Author: Rhys Gregory

With over 1 million light bulbs, 120,000 visitors and 5 marriage proposals,the electrifying Christmas at Bute Park lit up the city centre in itsinaugural year as a festive illumination experience in Cardiff. As we approach the end of the first month of 2022, Christmas may seem a long time ago but memories from the magical light trail live on for many of Cardiff’s citizens and visitors. Despite the huge demand for tickets, the event curators, From the Fields, committed to ensuring the enjoyment of the event was shared as widely as possible. They donated over 1,450 tickets to communities, families…

Swansea has a new tall crane on the cityscape, showing that progress is being made on the transformation of the historic Palace Theatre building. The temporary new landmark is part of work by South Wales-based contractor R&M Williams Ltd on behalf of Swansea Council. The 134-year-old grade two listed building is being transformed sensitively into a home to tech, start-up and creative businesses. The six-storey flatiron-shaped structure was acquired by the council from private owners around two years ago; it had fallen into disrepair and was in danger of being lost. Work began on site in the autumn and the…

Wild Lakes Wales, which recently rebranded from Pembrokeshire Wake Park, has opened a new bouldering wall, boosting local employment and further expanding the range of activities available at the centre. The addition of the wall and a new yoga studio in the same building is enabling the centre to stay open through the winter for the first time since it launched. A family business, Wild Lakes Wales is run by siblings Sarah Harris, Mark Harris and Stephanie Harris. The trio grew up in Pembrokeshire and decided to create their own Wake park after moving back to the area and always…

A Gwynedd care home group has opened the doors to a new training centre as part of bold plans to increase high-quality dementia support within North Wales. Meddyg Care, which has two homes in Criccieth and Porthmadog, has completed work on the dedicated space next door to the company’s head office along Bank Place in Porthmadog. The facility, which occupies the former Cambrian News office in the town, has been renovated from the ground up to allow for staff development and specialised courses focused on the care sector. However, it won’t just be Meddyg employees which will be able to…

Reports of scam HMRC phone calls have fallen by 97% over the last 12 months, latest HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures show, which display a downward trend in reports overall throughout the past year. Reports of scammers impersonating HMRC in phone calls peaked at 79,477 in March 2021 and fell to just 2,491 in December 2021. The fall in scam call reports to HMRC has also been seen elsewhere with an 92% drop in phishing email reports and a 97% drop in scam text reports over the last year. These significant results are testament to some of the work…

Dedicated staff at an RSPCA animal centre near Swansea are showing a deaf rescue dog that – even without his hearing – the world can still be a wonderful place. Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rocco, who is nearly eight, first arrived at the charity’s Llys Nini Animal Centre in Penllergaer in February 2020 after he was brought in by an RSPCA inspector following concerns for his welfare. Underweight and thought to be partially deaf at the time, the friendly food-loving Staffie was soon in much better health and was the first dog to be rehomed by the centre following the introduction…

National Trust Cymru care for miles of walking trails across Wales, perfect for a winter stroll with your loved one to celebrate Dydd Santes Dwynwen (St Dwynwen’s Day). To mark this day, 25 January, dedicated to love, wrap up warm and choose from frost covered parklands and gardens; following in the footsteps of some of history’s famous couples. Hike up hills and share the views with your someone special or pick a coastal path and walk across the sand, hand in hand. Here are the top ten most romantic walking trails for you to enjoy with your loved one. Porthdinllaen,…

Starts: Fundraiser, Rob Lloyd, has taken on the world’s fastest seated zip line to help raise money for charity. Daredevil, Rob, took on the challenge at Zip World Tower on Friday (January 21) as part of his year-long fundraising campaign called Rob’s Sense-less Challenge to raise funds for Sense charity. Rob has been fundraising for Sense since March 2020 and has continued to push himself to the limit to raise money for a cause that is so close to his heart. Rob has already undertaken numerous crazy challenges including marathons, skydiving; joining the SAS for a gruelling weekend of physical…

Transport for Wales (TfW) is celebrating the completion of work to refurbish its fleet of Class 175 long-distance trains. Train manufacturer Alstom has been working to refurbish the 27 Coradia trains at their Technology Centre in Widnes, Cheshire, as part of TfW’s £40 million investment in its current fleet of trains. Since the first train re-entered service in the summer of 2019, customers have been benefiting from improved facilities, including USB and electric charging points, brand new toilet seats, re-covered seats, new carpets and new interior fittings. The trains have also been rebranded on the outside with TfW’s grey and…

A campaign to encourage people to consider a new career in Wales’ growing food and drink industry has been launched by the Welsh Government. The new Food Workforce Wales campaign, delivered by Food Skills Cymru, showcases the exciting and varied careers in the industry and highlights the vast range of opportunities available to anyone looking at starting a new career, to transfer skills or upskill and progress. As part of the campaign, a new online jobs notice board is live with a number of vacancies available across the sector. Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths…