Author: Rhys Gregory

Manic Street Preachers played an intimate, exclusive gig last tonight at Cardiff’s famous Clwb Ifor Bach to kick off BBC Radio 6 Music Festival. One of Wales’s biggest rock bands, they had never performed at the venue before, despite having been originally slated to play it back in 1990. The band’s set contained hits from across their career, plus some tracks they’ve never performed before, including a cover of Borderline by Madonna, His Last Painting from the 2001 album Know Your Enemy, and their song Blank Diary Entry. Originally recorded as a duet with Mark Lanegan on their latest album…

Millions of UK workers will receive a pay rise from today (Friday 1 April), as the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rise comes into effect. The uplift in wages, which will benefit around 2.5 million people, includes the largest ever increase to the National Living Wage. It will put £1,000 a year more into full-time workers’ pay packets, helping to ease cost of living pressures. With today’s rise, the yearly earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage will have increased by over £5,000 since the introduction of the National Living Wage by the Government in…

A leading Welsh Community Bank is rewarding its Members by tripling its dividend for savers. Smart Money Cymru Community Bank (SMCCB) has declared a 0.75% dividend for 2021 (up from 0.25% the previous year) – one of the market-leading interest rates on offer to savers in the UK. CEO Mark White said the dividend was the result of the Community Bank’s strong performance in the last year. “We have consistently paid a good dividend to savers in the last 20 years, and we want to thank people for their support and confidence in us,” he said. “We spent Lockdown refocussing…

Street Food Warehouse are delighted to announce Festival of Fire, a new concept bringing a spark to the picturesque seaside town of Milford Haven! Festival of Fire is a family friendly street food festival focusing on quality chefs cooking wonderful dishes with the theatrical use of fire. Adding to the fiery spectacle, the internationally renowned, fire production company Walk The Plank will be exhibiting their spectacular, flaming orange fire garden to accompany the sizzling traders! Plus live fire performances and music will be entertaining audiences across the weekend. In partnership with the Celtic Collection’s Tŷ Hotels, the three day festival…

AN innovative new scheme delivering affordable office space and free business support to home workers and start-up companies in rural areas has been launched. Led by Antur Cymru Enterprise, the DeskSpace initiative is being piloted at Antur Teifi Business Park in Newcastle Emlyn, providing a platform for post-pandemic recovery and a well-timed boost for the economy in north Carmarthenshire. The long-term vision is to roll the concept out across small towns and villages in Wales, helping entrepreneurs who launched a venture during the pandemic – or those who want to move from the kitchen table or spare room to a…

Milford Haven-headquartered hospitality network NetLet UK has a new managing director. Emma Taylor, who joined the company three and a half years ago, has stepped into the role while the company’s founders Penny and Paul Hows stay on as active members of the board. NetLet provides fully managed holiday accommodation and laundry and housekeeping facilities for the hospitality sector across Pembrokeshire. The company saw 47% growth last year and is currently seeking to recruit two managers, three housekeepers and 10-20 seasonal staff to support further growth. Emma Taylor grew up in Pembrokeshire and gained a degree in equine studies from…

Visitors to Fonmon Castle in the Vale of Glamorgan will be transported back to medieval times this Easter. Activities on April 16, 17 and 18 include dramatic medieval jousting and fighting displays, medieval surgery talks, archery sessions, and the chance to explore medieval lords and ladies’ encampments and learn more about this fascinating and bloody historical period. The horseback displays will be led by renowned horse specialist team The Knights of Albion, who perform all over the world. There will be two high energy horse shows a day, packed with daredevil equine skills. The Plymouth Medieval Society will be providing…

A new business forum has been launched for Neath Port Talbot. The NPT Innovation Exchange will bring together construction, digital, technology, engineering and manufacturing firms for purposeful collaboration and economic benefit. Launched at an online event on the afternoon of March 23, the NPT Innovation Exchange is hosted by Neath Port Talbot Council in partnership with 4theRegion. Supported by the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund, the exchange aims to deliver tangible benefits for local businesses and for the wider region, by encouraging local firms to innovate, collaborate and grow. The launch event attracted around 40 local businesspeople and included talks…

Another significant step in the revival of the narrow gauge Corris Railway in Mid Wales was achieved on Saturday. A new traverser at Corris Railway Station was used for the first time to allow a steam engine to run round a set of passenger carriages. This will be a regular feature from the Easter weekend when the line begins its 2022 passenger services. The first locomotive to be moved on the traverser was the Ruston and Hornsby four wheel diesel hydraulic number 6, which already holds a place in the railway’s history as having worked the initial passenger trains after…

A six-month pilot is underway to deploy remote monitoring for mental health patients across two Swansea-based care homes, Hengoed Park and Hengoed Court. Delivered by Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB) and Life Sciences Hub Wales, the remote monitoring programme will be deployed through Spirit Health’s CliniTouch Vie digital health platform. The CliniTouch Vie remote monitoring platform enables clinical teams and clinicians to provide remote care for patients. Identifying deteriorating mental health amongst patients is already a vital service provided by care homes. But experts believe that supporting this care with additional remote observation offers valuable potential to increase monitoring…