Author: Rhys Gregory

Honesty has been the best policy for an award-winning organic ice-cream business which has found lockdown salvation in farm gate sales after its summer events programme was wiped out by the pandemic. Chilly Cow ice cream,based in the Vale of Clwyd, set up a portable freezer and an honesty box at Stryt Faw, Llanychan, near Ruthin, and the results have been amazing with as many as 150 customers a day. It has meant that a planned expansion of the business threatened by Covid-19 is now very much back on the agenda with a 20-foot container bought from Denbigh-based Container Sales…

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has highlighted the importance of a trade deal with the EU at a meeting with Minister for Trade Ranil Jayawardena MP and Montgomeryshire MP Craig Williams. The round-table discussion, which included representatives from the FUW and NFU Cymru officials, at Pickstock Farm in Llanfechain was arranged by Craig Williams MP. Speaking after the event, FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “We had a good meeting with the Minister and a lively debate around the dangers of allowing cheap substandard food imports after the Brexit withdrawal period.” Mr Roberts highlighted that food in other non-EU countries was…

A hospice is virtually empty because fear of COVID-19 has discouraged terminally ill patients and their families from turning to them. St Kentigern Hospice in St Asaph say one of the cruellest impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic is that it has left people deeply afraid to reach out for help at a time when they need it most. Instead some families are struggling desperately to cope at home through the heart-breaking trauma of end-stage illness. As a result, a £2.8 million new extension at the hospice has been able to help very few  patients since it was brought online in…

One person in Aberystwyth is celebrating the fact they are now £30,000 better off all thanks to their postcode. The Queen Street resident scooped the king sized cash prize when SY23 1PU was announced as a winner with People’s Postcode Lottery on Sunday 13th September. The winner chose to remain anonymous but the prize will be paid into their bank account. They were the only person playing with the winning postcode but had anyone else been then they would also have won £30,000. Jeff Brazier, TV presenter and People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador, congratulated the players on the windfall. He said:…

A survey of doctors by BMA Cymru Wales shows that a second peak of Covid-19 in Wales this winter is the number one concern among the medical profession. Eighty-six per cent of doctors and medical students who responded said that a second peak was likely or very likely in the next six months. Doctors say the confusing messages on public health measures, lack of monitoring and adherence to infection control measures in public settings and failure of the test and trace system including poor access to testing sites are the main risks to causing a second peak. When asked about…

The Welsh Government announced  that no more than six people will be allowed to meet indoors in Wales, including in pubs and restaurants, as they seek to slow the growth of coronavirus infections across Wales. The limit doesn’t apply to children aged under 11 and will be in place from Monday 14 September. Responding to the announcement, The Welsh Independent Restaurant Collective (WIRC), a 300 strong group of independent hospitality outlets, acknowledges that these changes are made in response to a changing trajectory in public health and the pattern of infection from Covid 19.  Since reopening on 3 August, the sector has shown itself particularly able to adapt to create safe spaces for the public to enjoy food and…

The family of man who died following a road traffic collision in Swansea have paid tribute to him. Paul Brain, aged 56 was a pedestrian who died following a collision with a Scania lorry which occurred at approximately 8.05pm on September 7, on Wellington Street, Swansea. His family have issued the following tribute: “We as a family are devastated at the loss of our Paul, he was well known throughout Manselton as for many years our mother ran a shop, Margaret’s Newsagents. “Paul was a huge Swansea City fan and followed them all of his life, he met John Toshack…

Members of the public in Newport are being advised of the need to be vigilant for the symptoms of Coronavirus, and of the vital need to stick to social distancing guidelines, as a rise in cases there causes concern. People who have visited a number of pubs and bars in the city are also being advised to be extra-vigilant for the symptoms of Coronavirus, and to self-isolate and book a test immediately if symptoms occur. People should be on the lookout for symptoms if they have visited the following premises, as people visited these premises during their infectious period: Breeze…

Projects to improve access to the countryside and boost the sustainability of Designated Landscapes are to receive funding of £7.2m, Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government, Hannah Blythyn announced today. £4.7m has been awarded to National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) to be invested in green infrastructure such as electric vehicles, retrofitting existing buildings with energy efficiency measures, and restoring peatland and woodlands. £100,000 has also been awarded to Pembrokeshire Coast NPA to allow them to lead on the National Landscape Partnership which will foster a closer working relationship across all Designated Landscapes in Wales. This…

The Welsh Government has stated its long-term ambition to see around 30% of Welsh workers working from home or near from home, including after the threat of Covid-19 lessens. This would be achieved by driving changes to Wales’ working culture that would give more people the choice to work in a way that helps their productivity as well as their work-life balance. Coronavirus restrictions have seen fewer people working in offices, which has meant a fall in road congestion, pollution and private car use. The Welsh Government has said it wants to give workers across Wales more flexibility to work…