Author: Rhys Gregory

RSPCA Cymru is braced for an increase in reports about stray pet snakes – but owners can do their bit to help and avoid snake escapes. The charity is also expecting other snake-related incidents to rise this summer and is advising pet snake owners to be extra-vigilant in the warmer months. The warning comes after an RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer rescued a stray snake in a Greenwich, London fish and chip shop after receiving a report about a ‘python’ that was on the loose just last week (7 July).1 New data – launched ahead of National Snake Day this week…

Growing Llantwit Major-based Farmers Pantry Butchers celebrated success at the recent inaugural British Butchery Awards. The company, which won the Best Large Butchery Business in Wales Award, operates three standalone shops – another to open soon – and four franchise locations within garden centres across South Wales. The company also runs an online shop and wholesale and events catering businesses. The Wales categories were sponsored by Welshpool-based Cambrian Training Company, a leading Welsh work-based learning provider delivering butchery, food and drink manufacturing, hospitality and management apprenticeships. Formed in 2012, Farmers Pantry Butchers is committed to providing high quality, sustainable and traceable…

Wales Tech Week, the nation’s largest international tech summit, has today named Intellistack, formerly Formstack, a leader in data capture and workflow automation, as its Headline Partner for 2025. A global leader in AI-driven process automation, Intellistack supports more than 32,000 organisations worldwide. In a further show of commitment to Welsh innovation and global tech leadership, Aled Miles, CEO of Intellistack and Welsh Government Envoy to the United States, is returning to his position as Chairman of Wales Tech Week 2025, a role he held at the most recent Wales Tech Week in 2023. The international tech summit, powered by…

Specialist business property adviser Christie & Co has announced the sale of The Merrion Hotel, a well-known hotel in Llandudno, North Wales, which has been purchased by Four Saints Hotels. Directly fronting onto the promenade, The Merrion Hotel is housed within a striking five-storey Victorian building and offers 62 ensuite bedrooms, many with sweeping views across Llandudno Bay, as well as a bar and lounge area which regularly hosts entertainment, and a restaurant which is open to the public. The hotel has been owned by the Bream family for over 75 years, and has been sold by brothers Gareth and…

University of South Wales (USW) graduate Mohammed Hassanin has overcome homelessness, addiction, and deep personal challenges to earn a first-class honours degree in Counselling and Therapeutic Practice. When Mohammed Hassanin walks across the stage this week to collect his degree, it won’t just mark the end of his studies – it will represent the culmination of a remarkable journey. A former rough sleeper who struggled with addiction, Mohammed, is now a qualified counsellor with big ambitions to help others to navigate their own emotional challenges. “I’ve just qualified with first-class honours,” he said. “Honestly, it still hasn’t quite sunk in.”…

A Leicestershire man has been sentenced to 32 months in prison following the theft of an historic candelabra valued at tens of thousands of pounds. Tyson Wilsher was jailed for offences including the theft of the candelabra from Cyfarthfa Castle – an incident which shocked a group of schoolchildren who witnessed it – on April 8. Wilsher, 31, was also this week sentenced for receiving stolen goods. A couple of weeks earlier, on March 24, a delivery driver had his silver Ford car stolen after briefly having left it running with the keys still in the ignition. At some point…

TrawsCymru T1 and T1X bus services are set to see a series of enhancements, with Transport for Wales (TfW) announcing new evening journeys and improved Sunday rail connections at Carmarthen. These changes are part of our ongoing commitment to delivering more flexible, reliable, and integrated public transport services across Wales. New evening journeys include: T1 Service From Carmarthen: New departures at 18:00 and 20:00 From Aberystwyth: New departures at 19:35 and 22:35 T1X Service From Aberystwyth: A new Sunday-only express departure at 20:35 The updated T1 timetable now offers better alignment with Sunday rail services at Carmarthen, making it easier…

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Trading Standards team has been on a ‘monster’ hunt this week and has safely locked up or seized over 32 keyrings and 95 boxes of counterfeit Labubu’s (also known as Lafufu’s) from the Pontypridd area. If you’re not already aware there is a new toy trend taking over the internet—Labubus*. Labubus are so-ugly-they’re-cute monster toys and keychains that sell out in seconds. It’s possible to buy them from resellers, but you run the risk of receiving an unsafe, fake, counterfeit Labubu (which are sometimes called a Lafufu). These are expensive products when bought genuinely and were…

A programme of work to switch on every other streetlight in Newport overnight started this week. Currently, all streetlights, other than those in the city centre and at safety critical areas of the highway network, are switched off between the hours of midnight and 6am. This is changing from this week, following a decision made by Newport City Council’s cabinet back in April. “We have always been clear that listening to our residents, and understanding what was most important to them, was at the core of setting our bread-and-butter budget plans,” said Councillor Rhian Howells, cabinet member for infrastructure and…

he latest in a series of murals based on the National Health Service has been completed in Tredegar. The newest artwork has been painted by local artist James Telford and depicts the architect of the National Health Service, Aneurin Bevan, alongside one of his most famous quotes. “I never used to regard myself so much as a politician as a projectile discharged from the Welsh valleys… when I listen to the cacophony of harsh voices trying to intimidate, I close my eyes and listen to the silent voices of the poor.” The artwork can be found on the gable wall…