Author: Rhys Gregory

Getting products listed with a distributor is the dream of many food and drink businesses. With help from Cywain, a group of Welsh producers have been put through their pitching paces. The culmination of Cywain’s ‘Meet the Buyer’ pitching tutorials was the opportunity to have a one-to-one appointment with Deiniol ap Dafydd, founder and managing director of wholesale distributor Blas ar Fwyd. For 21 new producers, this led to their products being listed by Llanrwst-based Blas ar Fwyd, which provides over 170 food and drink producer brands from Wales on its platform. Cywain clients met with Blas ar Fwyd, around…

Since the start of the pandemic, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama has developed new ways to reach its audiences, while its doors have remained closed. The College has presented both filmed and live streamed performances from its in-house talent, as well as internationally renowned artists.   Before the pandemic, the Royal Welsh College’s popular weekly AmserJazzTime session took place in the Carne Foyer. This moved to a weekly live stream in autumn 2020, and the College is thrilled that those in-person audiences have continued to support online. On average 600 online viewers watch the sessions, either live or on…

WREXHAM’s Green Clywedog Valley Partnership for Nature is getting a £23,000 grant to encourage local people to get to know their area and enjoy nature through a series of fun and educational events. Groundworks North Wales is running the project with organisations including the Friends of Nant Mill, Friends of Kings Mill, Minera Quarry Trust, Wrexham County Borough Council and Brymbo Heritage Trust. The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Woodland Trust, North Wales Caving Club and Coedpoeth and Minera Community Councils are also involved. The is funded by the Welsh Government’s Green Recovery Capacity…

Services for residents who are affected by domestic abuse are changing in Bridgend County Borough. Bridgend County Borough Council’s new Assia Domestic Abuse Service supports those who are directly impacted or worried about a relative or friend. The service is named in honour of Assia Newton, from Pencoed, who was tragically murdered in her home in July 2013 after decades of domestic abuse. Support is available for people from all backgrounds and is confidential – you don’t have to give your name. The friendly and experienced team can offer advice and guidance, a refuge, safety planning, and a risk assessment…

After three months of lockdown restrictions on high street businesses, betting shops have reopened in England and Wales. As part of the measures to combat the spread of COVID-19, the Prime Minister rolled out a four-stage roadmap to ease the lockdown. Retail businesses, including betting shops, have been under lockdown since 5th January in England and as far back as 20th December in Wales. The prime minister, Boris Johnson, said that data would guide his four-stage plan to ease the lockdown on critical sectors of the economy. These data must indicate a decline in the spread of coronavirus and measured…

Cymru’s official UEFA EURO 2020 song, “The Red Wall of Cymru”, performed by the Alarm and members of the Red Wall, will be released on Friday 28 May. The song has been written by Mike Peters, who has involved members of the Red Wall from across Wales as part of the recording process. Peters and the Alarm recorded the song in Wales’ legendary Rockfield studios. Following the recording, Peters travelled the country, meeting fans in eleven different locations, from Cardiff to Caernarfon, to be part of the song. “The Red Wall of Cymru” celebrates the fan base of the Cymru…

Last week (26-30 April), more than 2,000 pupils from 50 primary schools took part in environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy’s biggest ever virtual event. Eco-Schools from across Wales joined a series of online climate change workshops and challenges. Each day, pupils learned about different aspects of the global climate emergency, including the importance of protecting forests and the rise of fast fashion. They came up with creative solutions and some easy wins for reducing our carbon footprint, from reducing what we purchase and consume to using more sustainable forms of transport. They have also been inspired to get involved in…

A Wales-wide project to promote responsible use of antibiotics in livestock has become the blueprint for schemes across the UK and globally. The Arwain Vet Cymru project trains and supports a national network of Veterinary Prescribing Champions (VPCs) across Wales to improve antibiotic prescribing in cattle and sheep. The successful roll-out of Arwain Vet Cymru’s VPC initiative has seen the establishment of a network of trained VPCs at veterinary surgeries across Wales, and this success has directly led to the launch of a similar, UK-wide initiative called “Farm Vet Champions”. The first project of its kind in the UK, Arwain…

A three-year partnership will see one different masterpiece a year from the National Gallery’s Collection displayed at Newtown’s Oriel Davies Gallery. The first of these masterpieces is Jean-Siméon Chardin’s ‘The House of Cards’ (about 1740–1) which will be on show at the gallery from July 10 to September 25 as part of the National Gallery Masterpiece Tour 2021-’23. The picture has been chosen for the first year of the partnership with Oriel Davies Galleryin Newtown and two other venues, Carmarthenshire Museum in Abergwili, Carmarthen and Beacon Museum in Whitehaven. The National Gallery Masterpiece Tour 2021-‘23 offers three non-London museums, galleries…

Dragon Taxis, South Wales’ largest private hire and taxi firm, has acquired A2B Taxis in Barry to extend its service into the Vale of Glamorgan. The acquisition will see Dragon Taxis partner with an additional 150 vehicles across Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan. Operating under the existing and well-known Dragon Taxis brand, the deal provides A2B Taxis drivers and their passengers an even better experience with a larger fleet to call on. Residents and businesses in the Vale of Glamorgan will benefit from increased capacity, plus a greater choice of ways to book and pay for journeys. Passengers can…