Author: Rhys Gregory

Following a hugely successful pop-up, speciality Welsh coffee company Kin+Ilk has opened a permanent café at St David’s. Kin+Ilk, meaning family and kind, is focused on providing directly sourced coffee from the producer, Finca El Corozo, in partnership with Clifton Coffee, whilst supporting the local communities in El Salvador.  Locally sourced products from Welsh suppliers – including artisan bakery supplier Alex Gooch, The Chocolate Brownie Co., and Douglas Willis Butchers – are available as part of an all-day menu, serving up to 56 covers from breakfast to brunch or lunch, as well as a grab and go offer. All takeaway…

RSPCA Cymru has praised “magical microchipping” – after a cat who had been missing since December was reunited with his owners. Black cat Sparkle had been missing for eight months before being found only 1.5 miles from his Michaelston Road home in Cardiff. The RSPCA was alerted after the cat was seen on nearby Hengoed close with an injury to the base of his tail.  Fortunately, the injury wasn’t serious – and a scan of Sparkle’s microchip revealed his owner to be Rhian Hegarty. Ms Hegarty had earlier undergone a desperate search for Sparkle since he went missing shortly before…

Holidaymakers are being reminded to follow quarantine rules when they return to Wales from abroad to stop the spread of coronavirus. Clusters of positive cases have been reported in Wales stemming from people returning from holidays who did not self-isolate for 14-days as required. More cases like this could increase the rate of transmission in Wales and put some of the most vulnerable people at risk of infection. It is the responsibility of travelers to check if they are required to self-isolate when they return to Wales, as the list is subject to change at any time. The latest information…

UK holidaymakers can save hundreds of pounds on hotel costs over the course of a holiday by swapping their location for similar destinations just a few miles away, Which? Travel has found. With international travel restrictions in place around the world and the UK government warning against travel to a growing number of popular holiday destinations across Europe, many UK holidaymakers are continuing to book staycations to see out the end of the summer. Which? Travel compared the average hotel room rates in towns in 10 of the UK’s most popular destinations, including Cornwall and the Cotswolds, before comparing these…

A social care leader has warned there is no “automatic right” for indoor visits to care homes for relatives and friends of residents. Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, spoke out to set the record straight about the relaxation of the restrictions recently announced by the Welsh Government. It was clear, he said, there was a great deal of misunderstanding and confusion around the issue. While indoor visits where now permitted, they would only be allowed at the discretion of the care homes who had the right to make the final decision, after taking into account a whole…

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has become the first health board in Wales to sign up to a new initiative that gives NHS staff access to free fitness sessions. The health board has joined #DoingOurBit, an online platform containing a selection of free fitness sessionss exclusively for NHS employees. #DoingOurBit started as a passion project for keyworker Julie Davis, who works as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer at the Clinical Research Network West Midlands.  An amateur powerlifter currently training to be a personal trainer, Julie advocates exercise for physical and mental wellbeing. As the physical and emotional impact of…

Mrs Buckét, the specialist cleaning operation based in the South West and Wales, today welcomes Welsh public transport giant, Cardiff Bus, to its client repertoire. This addition is the business’ fifth sizeable win during lockdown. Cardiff Bus is one of the largest providers of public transport services for the city of Cardiff and the surrounding areas. On an average weekday, the service carries around 85,000 users. While this number was dramatically reduced at the start of the year, the company is beginning to see passengers increase once again as the nation eases out of lockdown. Mrs Buckét has been deployed…

Shrewsbury-based caravan and motorhome dealership Salop Leisure has teed off the second year of a three-year sponsorship deal with Aberdovey Golf Club, famous for its championship links course. The company, which has satellite sales centres in Machynlleth and Stourport-on-Severn, is sponsoring the club’s scorecards and two major competitions – the men’s open and senior men’s open. In return, the club is to have a promotional banner at Salop Leisure’s Machynlleth sales centre and the two organisations are investigating other ways of working together for their mutual benefit. “We are delighted to have agreed this sponsorship deal with Aberdovey Golf Club,…

People planning a visit to the Brecon Beacons popular Waterfall Country this bank holiday are being urged to avoid it after hundreds of visitors were turned away in recent weeks. The Brecon Beacons National Park Authority is calling on potential visitors to reconsider their plans, after the beauty spot has been overwhelmed with people since lockdown measures were eased. Due to the “extremely high” volume of visitors, social distancing has become increasingly difficult, and illegal parking has soared, according to Councillor Gareth Ratcliffe, Chair of the National Park Authority. This comes after Waterfall Country has seen a huge increase in…

We were all warned this summer that “no travel is risk-free” with last-minute quarantine restrictions imposed on some of our favourite holiday destinations, but it appears we aren’t deterred and are already looking ahead. Despite the ongoing uncertainty of Covid-19 and it’s impact on our daily lives, it appears even in a pandemic we are still in need of a break. In a recent study carried out by Jules Verne, they found that 36% of 3,300 customers responded saying they think they will be travelling again by spring, and 5% said they intend to do more travelling post-lockdown. Why do…