Author: Rhys Gregory

A Torfaen gourmet pickle start-up company is up and running in time for the busy Christmas season thanks to the support of a Welsh Government funded programme. Picklebits, which is the creation of Will York, is trading at Christmas markets across south Wales this winter following technical support from the HELIX Programme. After backpacking across the world, Will started Packed, a street food business selling Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches, in 2024. Having competed in the finals of the Welsh Street Foods Awards and received glowing customer feedback for the pickles he used in his sandwiches, Will decided to launch a…

A Swansea hospital is the first in Wales to join a UK-wide clinical trial focusing on the treatment of a common type of skin cancer. Experts at the South West Wales Cancer Institute at Singleton Hospital have already recruited the first three patients from Wales to take part in trial, called SCC-AFTER. Skin SCC, Squamous Cell Cancer, is the UK’s second most common form of non-melanoma skin cancer. There are upwards of 50,000 new cases diagnosed every year and the number is growing. Radiotherapy is routinely given to people with high-risk skin cancer after curative surgery to try to reduce…

Arizona rock icons Jimmy Eat World have announced their live return to the UK with three huge outdoor headline shows taking place in August 2026 including a date in Cardiff. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of their classic fourth studio album Bleed American, the exclusive UK/EU Bleed American show will head to TK Maxx presents Depot Live at Cardiff Castle on Saturday August 15. Jimmy Eat World will be joined by special guests Chicago punk quartet Rise Against with support coming from emo band The Get Up Kids, while singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jay Som will open the show. The shows at…

Ivor Novello Award-winning singer-songwriter and actor Self Esteem has announced a new headline show in Cardiff next summer.  Hailed as one of the UK’s most exciting breakout stars of the past decade Self Esteem, aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor, will play TK Maxx presents Depot Live at Cardiff Castle on Friday July 24. Special guest will be songwriter, poet, playwright and recording artist Kae Tempest. Rebecca Lucy Taylor is set to enter 2026 as a bona fide triple threat in music, literature and acting – following this year’s release of her hugely acclaimed third album and debut book, both titled A…

Staff and volunteers at two charities in South Wales are celebrating after their organisations were awarded a £44,000 in grants to expand and evolve programmes that help create career opportunities in the creative industries for local people.   Pathfinders Cymru and Citrus Arts were awarded the grants by the Regional Creatives Fund, launched by Amazon, and plan to use the funding to support hundreds of people from underserved communities in Wales.   Citrus Arts received £30,000 and Pathfinders Cymru secured a £14,400 as part of the Regional Creatives Fund.   The Regional Creatives Fund aims to increase access to careers in the…

Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK’s leading port operator, has announced the latest tranche of a major capital investment programme, which secures the long-term future of its five south Wales ports.   The new investment of £42 million includes the delivery of a new deep-water berth at Middle Quay, Newport, the UK’s largest steel-handling port, and will also facilitate upgrades at Swansea and Cardiff. It forms part of a total capital investment programme of £137m for ABP in South Wales, which is designed to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of South Wales’ port infrastructure.   The announcement coincides with the Welsh Government’s Investment…

South Wales Police are urging people to stay alert after an elderly woman from Cardiff was tricked into handing over thousands of pounds in cash and sentimental jewellery to someone pretending to be a police officer. The victim, who is in her eighties, was targeted on Friday November 28 after receiving a phone call from a man claiming to be an officer. She was told to withdraw twenty thousand pounds from her bank and was then given instructions for the money to be collected from her home. A man has now been charged in connection with the incident. Cleonest Masser,…

A 22-year-old man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a child and making indecent images of children. Owen Addleton of Chester Road West, Shotton previously admitted three counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child and four counts of making indecent images of a child. At Mold Crown Court yesterday, Monday 1 December, he was jailed for three and a half years. North Wales Police launched an investigation into Addleton in March 2024 after receiving a report from a school that a pupil had disclosed she was in a relationship with him, having found out his age. It later…

Transport for Wales (TfW) is making festive travel more affordable this December with a special £1 evening fare offer on selected TrawsCymru bus routes. From 1 December 2025 until 2 January 2026, passengers can travel for just £1 on single journeys after 5pm, helping families, friends and communities come together over the Christmas period. Whether you’re heading to a Christmas party, doing late-night shopping, or simply making your way home from work, this offer means you can spend less on travel and more on the things that matter this season.Routes included in the offer: T1: Aberystwyth – Carmarthen T2: Bangor…

Businesses and community organisations in Flintshire are being encouraged to apply for sustainability funding aimed at accelerating their journey toward net zero, cutting carbon emissions, and future-proofing their operations. The Flintshire Fund – delivered by Antur Cymru Enterprise in partnership with Flintshire County Council and Pathway to Carbon Zero – has secured £173,679 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). The programme gives local organisations access to fully funded Carbon Reduction Plans, helping them understand, measure, and reduce emissions while identifying opportunities to cut costs and prepare for future capital funding. With legally binding net-zero targets…