Author: Rhys Gregory

Hay Festival has unveiled its ambitious free events programme live and online for Hay Festival Europa28, 6-9 October, in which 28 acclaimed women writers, journalists, artists, scientists and entrepreneurs – one from each EU country, plus the UK – will discuss and debate their visions for the future.  Run in partnership with the European Short Story Festival and Academy of Applied Arts International University of Rijeka, Hay Festival Europa28 will feature panel discussions, readings, film screenings and performances live from the European Capital of Culture Rijeka 2020 and Zagreb, Croatia, and covering issues from migration and rising nationalism to the continent’s…

Caerphilly Council is working to support businesses to operate within the new guidance and taking action against those who are found to be non-compliant. New Red Chilli restaurant in Blackwood was visited by Trading Standards and Licensing following a complaint on 14th September, which resulted in the issue of an improvement notice. The inspection revealed a number of failings which included; No systems in place to record Track and Trace data Failure to ensure the arrangement of seating area in such a way to guarantee 2 metres separation was maintained The restaurant must correct these failures within 48 hours or…

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board has announced the opening of a new testing centre in New Tredegar in Caerphilly Borough. This new mobile unit will provide a testing service to residents in the north of Caerphilly Borough. It is located at the car park, New Tredegar Business Park, White Rose Way, NP24 6BH and you must book an appointment to attend for a test. If you live in Caerphilly County Borough and have symptoms of Coronavirus, please telephone 0300 30 31 222 between 8am – 6pm to book. The ‘Walk Up’ Testing Centre at Caerphilly Leisure Centre has been extended…

Pubs and businesses across Rhondda Cynon Taf are once again being told to follow the rules or face closure as TWO further PUBS and a BARBERS have been Served Notices in RCT.  The warning comes as Covid-19 figures continue to rise across Rhondda Cynon Taf. The tough stance taken by the Council aims to ensure that businesses help to keep visitors to their premises safe, by ensuring things like; social distancing is being maintained and that hand and cleaning sanitiser is available where appropriate. Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Public Health and Protection team have been continuing their visits to all…

Work to restore important wetland habitats at Forest Farm has been completed as part of the ‘No Net Loss’ project, funded by Network Rail. The project has also seen almost 1000 native trees planted to increase species diversity at the site and 5,500 bluebell, snowdrop, wild garlic, wood anemone and primrose bulbs planted at the Cardiff Council owned Nature Reserve, to benefit the biodiversity of the habitat. The pipework feeding the wetland ponds, which are home to a diverse range of wildlife, including Kingfishers, Herons and Otters, were previously blocked and the water levels too low. With the help of…

An innovative fundraising campaign has been launched to help save ‘Pumba’, a much loved horticultural feature in Bute Park. Inspired by a garden feature at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, ‘Pumba’ the warthog was lovingly created in 2001 by the park’s in-house gardening team. Over the decades the feature has fallen into disrepair, following repeated breakage of its protective fence. Now the team at Bute Park have launched a campaign to raise the money needed to restore Pumba to his former glory, install protective railings, and keep him in good condition for years to come. The restoration of…

The temporary increase in notice periods for eviction, including those announced in July, will be extended to 31st March 2021, Housing and Local Government Minister Julie James has announced this week. Notice periods in relation to all tenancies, which had been due to return to their pre-Covid position after 30 September, will now be set at six months. However, where the reason for giving notice relates to anti-social behaviour or domestic violence, notice periods will revert to the pre-Covid position. These arrangements will be reviewed in December. The extension is part of a wider package of Welsh Government funded measures…

We all use wallets to store cash and cards. Likewise, you will need a reliable wallet to store your cryptocurrency. Since the inception of Bitcoin in 2009, the number of crypto wallets has steadily grown. So choosing the right wallet for your investment is becoming a more and more confusing game. How to pick the right solution? What to pay attention to select a wallet that meets your needs at 100%? In this post, we have made a selection of key criteria you should keep an eye on. Criterion #1 — Investment Security There are many important features to consider…

Blockchain technology is one of the greatest innovations of the 21st century, yet so little of the world actually benefits from it right now. One of the reasons for this is the lack of government adoption, with only a handful of forward thinking nations adopting it in production so far. I believe that, were more governments to adopt this powerful technology, the mass adoption by large swathes of the global population would follow. However, for this to happen, blockchain technology needs to change. At present, the decentralised networks that are most established simply aren’t designed for governments. They advocate anonymity…

The Welsh Government’s bespoke Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) has helped to protect more than 100,000 jobs across Wales during the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show. To date, the fund has delivered almost £300m of support to more than 13,000 companies in Wales, which has been vital in helping businesses manage the challenges and economic impacts of coronavirus. These include companies such as Mono Equipment in Swansea; Deganwy-based Robertson Geologging; MII Engineering Limited, in Caerphilly and Wrexham firm F Bender, which have all received financial assistance from the ERF helping to safeguard jobs and protect their workforces. The ERF is part…