Author: Rhys Gregory

A love of Wales along with a keen interest in botanicals, hedgerow fruits and fermentation has inspired Daniel Dyer to discover the art of distilling and open his own distillery in Newport. A £50,000 start-up micro loan from the Development Bank of Wales has been used to fund the fit-out of the Spirit of Wales Distillery that Daniel has set-up to create his award-winning authentic Welsh spirits – Steeltown Welsh Gin, Steeltown Welsh Vodka and Dragon’s Breath Spiced Welsh Rum. Having first started distilling spirits as a hobby, Daniel and head Distiller James Gibbons now produce affordable premium spirits that…

Ceredigion Museum in Aberystwyth has been awarded £115,894 development funding by the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a project to explore how collections can create community in the coastal county.  Perthyn ‘belonging to/possessing’ is an ambitious project that aims to ensure that every Ceredigion resident can find something in the museum collection that resonates with their sense of identity and values, regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, beliefs, sexuality, ability or other characteristics that they identify with. Carrie Canham, museum curator, said: “We’ll be working with the Common Cause Foundation to explore how shared values can build bridges between Ceredigion’s…

A product designed to both save the NHS money and help save the planet has been recognised with a leading national industry accolade. Shield – a simple and low-cost redesign of the urinary drainage bags and frames used for catheters – has been recognised by Red Dot in the Sustainability category of the Red Dot Concept Awards. Designed by Cardiff Metropolitan University spin-out business PDR, Shield utilises recycled single-use disposable plastic sterilisation tray wraps and drapes commonly used in hospital operating theatres and otherwise put into landfill. Its sustainability was a crucial part of the design; recycled hospital waste material…

The family of Aamir Siddiqi has today released a statement and photographs on the 12th anniversary of his murder. 17-year-old Aamir died at his home in Ninian Road, Roath on April 11, 2010, having suffered multiple stab wounds. South Wales Police continues to work with the National Crime Agency and international law enforcement agencies to trace Mohammed Ali Ege, who is wanted in connection with Aamir’s murder, and return him to the UK. Although two men have been convicted of his murder, and continue to serve life sentences in prison, South Wales Police remains as committed as ever to tracing…

Mold Food & Drink Festival is returning after a two-year absence, with the extravaganza to be held this September. The Covid pandemic put the New Street festival on the back burner, but the event will return this autumn with the emphasis on supporting Wales’s food and drink providers alongside the best of the country’s chefs. The enforced break gave organisers the chance to look at the festival’s longevity and consider future succession planning. Run by volunteers with little external funding, the two-day event has gone from strength to strength with increasing visitor numbers. Festival co-chair Richard Howells said bolstering the…

Pupils at Glan Llyn Primary School in Newport flexed their musical abilities last week as they welcomed brand new instruments – including violins, cellos, glockenspiels and recorders. The instruments, which are already being used in music classes across the school, have been gifted by St. Modwen, the UK’s leading developer of new communities and high-quality homes, through its Community Impact Fund, which was launched to provide support for communities throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.  The primary school received £5,000 from St. Modwen to purchase the new instruments. Pupils in years one and two have been mastering the strings of their new…

A new study has revealed just how busy the roads will be this Easter weekend, with 87 percent of Brits saying they expect to travel at least once, amounting to over 27million cars on the road and drivers spending up to 111million hours behind the wheel this weekend alone. Brits are going everywhere and anywhere this weekend, with 84 percent seeing friends or family at some point, a third (32 percent) also enjoying a day trip and 16 percent taking a short Easter break. With an average Easter journey of 111.4 miles, Britain will clock up 3.1bn miles cumulatively from…

Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear recorded a sensational victory at Saturday’s Rallynuts Stages Rally as the pairing stormed to an impressive four fastest times from six stages in their Ford Fiesta R5 in Mid Wales. The pairing, fresh from a win at Rally North Wales just a fortnight ago, returned a scintillating performance, opening a whopping 15 second lead on the initial Myherin stage and were never headed, taking arguably their most important win to date. Last year’s Rallynuts winners Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh were their nearest challengers, taking second overall in their Ford Fiesta Rally2, whilst Dylan Davies…

Street Food Warehouse has announced that Pembrokeshire Street Food Festival is returning to South Beach, Tenby from 17th – 19th June!  Having run wonderfully popular festivals there in 2018 and 2019, they sure know how to put on a good show. With an outstanding line up of street food traders, Pembrokeshire Street Food Festival looks set to serve up some much needed fun, food and good vibes. WIth the festival backing onto Tenby’s stunning South Beach, you can’t go wrong! Cooking up a storm from Friday 17th June – Sunday 19th June, 11am – 11pm daily, the festival is split…

A warm southerly airflow over the UK will bring milder temperatures than of late but also showery and occasionally windy weather in the run-up to the Easter weekend. The warmer air being drawn up from France will be a contrast to the Arctic air mass conditions we have seen over much of the country in the last week or so, but it will also bring a number of weather fronts and unsettled spells, particularly in the west. The early part of the week will see some fairly windy conditions in the west, with gusts in places up to perhaps 60mph…