Author: Rhys Gregory

Welsh folks are known for having a rather impeccable gut feeling when it comes to making money. Expectedly, economics is the only reason why Wales is still putting up with all the British BS and lack of common sense – and sense of humour for that matter. Playing slots, like most casino games, relies a lot on the personal instinct of the player – how to pick the casino, which slots to hit, what is the best timing. On the UK casino playfield, Welsh people have great advantages – so why not kill some time during isolation and investigate slots…

Everyone living or working in Merthyr Tydfil will be offered COVID-19 testing, whether they have symptoms or not –  as part of the first mass testing of a whole area in Wales. All residents and workers will be offered repeat COVID-19 testing from this Saturday (21st November) even if asymptomatic, to help find more positive cases and break the chains of transmission. The move will be delivered through a partnership between the Welsh Government, UK Government, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and the Ministry of Defence, with logistical support from Armed Forces personnel. The…

Helping give regional businesses as much of an opportunity as possible to benefit from major Swansea Bay City Deal projects, a series of procurement principles have now been approved. Signed-off by the City Deal’s Joint Committee, the procurement principles are aimed at helping ensure the £1.3 billion City Deal investment stays as local as possible by supporting local businesses and local jobs throughout Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea. The City Deal team will work with each City Deal project and their appointed contractors to promote and deliver meet-the-buyer events and other activities. This will build on and support…

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has conducted more than 10,000 video appointments since it rolled out the NHS Wales Video Consultation service in April. The popular service enables patients to attend their hospital appointment from the comfort of their own home or without having to leave work. It has given thousands of patients the option of safely continuing to see their clinician face-to-face throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to giving patients more flexibility in how they attend their appointment, the service is helping to minimise traffic and improve parking at Health Board sites, reduce levels of pollution locally,…

The first public electric bike share scheme in Wales has been launched in Penarth by global bike share operator nextbike, thanks to funding from The Vale of Glamorgan Council. The fleet of 50 e-bikes and five stations were launched on Thursday November 12. Vale Council received numerous requests from the public to introduce its own scheme following the huge success of the nextbike cycle hire scheme in Cardiff, which has clocked up more than 892,525 rentals since it launched in 2018. It’s hoped that once people start using the Penarth fleet, it will help to reduce congestion and CO2 levels,…

Personal service is the missing ingredient when it comes to dealing with the telecoms giants, according to entrepreneur Matthew Brain. His business, MBDEV has just moved into a new home at UKSE’s  Ebbw Vale Innovation Centre, from where it will offer network services including internet and phone, cloud storage, IT, networking and cybersecurity to clients around the UK. “With the big companies you are, inevitably, a number, but with us we treat our clients as a person,” he said. While offering competitively-priced packages, MBDEV specialises in a flexible approach backed up by a high level of pro-active, personal service. “We monitor…

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has given a cautious welcome to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs’ announcement of the outcome of a consultation on simplifying agricultural support in Wales. The Sustainable Farming and our Land: Simplifying Agricultural Support consultation, which ended on the 23 October 2020, proposed eleven changes to the Basic Payment Scheme and a number of major changes to the principles underpinning the Rural Development Programme. Responding to the announcement, FUW Deputy President Ian Rickman said: “We welcome the fact that the Welsh Government has accepted many of the concerns we raised, including in terms…

Highways improvement works at a busy junction on a North Wales expressway have been completed, with the contractor now turning attention to the final activity of streetlighting replacement. Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK delivered the pinch point scheme at junction 19 of the A55 on behalf of the Welsh Government to make the route safer for all users. It provides an improved and safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists and is separate from the main carriageway. The project aims to improve efficient traffic flow using a sophisticated traffic signal system at the Glan Conwy Roundabout where the A470 meets the…

A popular visitor attraction in Mid Wales has announced plans to create a magical Christmas for visitors next month. The Silver Mountain Experience, located alongside the A44 between Aberystwyth and Llanidloes, will be opening the doors of its popular Elves’ Workshop and Santa’s Grotto from December 19-23. Visitors will be able to see the elves busily prepare for the big day and meet Santa who will have an early present for children. This visit will be completely private to each ‘social bubble’ meaning that visitors can have their own personal tour. The Christmas event must be pre-booked, and each timed…

A camping, glamping and touring caravan park located within Snowdonia National Park has been brought to the market with a guide price of £995,000. Tyn Cornel Camping is set in 12 acres of idyllic countryside, less than half a mile from the National White Water Centre, around four miles from the historic market town of Bala, and within convenient driving distances of the cities of Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham. Robert Smithson, senior surveyor at sector specialist Colliers International, said: “This award-winning site has been independently owned and family operated, and is set within breathtaking rolling countryside whilst being highly accessible…