Author: Rhys Gregory

Swansea’s nationally acclaimed Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is in good hands during the pandemic. The city centre attraction, managed by Swansea Council, is being kept in prime condition thanks to ongoing work by gallery staff. Although the gallery, in a spectacular listed building, is temporarily closed in line with government restrictions it will be ready to reopen when it is safe to do so. Curator Karen MacKinnon said: “We’re keeping the Glynn Vivian in excellent condition in readiness for the future when it’s safe to reopen to the public. “We’ve been paying careful attention to cleanliness, the fabric of the…

Following a gathering of a large number of people on Saturday at the Oval Basin in Cardiff Bay, police in Cardiff have put in place a Section 35 Dispersal Order for the Mermaid Quay area in order to give officers additional powers to deal with people acting in an anti-social manner. Several disturbances broke out on Saturday evening which resulted in the arrest of a small number people for being drunk and disorderly. Chief Inspector Michelle Conquer, said: “There were some unsavoury scenes in Cardiff Bay yesterday which required officers to step in and make arrests. “Much of it was…

Microwaves are one of the most innovative inventions that have made home-cooking so much easier. The benefits of owning a microwave are endless. The speedy cooking that microwaves offer has saved us plenty of time, unlike conventional cooking methods, they remain cool even after they have heated up your food. However, as useful as these space-saving and cost-effective appliances are, they can’t be used for everything. Read on to learn the 4 things you should never put in a microwave. 1. Rice You might be surprised to see rice at the top of this list because most people reheat their…

Large parts of Wales will begin to welcome back visitors as the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries re-open over the next three weeks. Most indoor tourist attractions will reopen on Monday, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced yesterday (Friday 10 July) as he set out further measures to lift Wales’ coronavirus restrictions. Following the latest 21-day review of the coronavirus regulations, the First Minister has set out a phased timetable to ease restrictions for large parts of Wales’ visitor, hospitality, and leisure and tourism sectors. He is asking the beauty sector and other close-contact services, including tattooists and nail salons, to…

The Welsh Government is being called upon to open up the housing market at a quicker pace and to match the recent changes to stamp duty land tax that have been introduced with immediate effect in both England and Northern Ireland. On Thursday, Scotland said house buyers will not pay tax on properties sold for for less than £250,000. However, the Welsh Government are yet to respond to the measures. Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance in Wales has so far only responded on Twitter, saying that a ‘decision will be announced early next week’ and accusing UK Government for not informing…

Newport City Council will begin the process of restarting library services by reopening Newport Central Library from Tuesday 14 July. The library will be open from Tuesday-Friday, 10am-12.30pm and 1pm-4pm. Initially, only Central Library will reopen, whilst the council works to extend reopening across all libraries in the city. A reduced service will be offered at Central, with members having to pre-book an appointment slot to visit in order to collect items reserved online and browse from a small range of unreserved fiction books. Visits will be limited to two people and fifteen minutes per booking. All other services, including…

Planning permission has been granted, subject to approval by Welsh Ministers, for a flagship housing development in Pontllanfraith; bringing much needed affordable homes to the area in the future. Approval for the Chartist Garden Village development was given during a remote meeting of Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Planning Committee, held today (Wednesday 8thJuly). Councillors were assured that the development would not encroach onto the Harold Finch Memorial Park, which is located adjacent to the site, or the protected nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Chartist Garden Village is an exciting collaboration between the council and the Pobl…

Work has begun to ensure that children’s play areas and outdoor fitness equipment in Cardiff’s parks are safe to use, following the Welsh Government announcement that they can now re-open to the public.  Cardiff has more than 100 play areas and nine outdoor fitness areas and safety inspections will need to be carried out at each site before they can be re-opened to the public. To ensure that all areas of Cardiff have some outdoor children’s play provision available to use as quickly as possible, these inspections and any necessary work to reinstate or repair equipment will be carried out…

Anton Boston, 26, from Ely in Cardiff has been convicted of illegal dog breeding and fraud at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on July 3rd. In sentencing last Friday, District Judge Khan told Boston that if it wasn’t for COVID 19 and his health condition, he would have sent him immediately to prison. This case came to light following a number of complaints about Anton Boston and his dog breeding business – Boston Bullies Wales, following adverts and social media posts that had been placed on Facebook. After collecting all the relevant evidence needed to apply for a warrant, a multi-agency warrant…

Yesterday (10 July 2020) International Trade secretary Liz Truss visited the Port of Southampton to see Aston Martin’s first luxury SUV, the DBX, which will be shipped to the United States later this summer. This comes ahead of the third round of trade talks with the US expected in late July.  On her visit, Liz Truss discussed how the production of innovative British vehicles like the Aston Martin DBX will play a part in Britain’s economic recovery from coronavirus, and how a free trade agreement with the US can benefit the UK’s automotive industry. With US consumers being major buyers of…