Author: Rhys Gregory

One year after opening, popular Lakeside brunch spot Park Side Kitchen is expanding its offering with a brand-new evening menu. Known for its refined all-day brunch, Park Side is now extending its kitchen hours into the evening with a concise, flavour-forward dinner menu designed to match the venue’s laid-back yet elevated style. Available every Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 8:30pm, the new dinner service brings a bold and creative take on casual evening dining to one of Cardiff’s most popular venues outside the city centre. The Dinner Menu Guests can expect elevated comfort classics like flank steak with bone…

A former British Army Officer who fought and was injured in Afghanistan is now set to pursue a new career as a teacher and has graduated from Cardiff Metropolitan University. Laurence Hooper, 42, from Penarth, spent seven years with the army, travelling the world working his way up to Captain before deploying on operations as an engineer. After being shot and almost having his leg amputated while serving in Afghanistan in 2008, Laurence rehabilitated and went on to run a decompression facility in Cyprus for soldiers returning from combat. During this time, he got to work with soldiers from all…

A man from Staffordshire has been jailed after he was discovered supplying Class A drugs in Swansea. 22-year-old Thomas Hulson, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, was spotted acting suspiciously in a vehicle at Carmarthen Road Business Park in Cwmdu. Also in the vehicle was a known controlled substance user. Hulson claimed he had come down from Stoke-on-Trent for his birthday and did not know the other person in the car. He was in possession of four mobile phones, drug equipment and substances which he intimated to officers were Class A. He also claimed that others had thrown containers of Class A drugs into…

The redevelopment of the Grand Pavilion Porthcawl has taken another significant step forward with the announcement of a main building contractor. Bridgend County Borough Council alongside its partners at Awen Cultural Trust have appointed Andrew Scott Ltd as the official contractor for the Grade II listed building’s restoration work, paving the way for the next phase of the project. Prichard’s Demolition were initially tasked with enabling works, including stripping out interior elements to take the building back to its original concrete shell, while Severn Insulation Ltd undertook the careful removal of some external asbestos on the 92-year-old building. Now Andrew…

Swansea Council’s unique free buses offer is back on the road for the summer as of last weekend. The initiative gives the public the chance to ride for free on all service buses operating within the city limits for long weekends, offering families a brilliant, easy way to get about. A total of 15 days free travel will be up for grabs between July 19 and August 31 and everyone can benefit as long as their journey starts and ends within Swansea. The council-led travel initiative is now in its fifth year of operating after it was launched in the…

Centre for Cities has noted a significant drop in the number of empty units since the last report in 2022 but, importantly, also highlights an issue which distorts the true picture. The report acknowledges that the statistics are significantly impacted by the oversupply of retail properties in the city centre. Newport has the largest amount of retail space per head than any of the other 62 centres that are featured. This means that while the number of occupied premises is similar to some other places, including high-performing retail centres such as Milton Keynes, this is masked by the oversupply of…

A new digital trail has been launched in Ebbw Vale that explores the history of the town. Pupils from Pen-y-Cwm School were the first visitors to walk the trail. The trail was part of tourism developments funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The trail was commissioned by Blaenau Gwent Council and uses the History Points platform for the trail. Fourteen buildings, artworks and sites take you on a circular route through the town exploring links to Paul Robeson, Italian ice cream and its industrial past. Pupils were surprised to learn that the library was once a chapel that only…

Monmouthshire County Council is delighted to announce that our attractions and open spaces continue to gather recognition, with the Green Flag Award. This award gives recognition to locations which offer excellent facilities and an ongoing commitment to great quality service. Across Monmouthshire, there were Green Flag Awards for: Rogiet Countryside Park – an award recipient since 2024 Tintern Old Station – an award recipient since 2009 Caldicot Castle and Country Park, honoured since 2013 Castle Meadows in Abergavenny, since 2014 A further 12 Community Sites were recognised with the Green Flag Community Award, including: Bailey Park Busy Bees Garden Caerwent…

As the Royal Welsh Show gets underway in Llanelwedd, the Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies has praised farmers for being the ‘backbone of our rural communities’. Speaking ahead of the show, he confirmed the launch of the ‘Ready Reckoner’, allowing farmers to find out what the Sustainable Farming Scheme will mean for them. The Deputy First Minister also provided certainty and stability by announcing nine SFS preparatory schemes, worth over £33m, to back farm businesses during the transition: “Y Sioe is an absolute highlight of the summer for me and represents the…

Babies born very prematurely will be offered protection against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) with a long-acting antibody medicine. Nirsevimab provides protection with just one injection, replacing the monthly injections, which were previously offered to high-risk babies. The new and innovative injection will further strengthen NHS winter preparedness to prevent avoidable hospital admissions from this common winter virus. Its introduction follows the launch of the first ever RSV vaccine for pregnant women and adults aged 75 to 79 last year. The change to a single, long-acting injection comes after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised the more effective…