Author: Rhys Gregory

Two local creative talents, George McDonagh and Mohamad Miah, have been recruited to work on StoryTrails, a unique immersive storytelling experience coming to Newport, as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, a ground-breaking nationwide celebration of creativity in 2022. StoryTrails allows local people to experience their town in a completely new way through the magic of augmented and virtual reality. People will be able to use this new technology to travel back in time, experiencing untold local histories from Newport. These stories will be brought to life in the places where they happened, reanimating public spaces and creating a…

FSB Wales has published new research this week on the future of Welsh towns. A Vision for Welsh Towns is a stocktake of the challenges that towns have faced in recent years, informed by FSB members and the public. Previously, FSB research has found the biggest considerations for towns and the SMEs within them are external, such as social and demographic trends, urbanisation of cities and digital transformation that threatens to leave some behind. Our new findings suggest these challenges remain and have been exacerbated by the pandemic and supply chain issues. Only 3% of the people surveyed for our…

Wales’ ‘food capital’ has been revealed as the proposed site of the world’s first carbon neutral alcohol-free brewery. Pioneering craft brewer Drop Bear Beer Co. has submitted plans to build its bespoke brewery on a farm near Abergavenny, an area renowned for food and drink excellence and innovation. If given the go-ahead by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, Celliwig Farm on the outskirts of Abergavenny will become home to Drop Bear’s brewery – a move that would allow the burgeoning business to increase production and create jobs in the locality. The proposed development and growth of the company represents…

Wales will be taking on Italy on Saturday, March 19that Principality Stadium. With the kick-off taking place at 2.15pm – there will be a full city centre road closure from 10.15am until 6.15pm to ensure all ticket holders are able to get into and out of the stadium safely. Those attending the rugby match are strongly advised to leave large bags at home and pay attention to the prohibited items listed at principalitystadium.wales before they travel into the city. Road closures From 7am, Scott Road and Park Street will be closed because of the need to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing…

Cardiff Dogs Home is experiencing a surge in the number of dogs needing rehoming as owners who bought dogs during the pandemic return to work and find themselves without the time needed to properly care for their pets. Currently more than 50 dogs are being looked after at the home, a number of dogs are being fostered by volunteers while the kennels are full, and a waiting list is in place for more dogs waiting for space at the home to become available. Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Michael Michael, said: “All the dogs in our care are being well…

A special Commonwealth Day event and flag raising ceremony has been held at Cardiff Castle, joining more than 1000 Commonwealth flags around the world which were raised at the same time to mark a shared celebration of the amazing family of nations that encompass the globe. The Rt. Hon The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Councillor Rod McKerlich hosted the event and was joined by Sir Brooke Boothby, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of South Glamorgan, who readHer Majesty The Queen’s Commonwealth Day Message. Special guests also includedrepresentatives from the British Army 160th (Welsh) Brigade; Keith DunnOBE CMLJ ,President of the Consular Association in Wales,…

Work on a brand-new children’s placement and assessment hub in Brynmenyn is now underway, the facility is being built on the site of a former primary school in the area. The initial works on site involved the demolition of the old school in August 2021. The project is for the construction of a new two-storey detached building which will be a new Children’s Placement and Assessment Hub. The facility, which is jointly funded by Bridgend County Borough Council and Welsh Government through the Integrated Care Fund (ICF) capital programme, will bring together a range of services for children and young…

Located next to Swansea Arena, the coastal park includes plenty of new greenery, benches, soft play areas and other facilities. Both the coastal park and arena are part of the £135m Copr Bay phase one district being developed by Swansea Council and development managed by RivingtonHark. Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd is leading on its construction. About the same size as a football pitch, the coastal park also includes water features and a selection of new trees. Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration and Tourism, said: “We’re delighted that the coastal park has now opened to the…

Plans for a major new manufacturing plant in Swansea creating hundreds of well-paid jobs are making significant progress.  The 60,000 square-metre plant, earmarked for a plot of land just off Langdon Road in the SA1 area of the city, will make high-tech batteries for the renewable sector. The proposed new plant forms part of the £1.7bn Blue Eden project developed by an international consortium, led by Bridgend-based DST Innovations. In-principle heads of terms have now been agreed between Swansea Council and the organisation for the plot of land, which is currently owned by the council. The development will bring the…

An additional 49 easily accessible life-saving defibrillators are being installed at retail locations in communities right across Swansea in the coming months. Swansea Council is working with the charity Heartbeat Trust UK to increase public access to this vital equipment and to become the UK’s first ‘defib-friendly’ city. The Council has agreed more than £60,000 in grant funding that will enable the Charity to place and insure defibrillators in locations that have 24-hour access in all 36 council wards. These will include additional machines in retail locations in the city centre, high streets in communities including Morriston, Clydach, Gorseinon, Pontarddulais and Sketty and outside…