Author: Rhys Gregory

Two of North Wales’ most exciting emerging acts are joining forces for a night that celebrates the energy, creativity, and DIY spirit of Wrexham’s music scene. Groom The Giant will launch their brand-new EP ‘Old Toby’ with a headline set at NGHTCLB, joined by special guests and local favourites, Fleece. Groom The Giant, a four-piece grunge rock outfit hailing from Llangollen and Wrexham, have been steadily making their mark with heavy, psychedelic riffs and intense live performances. With appearances at FOCUS Wales, Wrexfest, Llangollen Fringe, and the International Eisteddfod already under their belt, the band are now ready to unleash…

City Hospice’s Sparkle Walk will return to north Cardiff this September, bringing together families, friends, and colleagues to remember loved ones while raising vital funds for the charity. The 10km night-time walk, which begins at Insole Court, Llandaff, will see participants stroll to City Hospice in Whitchurch and back, with a medal and glass of sparkle waiting for them on their return. At the halfway point, walkers will pause at the hospice’s memory garden, where they will have the chance to leave a heartfelt message or hang a ribbon in memory of a loved one. With over 150 participants already…

All eyes will be focussed on Mid Wales next weekend (September 5-7) as the eagerly anticipated JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion hosts the penultimate rounds of the pulsating FIA European Rally Championship and the Probite British Rally Championship. Rali Ceredigion celebrates its fifth running and brings together 106 competing crews from across the continent for the three-day contest – the biggest in the British Isles. The Mid Wales event could well be crowning champions come Sunday afternoon, but before then competitors will face 10 closed-road stages in the breathtaking countryside of Ceredigion and Powys. There’s also two high-speed, crowd-pleasing tests in…

The director of a Welsh arts centre will be bowing out in style with his final exhibition set to feature work by world-renowned artist David Nash. The exhibition at Ruthin Craft Centre will be the last one organised by Philip Hughes, 66,  who will be retiring from his role after 33 years at the end of September. Philip and his team have brought ground-breaking exhibitions to Ruthin, given hundreds of new artists their first chance to show their work, and attracted millions of pounds worth of investment to the region’s arts and crafts industry through grant funding. Under his stewardship Philip oversaw the…

The UK’s newest two-day alternative music festival is set to shake up Cardiff this winter, with We Are One Festival announcing even more acts for its debut event at the iconic Tramshed in January 2026. Joining the bill are Welsh favourites CASEY, alongside Lake Malice, Raiders, CARSICK and Parma Violence – bolstering a roster already brimming with alt, rock and emo talent. The festival, which takes place from Saturday 31 January to Sunday 1 February 2026, will showcase 20 of the best alternative artists in the genre, proving that festival season doesn’t have to wait until summer. Weekend and day…

Pugh’s Garden Village will bring its successful ‘Garden Kitchen’ café concept to Abergavenny and create up to 20 new local jobs with the support of a £450,000 funding boost from NatWest. It will become the second food focused venture for the well-known family run business following the launch of the first Garden Kitchen by Pugh’s which opened in Rogerstone, Newport, in 2021 offering quality gifts, horticultural expertise, a Food Hall and Deli counter showcasing local, Welsh produce. The bespoke Garden Kitchen will comprise a 60 seated restaurant where guests can sample home cooked meals made with locally-sourced produce and speciality coffees,…

Popeyes® UK, has announced it will be bringing the bold flavours of New Orleans to Swansea for the first time this autumn, with a new restaurant opening on Oxford Street.  The new restaurant will mark Popeyes® fourth location in Wales following the success of its existing Welsh sites in Cardiff and Newport. Fans in the capital queued for over 16 hours on opening day to be one of the first to try the legendary Popeyes® Chicken Sandwich.  Swansea residents will be able to dine in or takeaway from the new restaurant, and enjoy a taste of the full Popeyes® menu,…

The number of new businesses set up in Wales rose by 25.3% in July 2025 compared to the same month last year, while insolvency-related activity in the region fell by 19.7% over the same period, according to new research from R3, the UK’s restructuring, turnaround and insolvency trade body. R3’s analysis of data provided by Creditsafe shows that 2,035 new businesses were set up in Wales in July – a 25.3 % increase from July 2024’s total of 1,624. Over the same period, the number of insolvency-related activities – which includes liquidator and administrator appointments and creditors’ meetings – fell…

Bridgend-based housing association Valleys to Coast has confirmed plans to transform the disused Revlon factory site in Maesteg into its largest housing development to date, delivering nearly 200 new homes and breathing new life into a part of the town that has stood empty for more than a decade. Valleys to Coast is delivering the £41.8m scheme with housebuilders Avant Homes, in a deal supported by law firm Hugh James. The former factory site was made ready for development by Bridgend County Borough Council and Cardiff Capital Region, which funded £3.5m of site remediation works. Located off Ewenny Road and…

A South Wales terraced house which has seen much better days could make a wonderful family home once renovated. The two bed mid terraced property in the eastern valleys town of Pontypool has all the makings of a comfortable abode but it just needs some TLC as it has become a bit overgrown. Sean Roper, of Paul Fosh Auctions said: “The house looks in a pretty sorry state at the moment as it has been empty for some time but in the right hands it’ll make a wonderful family home. “Listed with a guide price of just £29,000, the two-bedroom…