Author: Rhys Gregory

Wales and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has announced that he is part of the team bringing a new bar, restaurant and mini-golf venue to Cardiff city centre. In late 2019, it was revealed that the 18,000 sq ft site underneath the Capitol Centre was to become a new entertainment venue called Par 59. When complete it will boast two adults-only, mini-golf courses, and two large bar and dining rooms. Two independent kitchens will also occupy the venue; with a sushi and Japanese food offering from Sushi Life, and buttermilk fried chicken coming from Dirty Bird. The development was previously announced by Cardiff…

An underweight seal who spent around eight weeks in RSPCA care has been released back into the wild. The seal, who was initially rescued by Welsh Marine Life Rescue (WMLR) at St Brides in Pembrokeshire on 10 January, was transferred into RSPCA care on 13 January and taken to the RSPCA’s Mallydams Wood wildlife centre – where staff named him Graham. RSPCA animal collection officer and wildlife officer Ellie West – who released Graham back into the sea at Port Eynon – said: “This seal pup – who when found was very underweight – initially spent a few days coughing…

A major research project hopes to give tourism a boost in five port towns in Wales and Ireland. The four-year study will seek to unlock the cultural heritage and histories of Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock in Wales and Dublin and Rosslare in Ireland. ‘Ports, Pasts and Present: Cultural Crossings between Ireland and Wales’ is a joint initiative between University College Cork (UCC) and Wexford County Council in Ireland, and Aberystwyth University and the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD). Led by UCC, the €3.2 million project has received €2.6…

This week sees the latest balloon test launch by Wales-based B2Space – aiming to demonstrate the feasibility of Spaceport Snowdonia Sponsored by the UKSA (Space Agency), Spaceport Snowdonia has joined forces with Newport-based B2Space to release their commercial Near Space platform, with four different experiments on board to perform different missions in the upper atmosphere. This will be the final demonstrator of a feasibility study into using Llanbedr Airfield as a launch site for their balloon operations. B2Space co-founder Victor Montero said: “This launch represent a major step forward for us and the industry; we’ll be demonstrating the commercial attraction…

A police boss in North Wales says that securing funding for an extra 167 Tasers will help protect frontline officers as well as the public. The region’s police and crime commissioner, Arfon Jones, welcomed the additional £137,000 from a £10 million pot provided by Home Secretary Priti Patel. The cash will cover the cost of buying the new tasers. Meanwhile, money for batteries, holsters and training has been included in the budget for the remainder of this year and next by the commissioner. As well as having more Tasers available for officers, it will also mean more can be trained in how to…

In 2016, the President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum told hundreds of young people that they were key to the sustainability agenda and global efforts. They were advised to aim high and to have ambitious goals and today we’re seeing young people do exactly that – from Greta Thunberg to students looking to realise change in their local area. Sixth form students from St David’s Catholic College, based in Penylan, have taken matters into their own hands, setting up a sustainability group in the college to encourage action. “I think it’s extremely important that everyone…

Wales & West Utilities has been announced as a key partner with Pembrokeshire County Council to deliver the Milford Haven: Energy Kingdom (MH:EK) project – to meet the Prospering from the Energy Revolution Industrial Strategy Challenge. Over £2million has been given by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to run the project, which will deliver a detailed design for the Milford Haven waterway area. It will trial new technology, which could become a blueprint for greener local energy generation and will contribute to the UK and Welsh Government’s goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. MH:EK is a 22-month project…

Two businessmen are investing £1 million to open an Italian restaurant and a gastro pub which will create around 30 new jobs in Wrexham. Brothers-in-law John Blaney and Carl Burleigh are breathing new life into the former Barclays Bank premises in High Street that’s lain empty for 10 years. Both men have many years’ experience in the food and drinks industry and say the two new eateries, Belushimo and the Frisky Pudding, will herald the creation of a new café quarter in the town when they open later this month. The development spans two buildings next door to each other…

Aberdovey’s Tom Cave is looking forward to returning to the event where he posted his first of three British Rally Championship victories last year, the Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally, which takes places this coming St Patrick’s Day weekend – March 14 and 15. Cave, a manager at his family’s Trefeddian Hotel, will be partnered by co-driver Dale Furniss from Llanfyllin. In a nail-biting, final stage shoot out in 2019 against fellow Welshman Matt Edwards, driving his PCRS prepared, Get Jerky supported Hyundai i20 R5, Cave and his co-driver on that occasion, James Morgan, secured an impressive win by…

Health records from over 80% of the Welsh population have been used to create the UK’s first national-scale health database for dementia research, which is housed at Swansea University. Researchers have used Welsh NHS records to create the new resource – which is kept in the SAIL Databank – allowing doctors and scientists to investigate fundamental questions about dementia with greater confidence, paving the way for new treatments. Every three seconds someone in the world develops dementia, and the number of people living with the condition is projected to increase. With 850,000 people estimated to be living with dementia in…