Author: Rhys Gregory

The world-renowned Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod (LIME) is calling out for people to help transform the landmark Llangollen Bridge into a giant work of art to launch this year’s festival. The Eisteddfod has commissioned internationally renowned artist Luke Jerram to create the new artwork. He plans to wrap the 60 metre-long bridge in a giant patchwork reflecting the crafts and cultures of Wales alongside the festival’s participating nations. Whilst the festival will mainly be held online this year, organisers hope the eye-catching Festival Bridge will also attract people to visit the town this summer. Held in Llangollen every summer since…

Some of the first new homes to be built by Swansea Council for a generation are being completed this month. Construction of more than fifty new properties built for affordable rent ranging from flat conversions to three-bedroom family homes are being completed and will be prepared for tenants to move into in the coming months. Twenty-five new homes in Hillview Crescent, Clase, 18 homes in Colliers Way, Penlan and eight flats in the former Bryn House in Walter Road are all coming on stream. The package of new homes is part of a multi-million pound investment in the future of…

New drone footage and photos show even further progress for Swansea’s emerging Copr Bay phase one district. The video and photos give a latest bird’s eye view of attractions including Swansea Arena, the 1.1-acre coastal park and the landmark Copr Bay bridge. These new attractions will combine with new affordable apartments, business spaces and plenty of new car parking to make up the £135m Copr Bay phase one scheme. Copr Bay phase one is being developed by Swansea Council and advised by development manager RivingtonHark. Its construction is being led by Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd. Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader,…

Neath Port Talbot Council parking enforcement officers have recently issued 15 Penalty Charge Notices for a variety of offences at Brombil in Margam. And South Wales Police, whose officers are maintaining a uniformed presence at Brombil, have also issued two fixed penalty tickets for offences and three people have been “spoken to” by officers there recently. Residents of Brombil have been suffering recurring problems due to an influx of visitors to Brombil Reservoir due to the location being shared widely by visitors on social media. Enforcement at Brombil by Neath Port Talbot Council and South Wales Police will continue. The…

Neath Port Talbot Council cabinet members are being asked to endorse proposals to establish a new working group to help draw up future plans for the historic Cefn Coed Colliery Museum site in Crynant, Neath. Extensive survey work at the museum site has uncovered serious structural issues including flaking stonework, unsafe tunnels, asbestos and corrosion and it has been estimated that the emergency Health and Safety works will be in excess of £1.25m whilst an investment of around £8m would be needed to take it forward as a visitor attraction. The problems pose serious dangers to users of the site…

A project which provides children and young people access to a wide range of extra-curricular activities has been launched in Cardiff. The Children’s University is a Child Friendly Cardiff project in partnership with the Children’s University Charity and Cardiff University. Initially piloted in six schools across the city from February until April this year, the scheme provided pupils with access to over 90 different activities such asfitness, art, music, STEM, culture and graphics design in which could be accessed online or via a bookable class. The Council has recently secured funding to roll out the scheme to a further 25…

More than 200 jobs will be created on the Northern Gateway site in Deeside, North Wales, as a leading European tissue manufacturer announces it will be constructing a brand new facility with Welsh Government support The Welsh Government has provided £5m towards the new 700,000 sq ft facility. This follows a £10m investment in the Northern Gateway in March, to unlock the development potential of the site. Italian company ICT has signed a preliminary contract for a 50-acre site, to develop a state-of-the art integrated tissue production and conversion facility – the first of its kind in the UK in…

For 355 days of the year, Hay-on-Wye is just a sleepy market town in South Wales. With its historic castle and old-fashioned pubs, you could be in any other rural spot in the UK – except for one key difference. Book shops. Over 40 of them, which for a town of around 1,500 people, feels like there’s one on every street. Known as ‘the town of books’, it’s little surprise, then, that there’s a festival dedicated to it. Hay Festival hasn’t been itself recently, for obvious reasons, but many people consider it to be the one of the best literary…

Supply chain management continues to be one of the most difficult aspects of business operations. In theory, there are only five steps in the equation: planning, sourcing, producing, delivering, and handling returns. However, in reality, there are nuances in-between each step that makes them extremely taxing and prone to errors. In particular, waste is an issue across all industries. In the US, about 30-40% of food waste is derived from the supply chain, while 25% of global fashion production materials end up in landfills.  The most innovative solution to solving the supply chain dilemma is using blockchain technology to automate…

To be successful, online casinos must both attract new players and retain existing players. The first is often achieved through welcome bonuses, incentives that encourage new players to sign up to claim their reward. Retention, however, relies on brand loyalty and requires a more complex strategy. To retain customers and achieve player loyalty in a saturated market is not an easy task. The knowledge that there is always another online casino waiting to take their money means that players will not put up with poor service, a mediocre selection of games, or a lack of member incentives. Most online casinos…