Author: Rhys Gregory

The headline NatWest Wales Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – registered 57.6 in November, down from 61.5 in October, to indicate a sharp expansion in business activity across the Welsh private sector. The rate of growth was in line with the UK average despite easing from October’s marked upturn. The increase in output was often linked to a sustained uptick in client demand. That said, the expansion was reportedly weighed down by material shortages. Welsh private sector firms signalled a further…

Ramblers Cymru’s community led Paths to Wellbeing £1.2m funded project is seeking to transform walking and nature across 18 areas, by helping people to develop their path network and improve their local green spaces. Supported by 6 regional officers, Ramblers Cymru will give volunteers the tools and training needed to find and design new routes and improve existing ones. This will help provide important spaces to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of the communities. Sophie Jenkins, who lives in one of the selected areas, Brynberian, said: “We’d love to engage local families and children in the project, inspiring them to take ownership of their local ‘milltir sgwar’ (square mile) and conserve it for generations to come. The benefits would also be felt by our local wildlife, and we would hope to go some way…

Guinness World Records™, the global authority on record-breaking, today announces that two GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS titles have been broken. Sylvia Pope from Swansea, Wales has achieved the Guinness World Records title for the Largest collection of Christmas bauble ornaments – 1,760 and Adam Wide from Hastings, England has achieved the Guinness World Records title for the Largest collection of Christmas brooches –7,929. Sylvia Pope, 79 from Swansea, affectionately known as Nana Baubles has collected an incredible 1,760 Christmas ornament baubles and is confident that after this year’s shopping trip her collection will top 2000. A visit to Nana Baubles is…

Brave staff at a housebuilding company have bared all to raise funds for a national cancer charity. Men and women from Bellway’s divisional office in Cardiff have posed for a semi-naked calendar in aid of Cancer Research UK, the national housebuilder’s nominated charity. The 2022 calendar was produced after 13 employees from Bellway Wales posed for a series of photographs in a state of undress at one of their developments. The company has had 200 of the calendars printed and they are on sale for £10 each. Carly Maidment, Sales Manager for Bellway Wales, said: “I am big fan of…

A woman from South Wales is organising a variety of ‘hat-tastic’ events for Brain Tumour Research after being diagnosed with the deadly disease. Beth Harris, 31, from Ammanford in Carmarthenshire, was diagnosed with a glioma in October 2019 after suffering three seizures in a row. Beth, who is mother to four-year-old Elis, and a former employee at Ammanford and Carmarthen Leisure Centre, had no symptoms prior to her shock diagnosis. After taking part in a parkrun on the morning of 26 October 2019, Beth appeared ‘zoned out’ during the car journey home. She said: “When I got home, I went…

A Swansea city centre coffee shop that benefits people with a range of disabilities is excited about the potential of the nearby Copr Bay development. The Social Bean, located on St Mary’s Square, is run by Leonard Cheshire – a leading international charity that supports disabled people. Both Helen Hall, Social Bean Manager, and Lisa Gilchrist, Leonard Cheshire’s Community Engagement Manager for Wales, say the Copr Bay development will benefit the Social Bean social enterprise because of the extra footfall and spending it will generate in the area. The £135m Copr Bay phase one development which includes Swansea Arena is…

Pembrokeshire County Council is in the process of reviewing current entitlements to Council Tax single person discount. Those householders currently receiving a 25% discount on their Council Tax account will shortly receive a letter from an external agency. “Household circumstances do change from time to time, which is why we are requesting people who receive a single-person discount on their council tax to confirm their current household status when they receive the letter,” said Paul Ashley-Jones, Head of Procurement and Customer Services. “The letter will also have details of the groups of adults who are not counted for council tax…

A major extension to the Port Talbot based Work Station, an important asset in the drive to help those seeking employment and training, has been officially opened by Neath Port Talbot Council’s Leader Cllr Ted Latham and Chief Executive Karen Jones. Funded by Neath Port Talbot Council, the Work Station is a ‘one stop shop’ offering practical hands-on help to people who want to get into a job through training, work experience, career advice, volunteering and one-to-one employment support. On Friday,(Dec 10th, 2021) the council’s Leader and Chief Executive, with Deputy Leader Cllr Leanne Jones and Director of Environment and…

The project is a collaboration between Cardiff Council, Cardiff University and Cardiff City House of Sport to deliver a state-of-the-art sports complex to serve Cardiff University and the Llanrumney Community Sports Trust. The complex will become the new home for Cardiff City Football Club’s Academy and will boast a tier-2 3G football facility, a floodlit 3G IRB standard rugby pitch and a floodlit IRB/FIFA standard 3G dual marked football/rugby pitch. This will provide Cardiff University, their students and the local sports clubs with greater access to state-of-the-art training and playing facilities. The new Academy will occupy 16 acres of the…

Caerphilly Council has demonstrated cross party commitment to support a bill that would increase domestically generated clean energy, helping to boost local economies. The notice of motion, agreed by full council, sees Caerphilly join local authorities across the UK supporting the bill. The notice of motion was clear in acknowledging the efforts that Caerphilly Council has made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote renewable energy in an effort to promote greener and cleaner lifestyles. If it is made law, it would create a new ‘Right to Local Supply’ of energy that would empower communities to sell locally generated electricity…