Author: Rhys Gregory

St David’s Day should be made a bank holiday, Welsh Conservative members will tell the Senedd during a debate this week. Making the 1st of March a bank holiday would be a fitting way to celebrate the heritage and culture of Wales as well as giving the economy and tourism industry a much-needed boost. The Welsh Conservative motion, which has been co-submitted by Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems, will be debated in the chamber on Wednesday (2nd March). There would be huge economic benefits for Wales if it were to happen, with a 2018 study finding that a…

A performance programme focusing on what it means to be a young person in Wales is to hit the stage with the production’s star-studded team urging the region’s young talent to sign up and act out a Welsh BAFTA-winning writer’s latest script. The production, entitled ‘A Day In The Life Of Us’, is to run at Denbigh-based Theatr Twm o’r Nant on 2 and 3 April, with young Welsh actors aged between 14 and 24 encouraged to sign up to perform. Critically acclaimed writer and director Janys Chambers and combat artist and assistant director Tom Conwy are looking to bring…

Key parts of Swansea’s £135m Copr Bay phase one destination will open to the public this Friday (March 4). Local people and visitors will be able to enjoy walking or cycling across the stunning new bridge over Oystermouth Road and spending quality time in the 1.1-acre coastal park. They’ll also be able to book tickets for Swansea Arena events by taking a first look at the venue’s elegant foyer area. Comedian John Bishop will be the first star to perform at the 3,500-capacity arena on Tuesday March 15, with rock band Royal Blood then taking to the stage on Saturday…

Specialist radio station m4d Radio is celebrating St David’s Day on Tuesday, March 1 2022 with an hour-long playlist of Welsh music, introduced by actor Michael Sheen. Best known for starring in Frost/Nixon, The Queen and Good Omens, Michael was born in Newport and recently moved back to Port Talbot. This is Michael’s first time on m4d Radio, which is a specialist streaming platform designed for people living with dementia and their carers. The St David’s Day playlist will be broadcast at 8am, 11am and 2pm featuring classics old and new, with some traditional Welsh music and some popular anthems.…

A nine-year-old girl from the Vale of Clwyd over-ruled her mum to book a place at show-jumping’s blue riband event, the Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead this summer. Georgia Hogan, from Trefnant, a pupil at Myddelton College, Denbigh, produced a flawless final round in the Winter Qualifier at South View Equestrian Centre, near Winsford, to earn a trip to the sport’s ‘headquarters’. She was one of only two riders to go clear in the first two rounds of the competition but that wasn’t enough for four-foot-tall Georgia, barely higher than the fences she and her 20-year-old mare Darth Moll…

Savills, on behalf of private clients, has launched to market Conwy Water Gardens in Conwy, North Wales with a guide price of £1 million. The business is located approximately one mile from the village of Rowen, one of UK’s most desirable villages, according to research from Savills. The multifaceted lifestyle leisure business is set on approximately 7.5 acres (3 hectares) providing a variety of leisure activities: Nature trail –  The trail set among trees and ponds and is home to various animal attractions such as pheasants, otters, hens, ducks, turtles and wild birds The fishery – There are two fully…

The Poundland Foundation – the charity launched by the retailer last year – has today opened up a two-week window for the latest round of grants made available for children’s sports organisations across the UK. Grassroots sports groups from every part of the country are invited to apply for support of up to £750 for new kits and around £210,000 will be available to award 280 grants. After the first grant window last summer, the Poundland Foundation awarded 150 grants in September, giving away more than £100,000. Successful applicants included basketball, boxing, cheerleading, dance, football, Gaelic football, hockey, watersports, martial…

Judges were encouraged by the passion and optimism for the hospitality industry exuding from everyone involved in the Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC) which ended on Thursday last week after three days of competitions. The popular, annual event, organised by the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW), made a welcome return to Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s campus in Rhos-on-Sea after a pandemic enforced absence of two years. Main sponsor is Food and Drink Wales, the Welsh Government’s department representing the food and drink industry. Colin Gray, CAW vice president and managing director of Capital Cuisine, Caerphilly, told guests at the WICC awards dinner,…

The Development Bank of Wales has come to the rescue of qualified paramedics Andrea and Gethin Bateman who have taken on a new business venture and are on a mission to breath a new lease of life into the Rising Sun public house and camp site in Pelcomb Bridge, Haverfordwest. Having worked as front-line paramedics for the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Andrea is now a clinical advisor for the NHS Wales 111 Service and Gethin is a serious incident investigation manager for Digital Health and Care Wales. However, a love of camping and caravanning coupled with a £300,000 loan…

A report published by Careers Wales, the national careers advice service in Wales, reveals more than 60,000 new green jobs could be created by 2022 within the Welsh economy. Careers Wales’ recent ‘Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market in Wales’ report shows how the transformation towards a greener economy will lead to a growing eco-industry and, ultimately, to greater employment opportunities in Wales. Green jobs are increasing as businesses work to comply with environmental impact policies. A ‘green job’ encompasses roles that deliver goods and services which are likely to help the UK generate lower emissions of greenhouse gases, the ‘greening’…