Author: Rhys Gregory

Pioneering Welsh bar & restaurant group and Spanish food importer Ultracomida has expanded on its wine retail offering – with investment in a Cardiff ‘wine warehouse’ which will be open to both trade and the general public by summer 2022. The independent boutique operators are well known for bringing a casual dining style influenced by Northern Spain to Wales, through their award-winning wine shops, delis, and restaurants in Wales; Ultracomida in Narberth and Aberystwyth, and Curado Bar and Vermut in the Welsh capital. More recently, wine retail has become a major focus for the group, with more than 4,500 sq ft of warehousing space acquired in Aberystwyth…

To celebrate Deaf Awareness Week (2-8 May), Careers Wales has announced its free and impartial support will be accessible to the British Sign Language (BSL) community from Tuesday 3 May. Careers Wales has teamed up with SignVideo, the UK’s leading BSL video interpreting service, to better support the deaf and BSL community in accessing Careers Wales services. The service will initially be available Wales-wide through the Careers Wales Connect contact centre. It will later be available in-person at centres in Aberystwyth, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthen, Llandudno, Newport, Newtown, Swansea and Wrexham. The final phase will be rolled out to all…

The histories and life of five port towns in Wales and Ireland will feature in a new film that will be premiered in Aberystwyth at the end of May. The series of eight short documentary films and one feature-length film, At the Water’s Edge: Stories of the Irish Sea, aim to promote the ports of Fishguard, Holyhead and Pembroke Dock in Wales, and Dublin and Rosslare in Ireland, as well as the three ferry routes connecting them. The films were produced as part of Ports, Past and Present, a project which explores the history and cultural heritage of the ports,…

Independent tea specialists Waterloo Tea have transformed a tiny, 7sqm former park ranger’s hut into a takeaway gelato & candyfloss cabin. Situated just metres from the first ever tearoom in the Waterloo portfolio, The Rangers Hut, based in Waterloo Gardens (the park which inspired the brand’s name), has been lovingly restored. By working with Cardiff council, Waterloo Tea has been able to fund the restoration, bringing a beautiful piece of history back to its best. The inspiration behind The Rangers Hut was to create the ultimate treat for kids and grown-ups visiting the park; freshly made candy floss, waffle boats and locally…

A college learner from Caerphilly has been crowned the UK’s top plumbing apprentice after winning a national competition. Twenty-year-old Ruben Duggan from Blackwood has beaten off stiff competition from across the UK to land himself the top prize at the grand finals of this year’s HIP Apprentice of the Year competition. The competition, run by HIP magazine aims to shine a light on the most talented young apprentices in the industry. Ruben, who is currently studying an NVQ Level 3 plumbing diploma at Coleg y Cymoedd’s Ystrad Mynach campus, came out on top after a tough two-day contest held at…

This July, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and Llangollen Fringe Festival join forces to celebrate two significant cultural milestones for the town; the Eisteddfod’s 75th anniversary, and the Fringe’s 25thwhich combine to make an amazing 100 years of summer festivals in Llangollen. To mark these two anniversaries, the Eisteddfod and Fringe are collaborating for the first time to produce Llanfest 2022 on Sunday 10th July, the final day of the four-day International Llangollen Eisteddfod music festival, which runs from 7-10th July. Llanfest has become a firm favourite in the summer festival diary and this year there will be an emphasis on home-grown talent incorporating eclectic music, theatre and…

Wales has been urged not to fall behind England in banning the use of “deadly” glue traps – as the First Minister announces a delay to the nation’s planned Agriculture (Wales) Bill Glue traps, also known as ‘glue boards’ or ‘sticky boards’, consist of a sheet of plastic, cardboard or wood coated with non-drying adhesive designed to trap rodents such as mice and rats as they cross the board. RSPCA Cymru considers the traps “cruel and indiscriminate”. In England, the Glue Traps (Offences) Act received Royal Assent on Thursday – after the Private Member’s legislation, brought forward by Wolverhampton North…

Rachael Flanagan, Managing Director of commercial cleaning company Mrs Buckét, was one of a select group of Welsh female entrepreneurs invited to an event hosted by the Secretary of State for Wales on behalf of the UK Government earlier this week. The reception at Gwydyr House in Whitehall celebrated the success of Welsh female entrepreneurs and provided guests with the opportunity to network with other female business leaders and UK Government Ministers and Members of Parliament, including Simon Hart MP, Secretary of State for Wales. Other guests included Chair of PRCA Cymru Shayoni Lynn, publisher and TEDx speaker Bernie Davies…

A project to turn a beauty spot into a dark sky friendly zone has won an award. External lighting at Loggerheads Country Part in the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Beauty (AONB) has been changed to improve the quality of the night skies in the area. The work won the Good Lighting Award from the Commission for Dark Skies, an organisation which aims to protect the night sky for star gazing. The LED lights, which operate on multiple motion sensors, are fully shielded so there is no upward spill and light is directed only to where it…

With the help of a British Business Bank Start Up Loan, Tarian Drums, will soon see its bespoke drum kits on some of the world’s most iconic stages, including Lollapalooza Paris and the Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Pontyclun-based bespoke drum manufacturer, Tarian Drums, the first of its kind in Wales, will soon see its drums on some of the biggest stages in the world, a major feat for a home-grown Welsh firm first established by two close friends in 2020. Tarian Drums produces and manufactures bespoke high-end drums using sustainable and locally sourced Welsh wood and materials for some of the…