Author: Rhys Gregory

Community-spirited neighbours who brought to life disused land in a Gwynedd village are building a new riverside walk thanks to cash seized from criminals. Y Tir, part of the Dyffryn Ardydwy and Talybont Regeneration Group, is aiming to recruit a small army of young volunteers from the surrounding area as part of a plan to ‘banish boredom’ and bring young people and local villagers together. The group formed in May last year to transform waste land in the centre of the village into 28 allotments and an orchard. The allotments have since become a hive of activity and have helped…

A Theatre Design & Production alumni from The University of Wales Trinity Saint David created props and scenery for the BRIT Awards that was held recently at the O2 Arena in London. Jake Linzey is the Managing Director of Leviathan Workshop, an award-winning company that specialises in prop making and puppets. His company was responsible for producing props and scenery for KSI, Anne-Marie & Digital Farm Animals performances at the BRIT Awards. After finding out about the work, Jake reached out to industry colleague, UWTSD props & scenery lecturer Dave Atkinson to assist with the build of an element of…

Former international referee Nigel Owens has told William Hill that Wales are as low as they have been for a number of years following Saturday’s shock defeat to Italy, and based on current form, they will struggle to reach the knockout stages of next year’s World Cup. Wales ended up finishing fifth in this year’s Six Nations following their 22-21 loss to Italy in Cardiff, and Owens believes they have got a lot of work to do before the 2023 World Cup comes around. “This is as low as Wales have been for a number of years,” the Welshman told…

ANWYL Homes is set to start work at The Airfields in Deeside in April after receiving planning permission for 183 new homes and completing on the land purchase. The new development has been named Summers Bridge and will feature a mix of one-bedroom apartments and two, three and four-bedroom detached, semi-detached and mews style homes to meet strong local demand, including for affordable homes. Public open space and play areas will also be created at the location, breathing new life into the former RAF Sealand site. The name Summers Bridge was chosen in recognition of John Summers and Sons, the…

A symbolic planting event was held at North Wales’ new Commemorative Woodland this week as the nation marks a moment of reflection, two years on since the first Covid lockdown. The woodland, located on National Trust Cymru’s Erddig Estate in Wrexham, saw Trust staff, Lesley Griffiths, Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, local families who have lost loved ones during the pandemic and members of the local community come together to plant the site’s first trees in remembrance. The Trust is proudly supporting the Welsh Government’s commemorative woodland project and providing nine hectares of land at Hafod, on the…

Leisure members across the company will be the first to use the new state of the art fitness app launching by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd. Customers will be able to scan a QR code at site and gain fast track entry into the fitness suite or exercise classes. The new app, which will work as a digital membership card, will run alongside a new front of house management system that is going live at the end of March. The new technology will modernise the customer journey, build a more integrated experience for members and also make the online joining process paper-free.…

Anglesey-based online events platform, Haia celebrates this week with the announcement of significant investment deals from early-stage funder SFC Capital and Stakeholderz angel funding. Haia, which aims to rival Zoom and the like was co-founded less than two years ago by Tom Burke and Andy Esser to facilitates online and hybrid events. It has built-in accessibility features and real time Welsh text and voice translation is in development with Bangor University’s Language Technology Unit, Canolfan Bedwyr. Founder Tom Burke said: “This is great news for Haia and such a boost to our efforts to get our product to market -…

Cardiff Half Marathon will take place on Sunday, March 27thand with 15,000people expected to take part in the event the city is expected to be exceptionally busy. The following road closures will be put in place at the Civic Centre from Wednesday, March 23rd in order to set up and dismantle the race village for the event. From 5am on Wednesday, March 23rd until midday on Tuesday, March 29th College Road will be closed from the junction with Museum Avenue to the junction with King Edward VII Avenue (access will be maintained until 6am on Saturday, 26th March.) From 5am on Thursday March 24th…

One of Cardiff’s most culturally diverse allotment associations is planning to make gardening accessible to the disabled and beginners after securing a large charity windfall. Pengam Pavilion Allotments, off Rover Way in Pengam, has been a site for keen gardeners since 1927 and currently has around 70 members producing a wide range of produce, including fruit, vegetables and flowers. They have spent years cultivating the land themselves, supported by Cardiff Council’s allotment services team, and making good use of their limited funds by recycling materials to make sheds and polytunnels. Now, however, they have received a major donation from building…

During the Local Government elections in May 2022, Bridgend County Borough Council will be running an ‘Advance Voting’ pilot scheme. The pilot scheme is an opportunity for eligible people to vote at a time of their choosing, rather than on just one designated day. It is anticipated that an extended opportunity to vote will lead to an increased turnout at the upcoming Local Government elections. Voters who live in specific Electoral Wards will be able to take part in the pilot scheme, these include the following wards which have been agreed with Welsh Government: Brackla East and Coychurch Lower Brackla…