Author: Rhys Gregory

An exotic frog has made a 5,000-mile trip to an Asda store in Llanelli – after being found amongst an a-peel-ing bunch of bananas from Colombia. RSPCA Cymru was alerted after an eagle-eyed member of staff spotted the frog while on shift at the Murray Street store on Monday (June 29). The quick-thinking superstore worker has been thanked by the animal welfare charity. Amphibians are capable of slowing down their metabolism under different environmental conditions – and it is believed this is how the frog would have survived the long journey into a cooler climate without food and drink. Colombia is…

As lockdown eases, The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is warning that blind and partially sighted people’s independence in Wales is increasingly under threat. Social distancing, which relies heavily on sight, has made it nearly impossible for people with vision impairment to navigate safely and independently in a world turned ‘upside down’ by measures and rules that are often inaccessible. In response, RNIB has launched the World Upside Down campaign today (Monday 6 July), calling for people to think about the challenges blind and partially sighted people might face and make small changes to keep everyone safe. Its launch…

A collaboration between Welsh vineyards will see the first official Welsh Wine Week launch from 27th July to 2nd August to showcase the quality of wine being produced in Wales. The virtual Welsh Wine Week will include a range of events hosted by vineyard owners and friends from the hospitality and wider food and drink industry over social media video platforms giving attendees an insight into winemaking in Wales. There are almost 30 vineyards in Wales, and all are owned by independently-minded pioneers using Wales’ unique micro-climates to produce small quantity, terroir-driven, quality wines. With tourism non-existent since March due…

Wales’s heritage sites have been closed since 18 March but today, Cadw re-open selected unstaffed, outdoor monuments. As of Monday, 06 July, members of the public will be able to safely visit some of Cadw’s 105 unstaffed heritage sites across Wales — from St Lythan’s Burial Chamber in the Vale of Glamorgan to Haverfordwest Priory in Pembrokeshire and Montgomery Castle in Powys. Other unstaffed monuments in Cadw’s care will re-open later this summer — as soon as essential site maintenance, risk assessments and new site safety measures are completed and introduced, to ensure a safe and socially distanced visitor experience.…

Welsh children’s hospital charity, Noah’s Ark, has launched brand new initiative to keep children happy and entertained over the school summer holiday. The Happy Holiday Challenge sets children the task of completing one in a list of set challenges every day for the six week break while raising money in sponsorship for the charity’s Covid-19 Resilience Fund. The Noah’s Ark Charity raised money to fund state-of-the-art equipment, facilities and family support services at Wales’ only children’s hospital. During Covid-19 the charity is also providing additional support to families affected by the ongoing one-parent policy by funding food for ward kitchens…

As outdoor spaces in Wales prepare to welcome visitors from Monday, First Minister Mark Drakeford has urged people visiting the countryside, beaches and beauty spots to do so safely. The requirement to stay local will be lifted on Monday (6 July), enabling people to travel in Wales and into Wales. It will also mean outdoor visitor attractions can open and it will pave the way for the tourism sector to begin re-opening from 11 July, if conditions allow. The Welsh Government has been working with local authorities, national parks, Natural Resources Wales and other landowners to ensure Wales’ wonderful outdoors…

Following the latest announcement from Welsh Government, Cardiff’s successful warehouse events venue The DEPOT is planning to re-open its outdoor space from Monday 13th July. With a combined outdoor area of more than 15,000 sq ft, the outdoor area at the DEPOT is thought to be one of the biggest beer gardens in Wales. A series of ‘Street Food Social’ events in the garden will include up to eight independent street food traders, socially distanced seating and a fully licensed bar. Pork Society, Dirty Bird, Ffwrnes and Brother Thai are all scheduled to appear in the coming weeks, with more traders…

On Thursday 2nd July, the Welsh Government announced that bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants can begin to re-open outdoors in Wales from July 13, if cases of coronavirus continue to fall. Speaking at the daily press briefing in Cathays Park, International Relations Minister Eluned Morgan said that the announcement follows a ‘rapid review’ of the hospitality sector in Wales – but the reaction from those within the sector has been mixed. Debs Lewis, co-founder of the award-winning Welsh street food outfit Dusty Knuckle Pizza said: “We are fortunate to have one site that is exclusively outdoors, but for many restaurants…

You may be trading your car for something newer, or scaling back in size to something more manageable, likely due to a change in lifestyle and transportation requirements, sooner or later you may have to sell your car. Most sellers will want to ensure they maximise their return on the vehicle as the extra funds will go towards a replacement. Others may just want to sell it in the easiest and quickest way possible. Regardless, there are a number of steps you need to take to preparing your car for sale. Those in the business of trading will need a…

Bus Operators across Wales will be rescued by a further funding package from Welsh Government. Wales’ bus industry will be funded through a new Bus Emergency Scheme, providing financial support for revenue lost during the coronavirus pandemic in return for greater public control over our buses. The Welsh Government has announced the scheme as its previous short-term support scheme – the Bus Hardship Fund – comes to an end. Revenue is expected to remain low for the foreseeable future and this emergency funding provides an operating subsidy in lieu of lost revenue, maintained at historic levels for an initial period…