Author: Rhys Gregory

A barn owl has been returned to the wild after spending an unexpected day at a Treorchy school. Ben Read – who teaches Year 3 pupils – was driving to work when he saw a bird crash land onto the kerb close to Treorchy Primary School on Tuesday (5 October). The owl was in clear need of help – so he carefully picked up the owl in a blanket, and took the bird into school before sounding the alarm to the RSPCA. RSPCA inspector Simon Evans arrived at the school, and took the owl to a local veterinary practice to…

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 57.1 in September, down from 58.0 in August, to signal a sharp expansion in output across the Welsh private sector. The rate of growth in business activity was the steepest of the 12 monitored UK areas, despite easing to a six-month low. Where an increase in output was noted, firms attributed this to a sustained rise in client demand. That said, raw material and labour shortages weighed on the overall…

Monmouthshire County Council has confirmed its support for the Wales Placemaking Charter, joining 101 other leading Welsh organisations in the fight to tackle climate change and support recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. As the latest local authority to sign the Placemaking Charter, Monmouthshire County Council joins Neath Port Talbot Council, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and Swansea Council. Other signatories include 29 architecture or design practices, 20 membership bodies, ten Government organisations, 11 housing associations including Pobl Housing and seven private housing developers including the UK’s leading housebuilder Redrow and Magor-based Edenstone Homes.  All have pledged to: Involve the local…

One in seven men (14%) in Wales still think the man should pay the bill on a date. This compares to almost one in five men (19%) surveyed from across the UK. Interestingly less than one in ten of all women (9%) surveyed agree that men should be the ones to pay. This is according to polling carried out as part of the new Men’s Heads and Hearts report from leading relationships charity Relate and relationships experts eharmony. The report combines insights from interviews with Relate counsellors and consumer polling plus service data. It looks at how men are feeling…

Savills has completed the freehold sales of the ibis Budget Newport and Hotel ibis Swansea to a private buyer for an undisclosed price with the hotels subsequently being leased to AGO Hotels, a hybrid lease operator providing a combination of guaranteed fixed rent and profit participation. The Hotel ibis Swansea comprises 99 bedrooms, a 50 cover restaurant and two meetings rooms. It is located on the A483 which is the main arterial road providing access to the city centre. The ibis Budget Newport comprises 103 bedrooms, a 30 cover breakfast room and bar. The Hotel benefits from its from proximity…

The boss of Marks and Spencer has hailed a new super bakery in North Wales as one of the best in the world. The praise from CEO Steve Rowe came during a visit to the Jones Village Bakery’s new state-of-the-art, 140,000 sq ft production facility on Wrexham Industrial Estate. Mr Rowe was there for a major relaunch of retail giant’s Plan A environmental strategy to combat climate change, reduce waste, use sustainable raw materials, trade ethically and help customers to lead healthier lifestyles. He chose the eco-friendly Jones Village Bakery for the reboot following a visit to see the new…

An epic swim across 60 kilometres of some of the wildest water in Wales’s seas, rivers, lakes and reservoirs is no birthday party – as TV presenter Gaz Top discovered. Gareth Jones: Nofio Adre (Gareth Jones: Swimming Home) – tells the tale of how the St Asaph-born star of ITV shows like How 2 with Fred Dinenage and Carol Vorderman and The Big Bang tackled two-metre waves in the Bristol Channel, a Mid Wales reservoir where Dambusters explosives were tested and the lake which swept away a village in the Conwy Valley. To get the energy to fuel his efforts…

Principality Building Society has announced a collaboration with Cardiff based energy tech company Sero, to accelerate the transition to net zero for new and existing mortgage customers. Using Sero’s Building Passport app, Principality Building Society will look to gain a better understanding of the energy performance and carbon impacts of its existing portfolio, to speed up the development of future green finance products. The collaboration will allow customers to gain a greater understanding of the carbon footprint of their home, how they can make it more energy efficient, and track the progress of the home on its pathway to net…

Today, McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Bridgend launches a new sustainability initiative to help guests tackle textile waste and dispose of unwanted clothes responsibly.  The brand has partnered with CTR Group to deliver a circular recycling scheme with 100% of the donations reused, re-worn or recycled.    The Recycle Your Fashion initiative is part of a larger corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitment for the business which aims to recycle 25 tons of clothing by 2022/23, whilst also supporting local community partners.   The proceeds from each bag of recycled garments  are donated to the centre’s chosen local causes, allowing McArthurGlen guests to make a real difference to their community. MMcArthurGlen Designer Outlet Bridgend is supporting Ty Hafan, a Welsh children’s hospice, recognising…

A growing Llandrindod Wells-based company set up last year to turn uninhabitable buildings into good quality, affordable housing was a winner at the Powys Business Awards. Cherry Build Ltd, which has 20 employees, collected the Start-up Business Award, sponsored by NPTC Group of Colleges, at the drive-in awards ceremony in Newtown last Friday. Organised by Mid Wales Manufacturing Group, the Powys Business Awards showcase business excellence across the county. Heather Gorringe, a director of Cherry Build Ltd, said: “We are absolutely delighted and very surprised to win the award because the other finalists in our category were fantastic. Win or…