Author: Rhys Gregory

Smoking could be banned outsides pubs, cafes and restaurants, if new Welsh Government proposals get the go-ahead. ASH Wales has welcomed the plans which would see tough new anti-smoking laws extended to the outdoor seating areas of pubs, cafes, bars and restaurants to protect non-smokers from the effects of second hand smoke. The move follows concerns that smoking and exposure to second hand smoke, puts people at higher risk of suffering more severe symptoms if they catch Covid-19. The ban on smoking in the outdoor seating areas of pubs, cafes and restaurants could come into force during the next Senedd…

Despite the unprecedented economic crisis, Business Butler, thanks to its SMART Partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University, has continued to thrive under the lockdown restrictions. Working remotely has not fazed this innovative digital company and has in fact used it as an opportunity to make great advancements in developing an intelligent business chatbot as part of its SMART Partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University. SMART Partnerships are funded by the Welsh Government and they offer financial support to innovative collaboration projects that need a range of expertise to succeed. This support is instrumental in helping to increase the capacity and capabilities of…

There were tears of joy at an emotional reunion between a 92-year-old ex-soldier and his daughter after nearly three months of lockdown at the care home in the Swansea Valley where he lives. Until then Stanley Crawley, originally from Resolven, who has Parkinson’s Disease, had only seen his daughter, Susan Clement, fleetingly through the windows at the Cwm Cartref Care Home in Commercial Road, Pontardawe. Staff at Cwm Cartref, part of the Caron Group which has 14 care home across South and Mid-Wales, have created a novel outdoor visiting area in the garden so residents can finally meet their loved…

A personal trainer whose parents both died of cancer has turned the hall of her historic 15th century home into a fitness studio to raise cash for the North Wales NHS charity with a series of online exercise videos. Elaine Pritchard, 57, an NHS management consultant who lost her dad when she was 13 and was 28 when her mum died, is recording the live sessions four times a week at her traditional Welsh hall house near Llandyrnog, in the Vale of Clwyd. She puts them out on Facebook to be enjoyed live or on recording, on Monday morning and…

The world’s first preserved railway in Mid Wales was delighted to welcome back visitors this week (Monday) as its café opened for the first time since the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in March. Talyllyn Railway’s general manager Stuart Williams said visitors were able to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and snack or meal in a picnic train that doesn’t move off the platform. He arranged for three open carriages to be brought to the Wharf Station in Tywyn where visitors can sit and enjoy their refreshments. The station also has an outdoor seating area under a platform canopy. “We’ve had a…

A special flower display is helping Swansea to mark 10 years as a City of Sanctuary. The new feature has been planted outside the Civic Centre using a design by Swansea City of Sanctuary committee member Thanuja Hettiarachchi. Thousands of road users and pedestrians will see it over the coming months. It was officially unveiled by Swansea’s Lord Mayor Cllr Mark Child. Swansea became the UK’s second official City of Sanctuary – and Wales’ first – in May 2010, highlighting the area as having a culture of hospitality and welcome, especially for refugees seeking sanctuary from war and persecution. Alyson…

Gareth Wyn Jones presents the fascinating story of the Royal Welsh Show: from its establishment in 1904 through to its status today as the pinnacle of the Welsh rural calendar. Presenting from his farm in Snowdonia, Gareth takes a look at some of his own archive photos and other show memorabilia. The Show’s story is one of triumph over adversity. Its founders fought to establish it in an era when Welsh institutions of any kind were sorely lacking. Since then, it has survived two World Wars, petrol rationing and the crisis of Foot and Mouth disease in 2001. The transition…

Ten new members have joined an independent organisation that represents more than 600 tourism and hospitality businesses across Mid Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. MWT Cymru, which has member businesses across Powys, Ceredigion and the Meirionnydd region of Gwynedd, has been busy supporting members throughout the lockdown. In addition to keeping businesses informed and helping them to access financial support, MWT Cymru has been working closely with Visit Wales, Mid Wales Regional Tourism Forum, Wales Tourism Alliance and local authorities to ensure that tourism remains high on the political agenda. The 10 new members are Cambrian Coast Caravan Park,…

THE Welsh Ambulance Service has extended thanks to the Armed Forces for its support through the Coronavirus pandemic. More than 100 British Army soldiers have been assisting the Trust’s Covid-19 effort since April by driving and decontaminating ambulance vehicles as part of Operation Rescript. Among them are soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Rifles, 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh and 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment. Yesterday the Trust presented commemorative plaques to 1st Battalion The Rifles at Chepstow’s Beachley Barracks as a thank you gesture. Lee Brooks, Director of Operations, said: “We have a long-standing relationship with the military and were very fortunate to…

An artists’ impression shows how memorial gardens at three crematoria in Wales to remember people who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic will look. Westerleigh Group, the UK’s largest independent owner-operator of crematoria and cemeteries, announced last month its intention to create a memorial garden at each of its 34 sites across the country. They include: Aberystwyth Crematorium; Llanelli Crematorium; and Langstone Vale Crematorium, near Newport. Regional Manager Kevin Davies said: “These gardens will be tranquil places for people to visit and remember loved ones who died during the pandemic, and to pay tribute to those who sacrificed so much…