Author: Rhys Gregory

Solva Woollen Mill has woven the threads of its growth plans with the opening of its first dedicated retail store in Pembrokeshire after securing six figure funding from NatWest. [aoa id=”1″] Husband and wife Tom and Anna Grime, who own the mill which was built in the 1900s have used the finance from the bank to purchase and transform a former police station into a fit for purpose retail space. Located in St David’s the new store will stock a selection of the mill’s traditionally woven rugs and carpets, as well as a variety of wool-based items, meeting increased customer…

Following a meeting with the Head Teacher at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg towards the end of last year, Cardiff & Vale Health Charity were approached by Sian James, the Head of the Welsh Bac about volunteering opportunities for pupils starting their Community Challenge in September 2019. Never one to turn down an offer of volunteering, the Health Charity jumped at the chance to work with pupils from Year 11 on a project to improve one of the courtyard gardens in Barry Hospital. Members of the Health Charity met the group of students, along with their teacher Mr Matthew Davies to…

This September, more than 200 of Wales’s most iconic landmarks and historic attractions are welcoming thousands of visitors as part of the Wales-wide heritage festival, Open Doors. Funded and organised by Cadw, the festival annually offers free entry to an array of museums, heritage properties and unusual landmarks through the month of September. From majestic castles to fascinating industrial heritage sites, here are 10 ways to make the most of Cadw’s Open Doors programme this weekend. 1. Discover Neath Abbey’s newly refurbished undercroft  Described by Tudor antiquarian, John Leland as ‘the fairest Abbey in all Wales’, visitors to this monumental…

Following the Slovakian FA statement published to their website on Sunday, 22 September detailing the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body decision to close their stadium for the upcoming match between Slovakia and Wales in Trnava on 10 October, the Football Association of Wales has been seeking clarification on the decision directly from UEFA. UEFA has confirmed the sanction to the FAW yesterday morning (23 September) that Slovakia are to play one match behind closed doors, therefore, the European Qualifying match at the Štadión Antona Malatinského on 10 October. UEFA has advised that the sanctions detailed in Article 73 of…

Transport for Wales (TfW) has launched ‘Lab’, a start-up accelerator programme for innovation in rail services technology. [aoa id=”1″] Lab will run for 12 weeks, during which a series of tech entrepreneurs and start-ups will develop a new product or service designed to solve a key challenge faced by the rail industry. At the end of the programme, the participants will pitch their idea to key stakeholders and decision-makers from across TfW Rail. The winning pitch teams will be awarded a contract to fully develop their new solution, which will then be rolled out across the Wales and Borders rail…

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has slammed a decision by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to further restrict the ability of farmers and conservationists to control birds which are damaging crops or livestock, spreading disease or causing harm to species of conservation concern. New General Licences for the control of certain bird species will come into effect on 7 October 2019, introducing significant additional restrictions for farmers and conservationists, compared with the current licence – and they even tie the hands of NRW staff seeking to protect rare species on Welsh Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). FUW Land Use Committee…

Grove of Narberth, a luxury country house hotel in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales has been awarded a 5 star hotel status by tourism governing body, Visit Wales. [aoa id=”1″] Grove is the 4th hotel in Wales to achieve 5 stars and the first hotel in South West Wales to achieve this accolade. This week, Deputy Minister for Culture Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas visited the hotel to congratulate the team. The 5 star status comes from a nationwide quality assessment scheme where all accommodation is assessed to the same criteria with the stars reflecting the facilities and overall quality of…

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has called for improved sewage systems across Wales, as it is revealed that just 14% of rivers meet EU expectations. With waste being dumped into Britain’s waterways, drainage companies are starting to do more to improve the movement of sewage away from open rivers. If this can be done, it will improve the health of Welsh citizens while helping local wildlife to thrive. Even urban based Welsh children love to swim in the rivers in summer time, so it is hoped that the government will do more to meet EU expectations for a greater number…

The winners of the fourth annual Wales Start-Up Awards were announced last night at an awards ceremony held at the Depot in Cardiff and hosted by TV presenter Jamie Owen. With overall sponsorship by Capital Law – the national and international provider of legal services – the awards are the only ones of their kind in Wales to recognise those new businesses less than three years old. Other sponsors include NatWest Cymru, Abel and Imray, ALS Managed Services, Bluegg, Business in Focus, Cardiff University, Freight Logistics Solutions, Swansea University, Thermal Compaction Group, Tramshed Tech, Universities Wales, University of South Wales,…

THOUSANDS of runners and spectators took to the streets of Swansea for the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k.  [aoa id=”1″] Around 5,000 runners took centre stage for what is one of the top events of its kind in the UK, attracting fans and competitors from across the UK. The event was voted Best 10k in Wales in the 2019 Running Awards. Men’s 10k winner was Kieran Clements, of north London’s Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers. Women’s 10k winner was Natasha Cockram, of the Micky Morris Racing Team. She was the first Welsh female winner since the early 1980s. Wheelchair race winner for…