Author: Rhys Gregory

ASH Wales is calling for pregnant smokers to be offered financial incentives and additional support to quit the habit after new figures show an alarming rise in those smoking throughout their pregnancy in Wales. According to Welsh Government’s latest Maternity and Birth Statistics around 5,000 babies were born to smoking mothers in 2020. Smoking rates were highest among pregnant 16 to 19-year-olds with one in three (35%) smoking throughout their pregnancy – an increase of five percentage points since the previous year. There has also been a rise of five percentage points in the number of women aged 40 to…

One of Wales’s leading food companies is helping staff beat the blues by launching a ground-breaking mental health support service. Harlech Foodservice, which has bases in Criccieth in Gwynedd and Chester, now has a team of three trained mental health champions ready to provide the right assistance and ask the right questions if a colleague is showing signs of feeling under pressure. And one of those questions is ‘Are you having suicidal thoughts?’ as the Covid-19 pandemic puts people in Wales under unprecedented levels of stress, at home and in the workplace. But Harlech was looking at upping their support…

A new police boss has pledged to pull out all the stops to combat the growing tide of online crime. Tech savvy Andy Dunbobbin, 46, was speaking this week (Thursday, May 13) on his first  official day in office as North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner after succeeding Arfon Jones in the job. Standing for Labour, father-of-two Mr Dunbobbin said that winning the election was one of the proudest moments of his life and he vowed to represent everyone in North Wales, regardless of their political affiliations. A native of Connah’s Quay in Flintshire, he is the son and grandson…

McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Bridgend will be welcoming guests back to enjoy a meal at one of their many eateries from May 17th, in line with the easing of government restrictions. Following the reopening of the centre’s much-loved retailers last month, guests at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Bridgend will now be able to dine in at one of the centre’s 12 eateries, including Wagamama, Costa Coffee and Sidoli’s. Richard Garratt, Centre Manager said: “Following the successful reopening of our retail partners at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Bridgend last month, we’re thrilled to once again be able offer our guests a meal at one…

A temporary pop-up park featuring green spaces, play facilities and vibrant container units for local food and drink start-up businesses looks set to be introduced in Swansea city centre. The plan forms part of a temporary two-year proposal for a now hoarded-off site at the St David’s Shopping Centre that used to accommodate a number of retail units. These included Cwtch Café, which has since relocated to Caer Street. Developed by Swansea Council in partnership with Natural Resources Wales and Urban Foundry, the biodiverse pop-up park will feature a rain garden and a mixture of planting, living roofs, seating and…

The Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay’s leading entertainment destination, is pleased to announce that it will be welcoming visitors back to its multitude of venues on Monday 17 May. This is in line with Welsh Government guidelines which permit indoor hospitality and attractions to reopen as long as they adhere to Covid conditions. Up to six people from different households will be able to meet at The Red Dragon Centre for the first time since December. Home to food and drink favourites, a 26-lane bowling venue Hollywood Bowl and ODEON Cardiff, which boasts the only digital IMAX screen in South…

As England and Wales emerge from lockdown, plans are being made for this year’s Montgomery Canal Triathlon with arrangements to mitigate coronavirus risks for all involved, on a later date, Saturday 4th September. The popular Triathlon raises funds for the restoration of the canal. Until Covid struck the event had taken place for eight years with entrants from across England and Wales – and further afield – travelling the 35-mile canal by bike, on foot and in canoes. The last Triathlon in 2019 featured in the BBC TV series Gareth Edwards’ Great Welsh Adventure when Sir Gareth and Maureen Edwards…

New Yorker Raven Leilani has been awarded one of the world’s largest literary prizes for young writers – the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize – for her ‘fearless’ debut Luster, a provocatively page-turning and painfully funny novel about what it means to be a black millennial woman in America. On receiving the prize, Raven Leilani said: “Very early in my life, Dylan Thomas’ work was an enormous comfort and inspiration to me, so this is an incredible honour and affirmation. When I first encountered his work, I was around twelve and just starting to write, and I remember taking one of…

A new school that is supporting some of Swansea’s most vulnerable young people has been officially opened by the city’s Lord Mayor. Maes Derw brings together services that were spread over four different locations in Swansea under one roof where staff support pupils to remain or return to schools within their communities. The £9.64m investment was jointly funded by Swansea Council and the Welsh Government under the 21st Century Schools and Colleges Programme. Due to current restrictions Swansea’s Lord Mayor Mark Child visited the school for the socially distanced ceremony once pupils had gone home for the day. Cllr Child…

Staff at Plantasia are celebrating the birth of two endangered species at the Swansea venue. In early April a baby Egyptian tortoise was born, and that was soon followed by a clutch of Edwards pheasant chicks. Both species are critically endangered in the wild, and the births are a big boost to the fight of zoos against extinction. Michael Colwill, zoo and education manager, said: “The babies are a big boost to our conservation works. They highlight the importance of zoos helping the survival of many species across the world.” Whilst the new borns are developing they may not be…