Author: Rhys Gregory

WORK will begin on the landmark Growth Vision for North Wales after the first round of funding from the Welsh and UK Governments was received. North Wales Economic Ambition Board can now move forward in laying foundations for the programmes that make up the North Wales Growth Deal, covering agri-food and tourism, energy, land and property, digital, and innovation in high-value manufacturing. Driven by the Board’s Portfolio Management Office, based in Llandudno Junction, the initial £16m injection sets the wheels in motion and comes after years of hard work and collaboration at a regional and national level, with partners including…

Students of food and agriculture at the University of Aberystwyth are taking part in the 6thAnnual Great Agri-food Debate which kicks off later this month. This will be the first time a college from outside the island of Ireland has been involved, emphasizing the shared need for continued dialogue on issues of common interest in the UK & Irish agri-food sector. The Debate is a joint initiative between Dunbia’s parent company Dawn Meats & McDonald’s. This year is the first time it has been held virtually due to the movement restrictions in place across the UK and Ireland. The Aberystwyth…

A new initiative to provide devices and connectivity is launching in Cardiff and Swansea. Housing Association Hafod and Swansea Council for Voluntary Services (SCVS) are aiming to distribute 1,500 smartphones and tablets to individuals without digital access, as part of the Community Campaign set up and run by O2 and environmental charity Hubbub. Hafod in Cardiff and SCVS in Swansea have received the first smartphones and are encouraging local businesses and individuals to donate more devices, which will be data-wiped and cleaned before being redistributed. The two organisations have already started identifying those with unmet digital needs, due to lack…

Street Food Circus is planning a new woodland dining experience for spring 2021. Forest Feastival will be an outdoor food court under canvas, pitched in the woodlands of the Merthyr Mawr Estate. Visitors will be able to spend the day walking the Glamorgan heritage coastline and explore Big Dipper, Wales’ largest sand dune, then join the Circus for the best street food trucks and chefs from around Wales and beyond. Subject to Covid-19 regulations lifting, Forest Feastival will run through April and May. As well as the regular roster of street food vendors, there will be a weekly Fire Kitchen…

South Wales Police is continuing to investigate the murder of Tomasz Waga in Cardiff. Tomasz’s body was discovered by a member of the public at approximately 11.30pm on Thursday, January 28  in Westville Road, Penylan. He had been the victim of a sustained assault. Two men have already been charged in connection with his death and are remanded in custody awaiting trial. Detectives have now released the identity of two other men – Josif Nushi and Mihal Dhana  – who are wanted on suspicion of murder. Nushi, 26, of Ninian Road, Roath Park, Cardiff, and Dhana, 27, of no fixed…

Following an exceptional period of growth, Focus Newtown Enterprise Hub has achieved record figures in February, highlighting the increase in demand for business support for new and existing businesses. In 28 days, the hub team welcomed more than 450 virtual event attendees with 179 of those being new, completed 21.5 hours of workshops over 10 events, 23 hours of one-to-one support with their business advisor and achieved 100 sign-ups on just one event. “February was a fantastic month full of inspiring events for the hub. We welcomed new faces and supported so many new businesses,” commented hub manager, Holly Jones.…

Local housebuilder Barratt and David Wilson Homes South Wales (Barratt Developments) has this week received the maximum 5 star rating in the new Home Builders Federation (HBF) annual New Homes Customer Satisfaction Survey. This is the twelfth year in a row that Barratt Developments has achieved the 5 star rating – a record unmatched by any other major national housebuilder. The number of stars awarded is based on customer responses to the question “would you recommend your builder to a friend?” For Barratt Developments to have been awarded 5 stars means that over 90% of its customers would recommend their…

A Wrexham woman born with a rare genetic order that means she’s only 3ft 4ins tall says she’s been given a new lease of life after the Steve Morgan Foundation bought her a £15,000 state-of-the-art wheelchair. Eleanor Taraborelli is 23 but says she regularly gets confused for being a child because she has a condition called Morquio syndrome, which is a type of dwarfism. The condition affects a sufferer’s bones and spine, organs and physical abilities and means Eleanor is unable to walk so is very reliant on a wheelchair. However her old wheelchair was unable to support her body…

Minister of Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths said: “I take the issue of rural and wildlife crime very seriously and commend police forces in Wales for the great strides they have made to tackle this over the years. Our police Rural Crime Teams are seen as a shining light in this area of policing throughout the UK, supported by Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales, the Police, Fire Service, Government Agency Intelligence Network and the Crown Prosecution Service.  Working with our Welsh Police Forces we now have a unique opportunity to build upon the good work of our Rural…

The hugely-popular PATCH community road resurfacing programme is set to get a boost as part of £5.3m of investment in roads across the city in the coming year. Swansea Council’s Cabinet has approved a programme of work that will see road repairs, footpath upgrades and street light improvements across all communities in the city. The package of measures are designed to repair roads and also carry out work to prevent roads in good condition from deteriorating. The report approved by Cabinet today (Thursday) says that if approved, £720,000 will be invested in the PATCH scheme with a further £650,000 being…