Author: Rhys Gregory

TOP South Wales ska band Skalet will be performing ‘a night of the greatest ska hits’ at a charity gig for the City Hospice. The charity night will be held on October 18 at the Earl Haig, Whitchurch, Cardiff, and tickets can be bought direct from the Earl Haig, or by contacting Alastair Milburn on 07813 857382 or emailing [email protected] City Hospice is Cardiff’s local hospice, looking after people with incurable and life limiting conditions, such as Cancer, Dementia, Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). To meet the increasing need for hospice care, the charity has…

One of Swansea city centre’s biggest ever building transformations is due to be completed in the next few weeks. [aoa id=”1″] Once open for the new university year, the £45m Oldway Centre, on High Street, will be home to more than 550 students. The development of the 13-storey landmark block reflects Swansea Council regeneration plans which will see many more people living in the city centre. [/aoa] It was developed by Oldway Centre Swansea, part of the Midos Group, physically transformed by WRW Construction and is being managed by Omnia Space. Council leader Rob Stewart was given a tour of…

The ethical lending sector in Wales needs more financial fire-power if it is to continue to grow, says Robert Owen Community Banking Fund (ROCBF). [aoa id=”1″] The Newtown-based lender works with Welsh organisations to help keep investment within local communities, and has just welcomed a renewed investment of £50,000 by Powys charity Cae Post. Local authorities and councils also invest their reserve funds to strengthen ROCBF’s balance sheet, helping it offer fair finance to small businesses and individuals who may be looking for alternatives to the High Street Banks and traditional lenders. [/aoa]This lending takes many forms, including…

A drug dealer from south Wales was banged to rights by footage from his very own dashboard camera. Scott Curtis, 45, from from Graiglwyd, Cwmdare, Aberdare, was potentially facing charges for possession, but two hours of dashcam footage from his yellow Ford Focus caught him in the act, freely carrying out drug deals on his phone and even stopping users in the street. Scott Curtis was stopped by police while driving along the A4059 towards Mountain Ash at approximately 3pm on 6th September, 2018. As officers approached the car he tried to throw a small bag of cocaine and heroin…

The new What Store has opened on the former Kwik Save and Hypervalue site in St Mellons, which has been closed since 2007. In recent years, the site had become a blight on the area, which had attracted graffiti, fly-tipping and other forms of vandalism. It is hoped that the new store will help revitalise the area and bring local jobs. [aoa id=”1″] The retailer has been without a high street presence in Cardiff since it closed its Newport Road store. Earlier this year, work to clear the former What! Stores site on Newport Road began to make way for…

Contractors are on site preparing for main construction work that will see the cutting-edge facility built on part of the existing Oystermouth Road car park, next to the LC. Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart said: “This is the start of a transformational project for Swansea; thousands of residents and visitors share our excitement at the opportunities and benefits it will bring. “Having the contractors on site for this preparatory work is a big step forward and, along with the recent news that the UK and Welsh Governments have agreed to release City Deal funding for the Swansea City and Waterfront…

A ‘Jaws’-dropping Great White Shark, measuring nearly 25 feet, has made its way from the big blue sea to St David’s Shopping Centre in Cardiff. [aoa id=”1″] Afraid to get too close? Don’t fret! Climb into the chomp-safe shark cage so you can capture that perfect picture without a worry. But don’t forget humans are friends too – not food! If you ‘snap’ a picture with Shark, you can share your best photos with the centre to enter a #SharkSelfie competition. Each week you will have the chance to win a hamper full of St David’s goodies. Jaw-some! [/aoa] From…

It’s been serving the Anglesey community delicious gelato for the past 10 years. [aoa id=”1″] Now more and more locals and visitors to North Wales are going to be able to enjoy the delights from Red Boat parlour ice-cream with more retail outlets opening and a new production hub, thanks to a loan from Development Bank of Wales. The £292,000 loan has allowed owner Tony Green to launch two new shops in Plas Newydd and Llangefni, which will also form a new manufacturing production site. [/aoa] Tony has owned Red Boat Ice Cream Parlour for 10 years with his wife…

A celebration at the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway’s on Sunday (July 28) marked the successful completion of the line’s ‘Disability First’ project. [aoa id=”1″] This major investment at Llanfair Caereinion station has helped open up the popular Mid Wales tourist attraction to less-able visitors. W&LLR was awarded £42,500 in 2016 as part of the £1 million Heritage and Community Rail Tourism Innovation competition, run by the Challenge Fund of the Department for Transport and the Rail Safety & Standards Board (RSSB). [/aoa] The railway’s Disability First project aimed to improve access to trains for wheelchair-bound passengers. At the time,…

Locals can now enjoy some of the biggest and best blockbusters on the big screen for a new all-day, everyday price from just £5 per ticket at all ODEON cinemas in Wales. These include ODEON Cardiff, ODEON Llanelli, ODEON Swansea, ODEON Bridgend and ODEON Wrexham. [aoa id=”1″] The everyday low-price tickets are launching just in time for the Summer holidays and one of the biggest years of family film to date, meaning guests can see the most anticipated releases of the year for less. From just £5 a ticket or £5.75 if booked online (includes booking fee), families can experience…