliver clear, tailored insights for each customer. People looking to move to a new neighbourhood will be able to use this tool to research a local…

Organisations from across Mid and West Wales are coming together in January for a landmark, interactive futures-thinking event, Living the Future.  The event, to be held at the Aberystwyth Bandstand from 10am to 3:30pm on Wednesday, January 21, will celebrate 10 years of inspiring action since the launch of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and renew ambition for the next decade. Innovative projects, enterprises and forward-thinking organisations already putting the act’s seven well-being goals into practice will be showcased. Attendees will take part in participatory activities, exploring the power of imagination, collective visioning and futures methodologies to…

Playgrounds are more than just open spaces; they are the heartbeat of active communities. From providing children with room to play and explore to offering safe environments for physical activity and social growth, the value of well-kept playgrounds cannot be overstated. Yet, nothing lasts forever — without regular maintenance, surfaces wear, safety suffers, and costs balloon. In this post, we explore why maintaining a playground consistently is crucial, what types of maintenance matter, and how investing in upkeep delivers long-term benefits. Why Regular Playground Maintenance Matters Safety First The primary reason for maintaining an Abacus playground is safety. Over time,…