Author: Rhys Gregory

While armchair travel might just be about the only way to experience holiday destinations at the moment, National Churches Trust, has thought about how Wales’ churches and chapels, and their surrounding landscapes, could play a role in offering future visitors fulfilling and meaningful travel experiences. The charity, which is dedicated to supporting the UK’s places of worship by promoting church visits and tourism, as well as providing grants for repairs and support with maintenance, has unveiled a series of bespoke tours combining Wales’ sacred places and beauty spots as part of its ‘Exploring Sacred Wales’ programme. From kayaking along the…

Homelessness charity Emmaus South Wales is set to reopen its doors after a 16-week closure due to the Covid-19 shutdown. The charity, which helps people out of homelessness, is preparing for a phased reopening, with its Bridgend Superstore and high street shop on Caroline Street the first to welcome customers back on Monday 12 April. With a smaller than usual staff team, the charity hopes to open its Maesteg and Porthcawl shops later this month. Around 90 per cent of the charity’s income comes from the sale of donated pre-loved items and house clearances. For every week closed during lockdown,…

A new made-in-Wales blood test has been developed to harness the power of artificial intelligence to detect the early signs of bowel cancer – a disease that affects over 260,000 people in the UK today. Swansea University-spin out, CanSense, is working hard to save lives in Wales after spending seven years developing an affordable and accessible cancer test that can be performed at local GPs to avoid lives lost through delayed detection. April marks Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, but unfortunately the UK is one of the worst performing nations for early diagnosis of cancer, with survival figures some of the…

The GS Verde Group has announced the appointment of Neil Creswell, who joins to become the Finance Director of the corporate finance led, multi-discipline group. Mr Creswell has spent the last 10 years in a senior role, heading up the Business Services department at UHY Hacker Young, and advising some of Wales’ fastest growing businesses.  In his new role, Neil will have responsibility for the companies’ financial strategic direction, bringing his valuable experience to the rapidly expanding professional services Group. The senior appointment will also see Mr Creswell join the Group’s board at a time that has seen the business…

Yesterday (Sunday, April 11 2021) marked the 11th anniversary of the murder of Aamir Siddiqi in Cardiff. 17-year-old Aamir was brutally murdered at his family home in Roath on the afternoon of Sunday, April 11, 2010 while waiting for his Quran teacher. One man, Wales’ most wanted man, remains wanted in connection with his murder – Mohammed Ali Ege, from Riverside, Cardiff. Ege, 42, fled to India before he could be arrested in connection with Aamir’s murder. In 2013 he was arrested in India but in 2017, while awaiting extradition, he escaped from Indian custody. Four years on, his current…

Have you ever struggled to decide how to price your goods? Many owners and startup entrepreneurs use competitors’ prices as a jumping-off point. It’s a simple enough technique but often ignores key, and unique, components of your own product’s variables. Whether you look at competitor websites, make rough estimates, or just flip a coin to set prices, it’s even better to take realistic factors into consideration. Here are five that companies have relied on for years. Materials Unless you’re selling a service or a digital product, one of the core components of retail and wholesale prices will be the cost…

A South Wales charity that provides support for people impacted by homelessness has received a donation of £1,500 from the Amazon delivery station team in Port Talbot to help it continue to support the local community. Emmaus South Wales received the donation as part Amazon’s programme to support the communities around its operating locations across the UK. Emmaus South Wales, based in Bridgend, provides a home for as long as it’s needed and meaningful work for people who have experienced homelessness. The donation will be used to purchase lawnmowers and gardening equipment to help maintain Emmaus South Wales’ community house,…

Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, has announced the launch of its first-ever ‘Not Your Average Gardener’ awards, to find the best and most dedicated gardeners from Swansea and beyond. Dobbies is looking to reward gardeners from Swansea for their creativity and commitment to making the UK a brighter place through their gardens and is encouraging the public to get involved and nominate the talented people in their lives. Whether it’s a family member, friend, neighbour or even themselves, the competition is open to amateur gardeners across the country. Categories include Best Community Gardener, Best Mini Garden Makeover and…

On 27 November 2020, and 22 December 2020, the Crown Court heard an appeal by Mr. Dorian Wyn Jones, of Dorwan Kennels, Penrheol, Talsarn, relating to convictions for failing to comply with dog breeding license conditions. Mr. Dorian Wyn Jones had previously been convicted at Aberystwyth Magistrates Court of running a licenced dog breeding establishment far in access of the number allowed on his licence and that the dogs in his care were kept in overcrowded conditions. The Court heard evidence that Mr Dorian Wyn Jones had been granted a licence for 33 dogs. However, during a visit undertaken by…

Steam trains are set to return to the Banwy Valley from May 1, as the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway runs its first public services of 2021. The reopening of the Mid Wales tourist attraction, which remains subject to the continuing easing of Covid restrictions by the Welsh Government, follows five months of closure, during which the Llanfair line’s popular Christmas Santa Specials and February half-term services all fell victim to the lockdown. The line’s early-season timetable features a variety of one and two-hour return journeys, with new-for-2021 innovations including travelling first class, alongside returning favourites from previous seasons, such…