Author: Rhys Gregory

A quirky collaboration between two iconic Welsh brands has created a “marriage produced in foodie heaven”. Food company Bwydydd Madryn and the Purple Moose Brewery have joined forces to launch a new tastebud-teasing chutney. The relish from Madryn’s Calon Lȃn range has been infused with the deep malty and blackcurrant flavour of Purple Moose’s multi-award winning Dark Side of the Moose beer. It’s the latest in a series of new products unveiled by Madryn who earlier this year opened a new warehouse in Pwllheli to cater for their growing order book. The expansion came about in part because the launch…

Care workers from across Denbighshire County Council have taken on their very own three peaks challenge. A total of 12 staff walked three of the toughest walks in Denbighshire, Gwaenysgor, Moel Famau and Castell Dinas Bran in Llangollen on September 25, with the peaks having a total height of 3,473 feet. The walk, which took eight hours, also highlighted and celebrated the role of care workers in Denbighshire, supporting the WeCare Wales campaign run by Social Care Wales. More than £950 was raised for the Alzheimer’s Society. Katie Newe, Service Manager responsible for care homes and domiciliary care provision within…

Award winning artisan cheese-maker Jackie Whittaker of Castell Gwyn Limited is expanding her North Wales manufacturing business with a £13,000 investment in her own micro-dairy. The micro loan from the Development Bank of Wales means that Jackie, a life-long cheese-lover and regular judge at the International Cheese Awards, will be purchasing a 500 litre cheese vat and cheese press that will allow her to scale production of her soft cheeses and also start producing hard cheeses. Castell Gwyn supplies local delis, speciality cheese shops, farm shops and restaurants including the Gwinllan Conwy Vineyard and Bryn Williams’ bistro in Porth Eirias.…

Independent tea specialists Waterloo Tea will open a fifth site in Cardiff this week; bringing the portfolio up to a total of five chef-led teahouses. As one of the largest independent importers in the UK, Waterloo Tea has built its reputation on carefully selecting and importing a unique range of speciality teas. By working directly with growers in India, China, Japan, Sri Lanka and Taiwan, it has built strong connections with small farms who share the same attention to detail and passion for excellence, whilst supporting communities with fair prices and ethical trade. This passion for detail extends to its…

Some of Swansea’s finest woodland is now open to all thanks to a new walking and cycling path linking Olchfa to the sea via Clyne Valley. Finishing touches are being completed on work to upgrade the Olchfa-Clyne Valley bridleway connecting Gower Road near Olchfa Comprehensive to the seafront near Blackpill Mark Thomas, Cabinet Member for Environment Enhancement and Infrastructure Management, said much the route is accessible to children in buggies and the disabled for the first time. He said: “The work on this route and on the upgrade to Mayals Road are part of our multi-million pound Active Travel programme…

omprehensive school pupils have been given an insight into the construction industry thanks to contractors working on a £9.9m new home for a Welsh medium primary school in Swansea. Year 10 students at Bishop Vaughan Catholic School have visited the new development at Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tan-y-lan. Thanks to contractors Kier and Swansea Council, they have had the chance to take part in virtual work experience, online careers mentoring and environmental sculpturing and all successfully completed the course. Due to the pandemic it was not possible for them to visit the construction site last term but with restrictions being relaxed…

Swansea workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic have been given new hope thanks to a Swansea Council back-to-work scheme. More than 200 people have been helped by Swansea Workways+ Short Term Unemployed project in the past 15 months. Over 100 of them are now back in work – others are completing training or volunteering. Council cabinet member Alyson Pugh said: “We want to improve peoples’ lives – and that’s just what this project is doing.” The Swansea Workways+ short term unemployed project offers training and employment support opportunities to unemployed citizens aged over 25. Backed by £1.2m of EU funds, the project is been supported by…

Specialists from Swansea University and the council’s Glynn Vivian Art Gallery worked together to establish key facts about the oil – including the artist’s identity. Their detailed work included precise analysis of some of the paint along with loving repairs to the image. The city centre gallery is now hosting a new exhibition – Indigo: Collections, Conservation, Chemistry – that features the painting and tells its story. The painting dates from the late 17th or early 18th century. Council cabinet member Robert Francis-Davies said: “The research on this project has been admirable and has helped solve a mystery dating back…

Neath Port Talbot Council’s Bay Technology Centre, sited on one of Wales’s premier business parks in the heart of South Wales, is on schedule to be completed in December of this year. The £7.9m three-storey office and laboratory space, located at the M4-side Baglan Energy Park in Port Talbot, will host different size units for start-up companies, indigenous businesses and inward investors looking for a base to set up and grow their operations. The centre, being built by contractors Morgan Sindall Construction, will offer 2,500 square metres of mixed use space for flexible office and laboratory work as well as…

As part of its Welsh Government-funded Active Travel programme, the County Borough Council is planning improvements at Tesco roundabout to make crossing the road safer for pedestrians. The scheme will see the creation of dropped ‘tactile’ crossings on each arm of the junction (see plan), along with include central islands to allow people to cross in two phases. There will also be a link provided from Alma Street, as the Council recognises this as a popular route for residents. These improvements are part of the wider Active Travel programme for 2021/22, along with work scheduled for Bethesda Street, Avenue de…