Author: Rhys Gregory

The arrival of Porthcawl’s all-new road train attraction has been celebrated with an official launch in Rest Bay. The seasonal service which runs between Sandy Bay and Rest Bay takes in key stops such as Coney Pleasure Beach, Porthcawl harbour, the town centre, the Grand Pavilion and the Rest Bay Watersports Centre. At the official launch on Tuesday 17 August, Emmaus South Wales, the charity and social enterprise behind the new road train, named the land train Lucie in honour of the co-founder of Emmaus. Jemma Wray, Chief Executive of Emmaus South Wales, said: “We’re delighted to be providing this…

RCT Council has provided a progress update on the construction of 20 modern commercial units in Robertstown – and can confirm it has already received significant enquiries from a number of potential future tenants. The business units, being built on previously unused land off Wellington Street, are being delivered after the Council secured £3.36m funding from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. Site clearance took place in early 2020, to enable contractor R&M Williams to start the main construction phase later that year. The construction phase continues to make visible progress – with residents and visitors able…

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s FREE town centre Wi-Fi scheme is now available in Tonypandy, meaning shoppers, businesses and visitors to the town can now make use of the free public-access Wi-Fi scheme. Following on from the successful roll-out of the pilot to Aberdare, Mountain Ash, Ferndale, Porth and Treorchy Town Centres, Tonypandy is the 6th out of 7 town centres in Rhondda Cynon Taf the Council has committed to make the scheme available in. Supporting town centres is a key priority for the Council, especially during the Coronavirus pandemic, which has had such a huge impact on residents and businesses.…

On Friday 20 August, a team of creatives, including partners from Wales, will launch ‘Fix Up The City’ – the first ever city-scale, immersive Augmented Reality (AR) experience based on the iconic duo Wallace & Gromit – which can be experienced in Cardiff, San Francisco and Bristol. The new augmented adventure has been created by multi award®-winning animation studio, Aardman, and Fictioneers: which is a collaboration of partners including Newport-based Tiny Rebel Games, Potato (part of the AKQA network), and Sugar Creative. The activity, funded by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), follows Fictioneers’ successful launch of The Big Fix Upearlier…

The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society are delighted to announce that this year’s Royal Welsh Winter Fair will be returning to the Showground in Llanelwedd as a two-day event on the 29th & 30th November 2021. After not being able to hold event on the Royal Welsh Showground since the 2019 Winter Fair due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Society are excited to be welcoming returning exhibitors and visitors to the 2021 Royal Welsh Winter Fair which will once again showcase the finest prime stock to enjoy two-days packed full of competitions and Christmas shopping for the upcoming festive season. Alwyn…

GMB Drivers and engineers are set for strike action as the new school term gets underway, unless stagecoach address the pay disparity which sees Merthyr staff paid less than their colleagues in neighbouring Porth  Drivers and engineers based at Stagecoach’s Merthyr Tydfil have announced their first strike date (Monday 6th September), the same date as the new school term begins. The move could see the county borough grind to a halt, as drivers refuse to work on what is traditionally one of the busiest weeks of the year. The strike has been called after GMB Members voted overwhelmingly for strike action at the company’s Merthyr…

Two neighbouring landmark sites in Abergele are being redeveloped as part of plans to regenerate the town. Housing association Cartrefi Conwy has teamed up with contractors Anwyl Partnerships to breathe new life into the 2.3 acre plot of land that’s been vacant for several years. The location just off Market Street includes the closed Bee Hotel and the old Slaters Citroen and Nissan dealership. Slaters closed suddenly in March 2018 after 100 years of trading and then went into administration. The shock collapse left 74 people out of work and ended the company’s century-long association with the market town. Now…

Students and staff from UWTSD’s Swansea College of Art have contributed to the latest exhibition showcasing at the Elysium Art Gallery, Swansea, ‘Without Borders’. ‘Without Borders’ is an evolving digital project and physical exhibition, aimed at bringing together 22 communities and nearly 300 artists from around the world. The exhibition seeks to remove barriers, create alliances, and connect with neighbours. It aims to bring creative people together, to collaborate in an international touring exhibition of works on paper – a collection of artists’ pages. After exhibiting at Swansea, ‘Without Borders’ will travel to Japan, Norway, USA, Venice, Canada, and back to…

Two recent graduates from Aberystwyth University have used their passion for cycling to launch a tourism business helping mountain bikers plan riding holidays in the Dyfi Valley and Snowdonia. 22 year old Tom Lancaster and 25 year old Emily Stratton’s online travel agency, Ride Dyfi, is a one stop shop for mountain bikers to find suitable accommodation with facilities to store bikes, places to ride, and other things to do around the biking hotspots in north west Wales. Meeting at university where Tom studied Business Management and Emily studied Geography, the duo started their business with the help of Big…

A new super bakery is up and running less than two years after the one it’s replaced was destroyed by a devastating fire. Champagne corks popped after bread started rolling off the production line at the Jones Village Bakery’s new 140,000 sq ft plant on Wrexham Industrial Estate. The jubilant mood was in stark contrast to the heartbreak when fire ripped through the original bakery on August 19, 2019. According to the family firm, the most important thing was that everybody evacuated the building unhurt which meant they were able to turn their attention immediately to a recovery plan. The…