Author: Rhys Gregory

A MISSING Welsh woodland was brought back to life by Coleg Cambria students. Learners on the college’s Tilhill Forestry Diploma, based at Llysfasi, helped landowner Tim Kirk resurrect 12 hectares of derelict woodland near Ruthin. Tim – a Chartered Forester who has spent more than five decades in the sector – bought the Wern Goed site via an advert in a trade magazine and faced numerous obstacles in bringing it back to its former glory after years of neglect. As the Forestry students are always keen to learn and develop their skills – including chainsaw operation – and gain experience…

Since its introduction, gambling has been quite popular across many parts of the globe. The trend is growing by the year with gambling operators earning billions every year from the lucrative industry. However, gambling is regulated in different countries. Some laws are permissive while in other states, they are quite stringent. In the UK, most parts of the US and Europe, online gambling is legal. UK laws are quite permissive and one of the reasons as to why gambling is deep-rooted in the region. Over the years, lotteries, sports betting online and in casinos, bingo and slots have enjoyed enormous…

The Lawns Industrial Estate in Rhymney currently hosts a number of existing units and will welcome three new buildings of fifteen individual units by the end of 2020. Units are available to lease from Caerphilly County Borough Council and will consist of eight 50m2 units, four 75m2units and three 98m2 units. Welsh construction and civil engineering company EnCon Construction Ltd. have been commissioned to extend the current land in Rhymney into high quality, light industrial factory units as part of the investment in infrastructure in the South East Wales region. This project has been made possible with funding from Caerphilly…

Investing in social media is not only a smart business decision but a cost-effective one. Regardless of the size or kind of business, social media always promises to deliver customers to your front door. Nearly 3.5 billion people are active media users.  These individuals are on social media for at least 3 hours every day. For businesses, this is great as there is a pool of potential customers. In fact, a whopping 73% of marketers claimed that social media was effective for their businesses. So, what are the benefits of social media that a brand can enjoy? 1. Creates /Increases Brand…

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 in China in late 2019, a lot has happened in the world. While a few countries are lifting bans and recovering from total lockdown, the effects are still very much around. Cross-border travel for recreational and leisure purposes is forbidden. For many months, it seems the world was put to a purse, and everything stood still. This period will be among research paper topics in the nearest future. With a cure or vaccine still not available, it is not sure what the next action should be, especially if another outbreak should occur soon. More…

In a remarkably short span of time, working from home has gone from a niche luxury to something vast swathes of the British workforce are intimately acquainted. There are definite advantages to working from home, to be sure: it means we’ve cut down on our travel expenses, and gained that little bit more freedom to choose our own hours. But there are definite downsides, too. Printing company instantprint has conducted a survey of around five-hundred workers across the UK in order to determine what they’re missing most about work, and the results have provided plenty of surprises. Despite this, they…

A leading Welsh transport provider and Local Authorities in South Wales have unveiled plans to recover a key bus route that will operate between Chepstow and Bristol. NAT Group, in partnership with TrawsCymru and Monmouthshire Council, have unveiled plans to continue the ‘Severn Express’ bus route, which is an existing bus route that operates between Chepstow and Bristol via Cribbs Causeway and Clifton. The route, which was originally operated by First Group and then Stagecoach, was unfortunately terminated. However, after many voiced their concerns to the local authorities, NAT Group, TrawsCymru and Monmouthshire Council, were able to take over the…

Rhondda Cynon Taf council will shortly begin the significant process of moving 60,000 tonnes of spoil material following the landslip in Tylorstown during Storm Dennis – and has also outlined its future vision for the area. Located on the Llanwonno mountainside, the site is classified as a Category D tip and was being inspected every three months against a set of monitoring criteria prior to the storm – in accordance with relevant regulations. In February 2020, Rhondda Cynon Taf was hit with three storms in a matter of weeks and Storm Dennis, a one in 200-year storm event that saw…

The ABP Newport Wales Marathon and 10k has been postponed until 2021. The organisers had originally hoped to hold the event in October this year, but the ongoing restrictions relating to Covid-19 have meant that this would not be possible while maintaining the safety of all those involved. It will now take place on Sunday 18 April 2021. Councillor Jane Mudd, Leader of the council, said: “The marathon is definitely one of jewels in our events crown, but the most important thing is ensuring the safety and health of competitors, supporters, volunteers and staff. “We look forward to welcoming the…

One of the UK’s biggest spectacle lens manufacturers has been supported by a £1m CBILS loan from NatWest ensuring it as able to continue supporting NHS opticians during lockdown. Lenstec Optical Group, which is headquartered in Caerphilly and has facilities in Leeds and Hertfordshire, manufactures over 4,500 pairs of glasses every day. More than half of its 200 strong workforce are based at its centre in Bedwas in Caerphilly. The company supports around 2,000 opticians throughout the UK from major retailers through to independent high street stores. Opticians are recognised as key workers during the pandemic, triaging patients with eye…