Author: Rhys Gregory

Finalists have been announced for the annual Apprenticeship, Employment and Skills Awards organised by one of Wales’ top training companies. Recognising employers and learners who have excelled in apprenticeship, skills and employment training programmes delivered by Cambrian Training Company, the awards were due to have been held at the Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd on July 28. However, due to rising cases of Covid-19, the company decided to postpone the event to a future date. The finalists are: Outstanding Individual of The Year: Joseph Hembrough,  fishmonger / manager at The Menai Seafood Company, Port Penrhyn, Bangor and Chloe Jade Varney, a…

Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway has welcomed one of its original locomotives back to the line in a lvery it has not worn for more than 70 years. Beyer Peacock 0-6-0T ‘The Earl’, built in Manchester in 1902, had been sent to the Vale of Rheidol Railway, Aberystwyth for a major overhaul in 2019, following the expiry of the locomotive’s 10-year ‘boiler ticket’. The most extensive work carried out on the engine for many years, which included a complete dismantling, was due to be completed in 2020. However, it was delayed by the Covid pandemic which closed the Aberystwyth workshops…

Lidl GB has confirmed that its new supermarket on Bodhyfryd/Powell Road, Wrexham, opened on Thursday 29th July. The store opening times will be between 8am – 10pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am – 4pm on Sunday, delivering Lidl’s offering of fresh, quality and great value produce. During the first week of opening customers will be able to find exclusive deals and offers on selected products including a Tabletop Electric Wok on Thursday 29th July (£12.99), a Sun shade on Friday 30th July (£9.99), and a Plunge Saw PTSS 1200 C1 on Saturday 31stJuly (£34.99). Part of the company’s ongoing £1.3bn expansion…

Parents who have lost a baby have made an unforgettable gesture to help others going through the same heart-breaking experience. Swansea Bay Baby Loss Support Group has raised more than £3,200 to add some much-needed homely touches to quiet rooms located in Singleton and Neath Port Talbot hospitals. These rooms are private places, away from the main antenatal clinic waiting areas, for parents who have received distressing news. Previously the rooms appeared quite clinical and unwelcoming. They have now been given a welcoming new look thanks to fundraising carried out by members of the support group, which was founded two…

Business confidence in Wales fell for a second consecutive month during July, down nine points to 12%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Companies in Wales reported lower confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, down five points at 15%.  When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, down 13 points to 9%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 12%. The Business Barometer questions 1,200 businesses monthly and provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide. A net balance of 17% of businesses in the region expect to increase staff levels over the next year,…

Nightingale House Hospice is sending a big thank you to all its lottery members for their incredible support over the last 25 years, especially during the challenging times of the last seventeen months. Last year the Hospice lottery raised over £500,000 towards providing specialist palliative care services for patients and their families. Lockdown meant the closure of the Hospice shops and cafés and the usual ways of fundraising were not possible. The revenue generated by the lottery became a lifeline and a vital source of regular income. The first Nightingale House lottery draw was in April 1996 and 499 members…

An online mental health and wellbeing service has seen a 72% increase in the number of people in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area seeking support as lockdown restrictions ease across the country. SilverCloud Wales is a free online therapy service designed to help people aged 16 and over, experiencing mild to moderate anxiety, depression or stress, manage their mental health and wellbeing. There’s no need to be referred by a GP – people can sign up and access the NHS Wales service anytime, anywhere, on their smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer. The rise in numbers comes as…

Popular Welsh barbecue guru, Chris Roberts, cooked Rhug Estate Organic Welsh Lamb last night at the ‘Fix Food, Fix the Plant’ festival, being held at Silas Yard East London. The festival was held to help promote sustainable methods of farming. With the support of Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), Caernarfon’s Chris Roberts brought his unique brand of PGI Welsh Lamb cuisine to the last night of the food festival last night which was the brainchild of ‘Wildfarmed’, an organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable integrated farming. Chris Roberts’ presence at the London event was part of HCC’s 2021…

Green Man is thrilled to announce that Teddy Hunter is their Green Man Rising winner for 2021, and will bag a slot on its Mountain Stage this August. The Cardiff native beat off competition from 3,000 hopeful and over 30,000 votes to claim the annual award after she was announced as the judges favourite at a virtual ceremony held last Thursday (July 29th). The audio-visual artist’s personal brand of instrumental and synthesized sounds won over a panel of industry experts including Shannon Kurlander of Terrorbird Media, Tash Cutts of Hoof Music Management, Candy Artists, Sophie Roberts from United Talent Agency…

Acclaimed Michelin Star chef, Gareth Ward, of Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms has been unveiled as Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales’ new PGI Welsh Lamb ambassador for 2021-22.  Regularly cited as one of the most exciting chefs cooking in the UK today, his Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms is the most highly-awarded in the whole of Wales, boasting a Michelin star, five AA rosettes and being named in the top 5 of the Good Food Guide (as well as being named their chef of the year for 2019). Gareth takes pride in the fact that for him there are “no…