Author: Rhys Gregory

Business confidence in Wales rose three points during February to 29%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.    Companies in Wales reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up three points at 27%.  When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up four points to 31%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 29%.   The Business Barometer, which questions 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide. This month’s survey captured responses between 1st and 15th February before the removal of various Covid restrictions across the UK’s nations.   A net balance of 13% of businesses in the region expect to create new jobs over the next year, up one…

Contractors are being sought to carry out the rebuilding of the culvert at Castle Drive in Cimla, Neath, which collapsed due to a torrential rainstorm towards the end of last year. Neath Port Talbot Council secured Welsh Government funding of £100,000 in December to design a replacement for the vital culvert and that work has now been completed. Tenders for the construction work are about to be issued and after funding approval is obtained, a start on rebuilding the culvert is due to be made at the beginning of May this year. The £100,000 Welsh Government funding has also been…

RCT Council is Delighted to announce that live shows are set to make a welcome return to both the Coliseum Theatre and Park & Dare Theatre for the first time since the global pandemic. Kickstarting the 2022 season at the Coliseum is Wales’s favourite funny man Owen Money with his rescheduled show Owen Money’s Juke Box Heroes 3 Tour on Saturday, March 5 (7:30pm). All tickets purchased for the original date are valid for the new date. Following his hugely successful tours in 2016 and 2018, Owen is back with an evening of music and laughter featuring his band, The…

Reducing inequalities will be at the heart of the Welsh Government’s Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales Delivery Plan for 2022-24, supported by a £13m investment. Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Lynne Neagle confirmed the new funding will support a range of prevention, early intervention and specialised services that will prevent and reduce obesity, particularly in areas of deprivation. Ms Neagle announced details of the plan whilst joining children at Ysgol y Graig in Merthyr Tydfil, on the first day of Veg Power’s Eat Them to Defeat Them campaign. Primary schools from across Wales are taking part in the five-week…

The legal requirement to wear a face covering in many indoor public places has today come to an end. The change will mean people will no longer be legally required to wear face coverings in a range of indoor places, including cinemas, theatres, community centres, museums and gyms. But face coverings will continue to be a legal requirement for adults and children aged 11 and over, unless exempt, in all retail settings, on public transport and in health and care settings. Official guidance will also continue to highlight the importance of face coverings as one means of helping keep people…

The new National Chef of Wales is Thomas Herbert from Bridgend who works who works at Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, Chippenham. Herbert, a 24-year-old chef de partie, received the coveted Dragon Trophy from Wales’ Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, Lesley Griffiths, at the Welsh International Culinary Championships presentation dinner held at the Imperial Hotel, Llandudno last night (Thursday). He beat four rival chefs in a cook off to win the £1,000 prize and will now represent Wales at the next Worldchefs Global Chefs Challenge Northern Europe heat. He also received a set of knives from Friedr Dick…

A North Wales head chef is the new Junior Chef of Wales after winning a final cook-off against four rivals at the Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC) yesterday (Thursday). Besides claiming the prestigious title and the Dragon Trophy, Dalton Weir, 22, from Llandudno, head chef at Watson’s Bistro, Conwy, also won a chance of a lifetime trip to the Worldchefs Congress 2022 in Abu Dhabi with the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) delegation from May 30 to June 2. He also qualified for the semi-finals of the Young National Chef of the Year contest, organised by the Craft Guild of…

Traineeship learners, staff and members of the Construction Trainee Academy at Coleg Cambria Deeside began work on the 40 sq metre site in the autumn. With the support of Keep Wales Tidy and their Local Places for Nature project, and sponsorship from local business Monkey Lady Corporate Wear, they have planted more than 100 trees, wildflowers, and meadows, 2000 native bulbs, shrubs and more. The Construction cohort built wooden planters and the revamped patch also includes a greenhouse, seating areas, gravel paths, disabled access, bird feeders, hedgehog boxes and green spaces which can be used for peace and relaxation, outdoor…

13.8 billion years of history will be celebrated at a spectacular open-air event in Caernarfon next month. From 30 March – 5 April, the iconic Y Maes landmark will be transformed into a vast canvas at night by the video artists behind the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. About Us is a free event combining awe-inspiring live performances, multimedia installations and is the first project to open UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK – a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of creativity taking place across the UK this year. Created by 59 Productions, The Poetry Society and Stemettes, About Us will feature beautiful performances…

This week, Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB has reached a significant landmark of one million COVID-19 vaccines administered to residents across Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, and Rhondda Cynon Taf. CTM UHB is the third health board in Wales to reach this milestone of one-million vaccine doses given, in the largest mass vaccination programme of our time. The vaccination programme was first rolled out to staff in December 2020, and then to the public at GP surgeries in January 2021.  The delivery of the vaccination programme was moved to five specially transformed, Community Vaccination Centres in April 2021. Gabriel Salvatore, 14, from Bridgend,…